Shadowing Practice: My Daughter's First Day at a NEW SCHOOL - Learn English Speaking with Video
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74 sentences
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today my daughter Salish has only one hour to complete her first day at a new school
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and then she will have to decide if a crazy big school is where she wants to go next year for the last few years she's been going to a small school but today Santiago Charter Middle School is
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going to show her what a big school experience is like starting with the bus ride to school
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okay say time to go to school are you ready she thinks this is intense the day is only getting crazier okay so that's what that's what a school feels like uh-oh the bell ring
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today we're going to be doing a decomposition reaction and come help me out perfect You're
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Just in Time come on in we have a new student who's gonna help us out what classes science come on okay put this on there you go gonna grab the hydrogen peroxide and you're gonna pour it
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in okay pour that in what are we doing we're making elephant toothpaste what you gotta put your hood on okay so everyone who's in the front row go ahead and move back we have to move back
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it's fine everything's fine I don't know what's gonna happen but I gotta film it it's my little girl grab the final ingredient and you're gonna dump it in as fast as you can okay
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all right well now it's time to clean up actually
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to run to my next class thank you so much so bye I don't know anyone here so let's cry now
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I don't know it looks like basketball is this a pe hi this is my daughter Salish we're just checking out the school if you guys are about to play her in basketball she is so good you think
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this is a little cringy if your dad's at the first day of school with you no see wow no what do you guys think everybody stop this is Salish matter she's gonna take a three-point shot yeah
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what big moment and there it goes we're gonna play a game of three on three us hey let's play teams
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I've got YouTube all right this is gonna be so fun come on let's go you believe that dad's not into this really yeah it has to be just the girls oh yeah you got a little girl I'll be over here cheering you on oh nice pass salish did you guys see that guys whoa chicken to the hoop all the way
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just get in there slam that thing okay I don't know if my little girl has the aggressiveness to like playing the WNBA what do you think I think she's great I don't know she just needs to oh oh sorry oh my God that's my little girl I just made a basket come here give okay very supportive
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school here we go we can do it little girl just you and me okay actually it's actually really it's hard oh this isn't poor old man how do you guys like this cool I love it it's really fun yeah I
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heard you talking about the school there's no boys here right it's just girls school yeah this isn't an all girls school no they're boys this is gonna be a problem we're trying to solve a debate if you
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think a big school is better cheer if you think a small school is better cheer oh wow small schools of course this is a big school so you guys like the school right even though he's being really
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cringy I think he's also being pretty fun and I think he's entertaining A lot of the students
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say we gotta go we gotta go next class let's go bye I have no idea where we're going I am not in shape for this kind of video anymore supposed to be here they can be
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anywhere where would oh this one I guess oh wait welcome to your first day of school oh
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this is definitely not what I envisioned for my dream locker but it won't work
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obviously if it was a real first day I wouldn't come to school with her but we only got one hour to do a school tour so this is the way we decided to do it and I'm gonna be here say say wait up wait up anybody know where room 405 is how do you feel about a big school right now
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I know there's a lot of kids am I embarrassing why because I'm like right here
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oh okay all right thank you thank you okay
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hello she's never spoken French
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when I was growing up I was always changing schools so I really understand how she's feeling it's never easy to be the new kid
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I guess we're leaving I think the next one is banned no is this banned okay no sorry I think it's in here nope sorry sorry sorry sorry hi is this big
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is that band that's awkward that was awkward I hear it I hear it right here
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well you might today I don't know say say go get them sorry new kid and the dad cringy I'm Gonna Leave
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I guess she's all yours bye wait what we're gonna have you play some drums today
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yeah go for it let's hear one well let's take it from the top
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is that how I do it one two three
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what was that oh so that's how you drum
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after a few classes Salish made some friends and they helped her feel much more comfortable oh yeah
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yeah no have you guys seen a new kid uh she's kind of little her name is Salish should you see her anywhere
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I see you I thought we could have lunch together oh okay all right so it's just yeah no lunch okay dad still go to school with their daughters what
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it's just one day okay okay I'm gonna eat by myself I'll eat by myself thank you
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amazing good job okay I have no idea what I'm doing my dad's gone I guess I'm in your next class is it cheer can I see your papers I'm gonna have Sadie one of our head
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captains take care of you Sadie here is your uniform and your dress huh that normally works
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let's go
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this time we're gonna deal with the mascot okay I don't know it's my dad
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is yay it's me your new mascot right right no how about slavish though slaying it slay it Queen
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that's what I'm talking about school can be really hard if you don't know anyone but it can also be the most awesome place in the world if you have friends
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oh yeah
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I don't know how Salish is feeling she looks like she's having a lot of fun I always went to a smaller school and I loved it but this school is awesome and if I was I've been having a great time right now I think it's this way said
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uh 109 what are we looking for we're nine what a five
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all right we're just lost sorry hi come on come on
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I screw like this every day I'm still shy so the big school thing if it's every day I don't know if I can do it I'll try your title should hint out the theme of the poem hi hi new yes yeah English
