Shadowing Practice: Clouds for Kids | Cirrus, Cumulus, & Stratus - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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I've been thinking about clouds a lot lately.
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I mean, they're pretty fascinating.
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They float along in the sky, some days there aren't that many, other days there are so many clouds, they actually block the sun from view.
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We are going to be learning all about clouds in this video.
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You'll learn what they are made of, what they do, how to identify different types of clouds, and more.
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Basically, after this video, you'll know a lot about clouds, okay?
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You'll understand them.
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You'll know, for example, that clouds are made of little drops of water or small pieces of ice depending on the cloud.
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And that's our first fact.
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Clouds are made of little drops of water or small pieces of ice, depending on the cloud.
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So when you see clouds in the sky, you can say, wow, look at that water up there.
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There's water up there just floating.
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And someone might say, you mean clouds, right?
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And then you could say, yeah, clouds are made of water.
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Okay, so clouds are made of water, but are there other things in clouds too, other than water?
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Yeah, there are.
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You see, clouds have other things in them called aerosols.
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That's an interesting word.
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Aerosols.
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Okay, what in the world are aerosols?
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Well, aerosols are super tiny particles in the air.
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One common example of an aerosol is dust.
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This footage shows dust floating in the air.
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Are you able to see the dust?
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You might have to look closely.
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Like other aerosols, dust is so light it just floats in the air.
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Okay, this dog is kicking up a lot of dust.
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Dust is an aerosol and is found in many clouds.
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Who knows, Rover?
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Maybe the dust you are kicking up as you run may become part of a cartoon cloud someday. Who knows? Who knows?
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Another common aerosol in clouds is seesaw.
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Sea salt particles are very common in our atmosphere because 71 % of our planet is covered in water.
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Okay, so aerosols are tiny little particles that float in the air like dust or sea salt.
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Now check this out.
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Water collects on the aerosols in the sky, forming a cloud.
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Aerosols are like floating hangout spots for the little drops of water that make up a cloud.
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It's like if this kid is a drop of water and the beanbag chair is an aerosol, like a speck of dust.
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Water just hangs out on the aerosol particles, just relaxing.
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Ah, this is nice.
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Now, sometimes the water gets too heavy for the aerosol particles and falls out of the cloud to the ground.
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That's called precipitation.
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Precipitation.
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Big word.
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Can you say that?
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Precipitation.
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Yeah.
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Precipitation is a big word that refers to any time water falls out of clouds to the ground.
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What type of precipitation is this?
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Yeah, rain.
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Rain is a great example of precipitation.
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When it's raining, it's like the clouds in the sky are sharing their water with us.
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Wow, look at all of the water the clouds are sharing with us.
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Thanks.
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Oh, hey, maybe a little too much rain, you think?
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You can keep some of the water for yourselves, clouds.
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Another form of precipitation you may have seen is snow.
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Snow.
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Does it snow where you live?
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Okay.
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If it's cold enough, snow can fall from clouds.
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There are other types of precipitation too, like freezing rain, sleet, and hail.
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They are all ways that water falls from clouds to the ground.
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That is a big part of what clouds do.
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But that's not all.
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Clouds also lower the temperature, cooling the earth.
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Some of the sunlight bounces off of clouds, making it less hot.
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First, they share their water with us, and then they help us stay cooler.
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Wow!
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Dear clouds, thank you for the water you bring to us through precipitation and for making it cooler here.
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I also want to say I'd love a pony.
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I don't know if you grant wishes.
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I just thought I'd try.
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Sincerely, Homeschool Pop.
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oh now it's time for a random cloud fact this is
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a cloud fact you can be sure is a fact about
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clouds all right here we go some clouds can move faster than 100 miles per hour
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those are the fastest clouds most clouds move slower than that but the fastest clouds can move over 100 miles per hour.
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That's really, really fast, especially since clouds are made of water, you know?
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That's fast water.
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Fast water.
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Aw, Pupsy wants to race the clouds.
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You're fast, Pupsy, but are you cloud fast?
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Hey, Pupsy, while you run, let's look at a random cloud fact.
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Again, another one.
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Another cloud fact.
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You keep running.
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All right, this might come as a surprise, but you know fog when it's hard to see outside
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and it kind of looks like clouds are floating around on the ground?
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Well, fog is a type of cloud that touches Earth's surface.
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Fog is a type of cloud.
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If you've ever wished you could touch a cloud, just wait for a foggy day.
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Dream come true?
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Look at that fog just floating there.
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Fog is a type of cloud that touches Earth's surface.
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Okay, is anything going to jump out of the water, or are we going to see anything interesting, or are we just staring at the fog here?
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I guess it's just the fog.
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That's okay.
