The Reading / Listening - Brain Implants - Level 0

A man who can't move his hands used his thoughts to write. He is paralyzed from the neck down. He has a spinal cord injury. Scientists call him T5. They put two sensors into T5's brain so he could use his mind to write. The scientists call this "mindwriting". T5 can write 18 words per minute.

Mindwriting is simple, but it uses a lot of technology. Scientists asked T5 to imagine writing with a pen. The two sensors turned his brain activity into text on a screen. A researcher hopes mindwriting will help paralyzed people and people who cannot speak to write. Mindwriting might help us to write at the speed of thought.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Brain Implants - Level 1,  Brain Implants - Level 2   or  Brain Implants - Level 3

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/13/americas/paralyzed-handwriting-scn-scli-intl/index.html
  • https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/brain-computer-interface-user-types-90-characters-per-minute-with-mind-68762
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00776-8


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A man who can't
  2. used his thoughts
  3. He is paralyzed from
  4. He has a spinal cord
  5. They put two sensors
  6. he could use
  7. The scientists call this
  8. T5 can write 18 words
  1. per minute
  2. injury
  3. into T5's brain
  4. to write
  5. "mindwriting"
  6. move his hands
  7. his mind to write
  8. the neck down

Paragraph 2

  1. Mindwriting is
  2. it uses a lot
  3. Scientists asked
  4. writing
  5. sensors turned his brain
  6. mindwriting will help
  7. Mindwriting might
  8. write at the speed
  1. T5 to imagine
  2. paralyzed people
  3. of thought
  4. activity into text
  5. help us
  6. of technology
  7. with a pen
  8. simple

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A man who can't (1) ___________________ used his thoughts to write. He is paralyzed (2) ___________________ down. He has a (3) ___________________. Scientists call him T5. They put (4) ___________________ T5's brain so he could use (5) ___________________ write. The scientists call this "mindwriting". T5 can write 18 (6) ___________________.

Mindwriting (7) ___________________ it uses a lot of technology. Scientists asked T5 (8) ___________________ with a pen. The two sensors turned (9) ___________________ into text on a screen. A (10) ___________________ will help paralyzed people and people who (11) ___________________ write. Mindwriting might help us to write at the (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Amanwhocan'tmovehishandsusedhisthoughtstowrite.Heisparalyze
dfromtheneckdown.Hehasaspinalcordinjury.ScientistscallhimT5.Th
eyputtwosensorsintoT5'sbrainsohecouldusehismindtowrite.Thescie
ntistscallthis"mindwriting".T5canwrite18wordsperminute.Mindwriti
ngissimple,butitusesalotoftechnology.ScientistsaskedT5toimagine
writingwithapen.Thetwosensorsturnedhisbrainactivityintotextonas
creen.Aresearcherhopesmindwritingwillhelpparalyzedpeopleandpe
oplewhocannotspeaktowrite.Mindwritingmighthelpustowriteatthes
peedofthought.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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