brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/george-washington-carver-peanuts/
45-minute lesson plan
| Time | Stage | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3′ | Warm-up | Ask the class: “Do you grow any plants? What do farmers grow in your country? How many things can you make from peanuts?” Let a few students answer. |
| 3–11′ | Words | Pre-teach the 5 words with the flashcards: farmer, crop, soil, healthy, peanut. Say each word, show the meaning, and ask for a quick example. |
| 11–18′ | Video | Play the video (4:41). Students follow the transcript. Play it a second time if needed. |
| 18–26′ | Comprehension | Worksheet C (or the online Story Challenge): check answers together. Ask “How do you know?” |
| 26–34′ | Grammar | by + verb-ing: to say how something is done. Show “He fixed tired soil by planting peanuts.”, then do worksheet E together. |
| 34–42′ | Worksheet | Students do worksheet A, B and D alone or in pairs. Check with the answer key. |
| 42–45′ | Speaking | In pairs: “Carver could have become rich, but he gave his ideas to poor farmers for free. Should scientists share their discoveries for free, or should they get money for them?” |
Homework: students finish the lesson online (flashcards + Story Challenge). With your class link, you see who finished.
Words and grammar
- farmer (noun): a person who grows food or keeps animals on a farm. “Poor farmers in the South grew only cotton.”
- crop (noun): a plant that farmers grow in large amounts. “Cotton was the main crop in the South.”
- soil (noun): the top layer of the earth, where plants grow. “Year after year, cotton made the soil weak.”
- healthy (adjective): strong and in good condition. “Peanuts made the soil healthy again.”
- peanut (noun): a small nut that grows under the ground. “He found about 300 uses for peanuts.”
Grammar: by + verb-ing — to say how something is done. “He fixed tired soil by planting peanuts.”
Discussion questions
- Carver could have become rich, but he gave his ideas to poor farmers for free. Should scientists share their discoveries for free, or should they get money for them?
- What was the hardest moment in George Washington Carver's story? What did George Washington Carver do?
- Make two sentences about your own life with “by + verb-ing”. (From the story: “He fixed tired soil by planting peanuts.”)
Student worksheet
A Match the words to their meanings
- farmer (noun)
- crop (noun)
- soil (noun)
- healthy (adjective)
- peanut (noun)
- sweet potato (noun)
- cotton (noun)
- nutrient (noun)
- a plant with soft white fibre used to make cloth
- a sweet orange or purple root vegetable
- the top layer of the earth, where plants grow
- a person who grows food or keeps animals on a farm
- something in soil or food that helps plants or people grow
- a plant that farmers grow in large amounts
- strong and in good condition
- a small nut that grows under the ground
B Complete the sentences from the story
nutrients · peanuts · crop · farmers · soil · healthy · cotton · sweet potatoes
- He told farmers to grow peanuts and .
- Cotton was the main in the South.
- Poor in the South grew only cotton.
- Peanuts made the soil again.
- Year after year, cotton made the weak.
- He found about 300 uses for .
- Peanuts put back into the soil.
- Poor farmers in the South grew only .
C Did you understand?
- As a boy, Carver was called the Plant Doctor.True / False
- What happened when he arrived at the college that had accepted him?
- They gave him a prize
- They made him a teacher
- They sent him away because he was Black
- They gave him a farm
- How did he fix tired soil?
- By planting more cotton
- By planting peanuts and sweet potatoes
- By adding sand
- By leaving the fields empty forever
- Carver invented peanut butter.True / False
- What did the chairman say in 1921?
- Your ten minutes are over.
- We don't like peanuts.
- Please speak more quickly.
- Go ahead, brother. Your time is unlimited.
D Put the words in order
- He / peanuts / planting / by / soil / fixed / tired
E Grammar: by + verb-ing
We use it for to say how something is done. He fixed tired soil by planting peanuts. · He taught farmers by showing them. · You can learn English by watching videos.
Example from the story: He fixed tired soil by planting peanuts.
- He fixed tired soil by peanuts. (planting / plant / planted)
- He taught farmers showing them. (by / for / with)
- You can learn new words by stories. (reading / read / to read)
F Your turn
Retell George Washington Carver's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Answer key
A. 1d 2f 3c 4g 5h 6b 7a 8e
B. 1 sweet potatoes · 2 crop · 3 farmers · 4 healthy · 5 soil · 6 peanuts · 7 nutrients · 8 cotton
C. 1 True · 2 c · 3 b · 4 False · 5 d
D. 1 He fixed tired soil by planting peanuts.
E. 1 planting · 2 by · 3 reading
Transcript
In 1921, a scientist was given ten minutes to speak to the United States Congress about peanuts.
When the time was up, nobody stopped him.
This is the story of George Washington Carver.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
Farmer. A farmer is a person who grows food or keeps animals on a farm.
Poor farmers in the South grew only cotton.
Crop. A crop is a plant that farmers grow in large amounts, like rice, wheat or cotton.
Cotton was the main crop in the South.
Soil. Soil is the top layer of the earth, where plants grow.
Year after year, cotton made the soil weak.
Healthy. Healthy means strong and in good condition.
Peanuts made the soil healthy again.
Peanut. A peanut is a small nut that grows under the ground.
He found about 300 uses for peanuts.
Now, one pattern: by + verb-ing.
We use it to say how something is done.
He planted peanuts.
The soil got better.
He fixed tired soil by planting peanuts.
Ready? Let's begin.
George Washington Carver was born into slavery in Missouri, around 1864.
Nobody knows the exact date.
When he was a baby, robbers took him and his mother away.
A neighbour brought George back, but his mother never came home.
After slavery ended, Moses and Susan Carver raised him.
He was often sick, so he helped in the garden.
He learned about plants by watching them closely.
The neighbours called him the Plant Doctor.
The local school did not accept Black children.
So, at about eleven, he went to a school eight miles away.
A kind woman told him: "Learn all you can, then give your learning back to your people."
A college accepted him by letter.
But when he arrived, they saw that he was Black and sent him away.
He did not give up.
In 1891, he became the first Black student at Iowa State.
In 1896, he moved to Tuskegee, a school for Black students in Alabama.
Poor farmers in the South grew only cotton.
Cotton was the main crop in the South, and year after year, cotton made the soil weak.
His answer was simple: grow peanuts and sweet potatoes too.
Peanuts put goodness back into the ground.
He fixed tired soil by planting peanuts.
Peanuts made the soil healthy again.
But many farmers could not come to his school.
So he made a school on wheels, a wagon full of tools and seeds, and took his lessons to the farms.
He taught farmers by showing them, not just by telling them.
Soon there were lots of peanuts.
But who would buy them?
He went back to his laboratory.
He found about 300 uses for peanuts, from milk and flour to ink and dyes.
In 1921, he spoke to Congress about peanuts.
He was given ten minutes.
When the time was up, the chairman said: "Go ahead, brother."
"Your time is unlimited."
He spoke for much, much longer.
He had only three patents.
He did not try to get rich.
He died in 1943.
That same year, his birthplace became the first national monument in America for an African American.
Let's review. Poor farmers in the South grew only cotton.
Cotton was the main crop in the South.
Year after year, cotton made the soil weak.
Peanuts made the soil healthy again.
He found about 300 uses for peanuts.
And remember: he fixed tired soil by planting peanuts.
George Washington Carver's story teaches us: use what you know to help the people around you.
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