2012: Future Perfect

This movie is about the predictions of the end of the world in 2012, but it ended up being just an adventure movie with action and fight for survival. I'm sure this topic will be recurrent as we get closer to 2012, so this activity comes in good times. I used this scene for the practice of the future perfect tense.


A. Read the predictions below. Check the ones the characters in the segment previewed that will occur.



( ) 1. The earth will expire on 2012.

( ) 2. The sun will emit an extreme amount of radiation that the core of the earth will melt.

( ) 3. Men will find ways to stop the destruction of the planet.

( ) 4. This incident will leave the crust of the earth free to shift.

( ) 5. There will be earth crust displacement.

( ) 6. The world will come to an end on December 21st, 2012.

( ) 7. Humankind will be terminated.



B. Now rewrite the sentences above using the past perfect tense after the expression "By December 21st, 2012..."



Ex:



1. By 12/21/12, the earth will have expired.

2. ...........................................
3 ...........................................
4 ............................................
5 ............................................
6 ............................................
7 ...........................................



Talk to a partner:

1.What do you think about these predictions?.Do you believe them? Why (not)?

2.Do you think the world will end one day? Why (not)?

3.What would you do if you really knew the world would end in December 2012? Why would you do it?

4.Why have men always foreseen the end of days throughout history?

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Answer Key:

A.

Incorrect items: 2 and 7.

B. By 12/21/2012,

2. The sun will have emitted ... and the core of the earth will have melted.

3. Men won't have found ...

4. This incident will have left...

5. There will have been...

6. The world will have come ...

7. Humankind will not have been terminated.

Year One: Future with Be Going To

This movie has funny moments, but I don't strongly recommend it. This scene is appropriate to contrast the uses of be going to in order to express the future.

Read the sentences that were taken from or made about the segment from the movie Year One. Decide the reason the structure to be going to is used and write it in the parentheses.

A. To refer to our plans and intentions: We're going to move to London next year. (= the plan is in our minds now.)

B. To make predictions based on present evidence: Look at those clouds - it's going to pour with rain! (= It's clear from what I can see now.)

1. I'm going to change my head. ( )

2. I'm going to eat the forbidden fruit. ( )

3. Eating a fruit is not going to change your entire life. ( )

4. He's going to ask some questions to test if his friend got more intelligent. ( )

5. The snake is going to constrict him. ( )

6. The snake is going to eat him. ( )

7. He's going to die a virgin. ( )

8. I'm going to go eat more fruit. ( )

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Answer key:
1.A

2.A

3.B

4.A

5.B

6.B

7.B

8.A

Surrogates: Passive Voice with Future Tenses

The original idea of the movie plot is amazing. I liked the movie from the very beginning, which is intriguing and perfect for this activity I planned in order to teach passive voice with future tenses, the grammar point I'm teaching my Thomas Prime 8 students this week.

A. Watch the movie segment. The segment takes place in the year 2024 and talks about what will happen from today until 2024. The movie starts 14 years ago, 2010. Take a look at the timeline of the scientific developments that took place in the next 14 years and rewrite the sentences you saw in the segment in the passive voice.

B. Rewrite the sentences from the movie in the passive voice.

2011

1. In 2011, monkeys will operate mechanical arms with nothing but their thoughts.

In 2011, _______________________ with nothing but their thoughts.

2. Physically disabled people are going to operate fully synthetic bodies.

__________________________________.

2014

3. We are going to see this more and more.

__________________________________ more and more.

4. We will witness an event of evolutionary significance.

___________________________________.

2018

5. Over 98% of the world population will use a surrogate in all facets of their daily lives.

___________________________________ in all facets of their daily lives.

6. We are going to see crime rates record lows.

__________________________________.

2021

7. By 2024, a minority will have opposed surrogates.

By 2024, ____________________________.

8. Many people will have seen this as the invasion of the inhuman.

____________________________ as the invasion of the inhuman.

9. They will have established surrogacy-free zones in major cities around the country.

__________________________________ in major cities around the country.

2024

10. People had predicted that surrogates would solve all their problems.

People had predicted that ______________________.

