Shadowing Practice: Thankful Thanksgiving | Kids Books Read Aloud - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Thankful Thanksgiving”. This video has 24 sentences and 176 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:11. The speaker talks slowly, about 81 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 70% 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| thankful adjective | /ˈθæŋkfəl/ | Showing appreciation or gratitude. |
| hip noun | /hɪp/ | The outward-projecting parts of the pelvis and top of the femur and the overlying tissue. |
| silly adjective | /ˈsɪl.i/ | Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance. |
| reporter noun | /ɹɪˈpoɹ.tɚ/ | Someone or something that reports. |
| shoe noun | /ˈʃu/ | 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… |
| chef noun | /ʃɛf/ | The presiding cook in the kitchen of a large household. |
| poet noun | /ˈpoʊ.ət/ | A person who writes poems. |
| costume noun | /ˈkɑsˌt(j)um/ | A style of dress, including garments, accessories and hairstyle, especially as characteristic of a particular country, period or people. |
| pastor noun | /ˈpæs.tɚ/ | A minister or priest in a church. |
| subscribe verb | /səbˈskɹaɪb/ | To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name). |
| dancer noun | /ˈdænsəɹ/ | A person who dances, usually as a hobby, an occupation, or a profession. |
| stir verb | /stɝ/ | To disturb the relative position of the particles (of a liquid or similar) by passing an object through it. |
| clown noun | /ˈklaʊ̯n/ | A slapstick performance artist often associated with a circus and usually characterized by bright, oversized clothing, a red nose, face paint, and a brightly… |
| glue noun | /ɡlu/ | A hard gelatin made by boiling bones and hides, used in solution as an adhesive; or any sticky adhesive substance. |
| sailor noun | /ˈseɪ.lɚ/ | A person who sails; one whose occupation is sailing or navigating ships or other waterborne craft. |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shoe /ˈʃu/, chef /ʃɛf/
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 thankful, hip, silly.
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.