Level-graded English lessons with reading, listening, activities, and discussion.
Lesson Info
Lesson Content
Warm-up, Vocab List, Reading and Audio
Understanding: Main Idea, True or False, Put Events in Order, Multiple Choice
Language: Vocab Match, New Sentences
Use It: Discussion Builder, Discussion Questions
Answers
Think Ahead: What would you find hardest about living in space?
a) Living in a small space
b) Being far from family and friends
c) Having few choices of food
Vocab List
Four astronauts are back on Earth after eight months in space. They are happy to be home and excited to see their families again.
They returned from the International Space Station on Thursday. Their SpaceX capsule came down in the sea near Los Angeles. All four left the capsule less than an hour later.
After months in space, they wanted a shower. They also wanted to feel the wind on their faces. One astronaut wanted to enjoy water sports again.
But they also had to say goodbye to the space station. They loved looking at Earth from the space station. Astronaut Jessica Meir said they were sad to say goodbye to these wonderful views.
Coming Home from Space
Think Ahead: What would you find hardest about living in space?
a) Living in a small space
b) Being far from family and friends
c) Having few choices of food
-
astronaut (n.)
-
Earth (n.)
-
space (n.)
-
return (v.)
-
space station (n. phrase)
-
capsule (n.)
-
water sports (n. phrase)
-
view (n.)
Four astronauts are back on Earth after eight months in space. They are happy to be home and excited to see their families again.
They returned from the International Space Station on Thursday. Their SpaceX capsule came down in the sea near Los Angeles. All four left the capsule less than an hour later.
After months in space, they wanted a shower. They also wanted to feel the wind on their faces. One astronaut wanted to enjoy water sports again.
But they also had to say goodbye to the space station. They loved looking at Earth from the space station. Astronaut Jessica Meir said they were sad to say goodbye to these wonderful views.
Main Idea
Choose one answer, then click CHECK to see your result.
Main Idea
Choose one:
- The astronauts are happy to be home but sad to say goodbye to space. Correct answer
- The astronauts are happy to leave the space station because life there was difficult.
- The astronauts are happy to be home mainly to see their families again.
True or False
Answer each question by selecting True or False, then click CHECK to see your results.
True or False
1. The astronauts returned to Earth after spending a year in space. TRUEFALSE False
2. The four astronauts left their capsule within an hour of landing. TRUEFALSE True
3. One astronaut wanted to enjoy water sports again after coming home. TRUEFALSE True
4. Jessica Meir was sad because she would miss the views of Earth. TRUEFALSE True
Put Events in Order
Put the events in the order they happened, from first to last.
- 1 The astronauts said goodbye to the space station.
- 2 Their capsule came down in the sea near Los Angeles.
- 3 All four astronauts left the capsule.
Put Events in Order
Put the events from the story in the correct order from first (1) to last (3):
- Their capsule came down in the sea near Los Angeles.
- All four astronauts left the capsule.
- The astronauts said goodbye to the space station.
- The astronauts said goodbye to the space station.
- Their capsule came down in the sea near Los Angeles.
- All four astronauts left the capsule.
Multiple Choice
Answer each question by selecting A, B, or C, then click CHECK to see your results.
Multiple Choice
1. Who are the astronauts excited to see again?
a) Their families.Correct
b) The SpaceX team.
c) A group of reporters.
2. What did the astronauts want after months in space?
a) A hot meal and a long sleep.
b) A walk and some new clothes.
c) A shower and wind on their faces.Correct
Listen and Fill Gaps
Listen to the audio on eslnewsstories.com and complete the gaps below:
Four astronauts are back on Earth after eight months in space. They are happy to be home and excited to see their (1) again.
They returned from the International Space Station on Thursday. Their SpaceX capsule came down in the (2) near Los Angeles. All four left the capsule less than an hour later.
After months in space, they wanted a (3) . They also wanted to feel the wind on their faces. One astronaut wanted to enjoy water sports again.
But they also had to say goodbye to the space station. They loved looking at Earth from the space station. Astronaut Jessica Meir said they were sad to say goodbye to these wonderful (4) .
Listen and Fill Gaps
Listen to the audio and complete the gaps below:
Loading listening activity...
Vocab Match
Drag each vocabulary word to its matching definition, or select a word and then select its definition:
Loading vocabulary activity...
Vocab Match
Write each vocabulary word next to its matching definition.
1. astronautd) a person who travels and works in space
2. returnc) to come or go back to a place
3. capsuleb) a small space vehicle that carries people
4. viewa) what you can see from a place
a) what you can see from a place
b) a small space vehicle that carries people
c) to come or go back to a place
d) a person who travels and works in space
New Sentences
Choose the best word for each new sentence.
-
The {blank} showed us photos of the moon.
-
We chose this hotel for its beautiful {blank} of the mountains.
-
We packed our swimsuits for a weekend of {blank} at the lake.
-
The museum has a film about the first dog sent into {blank}.
New Sentences
astronaut / space / view / water sports
- The showed us photos of the moon.
- We chose this hotel for its beautiful of the mountains.
- We packed our swimsuits for a weekend of at the lake.
- The museum has a film about the first dog sent into .
Discussion Builder
1) Contrast 2) Reason
Q: Would you like to travel to space?
A:Q: What would you take with you to a space station?
A:
Discussion Builder
Choose the best phrase for each gap:
Q: Would you like to travel to space?
A: Yes, I'd love to see Earth from space, being away from my family for months would be hard.
but / so
Yes, I'd love to see Earth from space, but being away from my family for months would be hard.
Q: What would you take with you to a space station?
A: I'd bring a photo of my family looking at it would help me feel closer to home.
although / because
I'd bring a photo of my family because looking at it would help me feel closer to home.
Discussion Questions
- Would you like to travel to space?
- What is hard about being away from home for a long time?
- What would you take with you to a space station?
- Imagine you come home after eight months in space. What do you want to do first?
- What food from home would you miss in space?
- Which water sports would you like to try?
- What would you like to see on Earth from space?
- What would you like to ask an astronaut?
Discussion Questions
- Would you like to travel to space?
- What is hard about being away from home for a long time?
- What would you take with you to a space station?
- Imagine you come home after eight months in space. What do you want to do first?
- What food from home would you miss in space?
- Which water sports would you like to try?
- What would you like to see on Earth from space?
- What would you like to ask an astronaut?
Answers
Listening: (1) families, (2) sea, (3) shower, (4) views
Main Idea: The astronauts are happy to be home but sad to say goodbye to space.
True or False:
- False. They spent eight months in space before returning to Earth.
- True. Their capsule came down in the sea near Los Angeles. All four left it less than an hour later.
- True. The story says one astronaut wanted to enjoy water sports again.
- True. She loved looking at Earth from the space station and was sad to say goodbye to those views.
Multiple Choice: a, c
Put Events in Order:
- The astronauts said goodbye to the space station.
- Their capsule came down in the sea near Los Angeles.
- All four astronauts left the capsule.
Vocabulary:
- astronaut: a person who travels and works in space
- return: to come or go back to a place
- capsule: a small space vehicle that carries people
- view: what you can see from a place
New Sentences: 1. astronaut; 2. view; 3. water sports; 4. space
Discussion Builder:
Hints: 1) Contrast. 2) Reason.
- but
- because