A man named David Holmes, who did dangerous actions for an actor in the Harry Potter movies, got very hurt while working. He was practicing a dangerous move for the seventh Harry Potter movie in 2009 when he hurt his neck badly. This made it so he could not move his body from the chest down. But David is still happy and feels good about himself. He says his friends, like the main actor he worked for, Daniel Radcliffe, help him feel better.

David made a movie about his life and how he got stronger after his accident. He talks about how hard it is to live with his injury but also how he keeps being himself. David is thankful for his friends who care a lot about him. Daniel Radcliffe has helped him a lot, and their friendship is a big part of David’s movie.

David works hard to help other people, even though he has his own problems. He has collected a lot of money to help people who need doctors and wants to teach young people how to do dangerous movie actions safely. David likes to help people and give them chances. He hopes that people who watch his movie will feel hopeful and learn that they can overcome hard times and enjoy life.

Original news source: Harry Potter stuntman: Breaking my neck made a man of me (BBC)

Listen

Slow

Normal

Fast

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students will pair up and take on the roles of a news reporter and David Holmes. The reporter will interview David about his life, his accident, and his achievements after the incident. Students should use past and present tenses accurately and ask questions about specific details from the article.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write several statements from the article on the board (e.g., “It’s important to stay positive after an injury,” “Friendship can help you through tough times,” “Safety in stunts is crucial”). Students will walk around the classroom and poll their classmates to see if they agree or disagree with each statement. They should practice using phrases like “Do you agree that…” or “Do you think that…” and record the number of agreements and disagreements for each statement.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write key vocabulary words from the article on slips of paper (e.g., dangerous, injury, thankful, overcome). Students will take turns drawing a word without speaking or writing letters while their classmates guess the word. This activity encourages vocabulary recall and reinforces the understanding of key terms from the article.

– Synonym Challenge
Instructions: Provide a list of words from the article (e.g., hurt, hard, friends, thankful, hopeful). In pairs or small groups, students must come up with synonyms for each word without using dictionaries. Later, discuss the synonyms as a class and write them on the board. This helps expand students’ vocabulary and understanding of words with similar meanings.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: After discussing the article, students will write down their predictions about David Holmes’s future based on the information provided. They might predict his impact on stunt safety, his influence on people with similar injuries, or the success of his movie. Students should use future tense constructions (e.g., “will,” “is going to”) in their predictions and then share them with the class, discussing the likelihood of each event.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did David Holmes do for a job in the Harry Potter movies?
2. What happened to David while he was working on the seventh Harry Potter movie?
3. How is David’s body affected after his accident?
4. Who is the main actor from Harry Potter that helps David feel better?
5. What is David’s movie about?
6. What does David do to help other people?
7. What does David hope people will learn from his movie?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man named David Holmes, who did dangerous actions for an (1)______ in the Harry Potter (2)______s, got very hurt while working. He was practicing a dangerous (3)______ for the seventh Harry Potter movie in 2009 when he hurt his neck badly. This made it so he could not move his body from the chest down. But David is still (4)______ and feels good about himself. He says his friends, like the main actor he worked for, Daniel Radcliffe, help him feel (5)______.

David (6)______ a movie about his life and how he got stronger after his accident. He talks about how hard it is to live with his injury but also how he keeps being himself. David is thankful for his friends who care a lot about him. (7)______ Radcliffe has helped him a lot, and their (8)______ is a big part of David’s movie.

David (9)______ hard to help other people, even though he has his own problems. He has collected a lot of money to help (10)______ who need doctors and wants to teach (11)______ people how to do dangerous movie actions safely. David likes to help people and give them chances. He hopes that people who watch his movie will feel hopeful and learn that they can overcome hard times and (12)______ life.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a friend?
2. How would you feel if you had a friend like Daniel Radcliffe?
3. Do you like to watch movies with dangerous actions? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s important to help others when they are hurt? Why?
5. What does it mean to be brave?
6. How would you feel if you couldn’t move your body from the chest down?
7. Do you think it’s good to make a movie about your own life? Why or why not?
8. What is something hard that you have overcome?
9. How do you think friends can help us when we are sad?
10. Do you think it’s a good idea to teach young people to do dangerous things safely? Why?
11. What does it mean to feel hopeful?
12. Do you like to give people chances? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. dangerous
2. hurt
3. actor
4. movie
5. accident
6. injury
7. friendship
8. overcome

Meanings:
(a) Someone who performs in plays or movies
(b) Something that happens unexpectedly and causes harm
(c) To feel pain or be injured
(d) To successfully deal with or defeat a problem or difficulty
(e) A close relationship between two people
(f) A story that is shown in a theater or on TV
(g) Something that can cause harm or be unsafe
(h) Physical harm or damage to the body
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the man in the article?
(a) Daniel Radcliffe
(b) David Holmes
(c) Harry Potter
(d) David Beckham

