Shadowing Practice: Class Presentation: Should Homework Be Banned? - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Okay, everyone, eyes up here, please.
2
Maya's going to present her topic today.
3
Um, thanks, Mr. Brooks... okay.
4
So, um, today I'm going to talk about homework.
5
And my big question is, should homework be banned?
6
How much homework did you all do last night?
7
Ugh, way too much! Like, three hours.
8
Exactly! And you're not the only one!
9
Lots of students spend over two hours a night on it.
10
So, here's my first point.
11
Too much homework makes students tired and stressed.
12
When we're stressed, we don't sleep well,
13
and then it's really hard to focus the next day.
14
Also, kids need time for sports, family, and rest.
15
Wait, can I ask something?
16
Oh! Um, sure, go ahead.
17
Look, I love free weekends, trust me.
18
But how do we practice math without homework?
19
Hmm... that's a really good question.
20
Actually, I'm not saying zero practice.
21
I think we can practice more in class, with the teacher there.
22
And homework could be short, like twenty minutes!
23
Okay, twenty minutes I can live with!
24
Ha! I'm sure you can.
25
So, to sum up,
26
I don't think we should ban homework completely.
27
But we definitely need a lot less of it!
28
Thanks for listening!
29
Woo! Great job!
30
Well done, Maya. That was a strong presentation.
31
You were a little nervous at the start,
32
but you answered that tough question really well.
33
Really? Thank you so much!
34
Next time, try to look at the class more.
35
Okay, I will. That's great advice!
📺 Same Channel
A21,115
Taking the Bus to the City Centre
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B2972
My First Month Living Abroad
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A1696
Fruit at the Market
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A2403
A Rainy Night at the Corner Shop
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A2523
Finding Things at the Supermarket
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A2208
Buying a Phone Charger
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A2109
What's Your Phone Number? Meeting a New Classmate
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B2345
Weekly Team Meeting: Project Status Update
American AccentBusiness EnglishWorking Adults
B1100
Buying Train Tickets at the Station: Single or Return?
American AccentBritish AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A1201
Breakfast Time
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A2113
How Much Is This Bag?
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
C1239
IELTS Speaking Part 2: A Place That Changed My Perspective
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
A2127
Meeting My New Neighbour
British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1104
Talking to a Neighbour About the Noise
British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1119
First Day at a New Job
British AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1157
Buying a Train Ticket to Bath
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B1170
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Hometown, Studies and Free Time
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B252
IELTS Listening Part 3: A Survey on Student Sleep
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity Students
A280
At the Bakery: Buying Bread
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A2101
Ordering Coffee at a London Café
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
✨ Recommend Video
B14
33 sentences
Class Presentation: Microplastics — Where Does Our Plastic Go?
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B15
31 sentences
Group Project: My Partner Isn't Doing Any Work
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A276
68 sentences
A2 English Listening Practice - Learning
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B19
18 sentences
Should children do housework - why or why not?
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B1114
35 sentences
CLASS 8-UNIT 3 TEENAGERS (practice shadowing)
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B12
104 sentences
My Back to School Favorites
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B120
235 sentences
Family English Conversation
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B128
168 sentences
Shadowing Practice: Repeat After Me! (American English) A2-B1
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B1219
24 sentences
Unit 3 Getting started Grade 12
Daily ConversationHigh School Students
B112
44 sentences
School life - Conversation Level B1
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B111
36 sentences
An ESL Conversation About Social Media
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B12
337 sentences
Talk about your day without deadlines | Easy English Conversation for Beginners
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Class Presentation: Should Homework Be Banned?”. This video has 35 sentences and 249 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:52. The speaker talks at a steady 133 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| homework noun | /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/ | Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class. |
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| presentation noun | /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/ | The act of presenting, or something presented. |
| mathematics noun | /mæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪks/ | An abstract representational system studying numbers, shapes, structures, quantitative change and relationships between them. |
| twenty noun | /ˈtwɛnti/ [-ɛɾ̃i] | The numbers twenty (20) to twenty-nine (29). |
| zero noun | /ˈzɪɹoʊ/ | The numeric symbol that represents the cardinal number zero. |
| ban verb | /ˈbæn/ | To prohibit; to interdict; to proscribe; to forbid or block from participation. |
| stress noun | /stɹɛs/ | A physical, chemical, infective agent aggressing an organism. |
| completely adverb | /kəmˈpliːtli/ | In a complete manner; thoroughly. |
| focus noun | /ˈfoʊ̯.kəs/ | A point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge. |
| spend verb | /spɪnd/ | To pay out (money). |
| definitely adverb | /ˈdɛf.ɪ.nɪt.li/ | Without question and beyond doubt. |
| weekend noun | /ˈwiˌkɛnd/ | The break in the working week, usually two days including the traditional holy or sabbath day. Thus in Western countries, Saturday and Sunday. |
| advice noun | /ədˈvaɪs/ | An opinion offered to guide behavior in an effort to be helpful. |
| teacher noun | /ˈti.t͡ʃɚ/ | A person who teaches, especially one employed in a school; preceptor. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go ahead verb | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | To proceed with; to begin. |
| sum up verb | To produce a total by adding. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- How much homework did you all do last night?
- Wait, can I ask something?
- Actually, I'm not saying zero practice.
- I don't think we should ban homework completely.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should homework · should ban |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | Maya's going to present · I'm going to talk |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: mathematics /mæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪks/, twenty /ˈtwɛnti/ [-ɛɾ̃i], definitely /ˈdɛf.ɪ.nɪt.li/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like homework, topic, presentation.
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.