Scientists found a very special group of planets far away from Earth. This group has six planets that are all about the same size. They are very old and have not changed much. The way these planets move around their sun is very regular, and scientists even made a song from their pattern.
This group of planets is a great place for scientists to learn how planets are made. The planets are all similar, which makes it easier to study them. They go around a star that is very bright, so it’s easier to see if there might be life there. These planets are bigger than Earth but smaller than Neptune.
People who study stars and planets are very excited about this discovery. They think these kinds of planets might be the most common, but they don’t know much about them yet. They hope to find out if these planets could have life. With new tools to look at stars, they think they might find life on other planets soon.
Original news source: Perfect solar system’ found in search for alien life (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Charades
Instructions: Divide the students into two teams. Give each team a set of index cards with words related to the article (e.g. planet, star, life, discovery, study). One student from each team will come up and act out the word on their card without speaking. The team members will try to guess the word within a time limit. The team with the most correct guesses wins.
– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, have the students summarize the article in their own words. Encourage them to include the main points and important details. After they have finished, have some groups share their summaries with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Ask the students to think about whether they believe there is life on other planets. Have them write their opinion on a piece of paper and collect them. Then, lead a discussion where students can share their opinions and reasons for their belief or disbelief. Encourage them to listen respectfully to each other’s opinions.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Give each student a vocabulary word from the article (e.g. planet, star, life, discovery, study). They should draw a picture that represents the word without using any letters or numbers. The other students in the class will try to guess the word based on the drawing. The student who guesses correctly gets to draw the next word.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Have the students work in pairs or small groups. Ask them to imagine what discoveries scientists might make about other planets in the future. They can use their imagination and the information from the article to make predictions. After they have discussed and written down their predictions, have some groups share their ideas with the class.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What did scientists find far away from Earth?
2. How many planets are in this special group?
3. Are the planets in this group all the same size?
4. What is special about the way these planets move around their sun?
5. Why is this group of planets a great place for scientists to learn?
6. Are these planets bigger or smaller than Earth?
7. Why are people who study stars and planets excited about this discovery?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Scientists found a very (1)______ group of planets far away from Earth. This group has six planets that are all about the same (2)______. They are very old and have not changed much. The way these planets (3)______ around their sun is very regular, and scientists even made a song from their (4)______.
This group of planets is a great place for scientists to (5)______ how planets are made. The planets are all (6)______, which makes it easier to study them. They go around a star that is very (7)______, so it’s easier to see if there might be (8)______ there. These planets are bigger than Earth but (9)______ than Neptune.
People who study stars and planets are very excited about this discovery. They think these kinds of planets might be the most (10)______, but they don’t know much about them yet. They hope to find out if these planets could have life. With new (11)______ to (12)______ at stars, they think they might find life on other planets soon.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is a planet?
2. How would you feel if you discovered a new planet?
3. Do you like learning about stars and planets? Why or why not?
4. Do you think there could be life on other planets? Why or why not?
5. What do you think scientists can learn from studying these planets?
6. How do you think scientists made a song from the planets’ pattern?
7. Why do you think scientists are excited about this discovery?
8. Do you think these kinds of planets are common? Why or why not?
9. How do you think scientists can find out if there is life on these planets?
10. What do you think the new tools to look at stars can do?
11. If you could travel to another planet, which one would you choose? Why?
12. Do you think humans will ever live on another planet? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. planets
2. size
3. regular
4. study
5. life
6. common
7. tools
8. stars
Meanings:
(a) Objects that go around a sun
(b) Living things that can move, grow, and reproduce
(c) Happening in a predictable pattern
(d) Things that help you do a job or task
(e) How big or small something is
(f) Big balls of gas that give off light and heat
(g) Happening often or seen a lot
(h) To learn about something in detail
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. How many planets are in the special group that scientists found?
