The stuff of science fiction?

Title separator

Talking about the future

Flipped

lesson about science fiction

LESSON OVERVIEW

In this lesson about science fiction, students watch a video about predicting advances in science and technology, talk about sci-fi and learn some vocabulary related to future predictions.

C1 / Advanced
C2 / Proficiency
60 minFlipped LessonUnlimited Plan

This is a Flipped Classroom lesson plan. In a nutshell, it means that the first part of the lesson needs to be done by students at home. Learn more about flipped classroom and how we implement it in these lesson plans in our post.

LESSON OVERVIEW

Vocabulary

In the pre-class part of this lesson about science fiction, students do two vocabulary tasks. First, they read six statements and find the defined words and phrases (e.g. circumspection, worst-case scenario). In the second task, students complete gaps with correct forms of words in brackets (e.g. foresee unforeseen, alarm alarmist). The vocabulary from this part is later used in the lesson. 

IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES

Vocabulary revision

In the in-class part of this lesson about science fiction, students look at five common sci-fi themes and give examples of books or films with them. They also discuss which of the themes they enjoy watching or reading about most. Then, students complete gaps in six sentences with one word each. The first letters are provided. Students studied the words (or phrases) in the pre-class part of the lesson. After that, students discuss whether the opinions expressed in the sentences are alarmist or a sign of circumspection. 

Video & discussion

Before watching the video, students look at some clues as to who futurists are and complete the gaps. Then, they watch the first part of the video and check their answers. Before watching the second part of the video, students discuss three questions. They watch the second part and compare it with the ideas they discussed. Then, students spend some time discussing the ideas from the video. They talk about what being a futurist and predicting the future entails. Next, students look at some ideas from sci-fi films and series, and try to think of examples. They also explain the concepts from the films in detail.

Speaking & homework

In the last part of this lesson about science fiction, students look at several future predictions from the lesson and decide how likely they are to come true by assigning each of them into one of three categories. The teacher can also decide to ask students additional questions listed in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. The worksheet also contains a task which can be used as homework or revision. Students look at four topics and talk (or write) about them using words and phrases from the lesson

WORKSHEETS

 

Comments

Title separator

Leave a Reply

  1. Amanda Kavanaugh

    This is such an amazingly fun lesson! Thank you:)

    1. Ewa

      That’s great to hear. Thanks, Amanda 🙂

  2. Katerina Tsiplacis

    Sorry to send a negative comment because I absolutely LOVE all ESL brains lessons and so do my students. However, we found this lesson to be very heavy and very depressing. It was very disturbing. Not enjoyable at all.

    1. Ewa

      Thanks for the comment! We’re not sure what you mean when you say that the lesson was very depressing and heavy, but we’d like to hear more about it. Would you be so kind and send us an email at [email protected] with some details?

      1. Katerina Tsiplacis

        I will do, not a problem. But for example asking if a student if concerned about wars heading to our planet from other galaxies etc and the negatives to AI etc. There was no positive side or balance.

        1. Ewa

          Thanks for the answer. I suppose you are talking about task 4? The examples are extreme on purpose because then in task 5 students are supposed to assess to what extent they are alarmist. Also, science fiction stories are usually about the apocalypse, aliens, interstellar wars, etc., so I think it would be hard to avoid these topics in a lesson about the genre.

Browse other materials recommended for you

Title separator
speaking lesson on adulthood
C1 / Advanced | C2 / Proficiency
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min

Adulting: more than a number

General Global Issues

Explore what it means to be grown-up with this ESL lesson on adulthood! Students discuss the reality of being an adult today, watch a video on becoming an adult and share experiences and opinions.

talking about objects
C2 / Proficiency
Standard Lesson 60 min

Talking about objects

General

Engage in talking about objects and paraphernalia with this worksheet! Students learn terms for different kinds of items, describe photos of various things and play a guessing game.

advanced lesson on idioms
C2 / Proficiency
Standard Lesson 60 min

Mastering idioms

General

Practise idioms for various situations with this worksheet! Students watch short film clips, talk about experiences and share opinions. They also play a fun game to review and reinforce the target idioms from the worksheet.

advanced lesson on personality tests
C1 / Advanced
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min

Personality tests

General

Explore traits with this advanced lesson on personality tests! Students revise useful vocabulary, read about “The Big Five” personality test and watch a video on these assessments. They also share how they would react in situations involving personality tests and other assessments.

ESL lesson on laws and precedents
C1 / Advanced | C2 / Proficiency
Standard Lesson 60 min

Revisiting laws and precedents

General

Explore laws with this lesson! Students watch a video and listen to a recording related to laws and judicial precedents, practise verbs for discussing legal systems and discuss landmark cases.

C2 / Proficiency
Critical Reading Club 45 min

The cost of convenience

Lifestyle Technology

Engage students in reading an article about the impact of modern tech convenience! They discuss how technology affects everyday life, practise advanced adverbs and share their experiences.

talk about the impact of nature
B2 / Upper Intermediate | C1 / Advanced
Flipped Lesson 60 min

Nature at your fingertips

General

Talk about the benefits of nature with this lesson! Students explore adjectives, practise phrasal verbs and watch a video on nature’s calming effects. They also discuss the benefits of nature without visiting it and share their experiences.

discuss the importance of memes
C1 / Advanced | C2 / Proficiency
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min

Meme culture

General

Explore memes with this advanced lesson! Students watch part of a video on the history of memes, share their thoughts and read about some popular memes. They can also do an extra vocabulary task.

perfect participle vs perfect infinitive
C2 / Proficiency
Standard Lesson 60 min

Are you aware of your biases?

General

Discuss cognitive processes and mental skills with this lesson! Students explore collocations, watch a video on cognitive bias and share their experiences. They also practise perfect participles and perfect infinitives.

Show more lessons

Questions

Title separator

Is there a minimum subscription period if I choose a monthly subscription?

No, there's no minimum required number of subscription months. You can cancel any time you want. Basically, you can sign up and then cancel your subscription the next day, which will mean you have access for 1 month and won't be charged again.

What currencies can I pay in for my subscription?

Our default currency is USD (American dollar), but you can also pay in EUR (euro), GBP (British pound sterling) or PLN (Polish zloty). You can change the currency you want to pay in at the Pricing page before selecting a subscription plan.

How can I edit an e-lesson plan?

You can get your own editable copy of an e-lesson plan and make changes to it. To do so, either (1) make a copy of it on your Google Drive (preferable method) or (2) download it in a Powerpoint format (but formatting might be a bit off so we can’t guarantee that it will work well).
Read more FAQ
Title separator

ESL Brains

Forgot password?
or continue with