14. Back to School Time
Listen to a short English conversation about back to school time to practice your English speaking and listening skills.
To listen, press play in the audio player.
Emma: You are listening to Dialogue Frog’s short English conversations for listening, speaking and shadowing practice. So, I was in the store the other day, and do you know what I saw?
Luke: A polar bear?
Emma: No, I did not see a polar bear.
Luke: Oh.
Emma: Worse. Or maybe better. I saw back to school supplies.
Luke: Back to school supplies.
Emma: Back to school supplies. There were-
Luke: Wow.
Emma: Yeah, it’s that time of year. Its that unspoken season. People know-
Luke: Mm hm.
Emma: -about spring and summer and fall.
Luke: Mm hm.
Emma: Or they know about Halloween and and Christmas, but-
Luke: Mm hm.
Emma: -not very many people know that back to school is a season.
Luke: Yep, uh, you know what? I just realized I forgot to get you a present for back to school season.
Emma: Oh, man.
Luke: Yep. I was going to get you a bundle of erasers.
Emma: And I need erasers.
Luke: Yeah.
Emma: I’m not even in school and I need erasers. But I remember always, as a kid, I loved back to school time. I liked getting new pencils and erasers and notebooks.
Luke: You-you also liked school a lot though.
Emma: Yeah, I guess so. You could say that.
Luke: I just-I just did say that.
Emma: You did say that, yep. It’s true.
Luke: So, what is it that, um, what is it about school that you enjoy?
Emma: I like learning. I like learning new things.
Luke: Mm hm.
Emma: I get bored pretty easily and so.
Luke: Mm hm.
Emma: There’s always something new to learn at school or there’s people to talk to.
Luke: Mm hm
Emma: Things to read. So, that’s why-
Luke: I see.
Emma: -I think I like school.
Luke: That’s a good reason. What’s your opinion on all the increasing, um, online components of education?
Emma: Oh, that’s interesting. Um, I think its going to be good for some people and-
Luke: Uh huh.
Emma: -not so good for other people.
Luke: Uh huh.
Emma: Because some people are very self-motivated and-
Luke: Uh huh.
Emma: -they can put themselves through all of the online work they need to do. They can keep themselves on task. Other people I think need to have, um, people nearby to study with or talk to.
Luke: Uh huh.
Emma: So, I don’t think it’s a one-sized-fit-all approach. I think it-. Different people learn in different ways.
Luke: Mm hm.
Emma: And so, I guess that’ll be a challenge for teachers and educators will be to find a way to reach students online or in-person so that everyone can learn.
Luke: Very, very detailed answer. I just have one quick point to add which is that y-
Emma: Dialogue Frog is an online educational resource?
Luke: Wow. That-
Emma: Yeah.
Luke: Nice.
Emma: Yeah.
Luke: Um, nope. I had a- I had a joke. Now I can’t.
Emma: Oh, I’m sorry.
Luke: It’s okay
Emma: That is all we have time for today. Um, for transcripts and vocabulary lists, please visit our website at dialoguefrog.com.
Polar bear
Worse
Better
School supplies
It’s that time of year.
Unspoken
Season
Spring
Summer
Fall
Halloween
Christmas
You know what?
I just realized I forgot…
Present
Oh, man.
Bundle
Erasers
Remember
Kid
Pencils
Notebooks
You could say that.
Enjoy
Learn
Bored
Pretty
Easily
Reason
Opinion
Increasing
Online
Component
Education
Interesting
Self-motivated
Put through
Themselves
Work
Keep
On task
Nearby
Study
One size fits all
Approach
Different
Guess
Challenge
Teachers
Educators
Find
Reach
In-person
Detailed
Answer
Quick
Point
Educational
Resource
Nice
Joke
Emma: You are listening to Dialogue Frog’s short English conversations for listening, speaking and shadowing practice. So, I was in the store the other day, and do you know what I saw?
Luke: A polar bear?
Emma: No, I did not see a polar bear.
Luke: Oh.
Emma: Worse. Or maybe better. I saw back to school supplies.
Luke: Back to school supplies.
Emma: Back to school supplies. There were-
Luke: Wow.
Emma: Yeah, it’s that time of year. Its that unspoken season. People know-
Luke: Mm hm.
Emma: -about spring and summer and fall.
Luke: Mm hm.
Emma: Or they know about Halloween and and Christmas, but-
Luke: Mm hm.
Emma: -not very many people know that back to school is a season.
Luke: Yep, uh, you know what? I just realized I forgot to get you a present for back to school season.
Emma: Oh, man.
Luke: Yep. I was going to get you a bundle of erasers.
Emma: And I need erasers.
Luke: Yeah.
Emma: I’m not even in school and I need erasers. But I remember always, as a kid, I loved back to school time. I liked getting new pencils and erasers and notebooks.
Luke: You-you also liked school a lot though.
Emma: Yeah, I guess so. You could say that.
Luke: I just-I just did say that.
Emma: You did say that, yep. It’s true.
Luke: So, what is it that, um, what is it about school that you enjoy?
Emma: I like learning. I like learning new things.
Luke: Mm hm.
Emma: I get bored pretty easily and so.
Luke: Mm hm.
Emma: There’s always something new to learn at school or there’s people to talk to.
Luke: Mm hm
Emma: Things to read. So, that’s why-
Luke: I see.
Emma: -I think I like school.
Luke: That’s a good reason. What’s your opinion on all the increasing, um, online components of education?
Emma: Oh, that’s interesting. Um, I think its going to be good for some people and-
Luke: Uh huh.
Emma: -not so good for other people.
Luke: Uh huh.
Emma: Because some people are very self-motivated and-
Luke: Uh huh.
Emma: -they can put themselves through all of the online work they need to do. They can keep themselves on task. Other people I think need to have, um, people nearby to study with or talk to.
Luke: Uh huh.
Emma: So, I don’t think it’s a one-sized-fit-all approach. I think it-. Different people learn in different ways.
Luke: Mm hm.
Emma: And so, I guess that’ll be a challenge for teachers and educators will be to find a way to reach students online or in-person so that everyone can learn.
Luke: Very, very detailed answer. I just have one quick point to add which is that y-
Emma: Dialogue Frog is an online educational resource?
Luke: Wow. That-
Emma: Yeah.
Luke: Nice.
Emma: Yeah.
Luke: Um, nope. I had a- I had a joke. Now I can’t.
Emma: Oh, I’m sorry.
Luke: It’s okay
Emma: That is all we have time for today. Um, for transcripts and vocabulary lists, please visit our website at dialoguefrog.com.
