A Night of Stargazing

Source written for Revision Library (original, copyright-free). Written specifically for this grammar worksheet pack; not derived from or based on any published work, past paper or copyrighted text.

Year 6 gathered on the school field just after sunset; the sky was already turning a deep, inky blue. Mr Adeyemi had promised the class an evening they would never forget, and nobody wanted to miss a single minute of it. The playground grew quiet as everyone found a space on the grass; small groups whispered excitedly about what they might see. Three items were essential for the night ahead: a torch, for finding the way across the dark field; a warm blanket, for sitting comfortably on the grass; and a flask of hot chocolate, for keeping everyone's hands warm. Zara had never looked through a telescope before; she fumbled with the tripod until Mr Adeyemi showed her how the eyepiece worked. Within minutes, the class had found Jupiter through the lens; its four largest moons appeared as tiny points of light beside the planet. Someone spotted a satellite drifting silently across the sky; within seconds, three other pairs of eyes were tracking it too. Dan wanted to see a shooting star more than anything else; he stared upwards until his neck began to ache. Just before nine o'clock, a bright streak flashed across the sky, and the whole field erupted into cheers. Nobody complained about the cold walk back to the minibus; it had been the best science lesson of the year.