Jimmy Cooper is a nurse who will be 80 years old in November. He works at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. He retired once when he was 69 but came back after four months because he was bored. He loves his job in the intensive care unit and has been a nurse since the 1970s.

People who work with Jimmy think he is great. Heather O’Connor, a nurse who learned from Jimmy 16 years ago, says he is very patient. They all like having tea with him in the evening. Dr. Brian McCloskey, a doctor on the ward, says Jimmy is kind, caring, and knows a lot about nursing.

Even though Jimmy has been a nurse for 50 years, he wants to keep working for at least three more years. He thinks working with younger people keeps him feeling young and healthy. He loves his job and has no plans to retire again.

Original news source: Belfast Royal Victoria Hospital: I’m nearly 80 and still nursing (BBC)

Listen

Slow

Normal

Fast

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Split the class into pairs. One student is a news reporter and the other is Jimmy Cooper. Using information from the article, the reporter will interview “Jimmy Cooper” about his career and his reasons for continuing to work. Encourage the use of past simple for events in Jimmy’s life and present perfect for his experiences as a nurse.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write a series of statements on the board about working past the usual retirement age, for example, “People should retire by 65,” or “Working with younger colleagues keeps you young.” Students walk around the room and sign their names under the statements they agree with. Afterward, discuss the results as a class and relate the opinions back to Jimmy Cooper’s situation.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Prepare a list of key vocabulary words from the article (e.g., nurse, retired, intensive care unit, patient, caring). Divide the class into two teams. One student from a team comes to the front and draws a word from the list for their team to guess. The team has a limited time to guess correctly before the other team gets a chance to steal.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Ask the students to imagine they are editors of a newspaper and need to create an interesting headline for a story about Jimmy Cooper. The headline should summarize the main points of the article in a catchy way. After they come up with their headlines, have them share with the class and discuss which one best captures the essence of the article.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Initiate a class discussion about what the students think nursing and healthcare will look like when they are Jimmy Cooper’s age. Have them write down their predictions and then share them with a partner. Encourage the use of future tense structures and imagination, tying their ideas back to the changes in nursing since the 1970s, as mentioned in the article about Jimmy.

Comprehension Questions:

1. How old is Jimmy Cooper going to be in November?
2. Where does Jimmy Cooper work?
3. What did Jimmy do after he retired at 69 years old?
4. What kind of nurse is Jimmy, according to Heather O’Connor?
5. Why do Jimmy’s coworkers enjoy having tea with him?
6. For how many years has Jimmy been a nurse?
7. Why does Jimmy want to keep working?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Jimmy Cooper is a (1)______ who will be 80 years old in November. He works at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. He retired once when he was 69 but came back after four (2)______ because he was (3)______. He loves his job in the intensive care unit and has been a nurse since the (4)______.

People who work with Jimmy (5)______ he is great. Heather (6)______, a nurse who learned from Jimmy 16 years ago, says he is very patient. They all like (7)______ tea with him in the evening. Dr. Brian McCloskey, a doctor on the ward, (8)______ Jimmy is kind, caring, and knows a lot about (9)______.

Even though Jimmy has been a nurse for 50 years, he wants to keep (10)______ for at least three more years. He thinks working with younger people keeps him feeling young and healthy. He loves his job and has no (11)______ to (12)______ again.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a nurse?
2. Do you like helping people when they are sick? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if you had to work every day when you are 80 years old?
4. Do you think it’s good for old people to work with young people? Why?
5. What job would you like to do for many years?
6. Do you think working can keep you feeling young? Why or why not?
7. What is something you could do every day and not get bored?
8. Do you like to drink tea? Who do you like to drink tea with?
9. Can you think of someone who is kind and caring? What makes them that way?
10. Do you know someone who is very patient? Why is patience important?
11. Would you like to work in a hospital? Why or why not?
12. Do you think you will ever get bored of your favorite thing to do? Why?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. nurse
2. retired
3. bored
4. patient
5. tea
6. doctor
7. younger
8. plans

Meanings:
(a) Not interested or entertained
(b) Stopped working because of old age
(c) A hot drink made from leaves
(d) Things you want to do in the future
(e) A person who helps sick people in a hospital
(f) A person who helps sick people but can also do surgery
(g) Able to wait calmly without getting upset
(h) Not as old as someone else
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How old will Jimmy Cooper be in November?
(a) 80
(b) 70
(c) 60
(d) 50

2. Where does Jimmy Cooper work?
(a) St. Mary’s Hospital in London
(b) Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast
(c) Mount Sinai Hospital in New York
(d) Sydney Hospital in Australia

