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.

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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