A big rocket called Starship had a second test flight and did better than the first time. It flew higher and longer, showing it’s getting better. The flight stopped early because of some problems that we don’t know about yet. But a very important person from NASA, Bill Nelson, said it’s good to learn from tests. NASA wants to use this rocket to take people to the Moon soon.
The Starship rocket took off in Texas and was supposed to fly almost all the way around the Earth. It was going to land in the water near Hawaii. But something went wrong after eight minutes, and the flight had to stop. Even though it didn’t finish, it still did a lot of things right. Now, the people who build rockets will look at what happened to make it better for next time.
People who know a lot about rockets think SpaceX is doing a good job. All the rocket’s engines worked when it took off. There are still things to fix, but it was about 60% successful. If SpaceX can make Starship work perfectly, it will change how we go to space because it can be used many times and will cost less. Elon Musk, who started SpaceX, wants to use Starship to build a place for people to live on Mars and to put lots of internet satellites in space.
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:
– News Summary
Instructions: Students will be divided into small groups. Each group will be tasked with summarizing the article in their own words, focusing on the main points: the Starship’s test flight, its partial success, and its implications for future space exploration. They will then present their summaries to the class.
– Sketch It
Instructions: Students will work in pairs. One student will read a sentence from the article aloud (without showing it to their partner), and the other student will attempt to draw a quick sketch to represent the idea of that sentence. After several turns, pairs will share their drawings and sentences with the class and discuss the interpretations.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key terms from the article (e.g., Starship, test flight, NASA, rockets, SpaceX, engines, Mars) on separate pieces of paper. Students will take turns drawing the terms on the board without speaking or writing any words, while the rest of the class tries to guess the vocabulary terms.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask the students to imagine the future of space exploration based on the article’s content. They will work in small groups to make three predictions about what will happen with Starship and space travel in the next ten years. They should use the future tense and present their predictions to the class, explaining why they think these events will occur.
– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Create a line in the classroom representing a spectrum of opinions from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” Read statements related to the article’s content, such as “Test flights are an important part of developing new technology,” or “Humans should prioritize colonizing Mars.” Students will place themselves along the spectrum according to their opinion and then discuss their reasons with classmates nearby.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is the name of the big rocket that had a second test flight?
2. Did the rocket fly higher and longer on its second test flight or the first one?
3. What did the rocket not finish because of some problems?
4. Who from NASA said that it is good to learn from tests?
5. Where did the Starship rocket take off from and where was it supposed to land?
6. How successful was the Starship’s flight according to the people who know a lot about rockets?
7. What are two things Elon Musk wants to use the Starship for in the future?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
A big (1)______ called Starship had a second (2)______ flight and did better than the first time. It flew higher and longer, showing it’s getting better. The flight stopped early because of some problems that we don’t know about yet. But a very important person from NASA, Bill Nelson, said it’s (3)______ to learn from tests. NASA wants to use this rocket to (4)______ people to the (5)______ soon.
The Starship rocket took off in Texas and was supposed to fly almost all the way around the Earth. It was going to land in the water near Hawaii. But something went (6)______ after eight minutes, and the flight had to stop. Even though it didn’t finish, it still did a lot of things (7)______. Now, the people who build (8)______ will (9)______ at what happened to make it better for next time.
People who know a lot about rockets think SpaceX is doing a good job. All the rocket’s engines worked when it took off. There are still things to fix, but it was about 60% successful. If (10)______ can (11)______ Starship work perfectly, it will change how we go to space because it can be used many times and will cost less. Elon Musk, who started SpaceX, (12)______ to use Starship to build a place for people to live on Mars and to put lots of internet satellites in space.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is a rocket?
2. How would you feel if you saw a big rocket flying in the sky?
3. Do you like watching things fly? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s important to test rockets before using them for real missions? Why?
5. What do you think about traveling to the Moon? Would you like to go there?
6. Have you ever seen a rocket launch on TV or in real life? What was it like?
7. Why do you think rockets sometimes have problems when they are flying?
8. If you could make a rocket, where would you want it to go?
9. Do you think it’s a good idea to build a place for people to live on Mars? Why or why not?
10. What do you think about using rockets to put internet satellites in space?
11. Do you think space travel will be common in the future, like flying in airplanes? Why or why not?
12. Would you like to be an astronaut and fly in a rocket? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. rocket
2. test
3. flight
4. problems
5. NASA
6. land
7. engines
8. space
Meanings:
(a) The parts that make a rocket go
(b) A practice to see how something works
(c) Difficulties or issues that need to be solved
(d) To come down and touch the ground
(e) The area beyond the Earth’s atmosphere where stars are
(f) A trip in an airplane or spaceship
(g) A big machine that goes up into the sky
(h) The organization that sends people to space
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What is the name of the rocket that had a second test flight?
