Patricia and Graciela are returning to school this week. Both of them are going to be juniors in high school. In the American school system, a junior is a student in the eleventh grade. There are twelve grades altogether.

Last year was their sophomore year. That’s also known as the tenth grade. They entered high school as freshmen. A freshman is a student in the ninth grade.

Patricia and Graciela are excited about this school year. Patricia is going to take chemistry for the first time, and Graciela is going to take an advanced physics class. They know that their courses will be very difficult, but they are good students and study hard.

Good luck to both of them.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

Now you try it. Read the paragraph above. If you have a microphone, you can record your voice and compare it to my voice.

  How much do you remember from the reading? Fill in the blanks.

• 1A: What grade level are Patricia and Graciela entering?
• 1B: They’re entering __________ grade.
• 2A: How many grade levels are there in the American school system?
• 2B: There are __________ grades.
• 3A: What kind of a course is Patricia going to take?
• 3B: She’s going to take __________.
• 4A: How do both of them feel about this school year?
• 4B: They feel __________.

 (Answers: 1. eleventh; 2. twelve; 3. chemistry; 4. excited)

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