Intermediate Grammar Class: A three-week unit plan for future tenses

Class Meetings: 1:30-2:30 pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Unit Theme: A look into the future
Unit Objective: Students will be able to:
Understand the form, use, and meaning of the future tenses
Explain the use and form of the future tenses to others
Analyze the differences between various future tenses
Express ideas with appropriate form of the future tenses
Integrate the future tenses into academic writing

Textbook: Cooper, A., & Eckstut-Didier, S. (2015). Grammar Explorer 3. Boston, MA: Sherrise
Drean. (Link to this book: http://ngl.cengage.com/search/productOverview.do?
Ntt=grammar+explorer+3|
8979148311706347095132107795565182354&N=200+4294918395&Ntk=NGL
%7CP_EPI&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial)
Review:

Simple present, present progressive, present perfect, and present perfect

progressive tenses
Simple past, past progressive, past perfect, and past perfect progressive
tenses
Stative verbs

Three reading articles about the future along with vocabulary list
The form, use, and meaning of the future tenses
The application of each future tense in academic writing

Preview:

Monday
Whole class: Discuss what
robots will do in the future
by going through the
reading Will robots be our
friends one day? on the
page 64.

Week
One

Small group: List simple

future actions by their
different ways of
expression.

Wednesday
Whole class: Briefly review
will and be going to;
connect to previous learning
of present progressive and
simple present for the future
Pair work: Complete the
exercise 5 in the page 67
and 68 with the use of
present progressive or
simple present for the
future.

Friday
Whole class: The teacher
briefly review will, be going
to, present progressive, and
simple present.
Small group: The teacher
distribute a worksheet (see
Appendix A) and play a
segment from the movie
Frozen; students discuss
with group members what
the movie segment talks

Whole class: Invite one

group to present their small
group work; lecture the
form, use, and meaning of
the simple future action
expressions-will and be
going to; ask sentence
examples from students.
Pair work: Complete the
exercise 4 on the page 66
and 67.
Whole class: Check the
answers for the exercise 4
on the page 66 and 67.
Homework: Review of will
and be going to; brainstorm
ideas for the essay
assignment of What will
you do in your next
vacation?
Whole class: Discuss
which item of clothing is
most useful mentioned in
the reading article Clever
Clothes and explain why.

Week
Two

Small group: List the

sentences of how cell
phone jackets, healthmonitoring shirts, and
military first aid
uniforms work separately
and circle out the key word
that connecting two
sentences in that specific
sentence.
Whole class: Lecture the
form, use and meaning of
the future time clauses.
Pair work: Complete the

Whole class: Explain the

exercise 5 students have
finished; model the table
grid activity that asks
partners plans for after
class, tonight, tomorrow,
and this weekend.
Small group: Students go to
speak with a partner and fill
out the partners plan for
after class, tonight,
tomorrow, and this weekend
in the provided table grid;
continue interviewing and
recording two more
partners plans.
Whole class: Report back
their interview results by
using the provided table
grid.
Whole class: Briefly review
the form, use, and meaning
of the future time clauses;
lecture the future time
clauses with the words after,
as soon as, before, once,
until, when, and while.
Individual: Complete the
exercise 7 on the page 75
and 76, which requires
students combine two
provided sentences into one
sentence with a time clause.
Whole class: The teacher
provides the correct answer
on the blackboard and
explanations.
Pair work: Complete the
exercise 8, which requires

about, watch the movie

segment one more time and
complete the given
worksheet.
Whole class: the teacher
provides the correct answer
for the worksheet and
explanations.
Small group: Students share
their brainstorming ideas for
their essay assignment and
have an outline for the
essay.
Homework: Write the first
draft of their essay
assignment; preview the
reading article Clever
Clothes on the page 71.

Whole class: Review the

future time clauses students
have learned.
Individual: Complete the
exercise 9 on the page 77,
which requires students edit
a paragraph with some
errors of future time
clauses.
Whole class: Invite
individual students to read
out the errors they find and
give the correct form;
comment on students error
correction.
Small group: Share their
first draft essay with group
members and get feedback
from them.

exercise 4 on the page 73

and 74.
Whole class: Check the
answers for the exercise 4
on the page 73.
Homework: Review future
time clauses learned in this
lesson.
Whole class: Discuss
which job would you like
to read more about and
explain why.
Pair work: Complete the
exercise 3 on the page 79,
which gains students
attention to the form, use
and meaning of the future
progressive and future
perfect tenses.
Week
Three

Whole class: Lecture the

form, use and meaning of
future progressive tense.
Pair work: Complete the
exercise 4 on the page 80
and 81, which allows
students to be more
familiar with future
progressive.
Whole class: Check the
answers for the exercise 4
on the page 80 and 81.
Homework: Review future
progressive learned in this
lesson.

students complete the

sentences with their own
ideas about the future, share
their sentences with a
partner, and extend the
conversations.
Homework: Revise their
first draft essay based on the
teachers feedback and
bring three copies to the
next class.
Whole class: Briefly review
the form, use, and meaning
of future progressive;
lecture the form, use, and
meaning of future perfect
and future perfect
progressive.

Homework: Write their

second draft for the essay
assignment based on the
feedback from the teacher
and their peers; preview the
reading article Jobs in the
Future on the page 78.

Whole class: Briefly review

the form, use, and meaning
of future progressive, future
perfect, and future perfect
progressive tenses.

Pair work: Complete the

exercises 5 and 6 in the
page 82, which allows
students to be familiar with
future perfect and future
perfect progressive

Pair work: Complete the

Part A of the exercise 7 on
the page 83, which requires
students to read information
and write sentences with
future progressive, future
perfect, and future perfect
progressive tenses.

Whole class: Discuss the

answers for the exercises 5
and 6 on the page 82.

Whole class: Discuss the

answers for the exercise 7
on the page 83.

Homework: Write their

third draft essay and bring
one copy to the next class.

Individual: Edit their own

third draft essay; try to use
various forms for future
action expressions; seek
advice from the teacher if
necessary.
Homework: Polish their
revised essay and submit the
final essay in next class.

Appendix A: The Future Tense Worksheet

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