11. They had believed that one day the future was going to bring nothing but happiness.

They had believed that one day _______________________.

B. Discuss the following questions in pairs.

1. What's your opinion about the segment. Do you think it will actually happen in the future?

2. Do you think that surrogates are a good idea? Explain it.

3. Would you like to have a surrogate for you and your family? Why (not)?

4. If you would, what would you use it for?

5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having surrogates among us?

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Anwer key:

1. mechanical arms will be operated by monkeys

2. fully synthetic bodies are going to be operated by physically disabled people.

3. this is going to be seen

4. an event of evolutionary significance will be witnessed

5. a surrogate will be used by 98% of the world population

6. crime rates record lows are going to be seen

7. surrogates will have been opposed by a minority

8. this will have been seen

9. surrogacy-free zones will have been established

10. all their problems would be solved by surrogates

11. nothing but happiness was going to be brought by the future

City of Ember: Future Continuous

This movie is for children and teens but it has a great message for the whole family. I enjoyed watching it. The opening scenes are great for the students to practice the future continuous tense in a contextualized manner.



A. Imagine the following situation:



On the day the world ended, the fate of mankind was carried in a metal box. Scientists and engineers met and decided to build an underground city to protect people for the next generations. they will keep the people in the city for 200 years hoping the world will be inhabitable then. In the box, there are instructions about how to leave the underground city. The people in this city, Ember, do not know there is an outside world.



B. Check the alternatives with the information you think will be taking place in Ember when the box opens in 200 years.


( ) 1. People still live underground
( ) 2. Citizens experience several power blackouts during the day.
( ) 3. The world is falling apart
( ) 4. Children live for playing.
( ) 5. Teens work hard
( ) 6. The city mayor will determine the population’s occupations.
( ) 7. People live in comfortable houses
( ) 8. People face serious difficulties
( ) 9. People own modern cars.
( ) 10. People work as engineers, doctors and scientists.
( ) 11. People work as electricians, potato peelers and messengers.
( ) 12. Citizens work on computers.


C. Now watch the segment and check if you were right.


D. Now rewrite 8 of the sentences in exercise B using the future continuous tense.


Ex: People will still be living underground.

1 ...............................................................................

2...............................................................................

3...............................................................................

4..............................................................................

5.............................................................................

6..............................................................................

7..............................................................................

8.............................................................................


Answer Key:

The true sentences are:
1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10.


How to prepare your own video activity:

- Select a scene in that takes place in the future.

- The scene must contain a time marker so that the students can use the future continuous tense meaningfully.

- Write a few sentences with possible alternatives for what will be taking plave when something else happens (the time marker). Use the simple present tense.

- The students watch the scene and decide which ones are true.

- The students rewrite the sentences using the grammar goal.






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I, Robot: Future - Will

This segment provides you with an excellent opportunity to have students practice "will" to talk about the future. Here you can integrate listening, speaking and grammar in a contextualized manner. Besides, the segment is so gripping, full of food for thought and conversation!

Before watching the segment:

Discuss the following questions with a partner:

1) Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?

2) How different will your city be in the year 2035?

3) How would you describe your city in 2035?

4) What will be better and what will be worse then?

5) Do you think robots will be common in 2035?

6) What tasks will robots have?

7) Will life be better if humans share their space with robots?

8) Would you like to have a personal robot to help/protect you?

Read the sentences below. Check the ones that you think will be true in Chicago, 2035.

( ) All electronic appliances are modern.

( ) People live in very comfortable homes.

( ) Mail is delivered by robots.

( ) People and robots share the streets.

( ) Robots walk dogs for their owners.

( ) Litter collecting is done by robots.

( ) People wear the same kinds of clothes we do today.

( ) Robots rob people.

( ) Robots protect people.

Now watch the movie segments and write the sentences above using will/won't, according to what you see in the segment.

Ex:1 -Not all electronic appliances will be modern.

2 - People won't live in comfortable homes.

3 - Mail will be delivered by robots.


Talk to a prtner:
1 - Do you think the film shows a possible reality of the future? Justify it.
2 - Would you like to live in a world like the one in the movie? Why (not)?
3 - What did you like best about the future presented in the segment?