(a) Six
(b) Three
(c) Ten
(d) Two
2. What is special about the way these planets move around their sun?
(a) It is very regular
(b) It is very fast
(c) It is very slow
(d) It is very random
3. Why are these planets a great place for scientists to learn about how planets are made?
(a) They are all different
(b) They are all similar
(c) They are very new
(d) They are very big
4. What makes it easier to see if there might be life on these planets?
(a) The dark star they go around
(b) The small size of the planets
(c) The fast movement of the planets
(d) The bright star they go around
5. Are these planets bigger or smaller than Earth?
(a) Smaller
(b) The same size
(c) Bigger
(d) They don’t know
6. What do scientists think about these kinds of planets?
(a) They might be the least common
(b) They might be the smallest
(c) They might be the biggest
(d) They might be the most common
7. What do scientists hope to find out about these planets?
(a) If they are made of gas
(b) If they are very young
(c) If they could have life
(d) If they are very small
8. What do scientists think they might find soon with new tools to look at stars?
(a) New stars
(b) Life on other planets
(c) New galaxies
(d) New moons
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. Scientists have found a common group of planets that are relatively close to Earth.
2. This group of planets is not a great place for scientists to learn about how planets are made.
3. The star that these planets go around is very bright, which makes it easier to see if there might be life there.
4. There are six planets in this group, and they are all about the same size.
5. The planets in this group vary greatly, which makes it harder for scientists to study them.
6. These planets are very old and have not changed much over time.
7. The way these planets move around their sun is very regular, and scientists have even made a song from their pattern.
8. These planets are smaller than Earth but larger than Neptune.
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 scientists find that is very special and far away from Earth?
2. How many planets are in this special group and what is special about them?
3. Why are these planets a great place for scientists to learn about how planets are made?
4. What are scientists excited about regarding this discovery?
5. What do scientists hope to find out about these planets in the future?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What did scientists find far away from Earth?
Scientists found a group of planets far away from Earth.
2. How many planets are in this special group?
There are six planets in this special group.
3. Are the planets in this group all the same size?
Yes, the planets in this group are all about the same size.
4. What is special about the way these planets move around their sun?
The way these planets move around their sun is very regular.
5. Why is this group of planets a great place for scientists to learn?
This group of planets is a great place for scientists to learn because they are all similar, making it easier to study them. Also, the star they go around is very bright, making it easier to see if there might be life there.
6. Are these planets bigger or smaller than Earth?
These planets are bigger than Earth but smaller than Neptune.
7. Why are people who study stars and planets excited about this discovery?
People who study stars and planets are excited about this discovery because they think these kinds of planets might be the most common, and they hope to find out if these planets could have life. They also have new tools to look at stars, which they think might help them find life on other planets soon.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) special
(2) size
(3) move
(4) pattern
(5) learn
(6) similar
(7) bright
(8) life
(9) smaller
(10) common
(11) tools
(12) look
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. planets
Answer: (a) Objects that go around a sun
2. size
Answer: (e) How big or small something is
3. regular
Answer: (c) Happening in a predictable pattern
4. study
Answer: (h) To learn about something in detail
5. life
Answer: (b) Living things that can move, grow, and reproduce
6. common
Answer: (g) Happening often or seen a lot
7. tools
Answer: (d) Things that help you do a job or task
8. stars
Answer: (f) Big balls of gas that give off light and heat
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. How many planets are in the special group that scientists found?
Answer: (a) Six
2. What is special about the way these planets move around their sun?
Answer: (a) It is very regular
3. Why are these planets a great place for scientists to learn about how planets are made?
Answer: (b) They are all similar
4. What makes it easier to see if there might be life on these planets?
Answer: (d) The bright star they go around
5. Are these planets bigger or smaller than Earth?
Answer: (c) Bigger
6. What do scientists think about these kinds of planets?
Answer: (d) They might be the most common
7. What do scientists hope to find out about these planets?
Answer: (c) If they could have life
8. What do scientists think they might find soon with new tools to look at stars?
Answer: (b) Life on other planets
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. Scientists have found a common group of planets that are relatively close to Earth. (Answer: False)
2. This group of planets is not a great place for scientists to learn about how planets are made. (Answer: False)
3. The star that these planets go around is very bright, which makes it easier to see if there might be life there. (Answer: True)
4. There are six planets in this group, and they are all about the same size. (Answer: True)
5. The planets in this group vary greatly, which makes it harder for scientists to study them. (Answer: False)
6. These planets are very old and have not changed much over time. (Answer: True)
7. The way these planets move around their sun is very regular, and scientists have even made a song from their pattern. (Answer: True)
8. These planets are smaller than Earth but larger than Neptune. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧
