Doctors in New York did something very special. They put a new eye and part of a face from another person onto a man named Aaron. Aaron was hurt badly when he was working with electricity. The doctors worked for a very long time, 21 hours, to help him. People are very excited because this might help many people see again.

More than 140 people who help sick people worked on this. Dr. Rodriguez is one of the main doctors, and he said this is a big step. The new eye and face came from a man who was about 30 years old. Aaron is the 19th person in America to get a new face. His wife, Meagan, is very happy and thankful. Aaron says this changes his life and thanks the person who gave him the new eye and face.

Original news source: US veteran gets world’s first eye transplant (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Prepare cards with vocabulary from the article such as “doctor,” “eye,” “face,” “electricity,” “hospital,” and “thankful.” Students take turns drawing a card and acting out the word without speaking while the rest of the class guesses. This helps reinforce new vocabulary in a fun, interactive way.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. One student is a reporter, and the other is Dr. Rodriguez or Aaron. The reporter asks questions about the surgery and the patient’s feelings, using simple present and past tense questions. The person playing Dr. Rodriguez or Aaron answers based on information from the article. This activity engages students in conversation practice and reinforces comprehension.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key terms from the article on individual cards, such as “surgery,” “recovery,” and “donor.” Split the class into two teams. A student from one team selects a card and draws the term on the board without speaking. Their team must guess the word within a set time limit. This activity helps students associate words with visual concepts.

– Synonym Challenge
Instructions: Write down several key words from the article, like “special,” “excited,” “thankful,” and “change.” Ask students to think of synonyms for these words or provide them with a list of possible synonyms. This helps them expand their vocabulary and understand nuances in meaning.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Have students discuss in pairs or small groups what they think might happen in the future as a result of this medical procedure. Encourage them to use the future tense with phrases like “will be able to,” “is going to help,” etc. They can discuss potential changes in medical technology, benefits for patients, or personal outcomes for Aaron. This allows students to practice future tense and use their imagination based on the article’s content.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the doctors in New York give to a man named Aaron?
2. Why did Aaron need a new eye and part of a face?
3. How long did the doctors work to help Aaron?
4. Why are people excited about what the doctors did for Aaron?
5. How many people worked to help Aaron feel better?
6. Who gave Aaron his new eye and part of a face?
7. What does Aaron’s wife, Meagan, feel about the doctors helping Aaron?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Doctors in New (1)______ did something very special. They put a new eye and part of a face from another person onto a man named Aaron. Aaron was (2)______ badly when he was working with electricity. The doctors (3)______ for a very long time, 21 hours, to help him. People are very excited because this might help many people see again.

(4)______ than 140 people who help sick people worked on this. Dr. Rodriguez is one of the main doctors, and he (5)______ this is a big step. The new eye and face came from a man who was about 30 years old. (6)______ is the 19th person in America to get a new face. His wife, Meagan, is very (7)______ and thankful. Aaron says this changes his life and thanks the person who (8)______ him the new eye and face.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a doctor?
2. How would you feel if a doctor helped you to see again?
3. Do you like to help people? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about working for a very long time, like 21 hours?
5. Do you think it is good to give a part of your body to help another person? Why?
6. Have you ever been to a hospital? What was it like?
7. What is something special that you can do to help others?
8. How would you feel if you got a new part of your body?
9. Do you think it’s important to say thank you when someone helps you? Why or why not?
10. What does it mean to change someone’s life?
11. How do you think Aaron’s wife feels about the doctors?
12. Can you think of a time when you were very thankful for something? What was it?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. special
2. electricity
3. excited
4. doctors
5. face
6. help
7. person
8. America

Meanings:
(a) Very happy and full of energy
(b) Something different and amazing
(c) The front part of your head with eyes, nose, and mouth
(d) A human being
(e) Something that makes lights and machines work
(f) To make things better for someone
(g) People who fix people when they are sick or hurt
(h) A country in North America
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did doctors put onto Aaron’s face?
(a) A new eye and part of a face
(b) A new nose and mouth
(c) A new ear and chin
(d) A new forehead and cheeks

2. How long did the doctors work to help Aaron?
(a) 21 hours
(b) 12 hours
(c) 5 hours
(d) 30 hours

3. How many people worked to help Aaron?
(a) More than 50 people
(b) More than 200 people
(c) More than 140 people
(d) More than 100 people

