Goal: Students will practice using academic and topic-specific vocabulary to describe scientific discoveries and innovations, developing fluency in explaining significance and process.
Warm-Up: Matching Discoveries to Innovators and Dates
Before we dive into today's topic, let’s test your background knowledge. Below is a list of famous scientific discoveries and inventions. Try to match each discovery with the correct innovator and the approximate year it occurred. Don’t worry if you’re not sure—guessing is part of the fun! Discuss your answers in pairs before we check as a class.
Discoveries/Inventions
- 1. Penicillin
- 2. The Telephone
- 3. Theory of Relativity
- 4. CRISPR Gene Editing
- 5. Radioactivity
- 6. The Light Bulb
- 7. Laws of Motion
- 8. Structure of DNA
Innovators & Dates
- A. Isaac Newton – 1687
- B. Thomas Edison – 1879
- C. Alexander Fleming – 1928
- D. James Watson & Francis Crick – 1953
- E. Jennifer Doudna & Emmanuelle Charpentier – 2012
- F. Alexander Graham Bell – 1876
- G. Albert Einstein – 1905
- H. Marie Curie – 1898
Discussion Questions: Which of these discoveries do you think had the biggest impact? Why?
Vocabulary Focus
Students are introduced to key terms for this unit. These are discussed in context through short example sentences, then practiced orally.
| Word | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Invention | A new device, method, or process developed through study and experimentation. | The invention of the internet has transformed communication. |
| Discovery | The act of finding something for the first time, often something that already exists. | The discovery of electricity changed how people live and work. |
| Breakthrough | An important development or achievement that solves a major problem. | The development of the COVID-19 vaccine was a major medical breakthrough. |
| Hypothesis | An idea or explanation that you then test through study and experimentation. | The scientist formed a hypothesis about the effects of heat on the material. |
| Trial | A test of something new to discover how well it works. | Clinical trials are necessary before a medicine is approved. |
| Methodology | A system of methods used in a particular area of study or activity. | The study’s methodology was designed to minimize bias. |
| Synthetic | Made by combining chemicals or artificial substances rather than from natural materials. | Synthetic fabrics like nylon are used in many clothes today. |
Grammar Focus: Past Passive Forms
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