Video Script — Unit 8

A Space Walk

Subject: English | Class: 4 | Series: Leeds (SNC 2020)

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Hello, students! Welcome to Unit 8 of your Leeds English textbook. Today we are going to learn about something really exciting — spacewalks! Do you know anything about space? Let us find out.

What is a spacewalk? Any time an astronaut gets out of a vehicle while in space, it is called a spacewalk. A spacewalk is also called an EVA, which stands for Extravehicular Activity. "Extra" means outside, "vehicular" means vehicle, and "activity" means doing something. So EVA means doing something outside the vehicle in space.

The first person to go on a spacewalk was Alexei Leonov. He was from Russia. The first spacewalk happened on March 18, 1965. It was only 10 minutes long. Today, astronauts go on spacewalks outside the International Space Station. Modern spacewalks usually last between five and eight hours, depending on the job.

Why do astronauts go on spacewalks? There are many reasons. First, astronauts can do science experiments during a spacewalk. This lets scientists learn how being in space affects different things. Second, spacewalks let astronauts test new equipment. Third, they can repair satellites or spacecraft that are in space. By going on spacewalks, astronauts can fix things in space instead of bringing them all the way back to Earth.

How do astronauts go on spacewalks? When astronauts go on spacewalks, they wear special spacesuits to keep themselves safe. Inside the spacesuit, astronauts have all the oxygen they need to breathe, the water they need to drink, and everything else they need. Astronauts put on their spacesuits several hours before a spacewalk to get ready. They leave the spacecraft through a special door called an airlock. After the spacewalk, they come back inside through the same airlock.

How do astronauts stay safe during spacewalks? They use safety tethers to stay close to their spacecraft. Tethers are like ropes. One end is hooked to the spacewalker, and the other end is connected to the vehicle. The safety tethers keep astronauts from floating away into space. Astronauts also tether their tools to their spacesuits so the tools do not float away either.

How do astronauts train for spacewalks? One way is by going for a swim! Floating in space is a lot like floating in water. Astronauts train seven hours in a swimming pool for every one hour they will spend on a spacewalk. Another way astronauts practise is by using virtual reality. This is like playing a video game. Astronauts wear a helmet and gloves with a video screen inside. A video of what they will see during a spacewalk is shown on the screen. When the astronaut moves, the special gloves allow the movements to be shown in the video. This helps them practise with fun.

Now let us learn some important vocabulary from this lesson. "Equipment" means tools. "Floating" means moving freely. "Repair" means to fix something. "Several" means many. And "allow" means to let.

In this unit, we also learned about compound words. Compound words are formed when two or more words are joined together to make a new word with a new meaning. For example, "butterfly" is made from "butter" and "fly." "Newspaper" is made from "news" and "paper." "Underground" is made from "under" and "ground." "Keyboard" is made from "key" and "board." Can you think of more compound words?

We also practised short vowel sounds. The short "a" sound is in words like hat, mat, and fan. The short "e" sound is in words like bet, hen, and fell. The short "i" sound is in words like hit, fit, and dim. The short "o" sound is in words like dot, hop, and rot. And the short "u" sound is in words like nut, hut, and cut.

Let us do a quick recap. A spacewalk, or EVA, is when an astronaut leaves a spacecraft in space. The first spacewalk was by Alexei Leonov in 1965. Astronauts go on spacewalks to do experiments, test equipment, and repair things in space. They wear spacesuits, use safety tethers, and train in swimming pools and with virtual reality. We also learned about compound words, short vowel sounds, and how to introduce ourselves.

Space is full of wonders! Keep learning, keep exploring, and who knows — maybe one day you will be an astronaut too! Thank you for watching!