Ruby Bridges: She Was Six… and She Walked Into a School Alone
Level A2 (Elementary) · Watch the video and do the online quiz at https://brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/ruby-bridges-only-child/
A Match the words to their meanings
- walk (verb)
- marshal (noun)
- crowd (noun)
- classroom (noun)
- only (adverb)
- first grade (noun)
- desk (noun)
- escort (verb)
- a police officer who works for the government
- a large group of people
- to go with someone to keep them safe
- a room where children learn
- a table where you sit to study or work
- the first year of primary school in the USA
- to move on your feet
- no more than one
B Complete the sentences from the story
desk · marshals · first grade · Only · classroom · crowd · walked · escorted
- There was only one with a child.
- She to school with federal marshals.
- The marshals her to school.
- A shouted outside the school.
- She was in .
- Her was empty.
- The kept her safe.
- one teacher agreed to teach her.
C Did you understand?
- Ruby was ten years old in 1960.True / False
- Who walked beside her to school?
- Her teacher
- Other children
- Federal marshals
- Her brothers
- What did she think the crowd was at first?
- A football game
- A street party
- A school trip
- A wedding
- She never missed a day of school.True / False
D Put the words in order
- the / the / in / only / She / was / child / class
E Grammar: the only + noun
We use it for to say there was no other person or thing. She was the only child in the class. · Barbara Henry was the only teacher who agreed.
Example from the story: She was the only child in the class.
- She was only child in the class. (the / a / some)
- She was the only in the class. (child / children / childs)
- I have no brothers. I am the boy in my family. (only / alone / once)
F Your turn
Retell Ruby Bridges's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Transcript
A six-year-old girl walked to school with marshals beside her.
A crowd shouted.
She kept walking.
This is the story of Ruby Bridges.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
Walk. When you walk, you move on your feet.
She walked to school with federal marshals.
Marshal. A marshal is a police officer who works for the government.
The marshals kept her safe.
Crowd. A crowd is a large group of people.
A crowd shouted outside the school.
Classroom. A classroom is a room where children learn.
Her classroom was empty.
Only. Only means no more than one.
Only one teacher agreed to teach her.
Now, one pattern: the only, plus a noun.
It means there was no other.
She was the only child in the class.
Ready? Let's begin.
Ruby Bridges was born in Mississippi in 1954.
Her family moved to New Orleans.
At that time, Black and white children went to different schools.
In 1960, Ruby passed a test for a white school.
That autumn, she was six years old.
On 14 November 1960, she walked to school with federal marshals.
The marshals kept her safe.
A crowd shouted outside the school.
At first, she thought it was a street party.
White parents took their children away.
Her classroom was empty.
Only one teacher agreed to teach her: Barbara Henry, from Boston.
She was the only child in the class.
Every day, Ruby walked past the crowd.
She never missed a day.
Would other children come?
The next year, other children came to her class.
Today, Ruby Bridges visits schools and talks to children about fairness.
Let's review. She walked to school with federal marshals.
The marshals kept her safe.
A crowd shouted outside the school.
Her classroom was empty.
Only one teacher agreed to teach her.
And remember: she was the only child in the class.
Ruby Bridges's story teaches us: even a small child can be very brave.
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Answer key
A. 1g 2a 3b 4d 5h 6f 7e 8c
B. 1 desk · 2 walked · 3 escorted · 4 crowd · 5 first grade · 6 classroom · 7 marshals · 8 Only
C. 1 False · 2 c · 3 b · 4 True
D. 1 She was the only child in the class.
E. 1 the · 2 child · 3 only