Death Becomes Her: WILL x Simple Present to Talk about Future Events

This film is a classic that talks about beauty, being young forever, and what people can do to look perfect. I used this interesting scene to show students that we may use WILL or the SIMPLE PRESENT to talk about the future.

The  simple present can be used to talk about talk about scheduled future events (things that happen according to a scheduled sequence of events). We also use the simple present tense to talk about events happening in the near future. 

"Will" often suggests that a speaker will do something voluntarily.  We also use "will" when we request that someone helps us or volunteers to do something for us. Similarly, we use "will not" or "won't" when we refuse to voluntarily do something.

   I. Complete the following sentences with either the simple present tense or future (will). Sometimes you can use both to express an idea about the future. Then watch the segment and check your answers.

1. Tonight, while she is asleep, you _____________  (sneak) downstairs quietly and take one of each kind of wine glass from the shelter.

2. Then you __________________ (take)  this Narconol and lightly coat each glass.

3. Tomorrow I ___________________ (call) Madeline to say goodbye.

4. I_________________ (get) her to invite me for dinner.

5. You and I _______________ (work) together quickly. First, we _________________ (finish) dinner.

6. Then we _______________ (load)  her into the car and take her to the top of Mulholland Drive, call the police and report we have seen a drunk woman swerving close to the edge.

7. We ________________ (sit) her up in the driver's seat.

8. We ________________ (drop) the car into the gear, wedge her foot down on the accelerator, clamp her hand on the steering wheel, and send her on her way.


II. Talk to a partner:

1. What is your opinion about their plan? What are the chances of its working out?

2. What do you think might go wrong?

3. What would change to make their plan more effective.

4. What should happen to the couple if the police find out about their plan before it is put into practice?

5. What about if the police find out about their plan after the crime has been committed?


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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - DEATH BECOMES HER



Key:


1. Tonight, while she is asleep, you'll sneak downstairs quietly and take one of each kind of wine glass from the shelter.

2. Then you'll take this Narconol and lightly coat each glass.

3. Tomorrow I'll call Madeline to say goodbye.

4. I'll get her to invite me for dinner.

5. You and I work together quickly. First, we finish dinner.

6. Then we load her into the car and take her to the top of Mulholland Drive, call the police and report we have seen a drunk woman swerving close to the edge.

7. We'll sit her up in the driver's seat.

8. We drop the car into the gear, wedge her foot down on the accelerator, clamp her hand on the steering wheel, and send her on her way.

Tomorrowland: Future with WILL

I read great reviews of this movie, but I thought it was boring. However, there are great scenes that you can use in the classroom. This is one of them.

I. Work in groups. Watch the segment and make a list of all the things that you managed to see that the director believes are going to be common place in the future.

Ex; There will be flying cars.

II. Work with different students. Show each other your lists. Then decide which features you believe will come true in the future, why (not), and if they  will be better or worse for the population.

III. Work with a different partner. Design the ideal world for the future. Imagine that there are no limits to what you can do, Then share your "new world" with the class. Be creative!


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - TOMORROWLAND

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Frozen: Future WILL x Simple Past

Frozen is an amazing animated movie. It is visually breath-taking and the story and music are fascinating. You have to see it.

Coronation Day

Coronation Day is the anniversary of the coronation of a monarch, the day a king or queen is formally crowned.

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I. The future Queen's sister has lived a lonely life inside the castle, without contact with the outside world. Her sister's coronation will be the first time in forever that she will be able to do what she had always wanted to do. Fill in the blanks with affirmative or negative forms of the future tense (will or be + going to). Choose the correct verb too.

________________ light, __________________ music. I ________________ dancing through the night. I __________________ alone. __________________ magic, _________________ fun. I _____________ getting what I'm dreaming of because nothing is in my way.

II. Watch the movie segment and check your answers.

III. What were some of the things that she did for the first time in forever? Make a list of at least 5 things.

Ex: She saw the people who lived in the kingdom.

IV. Think about your plans for your next vacation. What are some things that you intend to do for the first time in forever?

V. Now think about your last vacation. What were some of the things that you did for the first time in forever?

Answer key:

There'll be light

There'll be music

I'll be dancing through the night 

I won't be alone

There'll be magic

There will be fun

I'm getting what I'm dreaming of because nothing is in my way

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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - FROZEN

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 partner:
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 future, 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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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - I,ROBOT

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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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - WALL-E