Gravity - Why Do Things Fall?

READING LESSON -Level: A2 ESOL 
Gravity – Why Do Things Fall?
Lesson type: Reading, comprehension and discussion
Length: 15–20 minutes
Main skills: Reading, comprehension, vocabulary and speaking

1. BEFORE YOU READ
Before you read, think about these questions:

Q1. What happens when you drop a ball?

Q2. Why does a person come back down after jumping?

Q3. What do you think gravity is?

You don't need to know the answers yet. Just think about them.

Now read the text.

2. READING
Gravity – Why Do Things Fall?
Gravity is a force. It is all around us. We cannot see gravity, but we can see what it does.

Gravity pulls things towards the Earth. For example, if you drop a ball, the ball falls to the ground. If you drop an apple, the apple falls too. 

Gravity also keeps us on the ground. When we jump, we go up for a short time. Then we come back down. Gravity pulls us towards the Earth. Gravity is important in our everyday lives. It helps keep people, animals and objects on the Earth. 

Gravity also exists in space. The Moon has gravity too, but its gravity is weaker than Earth's gravity. Gravity is an important part of our world.

3. VOCABULARY
FORCE: A force is a push or a pull.  Example: Gravity is a force.

PULL: To pull means to move something towards you. Example: Gravity pulls things towards Earth.

FALL: To fall means to move down.  Example: The ball falls to the ground.

GROUND: The ground is the surface under our feet. Example: My feet are on the ground.

WEAKER: Weaker means not as strong. Example: The Moon has weaker gravity than Earth.

4. COMPREHENSION:

Question 1 - What is gravity? 

A. A food   B. A force   C. A planet

Answer: B. A force

Question 2 - What does gravity do?

A. It pulls things towards Earth.   B. It makes things disappear.   C. It makes things fly into space.

Answer: A. It pulls things towards Earth.

Question 3 - What happens when you drop a ball?

A. It floats.   B. It falls.    C. It flies away.

Answer: B. It falls.

Question 4 - Why do we come back down when we jump?

A. Because of gravity.    B. Because we are tired.    C. Because of the wind.

Answer: A. Because of gravity.

Question 5 - Does the Moon have gravity?

A. Yes.     B. No.

Answer: A. Yes. The Moon has gravity, but it is weaker than Earth's gravity.

6. TRUE OR FALSE
Read each sentence. Decide if it is True or False.

 - We can see gravity.  False
 - Gravity pulls things towards Earth.   True
 - A ball falls because of gravity.    True
 - The Moon has no gravity.  False
 - Gravity is part of everyday life.  True

6. FIND THE ANSWER IN THE TEXT
What happens when we jump?

Answer: We go up for a short time, then we come back down.

7. UNDERSTANDING WORDS FROM CONTEXT - Read the sentence:

“The Moon has gravity too, but its gravity is weaker than Earth's gravity.”
What does weaker mean?

A. Not as strong    B. Very big   C. Very fast

Answer: A. Not as strong

8. DISCUSSION
Question 1 - Have you ever dropped something important?  What happened?

Example: “I dropped my phone. It fell on the floor.”

Now try your own answer _________

Question 2 - What things do you often drop?  ____________________

For example: keys, phone, pen, food, glass
Complete the sentence:  “I sometimes drop my __________.”

Question 3
What happens when you jump?

Do you stay in the air, or do you come back down?

Answer: You come back down because of gravity.

9. SPEAKING PRACTICE – GIVING A REASON
Use because to give a reason.

Example: “The ball falls because of gravity.”

Complete the sentence:

“The ball falls because __________.”

Answer: “because of gravity.”

Try another:

“I come back down because of __________.”  Answer: “gravity.”

10. PERSONAL DISCUSSION
Think about this question:

What would happen if there was no gravity?
Think about: walking, running, jumping, eating, sleeping
Would everyday life be easy or difficult?

Possible answer:
“Everyday life would be difficult. We might float instead of walking. Food and drinks could also float away.”

Gravity is important in our everyday lives.

11. SPEAKING CHALLENGE
Challenge:  Use these three words to make a sentence:  gravity – fall – Earth

Example: “Gravity makes things fall towards Earth.”

Challenge 2: Use these three words: Moon – gravity – weaker

Example: “The Moon has weaker gravity than Earth.”

12. FINAL COMPREHENSION
Why is gravity important?
Possible answer:
“Gravity is important because it keeps people, animals and objects on Earth.”

14. LESSON REVIEW
Key vocabulary - force, pull, fall, ground, weaker

Key language
Why does the ball fall?  “Because of gravity.”

What happens when you jump?  “You come back down.”

Does the Moon have gravity?  “Yes, it does.”

15. FINAL SPEAKING TASK
Explain gravity in your own words.

Try to use these words: force – pull – Earth – fall – ground

Example
“Gravity is a force. It pulls things towards Earth. It makes things fall to the ground.”