brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/arthur-ashe-wimbledon/
45-minute lesson plan
| Time | Stage | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3′ | Warm-up | Ask the class: “What advice did your parents or teachers give you when you were a child? Do you still follow it?” Let a few students answer. |
| 3–10′ | Words | Pre-teach the 5 words with the flashcards: segregated, court, dignity, transfusion, awareness. Say each word, show the meaning, and ask for a quick example. |
| 10–17′ | Video | Play the video (4:51). Students follow the transcript. Play it a second time if needed. |
| 17–25′ | Comprehension | Worksheet C (or the online Story Challenge): check answers together. Ask “How do you know?” |
| 25–33′ | Grammar | imperative: base verb (no subject) · Don't + base verb: to give advice, rules or instructions. Show “Respect everyone, whether they respect you or not.”, then do worksheet E together. |
| 33–40′ | Worksheet | Students do worksheet A, B and D alone or in pairs. Check with the answer key. |
| 40–45′ | Speaking | In pairs: “Arthur Ashe was taught to stay calm, even when people treated him unfairly. Is it always right to "turn the other cheek"? When should people speak up?” |
Homework: students finish the lesson online (flashcards + Story Challenge). With your class link, you see who finished.
Words and grammar
- segregated (adjective): keeping people apart because of the colour of their skin, by law or by custom. “In those days, Richmond's parks were segregated.”
- court (noun): the marked area where you play tennis (or basketball). “Black players were not allowed on the city's best courts.”
- dignity (noun): a calm, proud way of acting that earns respect. “Arthur played with calm dignity.”
- transfusion (noun): putting blood from one person into another person's body. “After heart surgery, he was given a blood transfusion.”
- awareness (noun): knowing about a problem and understanding it. “He worked to raise awareness of AIDS.”
Grammar: imperative: base verb (no subject) · Don't + base verb — to give advice, rules or instructions. “Respect everyone, whether they respect you or not.”
Discussion questions
- Arthur Ashe was taught to stay calm, even when people treated him unfairly. Is it always right to "turn the other cheek"? When should people speak up?
- What was the hardest moment in Arthur Ashe's story? What did Arthur Ashe do?
- Make two sentences about your own life with “imperative: base verb (no subject) · Don't + base verb”. (From the story: “Respect everyone, whether they respect you or not.”)
Student worksheet
A Match the words to their meanings
- segregated (adjective)
- court (noun)
- dignity (noun)
- transfusion (noun)
- awareness (noun)
- racket (noun)
- grand slam (noun)
- activist (noun)
- a person who works hard to change society
- the bat with strings that you use to hit the ball in tennis
- keeping people apart because of the colour of their skin, by law or by custom
- the marked area where you play tennis (or basketball)
- one of the four biggest tennis tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open)
- knowing about a problem and understanding it
- putting blood from one person into another person's body
- a calm, proud way of acting that earns respect
B Complete the sentences from the story
transfusion · grand slam · racket · courts · dignity · activist · segregated · awareness
- He worked to raise of AIDS.
- Black players were not allowed on the city's best .
- In those days, Richmond's parks were .
- He won three singles titles.
- His 1975 was made of metal, not wood.
- After heart surgery, he was given a blood .
- Arthur played with calm .
- After tennis, he became an .
C Did you understand?
- As a boy, Arthur Ashe played on the best courts in Richmond.True / False
- What was his father's rule for life?
- Win every game
- Never play tennis
- Respect everyone, whether they respect you or not
- Always argue with the umpire
- Why couldn't he take the prize money in 1968?
- He lost the final
- He was an amateur
- He gave it to his father
- There was no prize
- In the 1975 Wimbledon final, Arthur hit the ball as hard as he could.True / False
- What did he do in 1992?
- He won Wimbledon again
- He opened a tennis club
- He moved to Richmond
- He told the world and raised awareness of AIDS
D Put the words in order
- everyone / you / respect / whether / or / not / Respect / they
E Grammar: imperative: base verb (no subject) · Don't + base verb
We use it for to give advice, rules or instructions. Respect everyone, whether they respect you or not. · Smile at your mistakes. · Don't give him any pace.
