A big rocket called Starship had a test where it flew up into the sky. It did better than the first time it flew, when it went boom. The rocket flew up but had to come back down early because something went wrong. A very important space boss said good job to the rocket people for trying and learning. One day, people want to use this rocket to go to the Moon.

The rocket lifted off from a place in Texas and was supposed to go almost all the way around the Earth. But it had to stop flying after eight minutes and didn’t get to Hawaii. Even though it didn’t finish, it still did a lot of good things. Now, the rocket builders will look at what happened to make it better next time. People who know a lot about rockets think it’s getting better because all of its engines worked when it went up.

Original news source: Elon Musk’s Starship rocket goes further and higher – but is then lost (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades: Space Edition
Instructions: Prepare cards with vocabulary words from the article such as “rocket,” “sky,” “fly,” “boom,” “space,” “Moon,” “lift-off,” and “engine.” Students take turns acting out these words without speaking, while the rest of the class tries to guess the word.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Similar to Charades, use the same vocabulary words from the article. Students take turns drawing the words on the board without speaking or writing any letters or numbers. The rest of the class guesses the word based on the drawing.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students pair up, with one acting as a news reporter and the other as a space expert. The reporter asks questions about the Starship’s test flight, and the ‘expert’ has to answer using information from the article. Encourage them to use their own words to explain what happened during the test flight.

– Sketch It: Rocket Sequence
Instructions: Give students a sequence of events from the article (e.g., “The rocket lifted off,” “It flew up into the sky,” “It had to come back down early,” “Rocket people got praised,” “They will improve the rocket”). Students must draw a simple comic strip to represent these events in order. Allow them to share their drawings with the class and describe the sequence in English.

– Think-Pair-Share: Future Predictions
Instructions: Pose a question to the class about the future of space travel, such as “What do you think will happen with rockets in the future?” or “Do you think people will live on the Moon one day?” Students first think individually, then pair up to discuss their ideas, and finally share their predictions with the class. Encourage them to use simple future tense (“will”) in their discussions.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the name of the big rocket?
2. What happened the first time the rocket flew?
3. Why did the rocket have to come back down early?
4. Who said “good job” to the rocket people?
5. Where do people want to use the rocket to go one day?
6. Where did the rocket lift off from?
7. How long did the rocket fly before it had to stop?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A big rocket (1)______ Starship had a test where it flew up into the sky. It did better than the first time it flew, when it went boom. The rocket flew up but had to (2)______ back down early because something went wrong. A very important space boss said good job to the rocket (3)______ for trying and learning. One day, people (4)______ to use this rocket to go to the Moon.

The rocket lifted off from a place in Texas and was supposed to go almost all the way around the Earth. But it had to stop flying after eight (5)______ and didn’t get to Hawaii. Even though it didn’t (6)______, it still did a lot of good things. Now, the (7)______ builders will look at what happened to make it better next time. People who know a lot about rockets think it’s getting better because all of its engines (8)______ when it went up.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a rocket?
2. Do you like rockets? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if you saw a rocket fly up into the sky?
4. Have you ever seen a rocket before? Where?
5. What do you think rockets do?
6. Do you think it is fun to fly in a rocket? Why?
7. Would you like to go to the Moon? Why or why not?
8. What would you do if you could fly a rocket?
9. Do you think it is good to try again after something goes wrong? Why?
10. How do you feel when you do something better the second time?
11. What is something you want to learn how to do better?
12. Do you think people should go to space? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. rocket
2. test
3. flew
4. sky
5. early
6. people
7. space
8. Moon

Meanings:
(a) The big round thing in the night sky
(b) The place where birds fly and clouds are
(c) Went up into the air
(d) A big thing that goes up into space
(e) Humans
(f) Before the right time
(g) The place where stars and planets are
(h) Trying something to see if it works
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the rocket that had a test flight?
(a) Spaceship
(b) Moonship
(c) Starship
(d) Skyship

