Shadowing Practice: Bats for Kids | Learn cool facts about bats - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
77 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Bats.
2
Hi friends!
3
Today we are going to learn all about bats.
4
And if you want to read along with us, check out learnbright.org to find this lesson plan.
5
What are bats?
6
The only mammals that fly are bats, which is why some people mistake them for birds when they are in the sky.
7
But bats are more closely related to you than they are to a bird.
8
Plus, bats don't have feathers.
9
Instead, they have fur in various colors, such as gray, tan, brown, or black.
10
While bats live worldwide.
11
Most of them live in the tropics.
12
And most of them like to rest in dark places like caves, hollow trees, or even in attics.
13
But a few like to rest on rocks or trees.
14
There are over 1,300 species or types of bats.
15
Depending on the species, when their wings are spread open, they can measure from 6 inches to 5 feet across.
16
That's probably taller than you!
17
Their wings, which are their hands, are made of thin layers of bare skin, which join their long fingers together.
18
Bat wings stretch from the end of their long hands down to their legs.
19
They also have huge ears that point forward.
20
Large groups of bats are called a collective, cauldron, or colony, when they are swarming.
21
Bats prefer to live in groups and hang upside down by their feet while sleeping.
22
Scientists think sleeping upside down helps them escape predators because they can quickly drop into flight.
23
In addition, they are nocturnal and prefer to sleep during the day and hunt for food at night.
24
What do bats eat?
25
If you are a night flying insect, watch out for bats.
26
Some bats eat mice, reptiles, birds, and other smaller bats.
27
But most bats eat nothing but insects.
28
Small bats, the size of an adult thumb, can eat about 4 to 8 grams, that's about 2 grapes, of insects each night.
29
You might be thinking that's not a lot.
30
And when you take one million bats that eat insects every night, that's a lot of insects.
31
It's actually about a thousand metric tons.
32
Other bats eat small animals, like birds, frogs, mice, or fish.
33
Many bats prefer to eat fruit, nectar, and pollen from flowers.
34
But the vampire bat of South and Central America feeds on the blood of large birds and mammals.
35
Other interesting facts.
36
While they are flying, bats send out a cry from their mouths or noses that is so high-pitched people cannot hear it.
37
The sound helps them figure out the distance they are from particular objects and the size of the object.
38
The sound of the cry bounces off of objects and echoes back to the bat.
39
Using the sound waves, they can create a picture of exactly what's around them.
40
This is called echolocation.
41
Echolocation enables bats to avoid flying into objects in their path and to locate insects to eat.
42
When they find an insect, they trap it with their wings or tail and then reach over to put it in their mouth.
43
Unfortunately, chasing and eating insects using echolocation often makes their flight pattern look erratic or uneven rather than smooth like birds.
44
The saying, blind as a bat,
45
is inaccurate because bats have excellent eyesight and extraordinary hearing.
46
The bat is so unique that some ancient civilizations worshipped them.
47
For example, the Aztecs had many different gods, and their god of the dead was called Mclantacutli,
48
and he had a scrunched bat-like face with clawed hands and feet.
49
Why are bats important to the environment?
50
Just like bees and butterflies, Bats are pollinators as they fly from plant to plant in search of food.
51
Hundreds of plants, like bananas, mangoes, and avocados, rely on bats to pollinate them.
52
Bats also help spread seeds for nuts, figs, and cacao, the main ingredient in chocolate.
53
Without bats, we might not have delicious chocolate desserts.
54
They also play an extremely important, or essential, role in pest control.
55
By eating literally tons of insects a night, they help stop crop damage and decrease pesticide use.
56
But sadly, bats are declining across the globe.
57
People kill bats when they don't have to, because they don't understand their importance to the ecosystem.
58
And because of human progress and activity, bats are losing many of their caves for shelter, causing habitat loss.
59
And since 2006, 5 million bats have died have died from White Nose Syndrome disease.
60
But with knowledge and protection, we can help the numbers of bats soar again.
61
We have just learned some pretty bat-tastic facts.
62
Let's review.
63
Why is the bat population shrinking?
64
Where did you find that information?
65
The bat population is shrinking because people kill bats when they don't have to, and because of human progress and activity.
66
Why do scientists think that bats sleep upside down?
67
Scientists think sleeping upside down helps them escape predators because they can quickly drop into flight.
68
True or false?
69
Bats are nocturnal.
70
True!
71
Bats are nocturnal.
72
Fantastic work, friends!
73
Remember, if you liked this lesson, check out even more on our website, learnbright.org.
74
And have a bat-tastic day!
75
Hope you had fun learning with us.
76
Visit us at learnbright.org.
