brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/ludwig-guttmann-paralympics/
45-minute lesson plan
| Time | Stage | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3′ | Warm-up | Ask the class: “Have you ever watched the Paralympic Games? What sports do you know?” Let a few students answer. |
| 3–11′ | Words | Pre-teach the 5 words with the flashcards: flee, spinal injury, wheelchair, compete, games. Say each word, show the meaning, and ask for a quick example. |
| 11–18′ | Video | Play the video (4:28). 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 | believe (that) + clause: to say what someone thinks is true. Show “He believed that sport could change lives.”, 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: “Guttmann believed in people when others did not. Has someone ever believed in you?” |
Homework: students finish the lesson online (flashcards + Story Challenge). With your class link, you see who finished.
Words and grammar
- flee (verb): to leave a place quickly because of danger. “In 1939, he and his family fled to England.”
- spinal injury (noun): damage to the spine, the bones down the middle of your back; it can stop people from walking. “Most doctors believed nothing could help people with a spinal injury.”
- wheelchair (noun): a chair with wheels for people who cannot walk. “They played sport in their wheelchairs.”
- compete (verb): to try to win against other people. “Sixteen people in wheelchairs competed in archery.”
- games (noun): a big sports event, where people from many places compete. “In 1960, the games came to Rome.”
Grammar: believe (that) + clause — to say what someone thinks is true. “He believed that sport could change lives.”
Discussion questions
- Guttmann believed in people when others did not. Has someone ever believed in you?
- What was the hardest moment in Ludwig Guttmann's story? What did Ludwig Guttmann do?
- Make two sentences about your own life with “believe (that) + clause”. (From the story: “He believed that sport could change lives.”)
Student worksheet
A Match the words to their meanings
- flee (verb)
- spinal injury (noun)
- wheelchair (noun)
- compete (verb)
- games (noun)
- archery (noun)
- disability (noun)
- rehabilitation (noun)
- damage to the spine, the bones down the middle of your back; it can stop people from walking
- helping someone get back strength and skills after an illness or injury
- a condition that makes some things harder to do, like walking or seeing
- a chair with wheels for people who cannot walk
- a big sports event, where people from many places compete
- to try to win against other people
- to leave a place quickly because of danger
- the sport of shooting arrows with a bow
B Complete the sentences from the story
competed · archery · games · wheelchairs · spinal injury · rehabilitation · disability · fled
- In 1948, they competed in .
- Sport was part of their .
- They played sport in their .
- In 1939, he and his family to England.
- Most doctors believed nothing could help people with a .
- Sixteen people in wheelchairs in archery.
- In 1960, the came to Rome.
- Athletes with a compete in the Paralympic Games.
C Did you understand?
- In the 1940s, most doctors believed sport could help people with a spinal injury.True / False
- Why did he and his family go to England?
- To study English
- To flee from the Nazis
- To see the Olympics
- To find a new job in sport
- What happened on 29 July 1948?
- He fled to England
- The games came to Rome
- The first wheelchair archery games at the hospital
- He became Sir Ludwig
- Today, we call the 1960 games in Rome the first Paralympic Games.True / False
D Put the words in order
- lives / could / He / believed / sport / that / change
E Grammar: believe (that) + clause
We use it for to say what someone thinks is true. He believed that sport could change lives. · Most doctors believed nothing could help people with a spinal injury.
Example from the story: He believed that sport could change lives.
- He that sport could change lives. (believed / believe in / believing)
- Most doctors believed nothing could help. (that / what / to)
- I believe that everyone learn. (can / to / be)
F Your turn
Retell Ludwig Guttmann's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Answer key
A. 1g 2a 3d 4f 5e 6h 7c 8b
B. 1 archery · 2 rehabilitation · 3 wheelchairs · 4 fled · 5 spinal injury · 6 competed · 7 games · 8 disability
C. 1 False · 2 b · 3 c · 4 True
D. 1 He believed that sport could change lives.
E. 1 believed · 2 that · 3 can
Transcript
In the 1940s, most doctors believed people with broken backs would live just a year or two.
One doctor did not agree.
He got them out of bed, and he gave them sport.
This is the story of Ludwig Guttmann.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
Flee. To flee is to leave a place quickly because of danger.
In 1939, he and his family fled to England.
Spinal injury. A spinal injury is damage to the spine, the bones down the middle of your back.
It can stop people from walking.
Most doctors believed nothing could help people with a spinal injury.
Wheelchair. A wheelchair is a chair with wheels for people who cannot walk.
They played sport in their wheelchairs.
Compete. To compete is to try to win against other people.
Sixteen people in wheelchairs competed in archery.
Games. The games are a big sports event where people from many places compete.
In 1960, the games came to Rome.
Now, one pattern: believe that, plus a clause.
We use it to say what someone thinks is true.
He believed that sport could change lives.
We can also leave out that.
Ready? Let's begin.
Ludwig Guttmann was born in Germany in 1899, into a Jewish family.
At 18, he helped at a hospital.
He met a young coal miner with a broken back.
Weeks later, the man died.
He became a doctor of the brain and the nerves.
But in the 1930s, the Nazis took away the rights of Jewish people.
He could treat Jewish people, and nobody else.
In November 1938, Jewish men were arrested all over Germany.
He let 64 people into his hospital to hide them.
In 1939, he and his family fled to England.
In 1944, he opened a new centre for spinal injuries at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, near London.
Many of the men there were soldiers hurt in the war.
At that time, most doctors believed nothing could help people with a spinal injury.
Most of them died within a few years.
Guttmann believed that they could have a long and useful life.
His nurses turned them in bed every two hours, day and night, to stop sores.
He got them out of bed, gave them work, and made them exercise.
They played sport in their wheelchairs.
Sport was more than fun.
He believed that sport could change lives.
It built up their bodies, and it gave them hope.
On 29 July 1948, the Olympic Games opened in London.
On the same day, on the hospital lawn, 16 people in wheelchairs competed in archery.
Two of them were women.
Every year, the games grew.
In 1952, a team from the Netherlands came, and the games became international.
In 1960, the games came to Rome, with about 400 athletes from 23 countries.
Today, we call these the first Paralympic Games.
In 1966, he became Sir Ludwig Guttmann.
He died in 1980.
Today, thousands of athletes compete in the Paralympic Games.
Let's review. In 1939, he and his family fled to England.
Most doctors believed nothing could help people with a spinal injury.
They played sport in their wheelchairs.
Sixteen people in wheelchairs competed in archery.
In 1960, the games came to Rome.
And remember: he believed that sport could change lives.
Ludwig Guttmann's story teaches us: believe in people, and they can do amazing things.
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