Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a motor neuron disease 2. a surgical procedure to improve a blocked airway 7.

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1 Stephen Hawking Pre-Reading A. Warm-Up Questions 1. What subject was an expert in? 2. What famous book did write? 3. What disease did have? B. Vocabulary Preview Match up as many words and meanings as you can. Check this exercise again after seeing the words in context on page dedicate a) Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a motor neuron disease 2. physics b) to cease to exist, to vanish 3. significant c) to reveal or make known 4. think outside the box d) to do very well, to prosper 5. cosmology e) to weaken or worsen in condition 6. ALS f) a surgical procedure to improve a blocked airway 7. big bang theory g) the study of matter and energy in the universe 8. incompatible h) an electronic device that mixes and produces sounds 9. evaporate i) the science of the origin of the universe 10. tracheotomy j) noteworthy 11. deteriorate k) conflicting, not working well together 12. thrive l) to think deeply and creatively and form new ideas and solutions 13. synthesizer m) to devote time and energy 14. give something/ someone away n) the widely accepted idea that the universe began as a tiny particle that exploded outward and continues to expand 1

2 Reading 1. was one of the world s greatest scientists. He dedicated his life to understanding and sharing knowledge about the basic laws of physics and the universe. 2. Stephen William Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on January 8, His birthdate was significant as it was the 300th anniversary of the death of Galileo, the father of modern science. As a child Hawking excelled in mathematics and was known for thinking outside the box. 3. Hawking studied physics at the University of Oxford and, in 1962, went to the University of Cambridge to do his PhD in cosmology. A year later Hawking was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig s disease. Doctors gave Hawking about two years to live. Following his diagnosis, Hawking buried himself in the study of the universe. He also got married and had three children. 4. s main fields of interest were theoretical cosmology and quantum gravity. He studied the big bang theory with great interest. In 1974, Hawking had a major scientific breakthrough. By unifying two seemingly incompatible theories, general relativity and quantum theory, Hawking concluded that black holes can evaporate and get smaller (known as Hawking radiation ). 5. In 1985, after a tracheotomy operation, Hawking lost his ability to speak. Though his body deteriorated, leaving him nearly paralyzed, his mind continued to thrive. He used a custom-built computer program that connected his hand, head, and eye movements to a speech synthesizer. This sophisticated system allowed Hawking to communicate about 15 words per minute. He wrote his first book, A Brief History of Time, this way in It sold over 10 million copies. He went on to publish several more scientific books that, like his first, were accessible to everyday readers. 6. In addition to being a professor of applied mathematics and physics at the University of Cambridge for 30 years, Hawking was a celebrity. His synthesized voice became one of the world s most recognized voices. Over the years, he made TV appearances on several shows, including The Simpsons, Star Trek, and The Big Bang Theory. once joked about the downside of his celebrity status: It is not enough for me to wear dark sunglasses and a wig. The wheelchair gives me away. My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all. Black Hole A black hole, often called a collapsed star, is a dense, vacuum-like object with such strong gravity that nothing can escape from it (not even light). The closest anything can get without being sucked into a black hole is called the event horizon (the point of no return). Hawking concluded that at this edge of a black hole, paired particles have two vastly different experiences. One falls into the black hole and the other escapes as radiation, causing the black hole to gradually get smaller. 7. Hawking once admitted that his expectations were reduced to zero after his ALS diagnosis: Everything since then has been a bonus. He died on March 14 (Albert Einstein s birthday), 2018, at the age of 76. 2

3 Comprehension A. Timeline Place the following in chronological order (1 10) based on information from the reading. was diagnosed with a motor neuron disease. Hawking s school teachers noticed his ability to think outside the box. Hawking wrote and published a bestseller called A Brief History of Time. had a medical procedure that prevented him from speaking. A specialized computer program allowed Hawking to communicate his thoughts. Hawking began studying for his PhD at the University of Cambridge. Hawking make a scientific breakthrough now known as Hawking radiation. Doctors told Hawking he had about two years to live. died more than five decades after doctors predicted he would. became a celebrity and appeared on several TV shows. B. Ask & Answer Practice asking and answering the following questions with your partner. Then write your answers in complete sentences in your notebook. 1. What area of study was most interested in? 2. Where is Hawking s life goal mentioned in this lesson? What was it? 3. What was s response to the doctors prognosis? 4. What is paragraph 3 mainly about? 5. What is a black hole? Describe it in your own words. 6. Why are the dates of s birth and death both significant? 3

4 Vocabulary Review A. Odd One Out Circle the word that does not belong in the group. 1. a) ALS b) Lou Gehrig s c) Galileo 4. a) thrive b) deteriorate c) worsen 7. a) incompatible b) opposed c) imperfect 2. a) physics b) archeology c) chemistry 5. a) noteworthy b) necessary c) significant 8. a) prosper b) thrive c) theorize 3. a) evaporate b) dedicate c) vanish 6. a) tracheotomy b) appendectomy c) anatomy 9. a) give away b) big bang c) cosmology B. Vocabulary in Context Look at the words below with a partner. Try to remember why each word was in the reading. Take turns choosing a word and explaining its role in the text. Use your own words. Words: dedicate significant incompatible evaporate deteriorate thrive synthesizer give someone away Example: couldn t disguise himself like other celebrities can. He said his wheelchair gave him away. 4

