Teaching Future Tense in a Fun way

Future Continuous Tense

1. Future Plans: Have students talk about their future plans using the future continuous tense. For example, “I will be studying for my exam tomorrow evening.” This will help them practice forming sentences in the future continuous tense while also learning vocabulary related to future plans.
2. Predicting the Future: Give students a list of future events (e.g. “a manned mission to Mars,” “a cure for cancer,” “world peace”) and have them discuss what they think will be happening at a specific time in the future using the future continuous tense. For example, “In 2050, scientists will be developing new technologies to help us live on other planets.”
3. Role Play: Create a scenario where students need to use the future continuous tense in conversation. For example, one student could be a doctor and the other a patient. The doctor could ask, “What will you be doing when you start to feel sick?” and the patient could respond, “I will be taking my medicine and resting.” This will help students practice using the future continuous tense in a realistic context.
4. Picture Prompts: Show students pictures of people doing different activities (e.g. gardening, cooking, playing sports) and have them make predictions about what the people will be doing at a specific time in the future. For example, “At 5 pm, he will be playing basketball with his friends.”
5. Board Game: Create a board game where students need to form sentences in the future continuous tense to move their game piece. For example, they could roll a dice and land on a square that says, “At 9 pm tomorrow, you will be eating dinner with your family.” The student would then need to form a sentence using the future continuous tense to move their piece.

These activities will provide your ESL learners with opportunities to practice using the future continuous tense while also developing their speaking skills.

Future Indefinite Tense

1. Future Plans: Have students discuss their plans for the weekend or upcoming holidays using the future indefinite tense. For example, “I will visit my grandparents next week.” Encourage students to share their plans with a partner or small group and ask follow-up questions to promote conversation.
2. Future Predictions: Give students a topic such as technology, environment, or lifestyle changes and ask them to make future predictions using the future indefinite tense. For example, “In the future, people will work from home more often.” Encourage students to justify their predictions with reasons and evidence.
3. Picture Prompts: Show students pictures of various situations such as a crowded city street, a futuristic space station, or a peaceful beach and ask them to describe what they think will happen in the future using the future indefinite tense. For example, “The city will become even more crowded in the future.” Encourage students to use descriptive language and provide details about the picture.
4. Role Play: Set up a scenario such as planning a surprise party or making travel arrangements and have students practice using the future indefinite tense in conversation. For example, “I will book the tickets for next week.” Encourage students to use polite language and make suggestions to their partners.
5. Board Game: Create a board game where students have to make sentences using the future indefinite tense to move their game piece. For example, if they land on a square that says “Next month, I will…” they would need to form a sentence such as “Next month, I will start learning a new language.”

These activities will help students practice using the future indefinite tense in context and develop their speaking skills by encouraging conversation and collaboration.

Future Perfect Tense

1. Future Achievements: Ask students to talk about what they will have achieved in a certain number of years using the future perfect tense. For example, “By the time I turn 30, I will have graduated from college.” Encourage students to share their goals and discuss how they plan to achieve them.
2. Future Predictions: Give students a list of future events and ask them to make predictions using the future perfect tense. For example, “By 2050, scientists will have discovered a cure for cancer.” Encourage students to use critical thinking and provide reasons for their predictions.
3. Time Capsule: Ask students to imagine they are creating a time capsule to be opened in the future. They can discuss what they will have accomplished or experienced by that time using the future perfect tense. For example, “In 10 years, I will have traveled to at least five different countries.” Encourage students to be creative and think about what they want to be remembered for.
4. Story Completion: Provide students with the beginning of a story and ask them to complete it using the future perfect tense. For example, “In five years, Sarah will have graduated from college and started her own business. By then, she will have accomplished…” Encourage students to be imaginative and add their own twists to the story.
5. Board Game: Create a board game where students have to form sentences using the future perfect tense to move their game piece. For example, they could roll a dice and land on a square that says, “In 10 years, I will have…” and the student would then need to form a sentence using the future perfect tense to move their piece.

These activities will help students practice using the future perfect tense in context and develop their speaking skills by encouraging conversation, imagination, and critical thinking.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

1. Future Progress: Ask students to talk about what they will have been doing for a certain period of time in the future using the future perfect continuous tense. For example, “By next year, I will have been studying English for five years.” Encourage students to share their experiences and discuss how their progress will benefit them.
2. Future Plans: Give students a topic such as career goals, travel plans, or personal development and ask them to discuss their plans using the future perfect continuous tense. For example, “By next summer, I will have been practicing yoga for a year.” Encourage students to ask each other questions to keep the conversation going.
3. Guess the Activity: Write down several activities that people might do for an extended period of time, such as “studying for an exam,” “learning to play an instrument,” or “training for a marathon.” Have students take turns guessing what the activity is by asking questions in the future perfect continuous tense. For example, “Will you have been practicing for a long time?” or “Will you have been studying every day?”
4. Finish the Story: Provide students with the beginning of a story and ask them to complete it using the future perfect continuous tense. For example, “By the time she graduates from college, she will have been working on her thesis for months. She will have been…” Encourage students to be creative and add their own twists to the story.
5. Job Interview: Set up a mock job interview where the interviewer asks the candidate questions in the future perfect continuous tense. For example, “Where do you see yourself in five years? What will you have been doing to achieve your goals?” Encourage students to practice giving thoughtful and articulate responses.

These activities will help students practice using the future perfect continuous tense in context and develop their speaking skills by encouraging conversation, creativity, and critical thinking.