Early in the morning on April 2, people in the south part of California saw lines of light moving in the sky. People are not sure what caused these lights. Some think they might be pieces from a SpaceX rocket or parts from a Chinese spaceship that was coming back to Earth at that time. A big news company, the BBC, is trying to find out what really happened.

Videos of these strange lights are all over the internet, and many people are talking about them. They are guessing where the lights came from. But no one knows for sure yet what caused them. People will have to wait until more information is found.

The lights have made a lot of people and experts wonder what they are. Some people think they might be leftovers from a spaceship that was sent into space not long ago. Others have different ideas. A news group, the BBC, is trying to figure out the answer to this puzzle.

Original news source: Mysterious streaks of light in California sky (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Read the article to the students and have them work in pairs or small groups to summarize the main points of the article. Each group should then present their summary to the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Have each group discuss their thoughts and opinions on what might have caused the lights in the sky. Then, have each group create a poll with multiple choice options to survey the rest of the class. Each group should then present their poll and collect responses from the class.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word “lights” on the board. Ask the students to brainstorm words or phrases that they associate with this word. Encourage them to think creatively and come up with as many ideas as possible. After a few minutes, have the students share their associations with the class and discuss the different ideas.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Give each student a piece of paper and ask them to sketch what they think the lights in the sky might have looked like. Encourage them to be creative and use their imagination. After everyone has finished, have the students share their sketches with the class and explain their ideas.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a set amount of time (e.g. 2 minutes) to summarize the article as quickly as possible. After the time is up, have each pair switch partners and summarize the article again. Repeat this process a few times, gradually reducing the amount of time given. Finally, have a few pairs share their fastest summaries with the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What did people in California see early in the morning on April 2?
2. Why are people not sure what caused the lights?
3. What are some possible explanations for the lights?
4. What is the BBC trying to do?
5. Where can people find videos of the strange lights?
6. What are people doing while they wait for more information?
7. Why are the lights making people and experts wonder?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Early in the morning on April 2, (1)______ in the south part of (2)______ saw lines of light moving in the sky. People are not sure what caused these lights. Some think they might be pieces from a SpaceX (3)______ or parts from a (4)______ spaceship that was (5)______ back to Earth at that time. A big news company, the BBC, is trying to find out what really happened.

Videos of these strange (6)______ are all over the internet, and many people are talking about them. They are guessing where the lights (7)______ from. But no one knows for sure yet what caused them. People will have to (8)______ until (9)______ information is found.

The lights have made a lot of people and experts wonder what they are. Some people think they might be (10)______ from a spaceship that was sent into space not long ago. Others (11)______ different ideas. A news group, the BBC, is (12)______ to figure out the answer to this puzzle.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What do you think caused the lines of light in the sky?
2. How would you feel if you saw strange lights in the sky?
3. Do you like looking at videos of strange lights on the internet? Why or why not?
4. What is a rocket?
5. How do you think the BBC is trying to find out what caused the lights?
6. Do you think the lights could be leftovers from a spaceship? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever seen anything strange in the sky before? What was it?
8. What do you think the experts are wondering about the lights?
9. How do you think people are feeling while they wait for more information about the lights?
10. Do you think it’s important to find out what caused the lights? Why or why not?
11. What would you do if you saw lines of light moving in the sky?
12. How do you think the people in California are talking about the lights?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. California
2. SpaceX
3. Chinese
4. Earth
5. BBC
6. internet
7. guessing
8. experts
9. leftovers
10. spaceship
11. puzzle
12. strange

Meanings:
(A) A place in the United States where people saw unusual lights in the sky
(B) Something that is hard to understand or solve
(C) Things that are not used or needed anymore
(D) A company that sends rockets into space
(E) People who know a lot about a certain subject
(F) Trying to find an answer when you’re not sure about something
(G) A vehicle designed to travel beyond Earth’s atmosphere
(H) Not normal or usual; hard to understand
(I) A place online where you can find information, videos, and talk to people
(J) The planet we all live on
(K) From a country in Asia known for its long history and large population
(L) A big company that shares news with people all over the world
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did people in California see in the sky on April 2?
(a) Stars
(b) Lines of light
(c) Clouds
(d) Birds

2. What are people guessing caused the lights?
(a) Shooting stars
(b) Airplanes
(c) Pieces from a SpaceX rocket or parts from a Chinese spaceship
(d) Fireworks

3. What is the BBC trying to do?
(a) Find out what really happened
(b) Watch the videos of the lights
(c) Guess where the lights came from
(d) Talk to the experts

