Shadowing Practice: What is the Constitution | Rap Song for Social Studies & Civics Curriculum - Learn English Speaking with Video

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36 sentences

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We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union,

establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense,

promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity,

do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America.

In 1776, the United States declared its independence

Then it won the Revolutionary War King George couldn't tell him what to do anymore

So who would tell Americans what to do And lead the new country?

Someone had to After all, this is how most countries work Where a king, or a queen, or an emperor

Is the big boss calling all the shots They had more wealth

and power than the people by a lot But America's founding fathers didn't roll like that All that power led to tyranny,

I don't think you're hearing me See for a king it was too easy for them to mistreat people

and act sleazy That's not leadership,

that is hypocrisy So Americans wanted to try democracy They thought people should govern themselves Would it work?

Could it work?

Well, the founding fathers weren't sure But they thought they'd have a chance

if they went to work to work with a well thought out set of rules for government

that everyone thought was cool so they came up with a solution and made the United States Constitution We the people,

run our own government Here there's no kings

or queens running it We're following the law of the land Laid out in the constitution so understand We the people, run our own government

If there's no kings or queens running it We're following the law of the land Laid out in the constitution,

that's the plan One of the constitution's fundamental functions Is to

spread power evenly to prevent corruption See the founding fathers took no chances

So they split the government up into three branches The legislative branch, that includes congress They make the laws,

yep, that's what their job is The executive branch, the president and their staff They carry out the laws on the people's behalf And the judicial branch,

which includes the Supreme Court They interpret the laws to make sure they're in accordance with the Constitution

Which includes checks and balances Rules that prevent a branch from gaining too much power In addition to that,

the Constitution guarantees The rights that we have like freedom of speech The freedom of assembly and the right to vote

There's a whole lot more

if you'd like to know Not to mention there are rules for how it can be amended

or changed Over the years there's been lots of things Like enslavement,

which used to be legal But that was changed by the will of the people With the 13th Amendment in 1865

Without change the Constitution couldn't survive And it needs citizens to be the guide The document of democracy,

America's pride We the people, run our own government

Here there's no kings or queens running it We're following the law of the land Laid out in the constitution, so understand We the people,

run our own government Here there's no kings

or queens running it We're following the law of the land Laid out in the constitution, that's the plan

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “What is the Constitution”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: constitution, king, queen, Laid, branch. This video has 36 sentences and 552 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:31. The speaker talks at a natural 157 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 89% 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
enslavement noun		The act of enslaving or the state of being a slave; bondage
mistreat verb	/mɪsˈtɹiːt/	To treat someone, or something roughly or badly.
ordain verb	/ɔɹˈdeɪn/	To prearrange unalterably.
posterity noun	/pɒˈstɛɹɪti/	All the future generations, especially the descendants of a specific person.
sleazy adjective	/ˈsliː.zi/	Marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate.
tranquility noun	/træŋˈkwɪlɪti/	American standard spelling of tranquillity.
tyranny noun	/ˈtɪəɹəni/	A government in which a single ruler (a tyrant) has absolute power, or this system of government; especially, one that acts cruelly and unjustly.
amend verb	/əˈmɛnd/	To make better; improve.
hypocrisy noun	/hɪˈpɑkɹəsi/	The contrivance of a false appearance of virtue or goodness, while concealing real character or inclinations, especially with respect to religious and moral…
evenly adverb	/ˈiːvənli/	So as to form a flat surface.
govern verb	/ˈɡʌv.ən/	To make and administer the public policy and affairs of; to exercise sovereign authority in.
interpret verb	/ɪnˈtɜː.pɹɪt/	To decode the meaning of a topic and then act, whether to continue researching the topic, follow through, act in opposition, or further the understanding…
declare verb	/dɪˈklɛɚ/	To assert or announce formally, officially, explicitly, or emphatically.
blessing noun	/ˈblɛs.ɪŋ/	Some kind of divine or supernatural aid, or reward.
accordance noun	/əˈkɔː.dəns/	Agreement; harmony; conformity; compliance.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
carry out verb	/ˈkæ.ɹi aʊt/	To hold while moving it out.
come up with verb		To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 13 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, couldn't, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

Long words — get the stress right: posterity /pɒˈstɛɹɪti/, tranquility /træŋˈkwɪlɪti/, hypocrisy /hɪˈpɑkɹəsi/, legislative /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ɪ.slə.tɪv/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like enslavement, mistreat, ordain.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: What is the Constitution | Rap Song for Social Studies & Civics Curriculum - Learn English Speaking with Video

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