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The Northern Lights

A complete A2 classroom lesson built around an engaging topic. Use it as a 45–60 minute lesson, or choose individual sections for a shorter class.

A250–60 minutesScience & naturePrintable

Teacher lesson: Look at the picture and title. What do you already know about this topic? Write two ideas, then compare with a partner. Work through the nine panels in order, or choose the sections that suit your class. Teacher answers and the listening script are stored separately.

Teacher Answers Open related EnglishDrills reading

1 Lesson Goals

By the end of this lesson, I will be able to:

understand the main ideas and key details in The Northern Lights.
learn and use important vocabulary from the lesson.
use the lesson language in speaking or writing.

Start here: What do you already know about this topic? Tell a partner one idea.

2 Reading

Before you read:

Look at the picture and title. What do you already know about this topic? Write two ideas, then compare with a partner.

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are colourful lights that sometimes appear in the night sky near the Arctic. They begin with activity on the Sun. The Sun sends charged particles into space. When some of these particles reach Earth, the planet’s magnetic field guides them towards the polar regions. There, the particles collide with gases high in the atmosphere. These collisions release light. Green is the most common colour, but people may also see red, purple or blue. The lights can form curtains, arcs and moving waves. They are easier to see on dark, clear nights away from city lights.

3 Vocabulary

Words: aurora · particle · magnetic field · atmosphere · collide

Write a short meaning or synonym for each word.

aurora –

particle –

magnetic field –

atmosphere –

collide –

4 Check Your Understanding

1. Where are the northern lights often seen?

2. Where do the charged particles come from?

3. What guides the particles towards the poles?

4. What is the most common colour?

5. When are the lights easier to see?

5 Language Focus

Complete with because or so.

1. The sky must be dark, city lights can make the aurora hard to see.

2. Particles collide with gases, light is released.

3. People travel north they want to see the aurora.

4. The night was cloudy, we could not see the lights.

6 Listen & Speak

Listen

Listen to your teacher. You will hear the text twice. Answer the questions.

1. Where can auroras also appear?

2. What are they called there?

3. What affects the colours?

4. Which gas often produces green light?

Speak

Discuss with a partner or small group.

• Would you travel far to see the northern lights?
• Why are natural light displays exciting?
• What beautiful natural event have you seen?

The Northern Lights — Continued

7 Use Your English

Something New

One student is a travel agent and one is a traveller. Recommend an aurora trip, including place, season and one useful piece of advice. Then swap roles.

Write

Write 80–100 words explaining why the northern lights appear and how to get a good view of them.

8 Puzzle or Game

Vocabulary Detective

Choose four words from the Vocabulary panel. Write a short clue for each word without writing the word itself. Swap with a partner and see how many you can guess.

Bonus: Use one of the words in a new sentence.

9 Success Criteria ✓

Tick each statement when you can do it.

I can explain the main idea of the lesson.
I can use at least three new words correctly.
I can complete the language task.
I can share an idea in spoken or written English.

One thing I am proud of today:

10 Show What You Can Do

My final challenge: The Northern Lights

Plan: Write 5 useful words or ideas from the lesson, or make a quick labelled sketch.

Write: Write 5–7 sentences that show what you learned. Try to use at least 3 words from the Vocabulary panel.

Share: Explain your work to a partner for about 30 seconds.