4. Who is one of the main doctors who helped Aaron?
(a) Dr. Smith
(b) Dr. Rodriguez
(c) Dr. Johnson
(d) Dr. Brown

5. Where did the new eye and face come from?
(a) A woman who was about 50 years old
(b) A child who was about 10 years old
(c) An older man who was about 70 years old
(d) A man who was about 30 years old

6. How many people in America have gotten a new face like Aaron?
(a) 10 people
(b) 30 people
(c) 19 people
(d) 50 people

7. Who is very happy and thankful for Aaron’s new eye and face?
(a) Dr. Rodriguez
(b) Aaron’s parents
(c) Aaron’s friends
(d) Meagan, Aaron’s wife

8. What did Aaron say about the new eye and face?
(a) It doesn’t make a difference
(b) It changes his life
(c) It makes him sad
(d) It makes him angry

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Aaron is the 20th person in America to get a new face.
2. Dr. Rodriguez is one of the main doctors who helped Aaron.
3. Less than 140 people helped in the surgery to give Aaron a new eye and face.
4. Doctors in New York helped a man named Aaron by giving him a new eye and part of a face.
5. The doctors worked for a very long time, 21 hours, to help Aaron.
6. Aaron got hurt while working with water.
7. The new eye and face came from a man who was about 30 years old.
8. Aaron’s wife, Meagan, is very unhappy and ungrateful for the help Aaron received.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What did the doctors in New York give to Aaron?
2. Why did Aaron need a new eye and part of a face?
3. How long did the doctors work to help Aaron?
4. Who gave Aaron the new eye and face?
5. How does Aaron feel after getting a new eye and face?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did the doctors in New York give to a man named Aaron?
The doctors gave Aaron a new eye and part of a face from another person.

2. Why did Aaron need a new eye and part of a face?
Aaron was hurt very bad when he was working with electricity.

3. How long did the doctors work to help Aaron?
The doctors worked for 21 hours to help him.

4. Why are people excited about what the doctors did for Aaron?
People are excited because it might help many people see again.

5. How many people worked to help Aaron feel better?
More than 140 people worked to help Aaron.

6. Who gave Aaron his new eye and part of a face?
A man who was about 30 years old gave Aaron the new eye and face.

7. What does Aaron’s wife, Meagan, feel about the doctors helping Aaron?
Meagan is very happy and thankful to the doctors for helping Aaron.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) York
(2) hurt
(3) worked
(4) More
(5) said
(6) Aaron
(7) happy
(8) gave
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. special
Answer: (b) Something different and amazing

2. electricity
Answer: (e) Something that makes lights and machines work

3. excited
Answer: (a) Very happy and full of energy

4. doctors
Answer: (g) People who fix people when they are sick or hurt

5. face
Answer: (c) The front part of your head with eyes, nose, and mouth

6. help
Answer: (f) To make things better for someone

7. person
Answer: (d) A human being

8. America
Answer: (h) A country in North America
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did doctors put onto Aaron’s face?
Answer: (a) A new eye and part of a face

2. How long did the doctors work to help Aaron?
Answer: (a) 21 hours

3. How many people worked to help Aaron?
Answer: (c) More than 140 people

4. Who is one of the main doctors who helped Aaron?
Answer: (b) Dr. Rodriguez

5. Where did the new eye and face come from?
Answer: (d) A man who was about 30 years old

6. How many people in America have gotten a new face like Aaron?
Answer: (c) 19 people

7. Who is very happy and thankful for Aaron’s new eye and face?
Answer: (d) Meagan, Aaron’s wife

8. What did Aaron say about the new eye and face?
Answer: (b) It changes his life
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Aaron is the 20th person in America to get a new face. (Answer: False)
2. Dr. Rodriguez is one of the main doctors who helped Aaron. (Answer: True)
3. Less than 140 people helped in the surgery to give Aaron a new eye and face. (Answer: False)
4. Doctors in New York helped a man named Aaron by giving him a new eye and part of a face. (Answer: True)
5. The doctors worked for a very long time, 21 hours, to help Aaron. (Answer: True)
6. Aaron got hurt while working with water. (Answer: False)
7. The new eye and face came from a man who was about 30 years old. (Answer: True)
8. Aaron’s wife, Meagan, is very unhappy and ungrateful for the help Aaron received. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