India wants to send a person to the Moon by 2040. They also want to make a space station by 2035 and send things to Venus and Mars. In August, India was the first to land a spaceship on the bottom of the Moon. In September, they sent a rocket to learn about the Sun. Right now, they are working on a project to send people into space and bring them back safely by 2024.

India has big dreams about space. They have already done cool things like landing on the Moon and studying the Sun. Now, they want to send a person to the Moon and make a space station. They also want to send things to Venus and Mars. They are working hard on a project to send people into space and bring them back safely.

Original news source: India aims to send astronaut to the Moon by 2040 (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write different space-related words or phrases on small pieces of paper and put them in a hat or bowl. One person from each team will take turns picking a paper and acting out the word or phrase without speaking. The team members will try to guess what the person is acting out within a certain time limit. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a copy of the article. Instruct one student to be the news reporter and the other student to be the audience. The news reporter will summarize the article and present it to the audience in their own words. The audience will listen and ask questions for clarification. Then, the pairs will switch roles and repeat the activity.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write the following statement on the board: “India’s space exploration plans are exciting.” Divide the class into small groups and instruct them to discuss whether they agree or disagree with the statement. Each group member should share their opinion and provide reasons for their stance. After the discussion, have each group vote on whether they agree or disagree with the statement. Share the results and have a class discussion about the different opinions.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write different space-related vocabulary words on small pieces of paper and put them in a hat or bowl. Divide the class into two teams. One person from each team will take turns picking a word and drawing it on the board without using any letters or numbers. Their team members will try to guess the word within a certain time limit. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Instruct the class to individually think about and write down one question they have about India’s space exploration plans. Then, have them pair up with a classmate and share their questions. Encourage them to discuss their thoughts and ideas about the topic. After a few minutes, have some pairs share their questions with the whole class and facilitate a class discussion to address their questions and provide more information about the topic.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What does India want to do by 2040?
2. What did India do in August?
3. What did India do in September?
4. What are India’s big dreams about space?
5. What are some cool things that India has already done in space?
6. What is India working on right now?
7. What does India want to send to Venus and Mars?
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

India wants to send a person to the Moon by 2040. They also want to make a space station by 2035 and send (1)______ to Venus and Mars. In (2)______, India was the first to land a spaceship on the bottom of the Moon. In (3)______, they sent a rocket to learn about the Sun. Right now, they are working on a project to (4)______ people into space and bring them back safely by 2024.

India has big dreams about space. They have already done (5)______ things like landing on the Moon and (6)______ the Sun. Now, they want to send a person to the Moon and make a space station. They also want to send things to (7)______ and (8)______. They are working hard on a project to send people into space and bring them back safely.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a spaceship?
2. How would you feel if you could go to the Moon?
3. Do you like studying about space?
4. Do you think it is important for countries to explore space? Why or why not?
5. What is a space station?
6. How would you feel if you could live on a space station?
7. Do you think it is possible for people to live on Mars or Venus? Why or why not?
8. What is the Sun?
9. How would you feel if you could touch the Sun?
10. Do you think it is dangerous to go into space? Why or why not?
11. What is a project?
12. How would you feel if you were part of a project to go into space?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. India
2. Moon
3. space
4. Venus
5. Mars
6. rocket
7. project
8. dreams

Meanings:
(a) A plan to do something special
(b) The big round thing in the sky at night
(c) A country that wants to go to space
(d) Things you think about when you sleep
(e) The planet that is next to Earth
(f) The place outside of Earth where stars are
(g) A big thing that goes up into the sky
(h) The planet that is closest to the Sun
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is India’s goal for sending a person to the Moon?
(a) By 2035
(b) By 2024
(c) By 2040
(d) By 2050

2. What did India do in August?
(a) Sent a rocket to Venus
(b) Landed a spaceship on the Moon
(c) Built a space station
(d) Studied the Sun

3. What is India’s goal for making a space station?
(a) By 2024
(b) By 2040
(c) By 2050
(d) By 2035

4. What did India do in September?
(a) Landed a spaceship on the Moon
(b) Built a space station
(c) Sent a rocket to Mars
(d) Studied the Sun

