Learning the Future

Curriculum Focus

Grade Level: 6th Grade
Subject: English
Standards Alignment: Common Core State Standards (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.1):

• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• Use verb tenses to convey time, sequence, states, and conditions.
• Recognize and correct vague or unclear clauses.

Core Objectives:

• Understand and use the future progressive tense (e.g., "will be running").
• Formulate and use when-clauses in the simple present tense to describe future events (e.g., "When the bell rings, I will be starting my homework").
• Engage in interactive, movement-based, and collaborative activities to solidify grammar understanding.

Materials Needed:

• Mini whiteboards and markers for each student.
• Chart paper and colored markers.
• Sentence and clause flashcards.
• Timer/stopwatch.
• Space for movement-based games.
• A short worksheet for independent practice.

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Lesson Breakdown

Introduction (30 minutes)

1. Warm-Up Activity (15 minutes)

• Gather students in a circle.
• Start with a “Future Chain Sentence” game: You say a sentence using the future progressive tense (e.g., “This weekend, I will be swimming in the pool.") and toss a ball to a student. They must add a new sentence in the future progressive tense, making sure their action continues from yours. Repeat until everyone has participated.
• Reflect together: Write a few examples from the game on the board. Briefly underline the verb phrases that demonstrate the future progressive tense.

2. Objective and Context (15 minutes)

• Introduce both grammar concepts with concrete examples on the board:
  • Future Progressive: “I will be studying when someone knocks on the door.”
  • When-Clause: “When the bell rings, students will be packing their bags.”
• Pair students to brainstorm their own example sentences using these structures. Share out loud to ensure understanding.

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Direct Instruction & Guided Practice (90 minutes)

1. Station Exploration: Grammar in Action (45 minutes)
Set up four grammar stations in the classroom. Divide students into groups of three or four, rotating every 10 minutes. (Allow set-up and reflection time.)

• Station 1: Sentence Match-Up
  Students match incomplete clauses (when + present simple) with corresponding future progressive phrases printed on flashcards. Example: “When the movie starts…” with “...I will be eating popcorn.”
• Station 2: Real-Life Connections
  Students create “day-in-the-life” schedules by writing sentences about a fictional character’s activities using when-clauses and future progressive tense (e.g., “When she finishes breakfast, she will be brushing her teeth.”).
• Station 3: Grammar Obstacle Course
  A mini physical challenge where students complete a quick task and shout out an appropriate sentence using the target grammar (e.g., tossing a beanbag into a hoop = “When I finish this, I will be celebrating!”).
• Station 4: Crafting Dialogues
  Students write a short, two-line dialogue for a pair of characters where one sentence uses a when-clause and the other the future progressive tense.

2. Group Story Challenge (45 minutes)

• In small groups, challenge students to create a collaborative story where every sentence alternates between a when-clause/simple present and the future progressive tense. Example:
  • "When the clock strikes twelve, the cat will be jumping onto the roof."
  • "When it starts raining, the dog will be hiding in its house."
• Allow students to share their stories while acting them out dramatically at the front of the room to reinforce movement and engagement.

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Movement-Based Extension Activities (60 minutes)

1. Grammar Relay Race (30 minutes)

• Divide students into two teams. Write when-clauses and future progressive sentences on slips of paper, keeping the clauses separate from the sentences.
• Place the "when" slips on one side of the room and the "future progressive" slips on the other.
• Students must take turns running to collect a clause and correctly match it with a future progressive sentence. For example:
  • "When the lesson ends…" + "…we will be cleaning up the classroom."
• First team to match all their clauses correctly wins!

2. Human Sentences (30 minutes)

• Write different when-clauses and future progressive clauses on separate index cards.
• Scatter them around the room. Each student picks a card and must find their counterpart to form a grammatically correct sentence.
• Once paired, students act out their sentence (e.g., if the sentence is “When the sun sets, I will be jogging,” the pair mimics jogging at sunset).

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Independent Practice (30 minutes)

• Distribute a worksheet with three parts:

  1. Fill-in-the-blank sentences requiring students to complete either the when-clause or the future progressive phrase.
  2. Rewrite sentences to correct errors in when-clauses or future progressive usage.
  3. Answer questions by writing complete sentences using both forms (e.g., “What will you be doing when the clock strikes midnight?”).

• Circulate and provide assistance as they work.

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Conclusion and Reflection (30 minutes)

1. Wrap-Up Discussion (15 minutes)

• Gather students back to discuss:
  • What was the most fun or challenging activity from today’s lesson?
  • What did we learn about using when-clauses and the future progressive tense?
• Use call-and-response questions to check comprehension (e.g., “What tense do we use for future actions that will be in progress?”).

2. Reflection Cards (15 minutes)

• On index cards, students write two sentences:
  • One sentence they created today that uses a when-clause or future progressive tense.
  • One question they still have or something they enjoyed most about the lesson.

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Assessment

• Formative: Monitor participation in stations, group activities, and relay race for understanding.
• Summative: Grade the worksheet for mastery of objectives (80% or higher indicates successful comprehension).

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Homework (Optional)

Ask students to write five sentences they might use in their daily lives using the future progressive tense and when-clauses, such as:

• “When I get home, I will be eating dinner.”
  Encourage them to focus on making their sentences realistic and relatable.