brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/helen-keller-everything-had-a-name/
45-minute lesson plan
| Time | Stage | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3′ | Warm-up | Ask the class: “Close your eyes for ten seconds. What can you hear? What can you touch?” Let a few students answer. |
| 3–13′ | Words | Pre-teach the 5 words with the flashcards: blind, deaf, touch, spell, learn. Say each word, show the meaning, and ask for a quick example. |
| 13–20′ | Video | Play the video (4:30). Students follow the transcript. Play it a second time if needed. |
| 20–28′ | Comprehension | Worksheet C (or the online Story Challenge): check answers together. Ask “How do you know?” |
| 28–35′ | Grammar | could / couldn't + verb: ability in the past. Show “She couldn't see, but she could read.”, then do worksheet E together. |
| 35–43′ | Worksheet | Students do worksheet A, B and D alone or in pairs. Check with the answer key. |
| 43–45′ | Speaking | In pairs: “Who helped you learn something new? Write one sentence about them.” |
Homework: students finish the lesson online (flashcards + Story Challenge). With your class link, you see who finished.
Words and grammar
- blind (adjective): not able to see. “Helen was blind.”
- deaf (adjective): not able to hear. “Helen was deaf too.”
- touch (verb): to put your hand on something (past: touched). “Helen touched the water.”
- spell (verb): to say or write the letters of a word (past: spelled). “Anne spelled words in Helen's hand.”
- learn (verb): to start to know or do something new (past: learned). “Helen learned very fast.”
Grammar: could / couldn't + verb — ability in the past. “She couldn't see, but she could read.”
Discussion questions
- Who helped you learn something new? Write one sentence about them.
- What was the hardest moment in Helen Keller's story? What did Helen Keller do?
- Make two sentences about your own life with “could / couldn't + verb”. (From the story: “She couldn't see, but she could read.”)
Student worksheet
A Match the words to their meanings
- blind (adjective)
- deaf (adjective)
- touch (verb)
- spell (verb)
- learn (verb)
- teacher (noun)
- water (noun)
- college (noun)
- to put your hand on something (past: touched)
- a person who helps you learn
- to start to know or do something new (past: learned)
- the clear liquid in rivers and rain that we drink
- to say or write the letters of a word (past: spelled)
- a school where you study after high school
- not able to hear
- not able to see
B Complete the sentences from the story
water · deaf · teacher · college · blind · spelled · touched · learned
- Helen was .
- In 1904, Helen finished .
- When Helen was six, a new came.
- Helen touched the .
- Anne words in Helen's hand.
- Helen very fast.
- Helen the water.
- Helen was too.
C Did you understand?
- When was Helen Keller born?
- In 1880
- In 1904
- In 1950
- In 2000
- Helen was blind and deaf.True / False
- Who was Anne Sullivan?
- Helen's sister
- Helen's teacher
- Helen's doctor
- Helen's mother
- What did Helen touch at the pump?
- A book
- Water
- A dog
- A flower
- That day, Helen learned thirty new words.True / False
- Helen never went to college.True / False
D Put the words in order
- see / She / read / couldn't / could / she / but
E Grammar: could / couldn't + verb
We use it for ability in the past. can → could · can't → couldn't
Example from the story: She couldn't see, but she could read.
- Helen was deaf. She hear. (could / couldn't)
- Later, Helen read with her fingers. (could / couldn't)
- As a small child, she talk to her family. (could / couldn't)
F Your turn
Retell Helen Keller's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Answer key
A. 1h 2g 3a 4e 5c 6b 7d 8f
B. 1 blind · 2 college · 3 teacher · 4 water · 5 spelled · 6 learned · 7 touched · 8 deaf
C. 1 a · 2 True · 3 b · 4 b · 5 True · 6 False
D. 1 She couldn't see but she could read.
E. 1 couldn't · 2 could · 3 couldn't
Transcript
She couldn't see.
She couldn't hear.
But she learned to read, to write, and to speak.
This is the story of Helen Keller.
Hello, and welcome to Bright Lives English. Real stories. Real English.
Today's level is A1.
Listen for five new words.
Blind. If you are blind, you cannot see.
Helen was blind.
Deaf. If you are deaf, you cannot hear.
Helen was deaf too.
Touch. When you touch something, you put your hand on it.
The past is touched.
Helen touched the water.
Spell. When you spell a word, you say or write its letters. W-A-T-E-R.
The past is spelled.
Anne spelled words in Helen's hand.
Learn. When you learn, you start to know or do something new.
The past is learned.
Helen learned very fast.
Now, one pattern: could and couldn't.
We use them for the past.
Can becomes could.
Can't becomes couldn't.
Helen couldn't see, but she could read. Ready? Let's begin.
Helen Keller was born in America in 1880.
When she was a baby, she was very sick.
After that, she was blind and deaf.
Helen couldn't see.
She couldn't hear.
She couldn't talk to her family.
She was often angry, and she cried a lot.
When Helen was six, a new teacher came.
Her name was Anne Sullivan.
Anne spelled words into Helen's hand with her fingers.
One day, Anne put Helen's hand under cold water.
Helen touched the water.
Anne spelled W-A-T-E-R in her other hand.
Suddenly, Helen understood!
Everything had a name!
That day, Helen learned thirty new words.
She was so happy.
She wanted to learn more and more.
Helen learned to read with her fingers.
Later, she learned to speak.
Now she could talk to people!
In 1904, Helen finished college.
She was the first deaf and blind person to do this.
She wrote books and traveled to many countries.
She helped blind people all over the world.
Let's review. Helen was blind.
She was deaf too.
She touched the water.
Anne spelled words in her hand.
Helen learned very fast.
And remember: she couldn't see, but she could read.
Helen's story teaches us: with help and hard work, we can learn so much.
Want more practice?
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See you in the next true story!