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sure all right come on in have a seat wherever you feel comfortable who wants to uh read your poem no
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I I don't have a poem are you sure yeah check your backpack let's just see the magic of school
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did you write this no I don't know what you mean yeah wait what do you mean what okay foreign
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I would never write a poem for my daughter but how had on a poem I might have written something like this and maybe all of you could you could play with this teenagers may act all
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cool but we love our dad he's nobody's fool he helps us navigate our fears and offers advice to ease our tears he's our biggest fan and Advocate our dad is simply great
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this was the most awkward moment of my life okay bye everybody that's not what parents do your first day of school of course I'm gonna go I'm gonna help
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you out okay this is a new student her name is Salish but you can call her say I say nice to meet you so what is this class this is culinary all right great well she's your student she's
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trying to get a sense of what all the classes like then she's going to decide does she want to go to a big school or a small school do any of your parents come to class with you
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oh is this weird yeah yeah it's weird okay well then I'll be over there I love you you got this okay good all right that didn't go over well don't put you with kitchen chew today
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you're gonna try to become a pasta expert in 10 minutes go why is it bubbling at me okay I like this school a lot yeah so the kid's nice yeah she's
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been going to a small school she's thinking about going to a big school what do you think I think it's up to her and what she wants but that's actually kind of true thank you is this fresh
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yeah it is fresh one great way that Santiago gives back is they actually take the food they make in this class and they use it to feed local people in need fresh pasta so this is our basil pesto
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that we made and mix it around with your pasta noodles and then give it a try see all schools help us or is it only things I think we're a special school okay we got to kind of run
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okay
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you made this hold on this is so good you any more projects good right let's go bye guys come on okay okay we are doing portraits today okay oh okay I've never done that before cubism like Pablo
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Picasso we're gonna draw face as best as you can but we want to break it up into shapes today I've never done this so I have no idea what I'm doing yeah there we go draw your dad okay come here Dad
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how can we get this part of his face into that Circle okay when you do my hair you better make it look good my eyes aren't really level but okay looks amazing thank
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you let's think about a really strong color for your dad what reminds you of your dad 30 seconds then we have to go to the next class dad I would love to finish this but
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I don't think I have any time so thank you so much and bye what do we think
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thank you I've never done this before do you have any idea what you're doing no put the throttle up right here all the way there you go it's kind of like really fine except I've never flown Esports for seventh and 8th graders this is cool okay
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so I can get up whoa wait I'm doing a back flush just as Salish was feeling alone again another kid helped her feel right at home
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I saved it again good job thank you this is stressful flying a plane one thing about big
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schools is they have a lot of collectives and that was really fun oh my gosh it was so good to meet you next year bye see you next year bye that was so fun but oh my gosh I'm so exhausted
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now I have a big decision to make tomorrow okay I've had a night to think about if I like a small school or a big school better at first it was a little difficult because I didn't know anybody but then the kids were really nice and there were a lot of great elective classes drum roll please
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small school for the last couple years so why not try and make school as long as my dad doesn't go to a first day of school again wait I would never actually go to the first day of school with you say Obviously I'd let Mom go uh wait what
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “My Daughter's First Day at a NEW SCHOOL”. This video has 74 sentences and 2101 words to shadow. The speech runs for 15:48. The speaker talks at a steady 133 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| poem noun | /ˈpoʊ.əm/ | A literary piece written in verse. |
| cringey adjective | /ˈkɹɪnd͡ʒi/ | Characterised by causing feelings of embarrassment; embarrassing. |
| pasta noun | /ˈpɑ.stə/ | Dough made from wheat and water and sometimes mixed with egg and formed into various shapes; often sold in dried form and typically boiled for eating. |
| drum noun | /ˈdɹʌm/ | A percussive musical instrument spanned with a thin covering on at least one end for striking, forming an acoustic chamber; a membranophone. |
| awkward adjective | /ˈɔk.wɚd/ | Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments. |
| slay verb | /sleɪ/ | To kill; to murder. |
| mascot noun | /ˈmæsˌkɑːt/ | Something thought to bring good luck. |
| whoa | /woʊ/ | Stop (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof); calm down; slow down. |
| gosh | /ɡɑːʃ/ | A mild expression of surprise or enthusiasm. |
| pour verb | /poɹ/ | To cause (liquid, or liquid-like substance) to flow in a stream, either out of a container or into it. |
| aggressiveness noun | /əˈɡrɛsɪvnɪs/ | The state or quality of being aggressive. |
| cubism noun | /ˈkjuː.bɪz.əm/ | An artistic movement in the early 20th Century characterized by the depiction of natural forms as geometric structures of planes. |
| decomposition noun | /diːˌkɒmpəˈzɪʃən/ | A biological process through which organic material is reduced to e.g. compost. |
| elective adjective | /ɪˈlɛktɪv/ | Of, or pertaining to voting or elections; involving a choice between options. |
| embarrass verb | /ɪmˈbæɹəs/ | To disrupt someone's composure or comfort with acting publicly or freely. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come on in verb | Synonym of come in (“to enter”). | |
| move back verb | To reschedule (something) to a later date or time. | |
| wait up verb | To stay awake waiting for somebody to return. | |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). | |
| clean up verb | To make an area or a thing clean; to pick up a mess; to tidy. | |
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. | |
| give back verb | To return, restore (a thing to its original owner or location etc.). | |
| go ahead verb | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | To proceed with; to begin. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've never done · I've had |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most awesome · our biggest · the most awkward |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should you see · should hint |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might today · might have |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 90 contractions and reduced forms, such as gonna, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: throttle /ˈθɹɔ.tl̩/, toothpaste /ˈtuθpeɪst/, seventh /ˈsɛvənθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: gosh /ɡɑːʃ/, decomposition /diːˌkɒmpəˈzɪʃən/, envision /ɪnˈvɪʒn̩/, slavish /ˈsleɪvɪʃ/, flush /ˈflʌʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: aggressiveness /əˈɡrɛsɪvnɪs/, decomposition /diːˌkɒmpəˈzɪʃən/, culinary /ˈkʌlɪˌnɛɹi/, ingredient /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/
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 poem, cringey, pasta.
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.