3. When did Jimmy Cooper retire for the first time?
(a) When he was 80
(b) When he was 50
(c) When he was 60
(d) When he was 69

4. Why did Jimmy Cooper come back to work after retiring?
(a) Because he needed more money
(b) Because he wanted to travel
(c) Because he was bored
(d) Because he wanted to try a different job

5. What do Jimmy’s colleagues think of him?
(a) They think he is great
(b) They think he is lazy
(c) They think he is mean
(d) They think he is boring

6. Who learned from Jimmy 16 years ago?
(a) Dr. Brian McCloskey
(b) Heather O’Connor
(c) A nurse from another hospital
(d) A patient at the hospital

7. How long has Jimmy been a nurse?
(a) 10 years
(b) 30 years
(c) 20 years
(d) 50 years

8. Why does Jimmy want to keep working?
(a) Because he wants to make more money
(b) Because he wants to become a doctor
(c) Because working with younger people makes him feel young and healthy
(d) Because he wants to travel

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. He works at the Royal Victoria Hospital in London.
2. He hates his job in the intensive care unit and has been a nurse since the 1980s.
3. People who work with Jimmy think he is terrible.
4. Heather O’Connor, a nurse who learned from Jimmy 16 years ago, says he is very patient.
5. Jimmy enjoys having tea with his colleagues in the evening.
6. Even though Jimmy has been a nurse for 50 years, he wants to keep working for at least three more years.
7. Jimmy Cooper is a nurse who will turn 90 in November.
8. Jimmy retired once when he was 69 but came back after four months because he was bored.
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. How old is Jimmy Cooper?
2. Where does Jimmy Cooper work?
3. Why did Jimmy come back to work after he retired?
4. What does Heather O’Connor say about Jimmy?
5. Does Jimmy want to retire soon? Why or why not?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. How old is Jimmy Cooper going to be in November?
Jimmy Cooper will be 80 years old in November.

2. Where does Jimmy Cooper work?
Jimmy Cooper works at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

3. What did Jimmy do after he retired at 69 years old?
He came back to work after four months because he was bored.

4. What kind of nurse is Jimmy, according to Heather O’Connor?
Heather O’Connor says Jimmy is a very patient nurse.

5. Why do Jimmy’s coworkers enjoy having tea with him?
They like having tea with him because they think he is great.

6. For how many years has Jimmy been a nurse?
Jimmy has been a nurse for 50 years.

7. Why does Jimmy want to keep working?
He wants to keep working because it makes him feel young and healthy, and he loves his job.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) nurse
(2) months
(3) bored
(4) 1970s
(5) think
(6) O’Connor
(7) having
(8) says
(9) nursing
(10) working
(11) plans
(12) retire
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. nurse
Answer: (e) A person who helps sick people in a hospital

2. retired
Answer: (b) Stopped working because of old age

3. bored
Answer: (a) Not interested or entertained

4. patient
Answer: (g) Able to wait calmly without getting upset

5. tea
Answer: (c) A hot drink made from leaves

6. doctor
Answer: (f) A person who helps sick people but can also do surgery

7. younger
Answer: (h) Not as old as someone else

8. plans
Answer: (d) Things you want to do in the future
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How old will Jimmy Cooper be in November?
Answer: (a) 80

2. Where does Jimmy Cooper work?
Answer: (b) Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast

3. When did Jimmy Cooper retire for the first time?
Answer: (d) When he was 69

4. Why did Jimmy Cooper come back to work after retiring?
Answer: (c) Because he was bored

5. What do Jimmy’s colleagues think of him?
Answer: (a) They think he is great

6. Who learned from Jimmy 16 years ago?
Answer: (b) Heather O’Connor

7. How long has Jimmy been a nurse?
Answer: (d) 50 years

8. Why does Jimmy want to keep working?
Answer: (c) Because working with younger people makes him feel young and healthy
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. He works at the Royal Victoria Hospital in London. (Answer: False)
2. He hates his job in the intensive care unit and has been a nurse since the 1980s. (Answer: False)
3. People who work with Jimmy think he is terrible. (Answer: False)
4. Heather O’Connor, a nurse who learned from Jimmy 16 years ago, says he is very patient. (Answer: True)
5. Jimmy enjoys having tea with his colleagues in the evening. (Answer: True)
6. Even though Jimmy has been a nurse for 50 years, he wants to keep working for at least three more years. (Answer: True)
7. Jimmy Cooper is a nurse who will turn 90 in November. (Answer: False)
8. Jimmy retired once when he was 69 but came back after four months because he was bored. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