Shadowing Practice: Get ready for FLYERS track 23 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Listening 23.
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The teacher is talking to the children in class about the school trip to the castle.
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Listen and write the missing information.
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Good afternoon, everyone.
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Could you all listen very carefully because I'm going to give you some important information about our trip tomorrow.
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So, we're going to leave on Wednesday morning the 12th of June.
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As you already know, I'm sure, this is going to be a very interesting trip to a famous castle, which is called Harlow Castle.
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You spell that H-A-R-L-O-W.
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Could you write that down on your information page, please?
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Now, we're going to leave school very early, at 7.30am.
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And please don't be late because we've got a long journey to the castle.
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It'll take us two and a half hours to get there.
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Now, when we get to the castle, a very friendly man will give us a tour of the castle building.
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That will be at 11am.
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So, first we're going to visit the rooms inside the castle.
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They're very old and interesting, and we'll give you an idea of the history of this great building.
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There's also a small museum near the castle, so we'll visit that next.
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Then I'm sure you'll all be hungry, so we'll have lunch at 1.30pm.
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Now, we won't have long for lunch, just half an hour, because we've got lots to do in the afternoon.
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So, we're just going to go and eat our sandwiches outside.
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Please remember to bring some with you.
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You can go to the castle restaurant to get drinks.
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Then after lunch at two o'clock in the afternoon, we're going to walk round the river and castle gardens.
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They're really lovely.
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There are wild animals in the gardens,
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so please look for them and tick any wild animals you see on your information page.
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There are also some very interesting insects, for example, unusual butterflies and spiders.
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If you see any, please draw pictures of the insects and colour them.
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Oh, yes, you must stay in groups when you visit the gardens, and everyone must be back on the bus at 5.30, please.
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We really want to leave as quickly as we can so that we get to school again at 7.45 in the evening.
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Please ask your parents to be there to pick you up then.
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Now, just a few words about what to bring with you tomorrow.
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I've talked about sandwiches, and it's always good to have a camera, not an expensive one, but don't lose it.
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Then, of course, don't forget your coat, because it might be cold, and.. oh yes,
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remember an umbrella because it could rain tomorrow, I'm afraid.
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You can bring some money for things like postcards.
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They aren't very expensive.
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And in the castle gardens, you can also buy ice creams and snacks.
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Well, get to bed early tonight and I'll see you all in the morning.
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Night, sir.
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Thank you.

What You'll Practice in This Lesson

Join a classroom conversation about an exciting school trip to Harlow Castle and sharpen your listening and speaking skills. You'll follow along as a teacher shares details about the trip schedule, what to bring, and activities like a castle tour, museum visit, and garden walk. This lesson is perfect for practicing understanding real-life instructions and using the shadowing technique to mimic natural speech patterns.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases to Notice

  • Castle tour: A guided visit to a historic building.
  • Wild animals: Animals that live in nature, not kept by humans.
  • Umbrella: A tool to protect from rain or sun.
  • Pick you up: To collect someone from a place.
  • Long journey: A trip that takes a lot of time.
  • Small museum: A place with interesting objects to learn about history or art.

Practice Tips for Shadowing Success

The teacher speaks clearly with a friendly tone, making this a great video for shadow speech practice. Start by listening once to get the main ideas, then play short clips (5-10 seconds) and repeat immediately. Focus on matching the speed—she talks at a natural but not too fast pace, so you can keep up. Pay attention to pauses, like when she says, "Now, we're going to leave school very early, at 7.30am"—copying these pauses will make your speech sound more natural. Use a shadowing app or a shadowing site to record yourself and compare it to the video. Notice how she emphasizes important details, like "don't be late" or "bring sandwiches"—try to stress those words too. With practice, you'll get better at following instructions and speaking with confidence, just like the students in the video!

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.