Scientists have found liquid water deep under the surface of Mars. They used a special tool on NASA's Insight lander to listen to vibrations and Mars quakes. This is the first time liquid water has been found on Mars. Before, we only knew about ice at the poles and water vapor in the air.
The Insight mission studied Mars for four years, ending in December 2022. Scientists looked at how fast waves moved through Mars to find water deep underground. This helps us learn about Mars' climate and how the planet has changed over time. It answers questions about what happened to water on Mars over billions of years.
Mars used to have rivers and lakes on its surface. The new discovery shows there might be a thick layer of water deep underground. This is exciting but also tricky for people who want to live on Mars because the water is hard to reach. The discovery helps us understand Mars' history and might help us find signs of life deep underground.
Original news source: Reservoir of liquid water found deep in Martian rocks (BBC)
π§ Listen:
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Charades
Instructions: Have students act out different words related to the article, such as "Mars," "water," "NASA," "Insight lander," "liquid," "ice," "vibrations," "quakes," "climate," "planet," "rivers," "lakes," "discovery," or "life." Other students guess the word being acted out.
– News Summary
Instructions: Divide students into pairs. One student summarizes the article about liquid water on Mars to their partner in their own words. Then, they switch roles. Encourage students to include the main points of the article in their summaries.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on separate pieces of paper. Each student picks a word and has to draw it while the other students guess the word. Vocabulary words can include "Insight lander," "vibrations," "Mars," "water," "climate," "discovery," "life," etc.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write discussion questions related to the article on cards, such as "Do you think finding liquid water on Mars is important?" or "Would you like to live on Mars knowing there is water underground?" Have students pick a card, discuss the question with a partner, and then share their opinions with the class.
– Synonym Challenge
Instructions: Write down key words from the article on the board, such as "scientists," "liquid," "Mars," "water," "climate," "discovery," "underground," etc. Have students work in pairs to come up with as many synonyms for each word as they can in a limited amount of time.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
Scientists found liquid water deep under the surface of Mars.
Scientists used a special tool on NASA's Insight lander to listen to vibrations and Mars quakes.
The Insight mission studied Mars for four years.
Scientists learned about Mars' climate and how the planet has changed over time.
Mars used to have rivers and lakes on its surface.
It's tricky because the water is deep underground and hard to reach.
The new discovery might help us find signs of life deep underground on Mars.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Scientists have liquid water deep under the of . They used a special tool on NASA's Insight lander to listen to vibrations and Mars quakes. This is the first time liquid water has been found on Mars. Before, we only knew about ice at the poles and water vapor in the air. The Insight mission studied Mars for four years, ending in December 2022. Scientists looked at how waves moved through Mars to find water deep underground. This us about Mars' climate and how the planet has changed over time. It answers questions about what to on Mars over billions of years. Mars used to rivers and lakes on its surface. The new discovery shows there might be a thick layer of water deep underground. This is exciting but also for people who want to on Mars because the water is hard to reach. The discovery helps us understand Mars' and might help us find signs of life deep underground.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What do you think it would be like to live on Mars?
2. Do you like learning about planets like Mars? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if you found out there was water deep under the surface of Mars?
4. Do you think it's important to study planets like Mars? Why?
5. What do you think scientists can learn from studying Mars' climate?
6. How do you think the discovery of water on Mars could help us find signs of life?
7. What is a Mars quake? How do you think it feels?
8. Do you think it's possible for humans to live on Mars one day? Why or why not?
9. How do you think Mars having rivers and lakes in the past is different from now?
10. What would you do if you could visit Mars and see the water underground?
11. Why do you think it's exciting to discover water on Mars?
12. How do you think finding water on Mars might change our understanding of the planet?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.
Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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