John McFall used to be a Paralympian and now works with the European Space Agency (ESA). He lost part of his right leg in a motorcycle accident but is training to be an astronaut. John is helping to see if people with disabilities can live and work in space. He tries out different prosthetic limbs and uses special machines to feel what it's like in space.
John is also a doctor but has paused his job to focus on astronaut training. He is training in Germany at the European Astronaut Centre. Even if he doesn't go to space, his work will help make space travel safer for disabled people. John hopes this study will show what people with disabilities can do.
The ESA is the first to try a project like this. Frank De Winne, who leads the astronaut center, thinks people like John have special skills for space missions. John's family moved to Germany to support him. His wife, Sonia, thinks this is the right path for him and hopes he can inspire others by going to space.
Original news source: The man on a mission to open up space to disability (BBC)
π§ Listen:
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Have each group read the article.
3. Instruct them to summarize the article in their own words, focusing on the main points.
4. After a given time, have each group share their summary with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Assign each group a different question related to the article (e.g. "Do you think people with disabilities can live and work in space?").
3. Instruct the groups to discuss the question and come up with their own opinions.
4. Have each group present their opinion to the class and explain their reasoning.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Write a list of key vocabulary words from the article on the board.
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
3. Assign each group a vocabulary word.
4. Instruct the groups to draw a picture that represents the word without using any letters or numbers.
5. Have the groups present their pictures to the class and see if the other students can guess the word.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Instruct each group to discuss the pros and cons of people with disabilities living and working in space, based on the information in the article.
3. Have each group present their arguments to the class, alternating between pros and cons.
4. Encourage class discussion and debate on the topic.
– Two Truths and a Lie
Instructions:
1. Have each student come up with two true statements and one false statement related to the article.
2. Instruct the students to share their statements with a partner or in small groups.
3. The partner/group must guess which statement is the lie.
4. After a given time, have students share their false statements with the class and see if the other students can guess the lie.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
John McFall used to be a Paralympian and now he works with the European Space Agency (ESA).
John lost part of his right leg in a motorcycle accident.
John is training to be an astronaut.
John tries out different prosthetic limbs and uses special machines to feel what it's like in space.
John is also a doctor.
John is training in Germany at the European Astronaut Centre.
John's wife thinks going to space is the right path for him because she hopes he can inspire others by going to space.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
John McFall used to be a Paralympian and now works with the European Space (ESA). He lost part of his right leg in a motorcycle accident but is training to be an astronaut. John is to see if people with can live and work in . He tries out different limbs and uses special machines to feel what it's like in space. John is also a doctor but has paused his job to focus on astronaut . He is training in Germany at the European Astronaut Centre. Even if he doesn't go to space, his will help make space travel safer for people. John this study will show what people with disabilities can do. The ESA is the first to try a project like this. Frank De Winne, who leads the center, thinks people like John have special skills for space missions. John's family moved to Germany to support him. His wife, Sonia, thinks this is the right for him and hopes he can inspire by going to space.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is a Paralympian?
2. How would you feel if you lost part of your leg in a motorcycle accident?
3. Do you think it's possible for people with disabilities to live and work in space? Why or why not?
4. What do you think it would be like to train to be an astronaut?
5. Do you like trying out new things, like different prosthetic limbs? Why or why not?
6. How do you think special machines can help someone feel what it's like in space?
7. What would you do if you were training to be an astronaut?
8. What do you think it means to make space travel safer for disabled people?
9. Why do you think the European Space Agency is the first to try a project like this?
10. Do you have any special skills that you think would be useful for a space mission? What are they?
11. How do you think John's family feels about him training to be an astronaut?
12. Do you think it's important for people to inspire others? Why or why not?
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.
Check your writing now with the best free AI for English writing!
