Task
1
Pre-
reading
Look at the pictures and
solar system and answer the questions.
Solar
system
a) Listen and
repeat.
b) Which for planets
comprise: the inner solar system (closest to the Sun)? the outer
solar system?
the inner solar
system (closest to the Sun)
|
Mercury, Venus,
Earth, Mars
|
the outer solar
system
|
Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, Neptune
|
2. How are these
names: Yuri Gagarin, Vostok 1,
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Neil Armstrong, Opportunity and Curiosity,
NASA related to space
exploration?
Listen and
check.
Yuri Gagarin (1961) Neil
Armstrong (1969) Baikonur
- How many planets are there?
Name them.
- What is the biggest
planet?
- What is the smallest
planet?
- Who was the first person in
space?
- Who was the first human to
walk on the Moon?
Descriptor
Task
2
While-
reading
Read and understand the
text.
Mission to
Mars
-
1. Humans love to explore. We
crossed oceans to discover new lands. We explored the highest,
coldest and most remote places on Earth. In 1961, Yury Gagarin
boarded Vostok 1 at Baikonur Cosmodrome and became the first person
in space. Eight years later, Neil Armstrong was the first human to
walk on the Moon. Now, we’re turning our attention to Mars as the
next step on our journey of
exploration.
2. Why Mars? Well, firstly,
it’s not too far. Apart from Venus, it’s our closest neighbour, so
the journey will take months and years. Temperatures on Venus are
over 4000C so humans can’t go there,
but on Mars the average temperature is about
-630C. Other planets like Jupiter
and Saturn are big balls of gas with extremely strong winds, but
Mars has a solid rocky
surface.
-
3. We are learning more about
Mars with the help of rovers. There are robots with wheels, and two
American rovers, Opportunity and Curiosity, are already there. They
are exploring and sending information to Earth for scientists to
study, It’ll soon be like rush hour on Mars as a European and
Russian rover and a third American rover are going to join
Opportunity and Curiosity
soon.
4. Of course, the dream for
many people is to send humans to Mars. NASA, the American space
agency, is aiming to do this in the 2030s. It won’t be easy for the
astronauts as they will have to send almost three years away from
Earth, but it will be worth it. Neil Armstrong made “one giant leap
for mankind.” The first astronaut on Mars will make an even greater
one.
Which things in the text
impressed you? Write a few sentences. Read your sentences to the
class.
Descriptor
Task
3
Post-
reading
Read the text again and,
complete the text with the words
below
2
|
Human
|
8
|
Rush
|
6
|
Strong
|
5
|
Average
|
10
|
Easy
|
1
|
Explored
|
12
|
Mankind
|
11
|
Leap
|
4
|
Take
|
7
|
Exploring
|
9
|
Space
|
3
|
journey
|
Descriptor
Task
4
Watching video “Mission
to Mars
”Watch video about the
“Mission to Mars” and match the items 1-5 to their descriptions A-E
(Think)
Descriptor
Task
5
-
For excellent and good
learners:
Handout The
Planets
How well do you know
your planets? Carefully read descriptions of the planets from 1 to
8, and try to identify Earth, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune,
Saturn, Uranus and Venus from the
texts.
1. This planet was named
after the Roman god of war. It is often called the Red Planet
because of its colour. There are canyons, volcanic mountains,
frozen water and ice caps on this planet.
__________
2. This planet is the only
planet named after a woman – the goddess of love. Lightning flashes
and thunder roars day and night. This planet is the most easily
identifiable object in the night sky after the Moon.
_____________
3. Because of its pale blue
colour, this planet was named after the Roman god of water. It was
originally thought to have two moons, but astronomers have now
discovered four new moons. Like Jupiter and Saturn, it radiates
more energy than it receives from the Sun.
________________
4. It is the fastest-moving
planet and the closest to the Sun. It was named after the speedy
messenger of the Roman gods. It has no moons and no atmosphere. It
travels around the Sun in 88 Earth days and its surface temperature
can rise to over 400 degrees centigrade.
__________________
5. This planet travels around
the Sun in 84 Earth years. It is blue-green and has black rings
around it, which are thought to be made of rock. This planet is
unusual because it lies on its side. It was named after the Roman
god who was the father of Saturn and the grandfather of Jupiter.
_______________
6. In Latin, it is called
Terra Mater. It is the only planet known to sustain life. This
planet is covered more by water than land (70% water). It travels
around the Sun in 365 days.
____________________
7. It is called the King of
the Planets and was named after the king of the Roman gods. It is
the largest planet and weighs more than all the other planets put
together. It has at least 17 moons and has a red spot that is a
hurricane-like storm larger than the Pacific Ocean.
___________________
8. This planet was named after
the Roman god of farming. It is famous for its seven main rings
made of icy particles, some as large as buildings. It is the second
largest planet and yellow in colour. It takes 29.46 Earth years to
circle the Sun. ____________________
Key: 1. Mars; 2. Venus; 3.
Neptune; 4. Mercury; 5. Uranus; 6. Earth; 7. Jupiter; 8.
Saturn
Descriptor
-
For weak
learners:
PLANET
SCRAMBLE
Unscramble the names of
planets.
Descriptor
|