Shadowing Practice: Scholastic Phonics Booster Books - 23 Small Dawn - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Book 23, Small Don I want to be big and tall, said Don Why?
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said Ann Because I want to be on that team,
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Don said but I'm too small to do things.
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Like what?
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said Anne.
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I can't kick the ball far, said Dawn.
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My feet are too small.
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Shauna's feet are big.
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She can kick the ball from here to that wall.
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Shauna kicks the ball each day, said Anne.
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That's why she can kick far.
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No, said Dawn.
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It's because she is big.
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Shauna can run fast, said Dawn.
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I saw her win a race because she ran so fast.
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Shauna runs each day, said Anne.
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That's why she wins races.
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No, said Dawn.
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It's because she has long legs.
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Sometimes it's good to be small, said Anne.
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You can hide under the desk when we play hide and seek.
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I still want to be big and tall, said Dawn.
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I want to be on that team.
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You draw the best in our class, said Anne.
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We can draw the team.
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I do not want to draw the team, Dawn said.
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I want to play on the team, so I need to be big, not small.
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Look, even Rex is bigger than me, said Dawn.
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Don.
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Rex is a large dog, said Ann.
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His paws are bigger than my feet, said Don.
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What can I do to get big and tall?
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Ann opened her jaw wide in a yawn.
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Can we talk about this another time, she said.
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I want to go to the mall.
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The mall, that's it, yelled Dawn.
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I could get some tall shoes at the mall.
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Tall shoes, said Anne.
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Let's go, said Dawn.
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Don and Anne and their mother went to the mall.
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Don put on some tall shoes.
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Look at me, Don said.
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I'm not small, Don, anymore.
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Now I'm big and tall, Don said.
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I will kick the ball far.
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I don't think you can kick in those shoes, said Anne I will run very fast,
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Dawn said I don't think you can run in those shoes,
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said Anne When Anne and Dawn got home,
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they ran out to play Check this out, Anne, said Dawn.
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She went to kick the ball.
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Oh no, she yelled.
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Dawn and her tall shoes fell in a big heap.
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The ball did not go far.
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Here, take my hand, someone said.
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It was Shana.
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She came to help.
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Thank you.
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Why do you have low shoes on?
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Shana said.
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So I can be big and tall, said Dawn.
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I'm too small to be on the team.
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I can help, said Shauna So each day,
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Shauna and Dawn did lots of kicks They ran around the track After a few weeks,
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Dawn could kick the ball far She could run fast And one very fine day,
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she made the team.
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You are fast, said Shauna.
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You can kick, said Anne.
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I'm small, said Dawn.
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Anne let's okay.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 69 sentences and 492 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:57. The speaker talks slowly, about 83 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
12 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- shoe /ˈʃu/ (noun) — A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of…
- mall /mɔːl/ (noun) — A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping precinct.
- yell /jɛl/ (verb) — To shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice, especially to express intense emotions such as anger or excitement.
- desk /dɛsk/ (noun) — A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a…
- paw /pɔ/ (noun) — The soft foot of a mammal or other animal, generally a quadruped, that has claws or nails; comparable to a human hand or foot.
- yawn /jɔn/ (verb) — To open the mouth widely and take a long, rather deep breath, often because one is tired or bored, and sometimes accompanied by pandiculation.
- tall /tɔl/ (adjective) — Having great vertical extent (usually reckoned from the bottom of the feet to the very top of the head) when standing. (For instance, somebody with a height of…
- leg /ˈlɛɡ/ (noun) — A limb or appendage that an animal uses for support or locomotion on land.
- seek /ˈsiːk/ (verb) — To try to find; to look for; to search for.
- kick /kɪk/ (verb) — To strike or hit with the foot or other extremity of the leg.
- foot /fʊt/ (noun) — A biological structure found in many animals that is used for locomotion and that is frequently a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg.
- draw /dɹɑ/ (verb) — To pull (someone or something) in a particular direction or manner.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- fall in (verb) — To collapse inwards.
- kick in (verb) — To kick or strike so as to cause the object struck to collapse or fall inwards.
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
- play on (verb) — To exploit (a potential weakness or vulnerability) by exacerbating.
- put on /ˌpʊt ˈɒn/ (verb) — To don (clothing, equipment, or the like).
- run around (verb) — To be very busy doing many different things.
- talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 8 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 shoe, mall, yell.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Comparatives -er than / more … than — comparing two things | bigger than |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will kick · will run |
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.