Albert Einstein: A Little Compass Made Him Ask Why
When Albert Einstein was five, he was sick in bed. His father gave him a compass, and the needle moved by itself. Why? He asked questions all his life, and his answers changed science. Learn five A1 words with the true story of Albert Einstein.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
A little boy was sick in bed.
His father gave him a small .
The moved by itself!
did it move?
This is the story of Albert Einstein.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. A is a small tool.
Its always points north.
His father gave him a .
. You a when you want to know something.
Albert had a lot of .
. When you , you want an answer.
The past is .
He his teachers many .
. A is a small wooden box with four strings.
You play music on it.
He played the every day.
. We say when we want a reason.
He always .
Now, one pattern: in the past.
We use did and the verb.
The moved.
did the move?
He wanted to know.
What did he want to know?
Ready? Let's begin.
Albert Einstein was born in Germany in 1879.
When he was five, he was sick in bed.
His father gave him a .
The always pointed north.
did the move?
Albert wanted to know.
His mother gave him lessons.
At first, he did not like them.
Then he heard music by Mozart.
He loved it!
He played the every day, all his life.
Albert had a lot of .
He always .
At school, he his teachers many .
Some teachers were not happy.
At sixteen, he took a big test for a university.
He failed!
But he was the best at math and .
One year later, he passed.
Later, he worked in a small office in Switzerland.
After work, he thought about light and time.
What did he find?
In 1905, he wrote four papers.
They changed forever.
In 1921, he won the Nobel Prize.
People all over the world knew his name.
Reporters him everywhere.
In 1933, he moved to America.
He had white, wild hair, and he often did not wear socks!
Every evening, he played his .
He died in 1955.
But his did not die.
Today, scientists still : how did he know?
Albert Einstein never stopped .
Let's review. His father gave him a .
Albert had a lot of .
He his teachers many .
He played the every day.
He always .
And remember: did the move?
Albert Einstein's story teaches us: never stop .
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
compass noun
a small tool; its needle always points north
“His father gave him a compass.”
question noun
what you ask when you want to know something
“Albert had a lot of questions.”
ask verb
to say something because you want an answer (past: asked)
“He asked his teachers many questions.”
violin noun
a small wooden box with four strings; you play music on it
“He played the violin every day.”
why question word
we say why when we want a reason
“He always asked why.”
needle noun
a thin pointed piece of metal, for example in a compass
“The needle always pointed north.”
curious adjective
wanting to know or learn about something
“Albert was a very curious boy.”
science noun
learning about the world by looking, testing and thinking
“His papers changed science forever.”
Grammar in the story
questions in the past: question word + did + verb
We use it for: to ask about the past with why, what, how, where or when
- Why + did + subject + verb: Why did the needle move?
- What + did + subject + verb: What did he find?
- How + did + subject + verb: How did he know?
- The verb has no -ed after did: Why did it move? (not: Why did it moved?)
From the story
- Why did the needle move?
- What did he want to know?
Find it in the story 7 times
Your turn
Why the needle move?
What did he ?
did he go in 1933? — To America.
Step 4
Story Challenge
9 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
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Take it further
Before you watch: Look at something near you — a light, a phone, a plant. Ask one “why” question about it.
After you watch: Write three questions about Albert Einstein with did. For example: Why did he like Mozart?
Think about it: Albert Einstein never stopped asking why. What is one question you have about the world?
