TeachingEnglish | Lesson plans

Topic: Talking About the Future - a one-hour revision lesson Aims

To help students talk about the future To review 4 ways to talk about the future To help students choose the most appropriate future tense To develop students communication skills

Level: B1 Introduction In this simple lesson you will allow students chance to speak freely about different aspects of their future life while guiding them with their help! to the best available grammar forms in order to do so" It is intended as a revision hour# maybe useful ahead of a programme of study involving the future forms in which you introduce new language beyond that they will have learned at A$" Materials and Preparation %ou will need some strips of paper with future functions on# ideally with some blu tac on the reverse" &ee &tage $" %ou can also make copies of the grammar auction worksheet or choose your own items# see &tage '" Procedure Stage 1 Open discussion (ut students in pairs# and direct their attention to the board where they will read the following) Talk for a minute about each of the following: Your arrangements for this evening Your intentions for the rest of the year Your predictions for the planet for 2020 *y means of a gesture get them to start" I dont offer the slightest insight into what I want nor e+pect from them" I dont inter,ect nor correct unless theyre well off track!# I ,ust want them to talk" *y this level they have already met all the tenses we are going to be using# so there will be no actual teaching# but as very often they misuse the forms to some considerable degree# there will be plenty of opportunity for revision" Stage 2
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TeachingEnglish | Lesson plans

Matching functions to grammar As they are talking# I 2uickly draw a simple diagram on the board representing the four main forms of the future that *1 students are familiar with# thus) (resent &imple 3oing to 4 infinitive

(resent .ontinuous

5ill 4 infinitive

5ithout drawing reference to the previous activity# I draw their attention to this table and then hand them# in their pairs# a set of situations6functions each on separate strips of paper with blu tac on the reverse" Their ,ob now is to pair the situations6functions to one of the grammar forms and they do so physically# by coming to the board and sticking them on" The situations are usually along these lines with suggested answers in case the ambiguity of the 7nglish future tenses has e+tended to teachers too !" *e sure to mi+ the order# and give all of them to each pair" Timetabled events, e.g. TV programme or train departure ersonal arrangements redictions #when you can see the evidence$ redictions #based on no evidence$ %eneral future intentions #not arranged$ 'ecisions made at the time of speaking romises 'ecisions already made (ffers, refusals %ou may choose not to include all of these# or add more" 8ave students come and stick the situations on the board in the right bo+ or the wrong bo+!" ! " %T & %T & & %T &

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TeachingEnglish | Lesson plans

5hen the board is full# ask the class to correct# by moving any misplaced items# and then let them study it for a few moments" 9eal with 2uestions as they arise# but dont ask any yourself" Stage An improved version of Stage 1 :ow# without any further input from you# change the original pairs and tell students that they are going to repeat &tage 1# but this time using the correct or should I say# recommended;! grammar forms" They should tell their new partner what they told the first one but this time# where its a personal arrangement# they should now be using the present continuous" Any prediction for $0$0 could surely not be based on evidence# so they need to be using will" 5hile they do it this time# I monitor and correct" Stage ! Group feedback At this point# perhaps another ten minutes later# I bring the class together and we talk about whats been said# in the third person" <ne of the pair will tell the class what their partner said after prompting from me# for e+ample I might ask# )and what are *i+han,s arrangements for this evening, -rik./ to which 7rik would hopefully reply somewhere along the lines of )she,s eating out with some friends this evening./ I never know whether to correct people when they say# )she,s going to eat out this evening/ because as such# its not wrong# but still lies contrary to the focus of this lesson" I suppose theres no e+act science in this regard# and although I generally suggest the modification to the present continuous# it pays to play it by ear" After this group discussion# which can last up to fifteen minutes especially if we develop the prediction section!# we are ready to focus a little more on the technicalities of the grammar# but still without involving formal study"

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TeachingEnglish | Lesson plans