Example from the story: Respect everyone, whether they respect you or not.
- everyone, whether they respect you or not. (Respect / Respects / You respecting)
- give him any pace. (Don't / Not / No)
- His coach gave him advice: " at your mistakes." (Smile / He smiled / Smiling)
F Your turn
Retell Arthur Ashe's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Answer key
A. 1c 2d 3h 4g 5f 6b 7e 8a
B. 1 awareness · 2 courts · 3 segregated · 4 grand slam · 5 racket · 6 transfusion · 7 dignity · 8 activist
C. 1 False · 2 c · 3 b · 4 False · 5 d
D. 1 Respect everyone whether they respect you or not.
E. 1 Respect · 2 Don't · 3 Smile
Transcript
As a boy, he was not allowed to play on the best tennis courts in his own city.
In 1975, almost nobody thought he could beat the world's number one player.
This is the story of Arthur Ashe.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
Segregated. A segregated place keeps people apart because of the colour of their skin.
In those days, Richmond's parks were segregated.
Court. A court is the area where you play tennis.
Black players were not allowed on the city's best courts.
Dignity. Dignity is a calm, proud way of acting that earns respect.
Arthur played with calm dignity.
Transfusion. A blood transfusion puts blood from one person into another.
After heart surgery, he was given a blood transfusion.
Awareness. Awareness means knowing about a problem.
He worked to raise awareness of AIDS.
Now, one pattern: the imperative for advice.
We use the verb with no subject to give advice or rules.
You should respect everyone.
Respect everyone, whether they respect you or not.
Ready? Let's begin.
Arthur Ashe was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1943.
When he was six, his mother died.
His father looked after Brook Field, a park for Black families, and the family lived in a small house right next to its tennis courts.
In those days, Richmond's parks were segregated.
Black players were not allowed on the city's best courts, in Byrd Park.
So Arthur learned on the four courts at Brook Field.
His father was strict.
Arthur had ten minutes to get to school and ten minutes to get back, not eleven.
His father's rule for life was simple: "Respect everyone, whether they respect you or not."
Dr Robert Walter Johnson coached young Black players at his summer camp.
His rules were strict too.
Smile at your mistakes.
If a ball is just out, play it as good.
Turn the other cheek.
Arthur played with calm dignity.
In 1968, he won the US Open, one of the four biggest tournaments in tennis, and became the first Black man to win it.
As an amateur, he could not even take the prize money.
In 1975, at almost thirty-two, he reached the final at Wimbledon.
His opponent was Jimmy Connors, the young champion, and Arthur had never beaten him.
Almost nobody thought Arthur could win. Could he?
His friends helped him make a plan.
Chip the ball soft and low.
Don't give him any pace. Serve wide.
At every break, Arthur read the plan on a small folded sheet of paper.
Then he sat still with his eyes closed.
It worked. Connors could not find his rhythm.
Arthur won the first two sets easily, lost the third, and won the fourth.
He was the first Black man to win the men's singles at Wimbledon.
In 1979, he had a heart attack, and soon he stopped playing.
In 1983, after heart surgery, he was given a blood transfusion.
Years later, doctors discovered that the blood had carried HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
In 1992, he told the world.
He spoke at the United Nations and worked to raise awareness of AIDS.
He died in February 1993, aged forty-nine.
Today, the main stadium of the US Open carries his name.
And in Richmond, the city that once kept him off its best courts, a statue of Arthur Ashe now stands.
Let's review. In those days, Richmond's parks were segregated.
Black players were not allowed on the city's best courts.
Arthur played with calm dignity.
After heart surgery, he was given a blood transfusion.
He worked to raise awareness of AIDS.
And remember: respect everyone, whether they respect you or not.
Arthur Ashe's story teaches us: calm dignity can be stronger than anger.
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