Shadowing Practice: Listening part two (school’s extended hours childcare service) @ieltslisteningpro.24 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Part 2.
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Part 2.
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You will hear the manager of a child care service at
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a primary school talking to parents at an open day about the school's child care service offered before and after school.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 15.
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Good afternoon.
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My name's Mrs Carter and I run the Before and After School Extended Hours Child Care Service.
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I hope you've had a chance to have a good look around the school and talk to staff and pupils.
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I know that many of you are interested in using our child care service when your child joins the school,
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and perhaps you already know something about it.
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But, for those that don't,
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I'll go through the main details now.
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We offer childcare for children from the ages of 4 to 11,
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both before and after school.
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I know that many parents who work find this service invaluable.
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You can leave your child with us,
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safe in the knowledge that they will be extremely well cared for.
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We are ensured to provide care for up to 70 children
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although we rarely have this many attending at any one session
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i think we generally expect around 50 to 60 children for the afternoon sessions
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and about half
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that number for the breakfast sessions although we currently do have
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70 children registered with us not all of these attend every
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day it's 10 years since we began offering an extended hours service
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and we've come a long way during that time
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when we first opened we only had about 20 children attending
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regularly we try to keep our costs as low as we can
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and we think we provide very good value for money for the afternoon sessions which run from 3.30 until 6pm, it's £7.20.
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But if you prefer, you can pay for one hour only,
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which costs £3.50, or two hours, which costs £5.70.
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The cost of the childcare includes food and snacks.
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They'll be given breakfast in the morning and in the afternoon,
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a healthy snack as soon as they finish school.
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At 5pm, children are given something more substantial,
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such as pasta or a casserole.
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Please inform us of any allergies that your child might have and we'll make sure they're offered a suitable alternative.
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As you may know, the childcare service runs through the school holidays from 8am to 6pm.
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We offer a really varied and exciting programme to keep the children entertained.
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We don't want them to feel as if they are still at school.
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It will also feel different because they'll get the chance to make new friends with children from other schools.
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Spaces are available for them because a lot of our term time children don't always attend during the holiday.
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In the past, parents have asked
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if children over the age of 11 are allowed to come with their younger brothers and sisters,
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but I'm afraid we're unable to do this because of the type of insurance we have.
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before you hear the rest of the talk you have some time to look at questions 16 to 20
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Now listen and answer questions 16 to 20.
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So now let me tell you about some of the activities that your child can do during the after-school sessions.
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As well as being able to use the playground equipment,
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computers and the library, there is usually at least one special activity that children can do each day. For example, Spanish.
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We have a specialist teacher coming in every Thursday to give a basic introduction to the language through games and songs.
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She does two sessions, one for the over-eights and one for the younger children.
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This is the only activity which we have to make an extra charge for,
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but it's well worth it.
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Once a week, the children have the opportunity to do some music.
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we're very lucky that one of our staff is a member of a folk band.
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On Mondays she teaches singing and percussion to groups of children.
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We do rely on parental support for this,
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so if any of you sing or play an instrument and would be prepared to help out at these sessions,
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we'd be delighted.
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Painting continues to be one of the most popular activities.
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To begin with, we weren't keen on offering this because of the extra mess involved,
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but children kept asking if they could do some art,
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and so we finally gave in.
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Art is great for helping the children to relax after working hard at school all day.
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Yoga is something that we've been meaning to introduce for some time,
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but haven't been able to find anyone available to teach it,
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until now that is.
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So we'll see how this goes.
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Hopefully, children will benefit in all sorts of ways from this.
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Cooking is another popular activity.
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They make a different sort of cake or pizza or bread each week.
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Although the younger children love doing it,
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we found that the mess was just too much.
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So we've decided to restrict this to the over-eights,
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as they are better able to clean up after themselves.
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That is the end of part two.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers to part two.
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Thank you.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

Practicing speaking with this video offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in real-world conversations. The context of the video revolves around a childcare service manager discussing important details with parents. By using this scenario, English learners can gain valuable insights into the language commonly used in educational and parental settings. Engaging with the material not only enhances your vocabulary related to childcare but also boosts your confidence in discussing similar topics in English.

Utilizing the shadowspeak technique while listening to Mrs. Carter allows learners to mimic native pronunciation and intonation patterns, making it an effective form of english speaking practice. This method is particularly beneficial for grasping how to inquire about services or express concerns about childcare, enabling better interaction in future conversations.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Within the dialogue, several grammatical structures and phrases stand out that can enhance your own speaking skills:

  • “I know that many parents who work find this service invaluable.” - This sentence illustrates how to express understanding and relevance; practice this structure to express your opinions or observations.
  • “We try to keep our costs as low as we can.” - This phrase teaches how to communicate commitment to affordability. It’s useful for discussing budgeting in various contexts.
  • “Please inform us of any allergies that your child might have.” - This polite request highlights the importance of clarity and caution in communication, especially when referencing health and safety.

Adopting these expressions in your own conversations will help you articulate thoughts clearly and effectively. Integrating these structures into your speaking practice can be seamlessly done using a shadowing app, enhancing recall and fluency.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice with this video, be mindful of certain pronunciation challenges. Words like "invaluable" and "casserole" might pose difficulty, particularly due to their specific vowel sounds and syllable stress. For example, "invaluable" has stress on the second syllable, while "casserole" requires a smooth transition from the first to the second syllable. Additionally, regional accents can alter the pronunciation of words, which is essential to listen for in this context.

Using the shadowspeaks technique, repeat these tricky words and phrases after listening. This practice not only improves your pronunciation but also helps you sound more natural in conversation. Mastering these aspects will contribute significantly to your overall fluency in English.

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.

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