Stage " Grammar Auction There are variations on the game and some of them are less teacher-centred than my approach" Ill offer you the basic version and invite you to adapt it to suit"
1. (ut students into groups of three or four" Id say a ma+imum of si+ groups

is best# although when I played it with seven it went <=# so see how it feels in your classroom"
2. Introduce the idea of an auction# including teaching words such as

auction, item, lot, bid" If you have the internet in your classroom# you could find a clip of an auction on %ouTube to show them to make sure theyve got the idea"
3. Tell them they are going to attend an auction and bid for items" The items

are 7nglish sentences to talk about the future" >ake it very clear to them that they must <:L% bid for sentences that they think are grammatically correct" The winners are those who buy the most correct sentences" In the event of a tie# the victory is determined by who has most money left"!
4. 8and out the lists of sentences# below or write your own! and ask the

students to study them to decide which are correct# i"e" which they want to buy# and why they are right or wrong although you dont ask them for this during the auction itself" :or should you confirm or deny if they are right at this stage# wait until later!" 9o not let them broadcast their choices or share answers with other teams" '" Allocate ?10#000 to each team" *efore bidding starts# remind them you may need to! that they should not attempt to buy sentences they believe to be incorrect" Add that they can only increase bids in ?'00 increments# or they will try to bid single dollars which is pointless" @" Take your copy of the sentences and cut them up" These then become individual items which you take in random order" A" *egin the bidding" Im no auctioneer but the more spirit you put into this# the better it will go" &tart each item at ?'00 and take it from there" Bemember to deduct money from the starting total after each sale" C" 5hen all the sentences have been sold# ask each group to count their sentences and then they can be checked" I check by asking the group with least to start" They read the sentences in turn# and I write them on the board" Then I ask everybody if they are correct# and as a group we discuss the grammar and the reasons for using it"
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TeachingEnglish | Lesson plans

This is where I become more the traditional teacher# e+plaining anything where necessary" 8owever I have always found that for a relatively strong group who only need reminding of the correct forms# this lesson is a very good way to tidy up the basic future tenses" 5hen this is over# you will see who has won" I dont always do this# but a bit of chocolate is a nice reward for their endeavours# and obviously they are encouraged to share it out" !ee suggested 01tems, below. *rief note) Although according to the grammar some of the sentences above could be considered incorrect# they may pass as correct depending on modern 7nglish usage" This has to be the teachers decision" Im not a total purist# but I see the value in grammar and therefore Im never smoking again# although acceptable# would be better replaced with Im never going to smoke again in that it is an intention and not a personal arrangement" The case continues"""! To finish the lesson# I ask them 2uite interestedly what they are doing that evening" And they almost always tell me correctly"

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TeachingEnglish | Lesson plans

#rammar Auction 1$ I%m going to eat at m& 'riends% house this evening$ 2$ Loo( at that man on the roo'$ )e%ll 'all* $ These +lac( clouds tell me it%s going to rain$ !$ The train ,ill leave at seven o%cloc($ "$ -e.t Sunda& I ,ill pla& gol' ,ith Bill /linton$ 0$ Ital& ,ill ,in the 1orld /up in 221!$ 3$ I%m ,ashing m& hair tonight$ 4$ This &ear I%m going to read more$ 5$ 1hat ,ill &ou do tonight6 12$ I%m never smo(ing again$ 11$ I go to universit& ne.t &ear$

#rammar Auction 1$ I%m going to eat at m& 'riends% house this evening$ 2$ Loo( at that man on the roo'$ )e%ll 'all* $ These +lac( clouds tell me it%s going to rain$ !$ The train ,ill leave at seven o%cloc($ "$ -e.t Sunda& I ,ill pla& gol' ,ith Bill /linton$ 0$ Ital& ,ill ,in the 1orld /up in 221!$ 3$ I%m ,ashing m& hair tonight$ 4$ This &ear I%m going to read more$ 5$ 1hat ,ill &ou do tonight6 12$ I%m never smo(ing again$ 11$ I go to universit& ne.t &ear$

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