The Space

Type of activity: Introductory activity: the planets and the Stars. Read and discuss

Goals: To understand the concept of planet and orbit, and to think what are the differences between planet and star.

Content: The planets.

Context: Private School in the centre of Murcia. Most of the students are Spanish, only one came from Germany and one from China.

Materials and Mediums: For this activity, we are going to use a photocopy with the text our students are going to read, and a notebook to takes some notes about the discuss they are going to do in groups.

Organisation: We are going to divide the class in small groups, 4 or 5 learners in each one, so they can work cooperative to do this activity.

Procedure: The first step of the activity is to read the text individually. Then the teacher is going to read it aloud. Next step a few questions are asked to the students about it. After that and as last step, they are going to work cooperative in small groups to make a discussion about a question given.

Timing: We are going to do this activity at the beginning of the lesson. Preparation time 5min. Setting up time 3min. Activity time 20min.

Language: The skills used in this activity are mostly 3: reading (when they read the text), listening (they listen to the teacher read and giving instructions for the activity) and speaking (students discuss in small groups).

Teacher Role: The first part of the activity the teacher is most time the central, but then the role of the teacher will be at the background, letting the students work.

Learner Role: The role of the students will be an active role. As they are very use to do this kind of activities and they are familiar with the vocabulary they are going to use.

Level of difficulty: The linguistic level for this activity is an A.1 level according to MCER.

Correction policy: When our students need some help with any word they can use the dictionary anytime they need. If they make mistakes when they are talking, when they finish the teacher can correct those mistakes.

Activity

Read the following text:



Planets are celestial bodies without their own light.
Planets receive light from the stars.
They reflect this light.
Planets follow a path when they move around stars. This path is 
called an orbit.
Planets are round and very large.


Work in small groups and discuss: What is a planet? Why a planet is different from a star? 
Take some notes about what you think.