„Rozvoj vzdělávání žáků karvinských základních škol

v oblasti cizích jazyků“

Registrační číslo projektu: CZ.1.07/1.1.07/02.0162

Určeno pro 8. ročník

Sekce Základní
Předmět Anglický jazyk
Téma / kapitola Louis Braille
Zpracoval (tým 1) Ing. Miroslav Mitašik
Louis Braille (1809-1852)

Louis Braille (1) WAS (be) the son of a French leather worker. He (2) ……… (go)
blind at the age of three when he (3)………… (fall) in his father´s workroom. But Louis
was very clever. He (4)……… (want) to be a musician, so he (5) ……….. (learn) to play
the cello, and at the age of ten he (6)………….. (win) a scholarship to the National
Institute for Blind Children in Paris. He (7)…………. (can) play the cello, but he
(8)………… (can not) read or write.
In 1819 a French soldier, Charles Barbier, (9)……….. (invent) “night writing.” He
(10)………. (use) special dots on paper so that soldiers (11)………… (can) read at night.
Louis Braille (12)…………. (understand) the importance of this invention for blind people
and when he was fifteen, he (13)………… (begin) to develop it. In 1829 he (14)………….
(start) to use it at the Institute.
By 1932 “Braille” was in use all over the world, but Louis (15) …………. (die) in 1852
and he never (16)…………. (know) of the importance of his invention.
(Resource: Liz and John Soars, New Headway English Course, Oxford 2000)

EXERCISE 1
Read the text and put the verbs into the Past Simple:

RESULTS:
1. was
2. went
3. fell
4. wanted
5. learned
6. won
7. could
8. couldn´t
9. invented
10. used
11. could
12. understood
13. began
14. started
15. died
16. knew

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EXERCISE 2
Correct these sentences about Louis Braille:
1. Louis Braille was American.
2. He wanted to be an artist.
3. His father was a teacher.
4. He went blind when he was six.
5. He learned to play the piano.
6. He won a scholarship to the Institute of Music.
7. He invented “night writing.”
8. He died when he was fifty-three.

RESULTS:
1. Louis Braille wasn´t American. He was French.
2. He didn´t want to be an artist. He wanted to be a musician.
3. His father wasn´t a teacher. He was a leather worker.
4. He didn´t go blind when he was six. He went blind when he was three.
5. He didn´t learn to play the piano. He learned to play the cello.
6. He didn´t win a scholarship to the Intitute of Music. He won a scholarship
to the National Intitute for Blind Children.
7. He didn´t invent “night writing.” Charles Barbier invented “night writing.”
8. He didn´t die when he was fifty-three. He died when he was forty-three.

EXERCISE 3
Make questions in the past tense:
1. He went blind at the age of three. When……?
2. He fell in his father` s workroom Where…...?
3. He wanted to be a musician. What…….?
4. He learned to play the cello. What…….?
5. He won a scholarship. What…….?
6. Barbier invented the writing in 1819. When……?
7. Braille understood the importance of the invention. Why………?
8. In 1829 Braille started to use the new invention. When……..?
9. Louis died in 1852. When……?
10. He used special dots on paper. What…….?

RESULTS:
1. When did he go blind?
2. Where did he fall?
3. What did he want to be?
4. What did he learn?
5. What did he win?

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6. When did Barbier invent the writing?
7. Why did he understand the importance of the invention?
8. When did he start to use the new invention?
9. When did he die?
10. What did he use?