City of Ember: Future Continuous

This movie is for children and teens but it has a great message for the whole family. I enjoyed watching it. The opening scenes are great for the students to practice the future continuous tense in a contextualized manner.



A. Imagine the following situation:



On the day the world ended, the fate of mankind was carried in a metal box. Scientists and engineers met and decided to build an underground city to protect people for the next generations. they will keep the people in the city for 200 years hoping the world will be inhabitable then. In the box, there are instructions about how to leave the underground city. The people in this city, Ember, do not know there is an outside world.



B. Check the alternatives with the information you think will be taking place in Ember when the box opens in 200 years.


( ) 1. People still live underground
( ) 2. Citizens experience several power blackouts during the day.
( ) 3. The world is falling apart
( ) 4. Children live for playing.
( ) 5. Teens work hard
( ) 6. The city mayor will determine the population’s occupations.
( ) 7. People live in comfortable houses
( ) 8. People face serious difficulties
( ) 9. People own modern cars.
( ) 10. People work as engineers, doctors and scientists.
( ) 11. People work as electricians, potato peelers and messengers.
( ) 12. Citizens work on computers.


C. Now watch the segment and check if you were right.


D. Now rewrite 8 of the sentences in exercise B using the future continuous tense.


Ex: People will still be living underground.

1 ...............................................................................

2...............................................................................

3...............................................................................

4..............................................................................

5.............................................................................

6..............................................................................

7..............................................................................

8.............................................................................


Answer Key:

The true sentences are:
1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10.


How to prepare your own video activity:

- Select a scene in that takes place in the future.

- The scene must contain a time marker so that the students can use the future continuous tense meaningfully.

- Write a few sentences with possible alternatives for what will be taking plave when something else happens (the time marker). Use the simple present tense.

- The students watch the scene and decide which ones are true.

- The students rewrite the sentences using the grammar goal.






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