How can I start a lesson on meteorites with a strong hook?
Use a mystery object, a real fireball video, a news story, a surprising fact or a question such as 'What is the oldest thing you have ever touched?'
A good hook captures attention and makes pupils want to find out more. Meteorites lend themselves to memorable openings.
Mystery object. Place a meteorite, replica or photograph in a sealed box or under a cloth. Give clues one at a time: 'It is older than the Earth', 'It has travelled for millions of years', 'It arrived here in a fireball'. Pupils guess what it is.
Fireball video. Show a short clip of a dramatic fireball, such as the Chelyabinsk event in 2013 or a dashcam recording of a bright meteor. Ask pupils what they think they saw.
News story. Share a headline about a recent meteorite fall or an asteroid flyby. Ask: what questions does this raise?
Surprising facts. Start with a statement such as 'Tonnes of space dust land on Earth every day' or 'Some rocks on Earth came from Mars'. Ask pupils whether they think it is true or false, and why.
Big question. Pose a question to answer by the end of the lesson: 'How do we know how old the Solar System is?' or 'Could a meteorite land on our school?'
Role play. Pupils imagine they are the first people to find a strange black stone after a fireball. What would they do?
Sound. Play a recording of a sonic boom from a fireball and ask pupils to guess the cause.
A hook works best when it links directly to the lesson's learning objective and is revisited at the end, so pupils can see how their thinking has changed.