Poems for the future

TeachingEnglish

Here are some suggestions to help get your students writing poems based around the theme of
the future.

Firstly, you could begin by brainstorming topics related to the future through acrostic poems
or pictures. Ask your students to imagine they're living in the year 2100. What's life like?
What can they see around them? How far has space and technology advanced?

Example poem:

F
lying saucers
piter
JU
ime machines
T
ts
AstronaU
tians
MaR
ngineering
GeneticE

You could use either of the poems below as a model for your students:

When I look into the

When I look into the future
future
There's a memory stick in my head
There are robots
There's a tracking device under my
There are aliens
feet
There are saucers in the
There's a monitor behind my eyes
sky
But there isn't a computer.
But there aren't any birds.

Example structure:

When I look into the future

There 's/are
There 's/are...
There 's/are
But there isn't/aren't any

On a more personal note, the future could be explored through the senses. You could
use this example as a model to elicit ideas from your students. Play some relaxing
background music and ask them to close their eyes and imagine the sensations as they
think of different words.

Example:

My / The future is (yellow)

It tastes like (pasta)
 It smells like (a lemon)
It sounds like (a mandolin)
It feels like (a cat)
It looks like (the sunrise)

Ask your child/students to complete the sentences below to generate ideas for a poem
about their own future dreams. Here are two possible structures for their poems:

In my future life
I might
I could
I may..
But I'll definitely

In my future life
I'd like to be
I'd like to...
And
Then
Please

Here's a poem on a lighter note as an example of what they could produce.

In my future life
I'd like to be a cat,
I'd like to sleep for 12 hours
Then dance around my flat.
I'd like to play by moonlight
And sunbathe in the sun,
I'd like to climb a palm tree
And catch my tail for fun.
I'd like to dine on fresh fish
Then drink a sea of milk,
I'd like to live-that's my last wish
Please ban all dogs from Earth!

You can also get your students to join a poetry competition for Younger learners at British
Council LearnEnglish Kids

Carolyne Ardron, British Council, Portugal