brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/stephen-hawking-55-more-years/
45-minute lesson plan
| Time | Stage | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3′ | Warm-up | Ask the class: “What do you know about black holes? What questions would you like to ask about the universe?” Let a few students answer. |
| 3–11′ | Words | Pre-teach the 5 words with the flashcards: universe, black hole, diagnose, copy, explore. Say each word, show the meaning, and ask for a quick example. |
| 11–18′ | Video | Play the video (4:42). 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 | be able to + verb: ability, like can, but it works in every tense, especially the past. Show “He wasn't able to walk, but he was able to explore the universe.”, 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: “Hawking said he wanted people to "look up at the stars and not down at your feet." What helps you keep going when something is hard?” |
Homework: students finish the lesson online (flashcards + Story Challenge). With your class link, you see who finished.
Words and grammar
- universe (noun): everything that exists: all of space and time, with every star and planet. “He went to Cambridge to study the universe.”
- black hole (noun): a place in space where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape, not even light. “He showed that black holes are not completely black.”
- diagnose (verb): to find out what illness a person has (past: diagnosed). “Doctors diagnosed him with motor neurone disease.”
- copy (noun): one single example of a book, newspaper or film (plural: copies). “His book sold millions of copies.”
- explore (verb): to travel through a place, or study something, to learn about it. “He spent his life exploring the biggest questions.”
Grammar: be able to + verb — ability, like can, but it works in every tense, especially the past. “He wasn't able to walk, but he was able to explore the universe.”
Discussion questions
- Hawking said he wanted people to "look up at the stars and not down at your feet." What helps you keep going when something is hard?
- What was the hardest moment in Stephen Hawking's story? What did Stephen Hawking do?
- Make two sentences about your own life with “be able to + verb”. (From the story: “He wasn't able to walk, but he was able to explore the universe.”)
Student worksheet
A Match the words to their meanings
- universe (noun)
- black hole (noun)
- diagnose (verb)
- copy (noun)
- explore (verb)
- computer voice (noun)
- lecture (noun)
- bestseller (noun)
- a voice made by a computer that speaks the words you choose
- everything that exists: all of space and time, with every star and planet
- a place in space where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape, not even light
- to find out what illness a person has (past: diagnosed)
- to travel through a place, or study something, to learn about it
- a book that very many people buy
- one single example of a book, newspaper or film (plural: copies)
- a talk about a subject to a group of people, often at a university
B Complete the sentences from the story
universe · lectures · bestseller · computer voice · diagnosed · exploring · copies · black holes
- He still gave around the world.
- He showed that are not completely black.
- It stayed on a British list for more than four years.
- He spent his life the biggest questions.
- Doctors him with motor neurone disease.
- He went to Cambridge to study the .
- His book sold millions of .
- So he used a .
C Did you understand?
- Where was Stephen Hawking born?
- Cambridge
- London
- Oxford
- Manchester
- Many guests came to his party for time travellers.True / False
- How did Hawking speak after 1985?
- With sign language
- With a computer voice
- With a radio
- He didn't speak in public
- What did Hawking show in 1974?
- Black holes are not completely black
- The Earth goes around the Sun
- Light is very slow
- Stars never die
- His book stayed on a British bestseller list for more than four years.True / False
- How long did he live after the doctors' warning?
- Two years
- Twenty-one years
- Fifty-five years
- Seventy-six years
D Put the words in order
- able / was / he / minutes, / move / freely / again / For / few / a / to
E Grammar: be able to + verb
We use it for ability, like can, but it works in every tense, especially the past. was able to / wasn't able to + verb · will be able to + verb · He couldn't walk. → He wasn't able to walk.
Example from the story: He wasn't able to walk, but he was able to explore the universe.
- After the operation, he speak at all. (wasn't able to / isn't able / not able to)
- In zero gravity, he move freely again. (was able to / was able / able to)
- After this lesson, you will talk about Hawking's life. (be able to / able to / can to)
F Your turn
Retell Stephen Hawking's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Answer key
A. 1b 2c 3d 4g 5e 6a 7h 8f
B. 1 lectures · 2 black holes · 3 bestseller · 4 exploring · 5 diagnosed · 6 universe · 7 copies · 8 computer voice
C. 1 c · 2 False · 3 b · 4 a · 5 True · 6 c
D. 1 For a few minutes, he was able to move freely again.
E. 1 wasn't able to · 2 was able to · 3 be able to
Transcript
At twenty-one, doctors gave him about two years to live.
Slowly, he lost the use of his body.
But his mind explored the universe.
How long did he really live?
This is the story of Stephen Hawking.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
Universe. The universe is everything that exists: all of space and time, with every star and planet.
He went to Cambridge to study the universe.
Black hole. A black hole is a place in space where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape, not even light.
He showed that black holes are not completely black.
Diagnose. When doctors diagnose an illness, they find out what is wrong with a person.
The past is diagnosed.
Doctors diagnosed him with motor neurone disease.
Copy. A copy is one single example of a book, a newspaper or a film.
One copy, two copies.
His book sold millions of copies.
Explore. To explore means to travel through a place, or to study something, to learn about it.
He spent his life exploring the biggest questions.
Now, one pattern: be able to.
It means can, and it works in every tense.
He couldn't walk.
He wasn't able to walk.
He wasn't able to walk, but he was able to explore the universe.
Ready? Let's begin.
Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England, in 1942, exactly three hundred years after Galileo died.
As a boy, he loved taking things apart to see how they worked.
His friends called him Einstein.
He studied at Oxford, then went to Cambridge to study the universe.
But he started to fall over for no reason.
In 1963, at twenty-one, doctors diagnosed him with motor neurone disease.
They gave him two years.
The disease slowly stopped his muscles from working.
But he fell in love with Jane, and in 1965 they got married.
He kept working.
Soon, he wasn't able to walk, but he was able to explore the universe.
He spent his life exploring the biggest questions.
What happens inside a black hole?
Scientists believed that nothing could ever escape from one.
Nothing at all.
But Hawking wasn't so sure.
In 1974, he shocked the world of science.
He showed that black holes are not completely black.
They give out a tiny glow, and slowly, they can disappear.
Today, scientists call it Hawking radiation.
In 1985, after an operation, he wasn't able to speak at all.
So he used a computer voice.
He chose each word with a small switch, and later with a muscle in his cheek.
He still gave lectures around the world.
In 1988, he wrote a book about the universe for ordinary people: A Brief History of Time.
It sold millions of copies.
It stayed on a British bestseller list for more than four years.
At sixty-five, he floated in zero gravity on a special plane.
For a few minutes, he was able to move freely again.
In 2009, he held a party for time travellers.
But he sent the invitations after the party.
Nobody came. So, remember the two years?
He died in 2018, at seventy-six, fifty-five years after the doctors' warning.
Today, he rests in Westminster Abbey, near Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.
Let's review. He went to Cambridge to study the universe.
He showed that black holes are not completely black.
Doctors diagnosed him with motor neurone disease.
His book sold millions of copies.
He spent his life exploring the biggest questions.
And remember: he wasn't able to walk, but he was able to explore the universe.
Hawking's story teaches us: never stop being curious.
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