Science: A Famous Discovery
Write a short article about a scientist and an important discovery or invention, using the past simple and dates.
- Time
- 20 min
- Length
- 80-100 words
Writadia · A2 · Articles
NameClassDate
The situation
Your science and English teachers are making a "Great Discoveries" timeline for the classroom wall. Each student writes about one scientist.
Your task
Write a short article about a scientist and their discovery or invention. Include:
- who the scientist was and where they were from
- what they discovered or invented, and when
- how it changed people's lives
Writing toolkit
Open these only when you need them. Try the first draft on your own.
Plan it in steps
- Choose a scientist you know something about.
- Use the past simple and dates.
- Explain the discovery in simple words.
- Finish with why it is important today.
Useful phrases
Introducing
Explaining
Today
Tap a phrase to add it to your text. Gaps (…) are selected so you can type over them.
Vocabulary
- discover
- find something that was there beforeShe discovered radium.
- invent
- make something new for the first timeHe invented the telephone.
- experiment
- a scientific testShe did many experiments.
- laboratory
- a room for science experimentsHe worked in a laboratory.
Model answer (84 words)
Read it after you’ve written your own version. Notice the highlighted parts. The numbers explain why they work.
Aziz Sancar is a Turkish scientist from Mardin.1 He studied medicine in Istanbul and then went to the USA to do research.
He spent many years studying how our cells repair damage to DNA.2 He did thousands of experiments in his laboratory at the University of North Carolina. In 2015, he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with two other scientists.
Thanks to his work, doctors understand some illnesses, like cancer, much better today.3 He is a great example for young scientists in Turkey.
- Who and where from.
- Simple words for a difficult idea.
- Why the discovery matters.
Teacher notes
Unit link: Science (scientific discoveries and inventions; past simple; science vocabulary).
Fact check: Aziz Sancar won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work on DNA repair, shared with Tomas Lindahl and Paul Modrich.
Timeline: students' texts go on a class timeline in date order.
Extra challenge
Imagine you are a scientist in 2050. Write three sentences about your discovery.
Lesson plan
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 6 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: discover, invent, experiment, laboratory.
- 7 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “... was a scientist from ...”, “In ..., she / he discovered / invented ...”, “It was the first ... that ...”.
- 15 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (80-100 words)
- 5 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 2 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
Assessment rubric
| Criterion | 4 · Excellent | 3 · Good | 2 · Developing | 1 · Beginning | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task | All the requested information is there. | One point is missing. | Several points are missing. | Little connection to the task. | |
| Organisation | Sentences in order; and, but, because used well. | Mostly in order. | Order is confusing. | Unconnected sentences. | |
| Vocabulary | Topic words used; most spelled correctly. | Simple but enough. | A lot of repetition and spelling errors. | Words do not carry the meaning. | |
| Grammar and mechanics | Capitals, full stops and basic tenses correct. | A few errors, meaning clear. | Frequent errors, meaning sometimes lost. | Hard to understand. | |
| Total | / 16 | ||||
Each criterion scores 1–4 (total 16). Use the task checklist below to tick what the student actually did.
Task checklist
- I said who the scientist is and where they are from.
- I used the past simple and at least one date.
- I explained why the discovery is important.
Teacher comment
Peer-review sheet
Students swap texts and give each other feedback with this sheet.
Before you finish
Before you finish
- I said who the scientist is and where they are from.
- I used the past simple and at least one date.
- I explained why the discovery is important.
Writadia · A2 · Articles
Assessment rubric: Science: A Famous Discovery
| Criterion | 4 · Excellent | 3 · Good | 2 · Developing | 1 · Beginning | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task | All the requested information is there. | One point is missing. | Several points are missing. | Little connection to the task. | |
| Organisation | Sentences in order; and, but, because used well. | Mostly in order. | Order is confusing. | Unconnected sentences. | |
| Vocabulary | Topic words used; most spelled correctly. | Simple but enough. | A lot of repetition and spelling errors. | Words do not carry the meaning. | |
| Grammar and mechanics | Capitals, full stops and basic tenses correct. | A few errors, meaning clear. | Frequent errors, meaning sometimes lost. | Hard to understand. | |
| Total | / 16 | ||||
Each criterion scores 1–4 (total 16). Use the task checklist below to tick what the student actually did.
Task checklist
- I said who the scientist is and where they are from.
- I used the past simple and at least one date.
- I explained why the discovery is important.
Teacher comment
Writadia · A2 · Articles
Peer-review sheet: Science: A Famous Discovery
WriterReviewer
Read your partner’s text carefully. Be kind and specific: say why, not just “good”.
Task checklist
| Yes | Partly | No | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I said who the scientist is and where they are from. | |||
| I used the past simple and at least one date. | |||
| I explained why the discovery is important. |
Questions
- Does the text give all the information asked for?
- Does every sentence start with a capital and end with a full stop?
- Did the writer use and, but or because? Copy one example.
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Writadia · A2 · Articles
Lesson plan: Science: A Famous Discovery
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 6 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: discover, invent, experiment, laboratory.
- 7 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “... was a scientist from ...”, “In ..., she / he discovered / invented ...”, “It was the first ... that ...”.
- 15 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (80-100 words)
- 5 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 2 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
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If you used it, tell us. It helps us see which tasks work.