5 Scientifically Speaking A. Idioms & Expressions In English, there are many idioms and expressions related to science. Which ones do you know? Which ones are new to you? Idiom light years ahead get/have one s wires crossed not the brightest bulb not rocket science have something down to a science cutting edge Meaning very advanced compared to others to become/be confused not very intelligent not as difficult as someone makes it seem to have mastered a skill or process very modern, innovative B. Practice Now try to use the expressions above in a sentence. # Idiom Sentence

6 Discussion 1. believed in the existence of extraterrestrials (several hundred light years away), but he was cautious about others attempting to communicate with them. He voiced concerns that they could be hostile to humans. Do you share this belief and concern? 2. Hawking believed that genetic engineering will result in a superhuman race despite laws that will try to prevent this. He also believed that non-improved humans will die out. Do you agree with him? 3. was very interested in artificial intelligence (AI). He once said that human-level AI will either be the best or worst thing to happen to humanity. Which do you think it will be? 4. Hawking believed that our only chance of long-term survival is to spread out into space. Do you agree? Do you think we will be able to do this before it is too late? Further Learning Watch a TED Talk of discussing three of his favorite questions: Where did we come from? Is there alien life out there? What is the future of the human race? In your notebook, paraphrase Hawking s thoughts on each question. Note: You can find s video, Questioning the Universe, on ESL Library s YouTube channel. See our playlist. 6

7 Answer Key LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: High Int Adv In this lesson, students read a biography about one of the world s most famous scientists of this era. Students learn and review new vocabulary and paraphrase their understanding of black holes. TIME: TAGS: hours, Hawking, science, space, time, physics, cosmology, universe, big bang theory, black hole, advanced Pre-Reading Comprehension A. WARM-UP QUESTIONS Look at the picture and discuss the questions as a class. 1. Answers may vary. was an expert in math and science, physics, quantum theory, etc. 2. wrote many books. His most famous was A Brief History of Time. 3. had ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig s disease. B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW 1. m 2. g 3. j 4. l 5. i 6. a 7. n 8. k 9. b 10. f 11. e 12. d 13. h 14. c Reading Read the biography out loud together or assign it for silent reading. Ask your students to circle any words that they aren t familiar with. Discuss the quote and see if your students understand what a black hole is. A. TIMELINE 3 was diagnosed with a motor neuron disease. 1 Hawking s school teachers noticed his ability to think outside the box. 8 Hawking wrote and published a bestseller called A Brief History of Time. 6 had a medical procedure that prevented him from speaking. 7 A specialized computer program allowed Hawking to communicate his thoughts 2 Hawking began studying for his PhD at the University of Cambridge. 5 Hawking make a scientific breakthrough now known as Hawking radiation. 4 Doctors told Hawking he had about two years to live. 10 died more than five decades after doctors predicted he would. 9 became a celebrity and appeared on several TV shows. (continued on the next page...) 7

8 Answer Key cont. Comprehension cont. Discussion B. ASK & ANSWER 1. was most interested in two theoretical physics subjects: theoretical cosmology and quantum gravity. 2. Hawking s life goal is mentioned in the quote in the sidebar of the reading. He wanted to gain a complete understanding of the universe and why it exists. 3. s response was to bury himself in the study of the universe. 4. Paragraph 3 is mainly about how Hawking managed to communicate his knowledge despite the deterioration of his body. 5. Answers will vary. See sidebar on page was born on the day Galileo died and died on the day Einstein was born. Both of these historic figures made major contributions to science just as Hawking did. Vocabulary Review A. ODD ONE OUT 1. c 2. b 3. b 4. a 5. b 6. c 7. c 8. c 9. a B. VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT Place students in pairs. Have them try to remember why each word was in the reading (without looking at the reading). Go over the discussion questions as a class or in small groups. Further Learning Find this video in our playlist on our YouTube channel: Encourage your students to paraphrase Hawking s thoughts on each big question. SPELLING NOTE: This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Favorite and Practice. Most other English-speaking countries spell these words this way: Favourite and Practise. Make it a challenge for your students to find these words in the lesson and see if they know the alternate spellings. EDITOR S NOTE: For names of theories and diseases, this lesson follows the style guidelines that are recommended by publications such as The Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster s Dictionary, which state that laws, theories, and diseases be lowercased except for proper names attached to them (e.g., big bang theory, Lou Gehrig s disease). You may wish to point out that other publications may do things differently, so students may come across variations from time to time. Scientifically Speaking A. IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS Go over the science idioms and expressions. B. PRACTICE Challenge students to write example sentences to demonstrate their understanding of these words. 8

3. What kind of art do you like? Do you have a favorite artist? 4. Do you know anyone who has had polio? What effects can this disease have?

3. What kind of art do you like? Do you have a favorite artist? 4. Do you know anyone who has had polio? What effects can this disease have? Frida Kahlo In this lesson, you will read a short biography about a Mexican painter who specialized in self-portraits. You ll learn some new vocabulary and share your own definition of beauty. Pre-Reading