June 30th

International Asteroid Day

A global awareness campaign to educate people about the risks of asteroid impacts and what we can do to protect our planet from space debris.

SPEAKING LESSONB1 / B2Discussion · Vocabulary · Activities

01 / LET’S TALK

Speaking Discussion

Does the idea of a massive asteroid hitting the Earth terrify you, or do you never think about it?
Do you think governments should spend money building defence systems for space threats?
How would the world react if scientists announced an asteroid was going to hit us in one year?
Why are humans so fascinated by disaster movies about the end of the world?
What would you do with your life if you knew the world was ending in exactly one month?

02 / PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

Activity 1: The Great Debate

Motion: "Humans should prioritise building a permanent base on Mars as a backup for humanity, even if it costs trillions of dollars."

Split the class into two sides. Team A defends the survival of the species and space exploration; Team B argues for solving Earth's problems (poverty, climate change) first.

Activity 2: Rapid Fire Sentences

Complete the sentence and justify it in 20 seconds.

"The most realistic science-fiction movie I have ever seen is..."
"If I could go to space for free, I would definitely..."
"I think humans will eventually live on another planet because..."

Key Vocabulary

Impact (Noun/Verb) The action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another; a significant or strong effect.
Debris (Noun) Scattered fragments, typically of something wrecked or destroyed; in space, rocks or old satellite parts.
Defence (Noun) The action of defending from or resisting attack; a system used to protect someone or something.
Fascinated (Adj) Extremely interested or attracted by something.
Catastrophe (Noun) An event causing great and often sudden damage or suffering; a disaster.

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Fluency Catalyst

The "Apocalyptic" Idiom: When talking about huge, world-changing events, we often use the phrase "To see the writing on the wall" (to see clear signs that something bad is about to happen). Try using it in the debate!