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okay now we are going to learn about three types of clouds
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so you can identify clouds in the sky the next time
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you're outside first we have cumulus clouds cumulus clouds cumulus clouds
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are like pillows in the sky they look super fluffy they look like clouds you would just want to hug cumulus clouds.
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Next, we have stratus clouds.
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Stratus clouds are like blankets in the sky.
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They look really flat.
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Stratus clouds are flat clouds that are almost like blankets.
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Stratus.
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Last, we have cirrus clouds.
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Cirrus clouds look very wispy.
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Cirrus clouds almost look like white cotton candy strands.
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Sometimes they could almost look like feathers.
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Cirrus clouds.
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Let's see.
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Cumulus clouds are fluffy.
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Stratus clouds are flat.
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Cirrus clouds are wispy.
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What do you think of that?
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Oh, wow. That rhymed.
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That's cool.
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Hey, what type of clouds are these?
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They look flat, almost like blankets yeah stratus these are stratus clouds great job all right what type of clouds are these
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they look fluffy like pillows yes cumulus these are cumulus clouds
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finally what type of clouds are these they look wispy like cotton candy strands
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or feathers uh -huh cirrus these are cirrus clouds
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awesome job there you have it clouds you know they're made
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of water you know they have aerosols in them you know they can bring precipitation
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and lower the temperature some of them move as fast as
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100 miles per hour you know three types of clouds you did great you did a great job
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can you believe it we are getting closer to a million subscribers
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if you haven't subscribed yet what are you waiting for click
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that subscribe button click it for mr whiskers we'll reach a
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million together we hope you had a fun time thank you
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for watching we want to give a massive thank you to our patrons you can learn how to support us
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and get homeschool pop tattoos so fashionable on our website homeschoolpop .com
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or by clicking the link below this video
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that would be really cool you know you're awesome we know you're awesome
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and we're excited to see you on the next learning video.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Clouds for Kids”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: cloud, aerosol, type, precipitation, dust. This video has 151 sentences and 1270 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:29. The speaker talks at a steady 134 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 24 of its 151 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| cloud noun | /ˈklaʊ̯d/ | A visible mass of water droplets suspended in the air. |
| precipitation noun | /pɹɪˌsɪpɪˈteɪʃn̩/ | Any or all of the forms of water particles, whether liquid or solid, that fall from the upper atmosphere (e.g., rain, hail, snow or sleet). It is a major class… |
| dust noun | /dʌst/ | Fine, dry particles of matter found in the air and covering the surface of objects, typically consisting of soil lifted up by the wind, pollen, hair, fiber… |
| float verb | /fləʊt/ | To be supported by a fluid of greater density (than the object). |
| particle noun | /ˈpɑɹtək(ə)l/ | A very small piece of matter, a fragment; especially, the smallest possible part of something. |
| blanket noun | /ˈblæŋ.kɪt/ | A heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually large and woollen, used for warmth while sleeping or resting. |
| cotton noun | /ˈkɑt.n̩/ | A soft, fibrous, usually white substance consisting of fine hairs, especially the substance around the seeds of a plant of genus Gossypium. |
| candy noun | /ˈkæn.di/ | Crystallized sugar formed by boiling down sugar syrup. |
| depend verb | /dɪˈpɛnd/ | To be contingent or conditioned; to have something as a necessary condition |
| subscribe verb | /səbˈskɹaɪb/ | To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name). |
| pillow noun | /ˈpɪl.oʊ/ [ˈpʰɪɫ.ö̞] | A soft cushion used to support the head in bed. |
| feather noun | /ˈfɛðə/ | A branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds, used for flight, swimming, protection and display. |
| strand noun | /ˈstɹænd/ | Each of the strings which, twisted together, make up a yarn, rope or cord. |
| atmosphere noun | /ˈætməsˌfɪɹ/ | The gases surrounding the Earth or any astronomical body. |
| refer verb | /ɹɪˈfɜː/ | To direct the attention of (someone toward something). |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| kick up verb | To rear back; to become more active or restless; to speed up. | |
| make up verb | /ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/ | To constitute, to compose. |
| move over verb | To move (oneself, or someone/something else) so as to free up space. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Are you able to see the dust?
- Does it snow where you live?
- Are we just staring at the fog, here?
- What do you think of that?
- If you haven't subscribed yet, what are you waiting for?
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 made · is found · is covered |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've ever wished · haven't subscribed |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might say · might have · may become |
| Comparatives -er than / more … than — comparing two things | faster than · slower than |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 20 contractions and reduced forms, such as you'll, you're, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: precipitation /pɹɪˌsɪpɪˈteɪʃn̩/, fashionable /ˈfæʃənəbl̩/
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 cloud, precipitation, dust.
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.