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5 Sept 2026
Credit: Getty
The Secrets of Saturn's Rings Now Explained
Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It
WARM UP
Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this story?
a) Saturn has big rings made of ice.
b) Saturn has rings made of hot fire.
c) Saturn has rings made of green grass.
Ask:
(1) Do you like looking at pictures of space?
(2) What is your favourite planet?
VOCABULARY
planet (/ˈplæn.ɪt/, noun)
Meaning: A very large round object in space like Earth or Saturn.
Example: Saturn is a beautiful planet with bright rings.
ring (/rɪŋ/, noun)
Meaning: A circle of ice or rock around a planet.
Example: You can see the ring around Saturn with a telescope.
ice (/aɪs/, noun)
Meaning: Frozen water that is cold and hard.
Example: The rings are made of cold ice.
moon (/muːn/, noun)
Meaning: An object that travels around a planet.
Example: Two big moons crashed into each other.
crash (/kræʃ/, verb)
Meaning: To hit something hard and break.
Example: The moons crash in space.
young (/jʌŋ/, adjective)
Meaning: Not old or existing for a short time.
Example: These rings are quite young.
Saturn is a very big planet in space. It has beautiful rings around it. Scientists are studying these rings today. They want to know where the rings come from.
The rings are made of millions of pieces of ice. Some pieces are small like sand. Other pieces are big like mountains. The ice is very clean and bright.
Scientists think two icy moons crashed a long time ago. The crash broke the moons into small pieces. These pieces made the rings. The rings are not very old. They are younger than the dinosaurs.
Space travel helps us learn about Saturn. Computers show how the moons crashed. Now we understand this cold planet better.
Listen
There are many mysteries about Saturn, including how its spectacular ring system was formed - Image credit: NASA/JPL
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(1) What is Saturn made of?
(2) Would you like to travel into space one day?
(3) Why are the rings on Saturn very bright?
(4) How big are the pieces of ice around Saturn?
(5) Do you think space science is exciting?
FILL IN THE GAPS
FILL THE GAPS
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
Word Bank: crash, ice, moon, planet
Saturn is a very big _______(1) in space. It has beautiful rings around it. Scientists are studying these rings today. They want to know where the rings come from.
The rings are made of millions of pieces of _______(2). Some pieces are small like sand. Other pieces are big like mountains. The ice is very clean and bright.
Scientists think two icy moons crashed a long time ago. The _______(3) broke the moons into small pieces. These pieces made the rings. The rings are not very old. They are younger than the dinosaurs.
Space travel helps us learn about Saturn. Computers show how each _______(4) crashed. Now we understand this cold planet better.
Section 2: Main Idea
What is the main idea of this text?
a) Saturn has bright rings made from broken icy moons.
b) Dinosaurs lived on Saturn a long time ago.
c) Space travel is very dangerous for computers.
UNDERSTANDING
Section 3: True or False
(1) The rings of Saturn are made of hot metal. T/F
(2) Some pieces of ice are as big as mountains. T/F
(3) The rings are older than the dinosaurs. T/F
Section 4: Put Events in Order
Put these events in order (1-3):
( ) Two icy moons crashed into each other in space.
( ) Broken pieces of ice formed rings around Saturn.
( ) Scientists used computers to study the rings.
LANGUAGE
Section 5: Vocab Match
1. planet
2. ice
3. crash
4. moon
5. ring
a) Frozen water that is cold and hard
b) A giant round body in space
c) A circle around a planet
d) An object that moves around a planet
e) To hit something hard and break
USE IT
Section 6: Discussion Builder
(1) Saturn is a _______ planet in our solar system.
a) big
b) small
(2) The icy pieces around Saturn are very _______.
a) bright
b) dark
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
(1) Unscramble the sentence:
A) planet / B) is / C) a / D) Saturn / E) giant
(2) Unscramble the sentence:
A) made / B) ice / C) rings / D) are / E) of
ANSWER KEY
Warm Up Answer: a) Saturn has big rings made of ice.
Section 1 Answers: (1) planet, (2) ice, (3) crash, (4) moon
Section 2 Answer: a
Section 3 Answers: (1) F, (2) T, (3) F
Section 4 Answers: 1, 2, 3
Section 5 Answers: 1-b, 2-a, 3-e, 4-d, 5-c
Section 6 Answers: (1) a, (2) a
Section 7 Answers: (1) D-B-C-E-A (Saturn is a giant planet), (2) C-D-A-E-B (Rings are made of ice)
Section 8 Answers: Student's own responses.
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