How to develop your own video activity:

- Select a scene that takes place in the future.

- Have students work in pairs to predict what the future will be like in the future.

- Write some sentences with true and false information about the futur, according to the movie segment.

- The students check the ones they believe will be true by then.

- The students write affirmative or negative statements with the target grammar point about the items you have developed for the warm-up exercise.

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I Am Legend: Future Perfect

This segment is excellent for the students to practice the future perfect tense. The segment is thought-provoking and chilling. The students have to use their imagination to predict the future.

Discuss the following questions with a partner:


1 - Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future? Justify your answer.

2 - Do you think mankind will ever discover a cure for cancer?

3 - Will human beings be free from diseases in the future? Why (not)?

4 - What would a city like New York look like if all of its inhabitants had to evacuate it in a hurry?

5 - What would you do if you and your best friend could be alone in New York for a week, without any other inhabitants around? Would you enjoy this experience? What would you do there?


Now imagine that NY City had to be completely evacuated because of a very destructive virus. Check what you believe would happen to NY if such situation did happen.

( ) The streets would become extremely filthy.

( ) People would abandon their cars everywhere.

( ) Wild animals would escape from the zoo to look for food around the city.

( ) Animals would take control of the city.

( ) Some people would hide in the buildings to steal stores and banks.

( ) Life in NY would become a complete chaos.

( ) Power would go off.

( ) People wouldn't drive their cars because of the lack of gas.

( ) Buildings would be destroyed by the angry population.


Now watch the movie segment and pretend you are the main character in the movie, the one played by Will Smith. Imagine that you could have warned Dr. Alice Krippin about the consequences of her unfortunate discovery. Tell her what will have happened to NY within three years from now (by the year 2012) if she tests her discovery on human beings.


Ex:

By the year 2011, NY streets will have become completely filthy.

People will have abandoned their cars everywhere.

Wild animals will have escaped from the zoo to look for food around the city.


How to develop your own video activity

- Select a scene that takes place in the future, preferably with a pessimistic view of the future.

- Ask the students to observe the changes that will have taken place on Earth.

- The students write sentences with will + have + past participle.





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WALL-E: Future Will

This movie is one of the best ever. It is creative and critical at the same time. This scene shows people in a future that is so automatized that the inhabitants of the colony don't have to make any effort to get what they need, so everyone is extremely fat! Both adults and kids will enjoy the segment.

Before watching the movie segment:

Discuss the following questions with a partner:


1) What's your opinion about living in a time in which all your activities were performed by robots and machines?

2) Would you like to to have machines do all of your physical activities for you?
3) What would the consequences be if people didn't have to exercise at all during the whole day?

4) Would life be better or worse if you had robots to do everything for you? Explain it.

5) Do you think life in 2642 will be better or worse? Justify your answer.

Now watch the movie segment and write down how different life will be in the future, according to the movie, WALL-E. Write at least 10 sentences describing what people and machines will do in the future and how people's lives will be like, according to the movie. Observe the items below and write sentences about them.


FLOATING ARMCHAIRS - COMMUNICATION - ROBOTS - SCHOOL - MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION - LUNCH TIME - BEAUTY PARLORS - CLOTHES - LEISURE TIME

Ex: People will move around in floating armchairs.

Follow-up questions:

1) Do you think people will be happier in the future, according to the movie?
2) Will the future like it was presented in the movie a possible reality? Why (not)?
3) How do you think life will be like in 2642?

Kinesthetic Game:

Group Work: Make a list of activities of things people will do in the year 2100, but that they don’t (can’t) do nowadays. Write at least 10 sentences. Be creative!

Now act out what you wrote down, whereas the other groups write down sentences, saying what the people you mimed will do in 2100.

Finally, the groups read what they came up with out loud, and you check who got closest to what had originally acted out.

How to develop your own video activity:
Assessing: Will

- Choose a segment in which the future is shown in a way that it is completely different from the present world.
- Prepare brainstorming discussion questions to activate schemata.
- Play the segment and have sts predict the future using "will".
- You may provide the students with key words to observe during the segment.







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