brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/moon-trees/
45-minute lesson plan
| Time | Stage | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3′ | Warm-up | Ask the class: “Do you have a favourite tree? Where is it? Do you think seeds can grow after a trip to space?” Let a few students answer. |
| 3–13′ | Words | Pre-teach the 5 words with the flashcards: seed, bag, grow, plant, tall. Say each word, show the meaning, and ask for a quick example. |
| 13–20′ | Video | Play the video (3:57). Students follow the transcript. Play it a second time if needed. |
| 20–28′ | Comprehension | Worksheet C (or the online Story Challenge): check answers together. Ask “How do you know?” |
| 28–35′ | Grammar | can / can't + verb: to say what is possible or not possible now — can + verb, no -s and no to. Show “You can still see Moon trees today.”, then do worksheet E together. |
| 35–43′ | Worksheet | Students do worksheet A, B and D alone or in pairs. Check with the answer key. |
| 43–45′ | Speaking | In pairs: “A small bag of seeds went around the Moon and still grew. What small thing can you plant or start today?” |
Homework: students finish the lesson online (flashcards + Story Challenge). With your class link, you see who finished.
Words and grammar
- seed (noun): a small thing that a new plant grows from. “The astronaut took tree seeds into space.”
- bag (noun): a thing we carry other things in. “The seeds were in small bags.”
- grow (verb): to get bigger (past: grew). “Little green trees started to grow.”
- plant (verb): to put a seed or a young tree in the ground (past: planted). “People planted Moon trees all over America.”
- tall (adjective): big from the bottom to the top. “Today, some Moon trees are very tall.”
Grammar: can / can't + verb — to say what is possible or not possible now — can + verb, no -s and no to. “You can still see Moon trees today.”
Discussion questions
- A small bag of seeds went around the Moon and still grew. What small thing can you plant or start today?
- What was the hardest moment in The Moon trees's story? What did The Moon trees do?
- Make two sentences about your own life with “can / can't + verb”. (From the story: “You can still see Moon trees today.”)
Student worksheet
A Match the words to their meanings
- seed (noun)
- bag (noun)
- grow (verb)
- plant (verb)
- tall (adjective)
- firefighter (noun)
- redwood (noun)
- sycamore (noun)
- a big tree with wide leaves and white and grey bark
- big from the bottom to the top
- a person whose job is to stop fires
- a very tall tree with red-brown wood, from California
- to put a seed or a young tree in the ground (past: planted)
- a thing we carry other things in
- a small thing that a new plant grows from
- to get bigger (past: grew)
B Complete the sentences from the story
tall · firefighter · planted · sycamore · seeds · grow · redwoods · bags
- The Moon tree at NASA Goddard is a .
- Stuart Roosa was a in the forests.
- Today, some Moon trees are very .
- Little green trees started to .
- The astronaut took tree into space.
- The seeds were in small .
- Some Moon trees are .
- People Moon trees all over America.
C Did you understand?
- Stuart Roosa was a firefighter when he was young.True / False
- How many times did the seeds go around the Moon?
- 34 times
- 4 times
- 100 times
- 1 time
- Stuart Roosa walked on the Moon.True / False
- What happened to the bags back on Earth?
- They broke open.
- They got lost.
- They went to the Moon again.
- Nothing happened.
- The seeds from space did not grow.True / False
- In 2022, new seeds flew around the Moon.True / False
D Put the words in order
- today / can / still / see / trees / Moon / You
E Grammar: can / can't + verb
We use it for to say what is possible or not possible now — can + verb, no -s and no to. A seed grows → A seed can grow · I see → I can see · A tree can't walk.
Example from the story: You can still see Moon trees today.
- Birds fly. (can / cans / can to)
- A tree walk. (can't / can't to / doesn't can)
- Today, you can Moon trees in many parks. (see / sees / to see)
F Your turn
Retell The Moon trees's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Answer key
A. 1g 2f 3h 4e 5b 6c 7d 8a
B. 1 sycamore · 2 firefighter · 3 tall · 4 grow · 5 seeds · 6 bags · 7 redwoods · 8 planted
C. 1 True · 2 a · 3 False · 4 a · 5 False · 6 True
D. 1 You can still see Moon trees today.
E. 1 can · 2 can't · 3 see
Transcript
An astronaut took tree seeds around the Moon.
Can seeds from space grow?
This is the story of the Moon trees.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
Seed. A new plant grows from a seed.
The astronaut took tree seeds into space.
Bag. We carry things in a bag.
The seeds were in small bags.
Grow. When things grow, they get bigger.
Little green trees started to grow.
Plant. When you plant a tree, you put it in the ground.
People planted Moon trees all over America.
Tall. A tall tree goes up and up.
Today, some Moon trees are very tall.
Now, one pattern: can or can't, plus a verb.
It says what is possible or not.
A seed grows.
A seed can grow.
You can still see Moon trees today.
Ready? Let's begin.
The astronaut's name was Stuart Roosa.
When he was young, he was a firefighter.
He jumped from planes into forests to fight fires!
So in 1971, tree scientists gave him small bags of seeds.
The seeds went around the Moon 34 times!
Back on Earth, the bags went into a special machine.
Suddenly, they broke open!
The seeds went everywhere.
Maybe the seeds can't grow now.
Scientists planted the seeds.
Then little green trees started to grow.
More than 400 trees grew!
Yes, seeds from space can grow!
Around 1976, people planted Moon trees all over America.
Today, some Moon trees are very tall, taller than a house!
You can still see Moon trees today.
And in 2022, new seeds flew around the Moon.
Now there are new Moon trees, too!
Let's review. The astronaut took tree seeds into space.
The seeds were in small bags.
Little green trees started to grow.
People planted Moon trees all over America.
Today, some Moon trees are very tall.
And remember: you can still see Moon trees today.
The Moon trees' story teaches us: a small bag of seeds can go very far, and still grow.
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