Long Listening · Section 5

Middle School

In the US, this is the level of school that comes after elementary school and before high school.

Level: A2 · 70 sentences

Transcript

1. In the US, this is the level of school
2. that comes after elementary school and before high school.
3. This is an interesting period in a person's life
4. and in their academic career, so let's talk about it.
5. First of all, it's important to note that the grades
6. and levels of school are different in different countries.
7. In the US, most people start middle school when they're 12 years old.
8. At this age, people are in 7th grade.
9. Most middle schools in the US include 7th and 8th grade,
10. but there are some that go from 6th to 8th grade.
11. In other countries, this might not be the case.
12. So, one of the big changes
13. that happens in middle school is that students start going
14. to multiple classes with different teachers.
15. In elementary school, students have only one teacher who teaches every subject.
16. This also means that they're with the same classmates all day.
17. However, in American middle schools, students usually have six
18. or seven different teachers in classes.
19. This is a huge transition if you ask me.
20. For some students, this is overwhelming,
21. and it's hard for them to do well in every class.
22. When I started middle school,
23. I struggled a little bit with the amount of homework I had.
24. It was the first time in my life
25. that I had more than an hour of homework each day,
26. and it was the first time in my life
27. that I had to do homework on weekends.
28. It seemed like a lot of work to me.
29. However, in many other countries, students have more work than American students.
30. In my opinion, school in the US isn't
31. that hard compared to some other countries.
32. But one thing that is hard in middle school
33. is adapting to the new social environment.
34. In elementary school, you're with the same classmates every year.
35. But this changes in middle school.
36. Suddenly, there are many more students at your school.
37. Most of the people in your grade are from other elementary schools,
38. so you don't know them.
39. I remember being nervous on my first day of seventh grade
40. because it felt like I was starting over again.
41. Another reason why it's challenging for middle schoolers
42. to socialize is because they're going through puberty.
43. Puberty is the time in your life
44. when your body and mind change a lot.
45. I remember this phase of my life very well.
46. It's a really awkward and uncomfortable time.
47. It changes the way people act and socialize with others.
48. So, middle school can be a stressful time for people.
49. Regarding academics, middle school in the US isn't as important as high school.
50. Your performance in high school affects your chances of getting into different colleges,
51. but middle school doesn't really matter
52. when it comes to applying to college.
53. If you don't do well in middle school,
54. it probably won't ruin your life.
55. You can still do well in high school,
56. but middle school is important because you learn
57. to be a better and more mature student.
58. You learn how to handle more classes and more work.
59. Also, the tests are harder than in elementary school.
60. You actually have to study and prepare for exams.
61. These are all skills that you can learn while in middle school.
62. Lastly, let's talk about some of the different subjects
63. that Americans learn in middle school.
64. Some of my classes included English, US history, earth science, and algebra.
65. Also, students can take a few electives, which are optional classes.
66. For example, I took art and guitar class in seventh grade,
67. and I had an elective class called tech lab in eighth grade.
68. These classes were pretty fun.
69. One other optional class some of my friends took was Spanish.
70. I didn't take Spanish until high school, though.