77
for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
A21
Planets in the Solar System for Kids | Learn about the sun and the eight planets
KidsDaily Conversation
A2Koalas for Kids | Learn all about these sleepy marsupials
KidsDaily Conversation
B12
Spiders for Kids | Learn all about these amazing arachnids!
KidsDaily Conversation
A274
Extinct and Endangered Animals for Kids | What we can do to protect endangered species
KidsDaily Conversation
A24
Ants for Kids | Learn all about these irritating but important insects
KidsTeens
B13
Who Was Queen Elizabeth II? | Learn all about the longest-serving monarch of England
High School StudentsUniversity Students
A22
Pandas for Kids | Learn all about these bamboo-loving bears
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A21
Natural Resources for Kids | Teach your kids and students about Earths Natural Resources
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A22
Financial Literacy—Needs and Wants | Learn about needs, wants, and opportunity costs
KidsDaily Conversation
A25
Skunks for Kids | Learn all about these smelly mammals
KidsTeens
A22
Weather for Kids | What is weather, and how does it work?
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A24
Top 10 Natural Disasters for Kids
Kids
A24
Recycling for Kids | Learn how to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A22
Earthquakes for Kids STEM | Learn why earthquakes happen and how to measure them
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A21
Earth for Kids | Learn all about our own beautiful planet
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A22
ASL Air Pollution for Kids
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B13
All about Russia | Learn about the world's largest country
High School StudentsUniversity Students
A21
Gorillas for Kids | Learn all about these gentle giants!
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A22
Living and Non-living Things for Kids | Learn why some things are alive and others are not
Kids
B119
Animal Camouflage | Learn How Animals Can Blend In With Their Environments
Kids
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
A21
56 sentences
Insects for Kids | Fun Facts and Bug Adventures!
KidsDaily Conversation
A23
58 sentences
Why Are Bats Associated With Halloween? 🦇🎃 | Halloween Facts for Kids | The Dr. Binocs Show
KidsDaily Conversation
A21
81 sentences
Meet the Capybara! | The World’s Largest Rodent - Kids educational video
KidsDaily Conversation
A14
16 sentences
Bats Day and Night
KidsDaily Conversation
A22
23 sentences
One Story a day - level 2 book 10 for October: Story 27 How do birds eat
KidsDaily Conversation
A22
44 sentences
Cats | Science for Kids
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A21
84 sentences
Let's Read: Amazing Sharks
KidsDaily Conversation
A22
40 sentences
Shadow | Science for Kids
KidsDaily Conversation
A25
62 sentences
What if all Bats Disappeared?। Why Bats Are Important To The Environment । The Dr. Binocs Show
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A27
27 sentences
Learning about Clouds. Fun Facts about Clouds for Kids ✨ ⛅️#forkids #learningforkids #learning
KidsDaily Conversation
Why practice speaking with this video?
Practicing your English speaking skills using the video about bats can enhance your vocabulary and improve your pronunciation. By engaging with the content, you can learn fascinating facts while simultaneously developing your speaking abilities. This approach allows you to incorporate the shadowing technique—a method where you listen to native speakers and repeat what you hear in real-time, such as in this educational video. Using this shadowing app or technique can aid in building fluency, helping you sound more natural and confident when speaking English.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Throughout the video, several useful grammatical structures and expressions can benefit learners:
- Simple Present Tense: The speaker frequently uses the simple present to convey facts ("Bats are the only mammals that fly"). This tense is essential for stating general truths and facts.
- Comparative Structures: Phrases like "more closely related to you than they are to a bird" highlight comparison and help in making distinctions. Practicing this structure can enhance your comparative language skills.
- Imperative Sentences: The speaker invites viewers to engage with the content ("check out learnbright.org"). Imperatives are great for commands or suggestions, useful in everyday conversation.
- Quantifiers: Expressions like "about a thousand metric tons" provide learners with ways to articulate quantities effectively, essential for both academic and casual discussions.
Common Pronunciation Traps
When practicing your speaking skills as you shadow the video, pay attention to these common pronunciation challenges:
- Nocturnal: This word can be tricky because of its uncommon syllable structure. Practice articulating it slowly before speeding up.
- Echolocation: Try breaking this word down into smaller parts ("echo-location") to pronounce it correctly and emphasize its scientific meaning.
- Species: Some learners confuse the pronunciation, which should sound like "spee-sheez." Ensure you practice this plural form correctly to avoid common mispronunciations.
Incorporating this transcript into your IELTS speaking practice can also provide enriching content for discussing unique animal facts or environmental topics. With consistent practice using the video, you can develop your speaking skills effectively and gain confidence in your English abilities.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are spread · are made · are called |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have died · have just learned |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | bats, which is · wings, which are |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might be · might not have |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.