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American Schools

Episode of the series Awesome Stuff

CEFR : A1

In this episode

Illustrated slideshow (37 images)
Glossary (15 words)
Comprehension quiz (17 questions)
9 cultural notes

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The episode

What is a day at an American school really like? Two friends find out about the yellow bus, freshmen and seniors, lunch in the cafeteria, and caps flying in the air.

Episode worksheets (2)

Student sheet In your teacher account
Teacher sheet In your teacher account

Teaching guide

Objective & content

This is a documentary podcast about American schools. One friend explains and the other asks questions: kids start in kindergarten at about five and finish in twelfth grade, through elementary, middle and high school, and the four high school years are called freshman, sophomore, junior and senior. About twenty-five million kids ride a yellow bus every school day; in most high schools the teachers stay in their classroom and the students move, with lockers in the hallway, lunch in the cafeteria, school colors, a mascot and Friday night football, and finally graduation. The grammar focus is present simple, with questions (What grade are you in?) and possessive adjectives (my school, your school, their caps). Learners listen for the ordinal numbers of the school years, the large numbers and the school vocabulary.

Materials & prerequisites

Student sheet and teacher sheet, each as HTML and PDF (in the episode's printables folder).
Prerequisites: present simple, numbers to one hundred, and basic school vocabulary.

Curriculum alignment

Tagged c3-child-and-wider-environment, so it fits cycle 3 (6e). The episode targets CEFR A1+.

Possible adaptations

Lower levels: Offer segmented listening and additional visual aids.
Advanced levels: Encourage an oral summary and a debate in English on the theme.
Large groups: Organise group work with differentiated roles.

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