Monday
Monday 6th February
Complete the first 20 questions.
09.02.26
LC: To investigate angles in quadrilaterals
Monday 9th February
LC: To write a biography using cohesive devices.
Martin Luther King’s Speech
The Last Message from Europa
The ice cracked beneath Kian’s boots as he stepped out of the research pod.
Above him, Jupiter loomed — a giant striped planet filling half the sky. Its storms flashed silently like distant lightning.
Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, was meant to be empty. Frozen. Lifeless.
But the signal had said otherwise.
Three days earlier, Earth’s deep-space scanners had picked up a repeating transmission from beneath Europa’s icy crust. Not random noise. A pattern.
A message.
Kian adjusted the scanner strapped to his arm. The beeping grew faster as he walked across the shimmering surface.
“Control, I’m approaching the source,” he said.
Static answered.
The storm clouds around Jupiter had blocked communications again.
Typical.
The scanner led him to a narrow crack in the ice, glowing faintly blue.
Warm air rose from below — impossible on a frozen moon.
Kian knelt and shone his torch into the opening.
Far beneath, something moved.
Not a shadow.
Not a reflection.
A shape.
It was smooth and silver, pulsing softly like a heartbeat.
Then a voice echoed up through the ice — not loud, but clear inside his helmet.
“We have been waiting.”
Kian stumbled back, his breath fogging the visor.
“Who are you?” he whispered.
The light beneath the ice brightened.
“The ones who lived here before the cold came. You carry the warmth of stars.”
Kian’s hands shook.
“You sent the signal?”
“Yes. Our world is dying. And now… so is yours.”
The scanner suddenly flashed red.
Radiation levels rising.
Ice fracturing.
Something was happening beneath the surface — something powerful.
“You must listen carefully, human,” the voice said.
“Because what we know may be the only way your planet survives.”
The ground trembled.
And then the transmission cut out.
Silence.
Retrieval Questions
-
1. Where is Kian exploring?
-
2. Which planet fills half the sky above him?
-
3. What had Earth’s scanners detected three days earlier?
-
4. Why couldn’t Kian speak to Control properly?
-
5. What colour was the light coming from the crack in the ice?
-
6. Describe the shape Kian sees beneath the surface.
-
7. What two problems does the scanner warn about near the end?
Inference & Reasoning
-
1. Why do you think the author describes Jupiter as “looming”? What effect does this create?
-
2. The voice says, “You carry the warmth of stars.”
What might this mean about humans or Earth? -
3. Why might the creatures have waited until now to send a signal?
-
4. What clues suggest something dangerous is happening beneath the ice?
-
5. Do you think the beings are trying to help humans, or could they be a threat?
Use evidence from the text to support your view.
Monday 9th February
LC: To investigate the location of major earthquake zones