2. Where did the rocket take off from?
(a) California
(b) New York
(c) Florida
(d) Texas

3. What did the rocket do better on its second flight?
(a) It went boom
(b) It flew all the way to Hawaii
(c) It landed safely
(d) It flew up into the sky

4. Why did the rocket have to come back down early?
(a) It ran out of fuel
(b) Something went wrong
(c) It reached its destination
(d) It wanted to take a break

5. Who praised the rocket people for their efforts?
(a) The rocket builders
(b) The people of Hawaii
(c) A very important space boss
(d) The Moon

6. What is the ultimate goal for the rocket?
(a) To go to the Moon
(b) To go to Mars
(c) To go to Hawaii
(d) To go to Texas

7. How long did the rocket fly before it had to stop?
(a) One hour
(b) Eight minutes
(c) Five minutes
(d) Ten hours

8. What made the rocket builders think it was getting better?
(a) All of its engines worked
(b) It flew all the way to Hawaii
(c) It landed safely
(d) It went boom

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The rocket was expected to travel around the Earth completely but had to stop flying after eight minutes.
2. The rocket did better this time than the first time it flew.
3. A big rocket called Starship flew up into the sky for a test.
4. The rocket had to descend prematurely because something did not go wrong.
5. The rocket builders will examine what happened to improve it next time.
6. The rocket lifted off from a place in Texas.
7. People want to use this rocket to go to the Moon one day.
8. An insignificant space boss said good job to the rocket people for trying and learning.
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 is the name of the big rocket?
2. Did the rocket go boom this time?
3. Where did the rocket fly up from?
4. How long did the rocket fly before it came back down?
5. What will the rocket people do to make the rocket better?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is the name of the big rocket?
The name of the big rocket is Starship.

2. What happened the first time the rocket flew?
The first time the rocket flew, it went boom.

3. Why did the rocket have to come back down early?
The rocket had to come back down early because something went wrong.

4. Who said “good job” to the rocket people?
A very important space boss said “good job” to the rocket people.

5. Where do people want to use the rocket to go one day?
People want to use the rocket to go to the Moon one day.

6. Where did the rocket lift off from?
The rocket lifted off from a place in Texas.

7. How long did the rocket fly before it had to stop?
The rocket flew for eight minutes before it had to stop.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) called
(2) come
(3) people
(4) want
(5) minutes
(6) finish
(7) rocket
(8) worked
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. rocket
Answer: (d) A big thing that goes up into space

2. test
Answer: (h) Trying something to see if it works

3. flew
Answer: (c) Went up into the air

4. sky
Answer: (b) The place where birds fly and clouds are

5. early
Answer: (f) Before the right time

6. people
Answer: (e) Humans

7. space
Answer: (g) The place where stars and planets are

8. Moon
Answer: (a) The big round thing in the night sky
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the rocket that had a test flight?
Answer: (c) Starship

2. Where did the rocket take off from?
Answer: (d) Texas

3. What did the rocket do better on its second flight?
Answer: (d) It flew up into the sky

4. Why did the rocket have to come back down early?
Answer: (b) Something went wrong

5. Who praised the rocket people for their efforts?
Answer: (c) A very important space boss

6. What is the ultimate goal for the rocket?
Answer: (a) To go to the Moon

7. How long did the rocket fly before it had to stop?
Answer: (b) Eight minutes

8. What made the rocket builders think it was getting better?
Answer: (a) All of its engines worked
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The rocket was expected to travel around the Earth completely but had to stop flying after eight minutes. (Answer: False)
2. The rocket did better this time than the first time it flew. (Answer: True)
3. A big rocket called Starship flew up into the sky for a test. (Answer: True)
4. The rocket had to descend prematurely because something did not go wrong. (Answer: False)
5. The rocket builders will examine what happened to improve it next time. (Answer: False)
6. The rocket lifted off from a place in Texas. (Answer: True)
7. People want to use this rocket to go to the Moon one day. (Answer: True)
8. An insignificant space boss said good job to the rocket people for trying and learning. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