2. How did David hurt himself?
(a) While playing a sport
(b) While driving a car
(c) While cooking dinner
(d) While practicing a dangerous move

3. What part of David’s body was injured?
(a) His leg
(b) His arm
(c) His neck
(d) His head

4. Who is the main actor that David worked for?
(a) David Beckham
(b) Harry Potter
(c) Tom Cruise
(d) Daniel Radcliffe

5. What did David make a movie about?
(a) His favorite book
(b) His favorite sport
(c) His life and how he got stronger after his accident
(d) His favorite food

6. What does David do to help other people?
(a) Teaches young people how to do dangerous movie actions safely
(b) Collects money to help people who need doctors
(c) Gives people chances
(d) All of the above

7. Who does David say helps him feel better?
(a) His friends, like Daniel Radcliffe
(b) His family
(c) His doctors
(d) His pets

8. What does David hope people will feel when they watch his movie?
(a) Hopeful and learn that they can overcome hard times
(b) Sad and discouraged
(c) Angry and frustrated
(d) Bored and uninterested

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. He hurt his neck badly while practicing a dangerous move for the seventh Harry Potter movie in 2009.
2. David is grateful for his caring friends, especially Daniel Radcliffe, whose friendship is an important part of the movie.
3. The movie talks about the difficulties of living with his injury but also highlights his determination to be himself.
4. Despite his injury, David remains unhappy and negative about himself.
5. David Holmes, a man who did dangerous actions for an actor in the Harry Potter movies, got seriously injured while working.
6. As a result of his injury, David could move his body from the chest down.
7. David did not make a movie about his life and how he became stronger after his accident.
8. David’s friends, including the main actor he worked for, Daniel Radcliffe, do not help him feel better.
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 happened to David Holmes when he was working on the seventh Harry Potter movie?
2. How does David Holmes feel now, even though he got hurt?
3. Who is the main actor in Harry Potter that helps David feel better?
4. What is the movie that David made about?
5. What does David want to teach young people?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did David Holmes do for a job in the Harry Potter movies?
David Holmes did dangerous actions for an actor in the Harry Potter movies. He was a stunt double, which means he did the risky parts instead of the actor.

2. What happened to David while he was working on the seventh Harry Potter movie?
David got very hurt while practicing a dangerous move. He hurt his neck very badly.

3. How is David’s body affected after his accident?
David cannot move his body from the chest down because of his accident.

4. Who is the main actor from Harry Potter that helps David feel better?
Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who played Harry Potter, helps David feel better.

5. What is David’s movie about?
David’s movie is about his life and how he became strong after he got hurt. It shows how he lives with his injury and still enjoys life.

6. What does David do to help other people?
David collects money to help people who need doctors and teaches young people how to do dangerous movie actions safely.

7. What does David hope people will learn from his movie?
David hopes people will learn that they can get through hard times and still find happiness in life.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) actor
(2) movie
(3) move
(4) happy
(5) better
(6) made
(7) Daniel
(8) friendship
(9) works
(10) people
(11) young
(12) enjoy
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. dangerous
Answer: (g) Something that can cause harm or be unsafe

2. hurt
Answer: (c) To feel pain or be injured

3. actor
Answer: (a) Someone who performs in plays or movies

4. movie
Answer: (f) A story that is shown in a theater or on TV

5. accident
Answer: (b) Something that happens unexpectedly and causes harm

6. injury
Answer: (h) Physical harm or damage to the body

7. friendship
Answer: (e) A close relationship between two people

8. overcome
Answer: (d) To successfully deal with or defeat a problem or difficulty
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the man in the article?
Answer: (b) David Holmes

2. How did David hurt himself?
Answer: (d) While practicing a dangerous move

3. What part of David’s body was injured?
Answer: (c) His neck

4. Who is the main actor that David worked for?
Answer: (d) Daniel Radcliffe

5. What did David make a movie about?
Answer: (c) His life and how he got stronger after his accident

6. What does David do to help other people?
Answer: (b) Collects money to help people who need doctors

7. Who does David say helps him feel better?
Answer: (a) His friends, like Daniel Radcliffe

8. What does David hope people will feel when they watch his movie?
Answer: (a) Hopeful and learn that they can overcome hard times
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. He hurt his neck badly while practicing a dangerous move for the seventh Harry Potter movie in 2009. (Answer: True)
2. David is grateful for his caring friends, especially Daniel Radcliffe, whose friendship is an important part of the movie. (Answer: True)
3. The movie talks about the difficulties of living with his injury but also highlights his determination to be himself. (Answer: True)
4. Despite his injury, David remains unhappy and negative about himself. (Answer: False)
5. David Holmes, a man who did dangerous actions for an actor in the Harry Potter movies, got seriously injured while working. (Answer: True)
6. As a result of his injury, David could move his body from the chest down. (Answer: False)
7. David did not make a movie about his life and how he became stronger after his accident. (Answer: False)
8. David’s friends, including the main actor he worked for, Daniel Radcliffe, do not help him feel better. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