Essay Writing ; My Future letter to future self

Warm-up questions
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What age would you like to leave home and why?

Would you like to go to university? If so what would you like to study?
Ideally, where will you be living in 5 years time?
Would you like to get married? When?
How many children will you have, if any?
What job will you be doing when youre 25?
Which countries will you have visited by the time you are 24?

Ask the students to get into pairs and discuss the things they would like to achieve in the future. Tell them that
they should focus on the next 10 years of their lives.
When Ive done this, Ive encouraged them to mind map their ideas. After theyve considered their answers
together, model an example of a timeline on the board starting at your current age and stretching 10 years into
the future.
Get your students to do the same theyll come up with something like this:

My Future Self
Take my end
of school
exams

Graduate and
leave home

Travel around
the world

Age 16

Age 21

Age 23

Age 18

Age 22

Age 25

Start my degree
in mathematics

Save up some
money

Buy my own
castle

Created on teach-nology

Stage three guided production

Now youre going to be focusing on the future continuous. I find it best not to introduce the grammar yet, but
rather to elicit the correct form orally. Use the timeline you made on the board to model an answer:
When Im 16 I will be taking my final exams.
when Im 18 Ill be starting university.
When Im 23 Ill be travelling around the word.
Example student teacher conversation T: What will you be doing when youre 18 years old?
S: I am start my degree
T: Am is for the present, what do we add to BE to show we mean in the future
S: Will.
T: What will you be doing when you are 18?
S: I will be start my degree.
T: How do we show something is continuous or a process?
S: Verb + ing
T: So whats the answer: What will you be doing when you are 18?
T: I will be starting my maths degree.
Go around the group and put students on the spot. Encourage them to self-correct and write their correct answers
on the board. For this section I like to pick weaker students in order to iron out their mistakes. Get your students
to ask each other the question What will you be doing when you are x years old?
Get them to do this in pairs. Monitor and write down any mistakes. Correct on the spot if its repeated.
Write their errors on the board and ask the classes to correct the sentences.
Now elicit the structure of the future continuous Positive
Subject + will + be + verb + ing
Negative

Subject + will + not + be + verb + ing

+ when / while / in / at + clause.

They should practice by writing some examples sentences of the future continuous you can
get the class to working in small groups (up to 5 ) and write what each of their classmates
will be doing at various ages. Monitor and offer on the spot correction.
For example, in this rather mixed-nationality class:
Maribel Eduardo will be travelling when he is 19.
Eduardo Maribel will be studying medicine when she is 21
Bea Hyun Ju will be leaving high school when she is 18
etc.
Part two
Stage four, Future Perfect Letter to future self.

This could be done as part of a homework, on a blog or in the class. However you do it, it
needs to be set up in the classroom.
Point the students in the direction of your example timeline. Ask the following question:
What will I have completed by the time I am 25 years old?
Give them some examples orally
I will have taken my high school exams.
I will have finished my university degree.
I will have left home.
Write the following on the board:
Subject + will + have + past participle +clause+ by the time + clause

Ask your students to write down the structure and write examples using your example
timeline shown on the board.
Elicit the purpose of the tense (to show a complete action before a point in the future)
Are the actions completed now? At what point will I have completed my university degree?
At what age will I have travelled around the world?
Have the students write a letter to their future selves 10 years in the future Describing themselves now
Their ambitions for the future
Explaining what they hope to have achieved
Dear Han Su,
I am 15 years oldetc I would like to study maths at university and by the time I am 25 I will
have graduated from university with a mathematics degree. I want to travel around the
world, by the time I am 23 I will have done this.