Shadowing Practice: Why Do We Need Sleep? - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Oh, hey there!

No, excuse me, I'm so sorry.

I'm kind of tired today because I didn't get enough sleep last night.

Aw, thanks Squeaks, but I think I'll be alright.

You probably already know that sleep is really important, and that we need to get plenty of it.

Doctors think that most kids need to get about 10 to 12 hours of sleep every day.

But sometimes it's hard to go to bed when you're supposed to, especially if you don't feel tired.

That's why it helps to know what's going on while you're snoozing away at night, and why sleep is so important.

Think about all the things you do during the day.

You probably spend a lot of your day playing, or maybe going places like to school or to the store.

All those activities and anything else you do take energy.

Your body still uses energy when you sleep, but it uses less of it.

Since your body uses less energy when you sleep, it has a chance to save some of that energy for later.

So you feel good when you wake up the next morning and you're ready to take on another day.

Sleep also gives your body a chance to focus energy on things that keep you healthy.

For example, your body uses energy to heal and to grow while you sleep.

Sleep also gives your body a chance to use energy to fight off the germs that can make you sick.

So sleep is really important for your whole body.

But there's one special part of your body that really needs sleep.

Sleep.

Your brain.

Sleep not only gives your body a rest, it gives your brain a rest, too.

Your brain is super busy during the day.

It works really hard to make sense of all the things you see, smell, and hear.

It makes sure that all the parts of your body are working together, it helps you make decisions, and it helps you learn new things.

And those are just some of your brain's jobs.

Your brain doesn't stop working when you sleep,

but it does have a chance to slow down for a bit and to kind of figure things out.

While you sleep, your brain organizes the things you learned about during the day, to help you remember them for later.

Your brain also sorts out your feelings while you sleep.

Scientists have also found out that your brain needs sleep to help you concentrate,

so you can be better at solving problems at home and at school.

Wow, there's a lot going on while you sleep, even if you don't remember it when you wake up!

There is so much going on, in fact, that your body usually makes you feel pretty terrible when you don't get enough sleep.

Too little sleep can make you feel tired, and it can make it harder for you to concentrate and solve problems.

And since your brain helps sort out your feelings while you're sleeping, you can also feel cranky or crabby when you don't get enough sleep.

So what can we do to make sure we get enough sleep?

First, doctors and other sleep experts say you should have a sleep routine.

That means we should try and do the same things every night before we go to bed.

A sleep routine helps your body realize that it's time to go to sleep.

A good routine might include reading a story, having a bath, or maybe listening to some soft music.

It should also mean going to bed at about the same time every night, and getting up about the same time every morning.

That's one of the reasons it's important to have a bedtime.

One thing that shouldn't be part of your sleep routine is watching TV, or using a tablet or phone.

That's because the special light from their screens can send a signal to your body that it's daytime, even when it's really time for bed.

So now you know why it's so important to get a good night's sleep.

I think I'm gonna go take a nap.

Thanks for joining us on SciShow Kids!

If you'd like to keep learning and having fun with Squeaks and me,

hit the red subscribe button and we'll see you next time here at the Fort!

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Why Do We Need Sleep?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: sleep, brain, energy, routine, gives. This video has 50 sentences and 726 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:17. The speaker talks fast, about 222 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 92% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
routine noun	/ɹuˈtin/	A course of action to be followed regularly; a standard procedure.
solve verb	/sɒlv/	To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out.
concentrate verb	/ˈkɑn.sən.tɹeɪt/	To bring to, or direct toward, a common center; to unite more closely; to gather into one body, mass, or force.
bath noun	/bɑːθ/	A tub or pool which is used for bathing: bathtub.
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…
heal verb	/ˈhiːl/	To make better from a disease, wound, etc.; to revive or cure.
tablet noun	/ˈtæblət/	A slab of clay, stone or wood used for inscription.
subscribe verb	/səbˈskɹaɪb/	To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name).
organize verb	/ˈɔɹɡənaɪz/	To arrange in working order.
daytime noun	/ˈdeɪtaɪm/	The time of daylight; the time between sunrise and sunset.
bedtime noun	/ˈbɛdtaɪm/	The time or hour at which one retires to bed in order to sleep.
crabby adjective	/ˈkɹæb.i/	Relating to or resembling crabs; crablike.
cranky adjective	/kɹæki/	Not in good working condition; defective, faulty.
germ noun	/d͡ʒɝm/	The embryo of a seed, especially of a seed used as a cereal or grain. See Wikipedia article on cereal germ.
snooze verb	/snuz/	To sleep, especially briefly; to nap, doze.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
sort out verb		To clarify by reviewing mentally.
wake up verb	/ˌweɪk ˈʌp/	To stop sleeping; to awake.
fight off verb		To succeed in defeating a challenge, or an attack.
find out verb		To discover, as by asking or investigating.
work together verb		To be coworkers with someone; to share a workspace with someone.

Grammar in this video

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

Structure	In the video
Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea	should have · should try
Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form	stop working · keep learning
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now	you're snoozing · are working · you're sleeping
Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction	I'll be · we'll see

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 18 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, I'm. 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.
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 routine, solve, concentrate.

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: Why Do We Need Sleep? - Learn English Speaking with Video

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