Lesson 5: At school

ESL Course: English for Studying Abroad

An ESL guide to prepare you for your homestay. This is lesson 5 of a 10 lesson course.

PDF: At school

Introduction

  1. What do you remember about your first day at school / your club activity, etc.?
  2. What do you think you will do on your first day at school overseas?
  3. What are you most worried about? What are you most looking forward to?

Vocabulary

recessto fill out a formassessment
facilitiesschool suppliesto introduce
deadlinerequirementsorientation
counselorattendanceto spell
Sorry, I didn't catch that.Could you say that again?What does (that) mean?

Conversation

Staff 1: Hello there, can I help you?
Maki: Hello. Yes. It's my first day. Can you tell me where I should go?
Staff 1: Certainly. Do you know your student ID number?
Maki: Yes, I have the information here.
Staff 1: Let me see... (checks computer) .. ah yes, it's Maki Watanabe, yes? Your orientation starts at 9:30 in Room 2A. That's up the stairs and on the left.
Maki: Thank you. Sorry, is there a toilet here?
Staff 1: Right behind you!
...
Staff 2: Good morning everybody. Welcome to Trinity Brighton. I'm Louise Burton, and I'm the Student Counselor. If you need any help during your stay here, please come and see me. Today is your orientation, so we'll go through everything you need to know about the school and your classes. First, though, I'd like to check the attendance.
...
Maki: Hi, I'm Maki, nice to meet you.
Amelia: Sorry, did you say Mickey?
Maki: No, it's Maki, that's M-A-K-I.
Amelia: Ah, okay! Nice to meet you, Maki, I'm Amelia. I'm from Singapore. And you?
Maki: I'm from Japan. Do you mind if I sit with you?
Amelia: No, not at all.

What to Expect

It's quite likely that you'll have to make a short self-introduction in front of your classmates. Keep it short and easy to understand. Maybe your classmates can't speak English so well. For example:

"My name is Maki. I'm 18 years old and I come from Japan. I like drawing pictures and my favorite food is ice-cream. Nice to meet you all."

Sometimes, you'll miss key information and need to ask a classmate for it. For example:

"Could you tell me what page the homework is? I didn't hear it." - indirect question
"Sorry, did she say lunchtime finished at 1:15 or 1:50?" - reported speech

Next Lesson

English for Studying Abroad - Lesson 6

Lesson List

  1. Arriving at the airport
  2. Getting to the city
  3. Meeting your homestay family
  4. First day
  5. At school
  6. Hanging out with friends
  7. Getting around town
  8. Shopping
  9. Sightseeing
  10. Saying goodbye

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