Can Humans Live on Another Planet?
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
ESL Lesson Plan Solar System B1 takes students on a tour to explore one of the biggest questions in science — could humans ever live on another planet? Students discover fascinating facts about all eight planets, from Mercury's extreme temperature swings to Neptune's record-breaking winds, before turning their attention to real NASA missions and the challenges of reaching Mars.
📄B1 ⏱️120 min 📁17 slides
Skills and Outcomes
Learn and use nine key vocabulary items related to space and planetary science.
Understand key facts about the rocky and giant planets in our solar system.
Develop speaking skills through discussion, retelling, and opinion tasks.
Practise writing through a postcard task.
Vocabulary
atmosphere
gravity
surface
mission
launch
spacecraft
asteroid
rotate
gas giant
Lesson Plan
Lead-in: Discussion Questions
Students answer five questions about space and life on other planets to introduce the topic.
What Do You See?
Students look at space images and identify what they can see, using any English vocabulary they already know.
Vocabulary Matching
Students match nine target words — atmosphere, gravity, surface, mission, launch, spacecraft, asteroid, rotate, gas giant — to their definitions and take notes.
Vocabulary Game
Students describe a target word using synonyms and examples without saying the word, while their partner guesses.
Reading: Our Solar System
Students read a short introduction to the solar system and the main question of the lesson.
Reading: The Rocky Planets
Students read about Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, including key facts about temperature, atmosphere, and surface conditions.
Reading: The Giant Planets
Students read about Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, including facts about size, moons, rings, and wind speed.
Reading: Humans in Space?
Students read about NASA's Artemis programme and the main challenges of a human mission to Mars.
Comprehension Questions
Students answer five factual questions and one opinion question based on the reading texts.
Retell Activity
Students choose one planet and retell key facts using keyword prompts on the page.
Practice: Fill in the Blanks
Students complete a paragraph using all nine target vocabulary words in context.
Speaking: Opinion Discussion
Students discuss which planet humans could live on, what challenges would need to be solved, and whether they would go on a space mission.
Mission to Mars
Students choose five personal items to take on a six-month Mars mission and explain their choices.
Postcard from Space
Students write a postcard from another planet, including their location, observations, feelings, and one interesting fact.