Preview · the opening missionThis lesson teaches science and English together (CLIL: content and language integrated learning). It is written for students learning English at about CEFR B1.
| Students will… | |
|---|---|
| Science | Test roof designs in a strong wind, and explain that wind lifts a roof by pushing up under the edges while fast air over the top pulls up. Compare solutions that hold a roof down. |
| Language: words | Use the key words: typhoon, wind, roof, wall, overhang, tie down, sandbag, weight, lift, damage. |
| Language: speaking | Give a cause and an effect: The roof blew off because ___. Use if: If the overhang is long, the wind can push under it. |
| Language: writing | Write a short safety plan with should, must and because, using a result from the class data. |
Before the lesson: teach the key words with real objects. Hold a sheet of card flat in front of the fan to show lift, put a rice bag on it to show weight, and fold one edge to show an overhang. The Key words worksheet has English and Vietnamese, with a space to draw each word.
Look inside the PDF
Sample pages, stamped “preview”. The download is the clean, full lesson.
In the full lesson PDF
- Mission (5 min)
- Predict (5 min)
- Hunt (25 min)
- Reveal (10–15 min)
- Act (10 min)
- Background for the teacher
- Assessment
- Student sheet
- Worksheet: Key words
- Worksheet: Talk about it
- Worksheet: Label the roof in the wind
- Worksheet: Try it at home
On the student sheet
- My prediction
- Our results
- Class results
- Graph it
- My safety plan for Mai's uncle
- Exit ticket
- Key words
- Talk about it
- Label the roof in the wind
- Try it at home
US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white. The student sheet is on its own page, ready to photocopy.
Free with an account (any 3 lessons), or US$19 / C$25 for all 3 lessons in this unit.
What students show by the end
- Tests fairly and records
- Explains how wind lifts a roof
- Uses evidence to design
From the lesson’s rubric, which scores each one as not yet, getting there or got it.
Questions teachers ask
How long does “How can a roof survive a typhoon?” take?
60 min, or two 35-minute periods. Group size: teams of 3.
How much prep does it need?
20 minutes: make one sample house so you know how it works. Mark the floor or a table with tape at 80, 60, 40 and 20 cm from the front of the fan, and label the marks Wind level 1, 2, 3 and 4. Fill small zip bags with 20 g of rice each.
What materials do I need?
Small cardboard box, such as a shoebox or tissue box, for the house walls; thin card, A4, for roofs; desk fan with a high setting, or a hair dryer on the COOL setting; small zip bags with 20 g of rice (the 'sandbags'); string; masking tape; and 3 more. Cost: about $10 for a class of 30 if you have a fan; about $25 if you need to buy one.
Which curriculum standards does it cover?
NGSS (US): MS-ESS2-1, MS-ESS2-2, MS-ESS3-2, MS-ETS1-2 and MS-ETS1-3.
What’s in the lesson PDF?
A teacher guide that walks you through mission, predict, hunt, reveal, act, background for the teacher and assessment, then a student sheet (“My prediction”, “Our results”, “Class results”, “Graph it”, “My safety plan for Mai's uncle”, “Exit ticket”, “Key words”, “Talk about it”, “Label the roof in the wind” and “Try it at home”) on its own page, ready to photocopy. It’s US Letter and prints cleanly in black and white.
Can I try it for free?
Yes. A free account includes any 3 full lessons of your choice, and this can be one of them. After that, this unit is US$19 (C$25) for all 3 lessons, yours to keep, or every lesson is US$79 (C$109) a year.