5. What are India’s big dreams about space?
(a) Sending a person to the Moon, making a space station, and sending things to Venus and Mars
(b) Sending a person to Mars, making a space station, and sending things to the Moon
(c) Sending a person to Venus, making a space station, and sending things to Mars
(d) Sending a person to the Sun, making a space station, and sending things to the Moon

6. What are India’s current plans for sending people into space?
(a) By 2035
(b) By 2024
(c) By 2040
(d) By 2050

7. What did India do in August and September?
(a) Landed a spaceship on Mars and sent a rocket to study the Moon
(b) Built a space station and sent a rocket to study the Sun
(c) Landed a spaceship on the Moon and sent a rocket to study Venus
(d) Landed a spaceship on the Moon and sent a rocket to study the Sun

8. What is India working hard on right now?
(a) A project to send people into space and bring them back safely
(b) A project to send people to Venus and Mars
(c) A project to build a space station on the Moon
(d) A project to study the Sun and the Moon

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. India did not send a rocket to learn about the Sun in September.
2. India wants to make a space station in space.
3. India did not land a spaceship on the bottom of the Moon in August.
4. India has big dreams about space and wants to do cool things.
5. India wants to send things to Venus and Mars.
6. India does not want to send a person to the Moon in the future.
7. India is not working on a project to send people into space and bring them back safely by 2024.
8. India is working hard to make their space dreams come true.
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 does India want to do by 2040?
2. What did India do in August?
3. What did India do in September?
4. What is India working on right now?
5. What are some of India’s big dreams about space?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What does India want to do by 2040?
India wants to send a person to the Moon by 2040.

2. What did India do in August?
In August, India landed a spaceship on the bottom of the Moon.

3. What did India do in September?
In September, India sent a rocket to learn about the Sun.

4. What are India’s big dreams about space?
India’s big dreams about space are to send a person to the Moon, make a space station, and send things to Venus and Mars.

5. What are some cool things that India has already done in space?
Some cool things that India has already done in space are landing on the Moon and studying the Sun.

6. What is India working on right now?
India is working on a project to send people into space and bring them back safely.

7. What does India want to send to Venus and Mars?
India wants to send things to Venus and Mars.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) things
(2) August
(3) September
(4) send
(5) cool
(6) studying
(7) Venus
(8) Mars
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. India
Answer: (c) A country that wants to go to space

2. Moon
Answer: (b) The big round thing in the sky at night

3. space
Answer: (f) The place outside of Earth where stars are

4. Venus
Answer: (h) The planet that is closest to the Sun

5. Mars
Answer: (e) The planet that is next to Earth

6. rocket
Answer: (g) A big thing that goes up into the sky

7. project
Answer: (a) A plan to do something special

8. dreams
Answer: (d) Things you think about when you sleep
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is India’s goal for sending a person to the Moon?
Answer: (c) By 2040

2. What did India do in August?
Answer: (b) Landed a spaceship on the Moon

3. What is India’s goal for making a space station?
Answer: (d) By 2035

4. What did India do in September?
Answer: (c) Sent a rocket to Mars

5. What are India’s big dreams about space?
Answer: (a) Sending a person to the Moon, making a space station, and sending things to Venus and Mars

6. What are India’s current plans for sending people into space?
Answer: (b) By 2024

7. What did India do in August and September?
Answer: (d) Landed a spaceship on the Moon and sent a rocket to study the Sun

8. What is India working hard on right now?
Answer: (a) A project to send people into space and bring them back safely
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. India did not send a rocket to learn about the Sun in September. (Answer: False)
2. India wants to make a space station in space. (Answer: True)
3. India did not land a spaceship on the bottom of the Moon in August. (Answer: False)
4. India has big dreams about space and wants to do cool things. (Answer: True)
5. India wants to send things to Venus and Mars. (Answer: True)
6. India does not want to send a person to the Moon in the future. (Answer: False)
7. India is not working on a project to send people into space and bring them back safely by 2024. (Answer: False)
8. India is working hard to make their space dreams come true. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