(a) Starship
(b) Moonshot
(c) Spaceship
(d) Rocketship
2. How did the second test flight of the Starship rocket compare to the first test flight?
(a) It did worse
(b) It did better
(c) It was the same
(d) It’s not mentioned in the article
3. Why did the flight of the Starship rocket stop early?
(a) Because it reached its destination
(b) Because it ran out of fuel
(c) Because of some problems that are not known yet
(d) Because it crashed
4. Who said it’s good to learn from tests?
(a) Bill Nelson
(b) Elon Musk
(c) NASA
(d) The article doesn’t say
5. Where was the Starship rocket supposed to land?
(a) In Texas
(b) On the Moon
(c) In the water near Hawaii
(d) In space
6. What percentage of success did the Starship rocket achieve in the second test flight?
(a) About 80%
(b) About 40%
(c) It’s not mentioned in the article
(d) About 60%
7. What does Elon Musk want to use Starship for?
(a) To put lots of internet satellites in space
(b) Both a and b
(c) None of the above
(d) To build a place for people to live on Mars
8. How will Starship change how we go to space if it works perfectly?
(a) It can only be used once and will be expensive
(b) It can be used many times and will cost less
(c) It will make space travel faster
(d) It will make space travel more dangerous
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. Something went wrong after eight minutes, causing the flight to stop.
2. The Starship rocket had a third test flight and performed worse than the first time.
3. Bill Nelson, an unimportant person from NASA, said it’s not important to learn from tests.
4. The flight had to stop early due to undisclosed problems.
5. NASA wants to use the Starship rocket to take people to the Moon soon.
6. The rocket flew lower and for a shorter duration, showing regression.
7. The rocket was not meant to fly almost all the way around the Earth and land near Hawaii.
8. SpaceX is doing a good job according to experts, and the rocket’s engines worked when it took off.
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 that had a test flight?
2. Did the rocket’s second test flight do better or worse than the first one?
3. Who is Bill Nelson and what did he say about the rocket test?
4. Where did the Starship rocket take off from and where was it supposed to land?
5. What does Elon Musk want to use the Starship rocket for in the future?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What is the name of the big rocket that had a second test flight?
The name of the big rocket is Starship.
2. Did the rocket fly higher and longer on its second test flight or the first one?
The rocket flew higher and longer on its second test flight.
3. What did the rocket not finish because of some problems?
The rocket did not finish flying all the way around the Earth because of some problems.
4. Who from NASA said that it is good to learn from tests?
Bill Nelson from NASA said it is good to learn from tests.
5. Where did the Starship rocket take off from and where was it supposed to land?
The Starship rocket took off from Texas and was supposed to land in the water near Hawaii.
6. How successful was the Starship’s flight according to the people who know a lot about rockets?
The Starship’s flight was about 60% successful according to the people who know a lot about rockets.
7. What are two things Elon Musk wants to use the Starship for in the future?
Elon Musk wants to use the Starship to build a place for people to live on Mars and to put lots of internet satellites in space.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) rocket
(2) test
(3) good
(4) take
(5) Moon
(6) wrong
(7) right
(8) rockets
(9) look
(10) SpaceX
(11) make
(12) wants
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. rocket
Answer: (g) A big machine that goes up into the sky
2. test
Answer: (b) A practice to see how something works
3. flight
Answer: (f) A trip in an airplane or spaceship
4. problems
Answer: (c) Difficulties or issues that need to be solved
5. NASA
Answer: (h) The organization that sends people to space
6. land
Answer: (d) To come down and touch the ground
7. engines
Answer: (a) The parts that make a rocket go
8. space
Answer: (e) The area beyond the Earth’s atmosphere where stars are
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What is the name of the rocket that had a second test flight?
Answer: (a) Starship
2. How did the second test flight of the Starship rocket compare to the first test flight?
Answer: (b) It did better
3. Why did the flight of the Starship rocket stop early?
Answer: (c) Because of some problems that are not known yet
4. Who said it’s good to learn from tests?
Answer: (a) Bill Nelson
5. Where was the Starship rocket supposed to land?
Answer: (c) In the water near Hawaii
6. What percentage of success did the Starship rocket achieve in the second test flight?
Answer: (d) About 60%
7. What does Elon Musk want to use Starship for?
Answer: (d) To build a place for people to live on Mars
8. How will Starship change how we go to space if it works perfectly?
Answer: (b) It can be used many times and will cost less
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. Something went wrong after eight minutes, causing the flight to stop. (Answer: True)
2. The Starship rocket had a third test flight and performed worse than the first time. (Answer: False)
3. Bill Nelson, an unimportant person from NASA, said it’s not important to learn from tests. (Answer: False)
4. The flight had to stop early due to undisclosed problems. (Answer: True)
5. NASA wants to use the Starship rocket to take people to the Moon soon. (Answer: True)
6. The rocket flew lower and for a shorter duration, showing regression. (Answer: False)
7. The rocket was not meant to fly almost all the way around the Earth and land near Hawaii. (Answer: False)
8. SpaceX is doing a good job according to experts, and the rocket’s engines worked when it took off. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧
