Shadowing Practice: National Geographic Reading Explorer 1 Unit 6 Bioblitz - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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- That is love.
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- Oh, wow.
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That's so cool.
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You can try to look at the microscope.
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These BioBlitzes help us awaken the public, especially those in cities, to nature in their own backyard.
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That's the first time I've ever seen a frog up that close.
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You said it at the aquarium, but...
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And these are the guys that are called chorus frogs sometimes.
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These students and scientists are taking part in a bio blitz to create an inventory of the area.
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In some cases we're finding absolutely new things that the Park Service didn't realize existed.
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in this park.
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This BioBlitz is taking place in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California.
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The team of around 9 ,000 volunteers,
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led by 320 scientists, is helping to find and identify all the different plant and animal species in the park. and tiny insects.
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The volunteers also work through the night to find creatures that only come out after it's dark.
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Each new species must be recorded and classified.
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People are so excited to be out here.
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The weather doesn't matter, it was beautiful yesterday, and we've seen such an incredible diversity of plants and animals.
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Nothing could be better.
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The team continues to work in the rain.
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They take pictures and film videos and immediately post these online for other people to see.
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that they should take a look where they are and start enjoying nature and discovering it.
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After the BioBlitz ends, the information gathered is shared at a festival for people who live in nearby communities.
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They learn about the species that were found in the area
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so that they too can help protect these amazing plants and animals.
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this BioBliss was 2 ,304.
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Thank you.
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- Thank you.
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you

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 29 sentences and 286 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:46. The speaker talks slowly, about 103 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

14 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

WordPronunciationMeaning
volunteer noun/ˌvɑlənˈtɪɹ/One who enters into, or offers themselves for, any service of their own free will, especially when done without pay.
scientist noun/ˈsaɪəntəst/One whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original research…
discover verb/dɪˈskʌvə/To find or learn something for the first time.
diversity noun/daɪˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/The quality of being diverse or different; a difference or unlikeness.
gather verb/ˈɡæðɚ/To collect normally separate things.
inventory noun/ˈɪn.vən.tɹi/The stock of an item on hand at a particular location or business.
chorus verb/ˈkɔːɹəs/To sing (a song), express (a sentiment), or recite or say (words) in chorus.
backyard noun/bækˈjɑːd/A yard to the rear of a house or similar residence.
insect noun/ˈɪn.sɛkt/An arthropod (in the Insecta class) characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton.
blitz noun/blɪts/A sudden attack, especially an air raid; usually with reference to the Blitz.
aquarium noun/əˈkwɛɹ.i.jəm/A tank, often made of glass, for keeping live fish or other aquatic animals.
microscope noun/ˈmaɪ.kɹəˌskoʊp/An optical instrument used for observing small objects.
awaken verb/əˈweɪkən/To cause to become awake.
classify verb/ˈklæs.əˌfaɪ/to identify by or divide into classes; to categorize

Phrasal verbs you will hear

WordPronunciationMeaning
come out verb/ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/To be discovered; to be revealed.
work through verbTo get past a difficult or stressful situation by thinking or talking about it.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itare called · must be recorded · is shared
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowI've ever seen · we've seen
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around noware taking · we're finding · is taking

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, doesn't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

  • Long words — get the stress right: diversity /daɪˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/, aquarium /əˈkwɛɹ.i.jəm/

How to practise with this video

  1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
  2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
  3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like volunteer, scientist, discover.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →