New Hallways, New Dreams

Title

Seo_intro

Follow an immigrant student's emotional journey during their first day of American high school in this moving A2 memoir story.

Parts

• Part_number: 1
  Text:

  I woke up very early today. My heart was beating fast. Today was my first day at a big American high school. In my home country, schools are small. Here, everything is giant. I put on my favorite blue shirt and packed my backpack. My mother made me a special lunch with rice and spices. I felt nervous because I didn't know if the other students would like me. I looked in the mirror and took a deep breath. 'You can do this,' I whispered to myself. Then, I saw the big yellow bus arriving.

  Vocabulary_explanations

  Beating: the movement of your heart making a rhythm

  Giant: something that is very large or huge

  Packed: to put things into a bag or suitcase

  Spices: substances used to give a special taste to food

  Nervous: feeling worried or afraid about something

  Mirror: a piece of glass that reflects your image

  Whispered: to speak very quietly using your breath

  Arriving: reaching a place at the end of a journey

  Heart: the organ in your chest that pumps blood

  Special: different from what is usual; better or more important
  Questions:

  • Question: How did the student feel in the morning?
    Options:

    • A) Very angry
    • B) Nervous and excited
    • C) Bored and tired
    Answer: B) Nervous and excited
  • Question: The student's school in their home country was very large.
    Answer: false
  • Question: What color was the school bus?
    Options:

    • A) Blue
    • B) Red
    • C) Yellow
    Answer: C) Yellow
• Part_number: 2
  Text:

  When I entered the building, the noise was incredible. Students were shouting and laughing. The hallways were full of tall metal lockers. I had a small paper with my locker number: 402. I tried to open it, but the lock was difficult. I felt like everyone was watching me. A tall boy walked past and smiled. He didn't say anything, but the smile helped me feel a little better. I finally opened the locker and put my heavy bag inside. Now, I had to find my first classroom in this maze.

  Vocabulary_explanations

  Entered: to go into a place or building

  Incredible: difficult to believe or very impressive

  Shouting: speaking or crying out very loudly

  Hallways: long passages in a building with doors to rooms

  Lockers: small metal cupboards with locks for students

  Difficult: not easy to do or understand

  Smiled: to make a happy expression with your mouth

  Heavy: weighing a lot; difficult to lift

  Maze: a complicated system of paths that is easy to get lost in

  Building: a structure with walls and a roof
  Questions:

  • Question: What was the student's locker number?
    Options:

    • A) 204
    • B) 402
    • C) 420
    Answer: B) 402
  • Question: The student found it easy to open the locker immediately.
    Answer: false
  • Question: Who made the student feel a little better?
    Options:

    • A) A teacher
    • B) A tall boy
    • C) Their mother
    Answer: B) A tall boy
• Part_number: 3
  Text:

  My first class was Geometry. I sat in the back of the room. The teacher, Mr. Harrison, spoke very fast. I understood some words, but not everything. However, when he started writing numbers on the whiteboard, I felt a wave of relief. Math is the same in every language. I finished the problems quickly. Mr. Harrison walked by my desk and looked at my work. He gave me a thumbs-up. For the first time that day, I felt like I belonged here. I wasn't just an immigrant; I was a good student.

  Vocabulary_explanations

  Geometry: a type of math about shapes and lines

  Understood: to know the meaning of something

  Whiteboard: a smooth surface for writing with markers

  Relief: a feeling of happiness when something unpleasant stops

  Language: the system of words people use to communicate

  Problems: exercises or questions that need a solution

  Quickly: at a fast speed

  Thumbs-up: a sign of approval made with the hand

  Belonged: to be in the right place or feel accepted

  Immigrant: a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country
  Questions:

  • Question: What subject was the first class?
    Options:

    • A) History
    • B) Geometry
    • C) English
    Answer: B) Geometry
  • Question: The student felt relief because math uses numbers, which are universal.
    Answer: true
  • Question: Where did the student sit in the classroom?
    Options:

    • A) At the front
    • B) In the middle
    • C) In the back
    Answer: C) In the back
• Part_number: 4
  Text:

  Lunchtime was the scariest part. The cafeteria was huge and smelled like pizza. I sat alone at a small table. I opened my lunch box, and the smell of my mother’s spices filled the air. I was worried people would think my food was strange. Suddenly, a girl named Sarah sat down next to me. She looked at my rice and asked, 'What is that? It smells amazing!' I shared some with her, and we started talking. She told me about the school clubs. My lunch didn't feel strange anymore; it felt like a bridge.

  Vocabulary_explanations

  Scariest: causing the most fear

  Cafeteria: a restaurant in a school where students eat

  Alone: without any other people

  Strange: unusual or surprising; difficult to understand

  Suddenly: happening quickly and unexpectedly

  Amazing: causing great surprise or wonder

  Shared: to give a portion of something to others

  Clubs: groups of people who meet for a specific activity

  Bridge: something that connects two different things

  Filled: to occupy all the space in something
  Questions:

  • Question: The student ate lunch in the library.
    Answer: false
  • Question: What did Sarah think about the student's food?
    Options:

    • A) It was strange
    • B) It smelled amazing
    • C) She didn't like it
    Answer: B) It smelled amazing
  • Question: What did the student and Sarah talk about?
    Options:

    • A) Homework
    • B) School clubs
    • C) The bus
    Answer: B) School clubs
• Part_number: 5
  Text:

  The rest of the day went by fast. I learned how to find the gym and the library. When the final bell rang, I walked back to the yellow bus. I wasn't as nervous as I was in the morning. I realized that being new is hard, but it is also a new beginning. I have a lot to learn, especially English, but I have my first friend and my math skills. As the bus drove away, I looked at the school building. It didn't look so giant anymore. It looked like my new home.

  Vocabulary_explanations

  Final: coming at the end of a series

  Rang: the sound a bell makes

  Realized: to understand or become aware of something

  Beginning: the start of something

  Skills: the ability to do something well

  Drove: the past tense of drive; to operate a vehicle

  Hard: difficult to do or understand

  Especially: to a great extent; very much

  Rest: the part that is left over

  Home: the place where one lives permanently
  Questions:

  • Question: The student felt more nervous at the end of the day than in the morning.
    Answer: false
  • Question: What did the school building look like to the student at the end of the day?
    Options:

    • A) A scary maze
    • B) A giant monster
    • C) A new home
    Answer: C) A new home
  • Question: The student realizes that being new is:
    Options:

    • A) Easy
    • B) Hard but a new beginning
    • C) Impossible
    Answer: B) Hard but a new beginning

Critical Thinking