Lesson Level: Senior Duration: 45 Minutes
Lesson Title: Life In the Future
Grammar and Vocabulary
Use of “will”/”might”/”may for predicting future events.
Use of phrases indicating degrees of certainty.
Use of phrases to express agreement/ disagreement.
Lesson Objectives
Students will be able to express opinions about the likelihood of future events and express agreement or disagreement in discussions of future events.
Materials Required
This lesson uses Practical Oral English Senior 2 Autumn
It can be delivered without reference to the book though the texts in Note 1 would need to be distributed to students.
Worksheet (see Note 2)
Preparation
Print worksheet (and text from book if necessary.)
Procedure
1
Write “Life In The Future: Predictions” on the board.
Elicit the meaning of “prediction”. (Saying what you think will happen)
2
Refer students to page 25 of text book.
Read out the text from page 25/26. (First text only)
Ask three or four students if they think any of these predictions will come true and why.
3
Put students into groups of four to six.
Read the second text.
Write on board
Each group: Do you think any of Andrew Smith’s predictions will come true? Discuss them in your group. You must say why you agree or disagree.
Also write these phrases
I think / I don’t think / In my opinion / I agree / I disagree /
Monitor and assist in discussions.
4
Tell class that sometimes predictions come true but sometimes they are very very wrong.
Give copies of worksheet to each group. EMPHASISE THAT THEY MUST NOT WRITE ON THEM
5.
Write instructions for first task on board and check understanding.
Each group: Look at these famous wrong predictions. Check that you understand them. For each one choose one of the years when you think it was made.
Allow only a very short time for this task.
Get feedback and give correct answers.
6
Write instructions for second task.
Each group: Look at the new predictions. Answer the questions about them.
7
Check understanding and explain any new vocabulary.
Monitor and assist discussions.
Elicit feedback.
Extension task
Get each group to make their own prediction about the future. Ask groups to tell the class their predictions and ask other students if they agree or disagree with them.
Notes
1, Texts from the book.
First text:
Life in the future will be very different from today. Many people have different views on how the future will look. Some say that eventually we will all live on water because all the land will disappear under the sea. Some say we will all live on different planets because we will be able to fly to outer space easily. Some say that cars will be able to fly. Some say that robots will become intelligent and become part of society.
Whatever the future is, we can only use our imagination to try and foresee what the future will look like.
Second text:
Andrew Smith believes that many people will live on the moon in the very near future. He believes that people will be able to go to different planets for holidays. He also believes that there are other life forms in the solar system who will become apart of our society in the future.
2. Worksheet teacher copy
DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PAPER
Here are some predictions people have made about the future that were wrong.
Read the predictions. For each one when do you think it was made? (Which year?)
There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home. (1977)
This ‘telephone’ cannot be a serious form of communication. It is of no use. (1876)
Heavier than air flying machines are impossible. (1895)
Nobody wants to hear actors talk. (1927)
Computers in the future may weigh as little as one and a half tons. (1949)
High speed travel is impossible because people wouldn’t be able to breathe and would die. (1830)
Television will never last. (1946)
Man will never land on the moon regardless of all future advances in science, (1957)
The world will end on Friday, Oct. 21 (2011)
Now look at these predictions and try to answer these questions for each one.
1.Do you think it will ever happen?
2.Why/ why not?
3.If you think it will happen, when do you think it will happen?
A.Time travel will become real.
B.America will have a female President.
C.Scientists will be able to create dinosaurs (like Jurassic park.)
D.A hotel will open on the moon.
E.Everybody in the world will speak Chinese.
F.Everybody in the world will speak English.
G.There will be a nuclear war.
H.Tigers will become extinct.
I.People will live to be 200 years old.
J.People will travel in flying cars.
DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PAPER
3. Worksheet Student Copy
DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PAPER
Here are some predictions people have made about the future that were wrong.
Read the predictions. For each one when do you think it was made? (Which year?)
There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.
This ‘telephone’ cannot be a serious form of communication. It is of no use.
Heavier than air flying machines are impossible.
Nobody wants to hear actors talk.
Computers in the future may weigh as little as one and a half tons.
High speed travel is impossible because people wouldn’t be able to breathe and would die.
Television will never last.
Man will never land on the moon regardless of all future advances in science,
The world will end on Friday, Oct. 21
(1830, 1876, 1895, 1927, 146, 1949, 1957, 1977, 2011)
Now look at these predictions and try to answer these questions for each one.
1.Do you think it will ever happen?
2.Why/ why not?
3.If you think it will happen, when do you think it will happen?
A.Time travel will become real.
B.America will have a female President.
C.Scientists will be able to create dinosaurs (like Jurassic park.)
D.A hotel will open on the moon.
E.Everybody in the world will speak Chinese.
F.Everybody in the world will speak English.
G.There will be a nuclear war.
H.Tigers will become extinct.
I.People will live to be 200 years old.
J.People will travel in flying cars.
DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PAPER