4. What do people have to do until more information is found?
(a) Guess
(b) Wait
(c) Forget about it
(d) Watch the videos again

5. What are some people thinking the lights might be?
(a) Shooting stars
(b) Fireworks
(c) Airplanes
(d) Leftovers from a spaceship

6. Who is trying to figure out the answer to this puzzle?
(a) The experts
(b) The people in California
(c) The BBC
(d) The news group

7. What are videos of the lights doing?
(a) Spreading all over the internet
(b) Disappearing from the internet
(c) Making people forget about the lights
(d) Making people scared

8. What are the lights making people and experts do?
(a) Forget about them
(b) Ignore them
(c) Talk about something else
(d) Wonder what they are

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The lights have made many people and experts curious about their origin.
2. Videos of the lights cannot be found all over the internet.
3. People are guessing where the lights came from, but no one knows for sure yet.
4. Some people think the lights might be from a SpaceX rocket or a Chinese satellite.
5. On April 2, people in southern California saw lines of light in the sky.
6. The BBC is not working to solve this mystery.
7. The cause of these lights is still unknown.
8. The BBC, a small news company, is trying to find out what really happened.
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 did people in California see in the sky on April 2?
2. Why are people not sure what caused the lights?
3. Where can people find videos of the strange lights?
4. What are some guesses about where the lights came from?
5. Who is trying to find out the answer to the puzzle of the lights?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did people in California see early in the morning on April 2?
People in California saw lines of light moving in the sky.

2. Why are people not sure what caused the lights?
People are not sure what caused the lights because there are different ideas and no one knows for sure yet.

3. What are some possible explanations for the lights?
Some possible explanations are that they might be pieces from a SpaceX rocket or parts from a Chinese spaceship.

4. What is the BBC trying to do?
The BBC is trying to find out what really happened and what caused the lights.

5. Where can people find videos of the strange lights?
People can find videos of the strange lights on the internet.

6. What are people doing while they wait for more information?
While they wait for more information, people are guessing and talking about where the lights came from.

7. Why are the lights making people and experts wonder?
The lights are making people and experts wonder because they are strange and no one knows for sure what caused them.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) people
(2) California
(3) rocket
(4) Chinese
(5) coming
(6) lights
(7) came
(8) wait
(9) more
(10) leftovers
(11) have
(12) trying
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. California
Answer: (A) A place in the United States where people saw unusual lights in the sky

2. SpaceX
Answer: (D) A company that sends rockets into space

3. Chinese
Answer: (K) From a country in Asia known for its long history and large population

4. Earth
Answer: (J) The planet we all live on

5. BBC
Answer: (L) A big company that shares news with people all over the world

6. internet
Answer: (I) A place online where you can find information, videos, and talk to people

7. guessing
Answer: (F) Trying to find an answer when you’re not sure about something

8. experts
Answer: (E) People who know a lot about a certain subject

9. leftovers
Answer: (C) Things that are not used or needed anymore

10. spaceship
Answer: (G) A vehicle designed to travel beyond Earth’s atmosphere

11. puzzle
Answer: (B) Something that is hard to understand or solve

12. strange
Answer: (H) Not normal or usual; hard to understand
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did people in California see in the sky on April 2?
Answer: (b) Lines of light

2. What are people guessing caused the lights?
Answer: (c) Pieces from a SpaceX rocket or parts from a Chinese spaceship

3. What is the BBC trying to do?
Answer: (a) Find out what really happened

4. What do people have to do until more information is found?
Answer: (b) Wait

5. What are some people thinking the lights might be?
Answer: (d) Leftovers from a spaceship

6. Who is trying to figure out the answer to this puzzle?
Answer: (c) The BBC

7. What are videos of the lights doing?
Answer: (a) Spreading all over the internet

8. What are the lights making people and experts do?
Answer: (d) Wonder what they are
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The lights have made many people and experts curious about their origin. (Answer: True)
2. Videos of the lights cannot be found all over the internet. (Answer: False)
3. People are guessing where the lights came from, but no one knows for sure yet. (Answer: True)
4. Some people think the lights might be from a SpaceX rocket or a Chinese satellite. (Answer: False)
5. On April 2, people in southern California saw lines of light in the sky. (Answer: True)
6. The BBC is not working to solve this mystery. (Answer: False)
7. The cause of these lights is still unknown. (Answer: True)
8. The BBC, a small news company, is trying to find out what really happened. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