Future tech — ready-made English lesson, C1

Lesson goal: Students can discuss the benefits and risks of new technology, speculate about its impact and express degrees of certainty.

Add the lesson to get your own copies of the word set and exercises; the lesson opens in the builder, where you can adjust the steps and teach it.

Lesson plan

1
Warm-up
Questions to get the student talking and lead into the topic.
- Which piece of technology could you not live without?
- What gadget or app do you think will be obsolete in ten years?
- Have you used an AI tool recently? What for?
2
New words
Meet the words and practise them in games.
Find the matchCrossword
breakthrough · cutting-edge · obsolete · artificial intelligence · algorithm · streamline · glitch · automate · upgrade · disrupt · prototype · user-friendly · innovative · scalable · backlash
All words in the set
3
Exercises
The lesson's words in context. Only you see the answers.
1. Fill the gap
  Fax machines are now almost completely ___.
  Answer: obsolete
2. Fill the gap
  The company's decision to charge for the app caused a huge ___ from users.
  Answer: backlash
3. Fill the gap
  Had the engineers tested the prototype more carefully, the ___ might never have happened.
  Answer: glitch
4. Fill the gap
  If self-driving cars had been introduced earlier, there ___ (be) fewer accidents on the roads today.
  Answer: would be / might be
5. Multiple choice
  Software that can grow easily to serve millions of users is ...
  scalableuser-friendlyobsoletedisruptive
6. Multiple choice
  Which sentence expresses the strongest certainty?
  AI is bound to replace some office jobs.AI may well replace some office jobs.AI could conceivably replace some office jobs.
7. Multiple choice
  Streaming services ___ the music industry: CD sales collapsed within a decade.
  disruptedstreamlinedupgradedautomated
8. True / false
  Read: "The start-up's prototype impressed investors, but scaling it up proved harder than expected. The algorithm that worked for a thousand users kept crashing with a million. Only after two years of redesign did the product finally launch." The product launched soon after the prototype was shown to investors.
  Answer: False
9. True / false
  Read the text again. The original system was not scalable.
  Answer: True
10. Discussion question
  Choose one technology (AI, self-driving cars, smart homes, gene editing). Is it more likely to improve or damage our lives over the next twenty years? Justify your answer.
  Sample answer: I'd argue AI is bound to do both. It will almost certainly streamline routine work in medicine and law, freeing people for more creative tasks. On the other hand, entire categories of jobs may well become obsolete, and unless governments plan for that, the backlash could be severe.
4
Speaking
The student answers using the new words.
- Which job do you think AI will never be able to do? Why?
- Should companies be allowed to automate jobs without retraining the workers?
- Is being an early adopter of new technology worth the glitches?
- Do algorithms that recommend content make our lives richer or narrower?
- What technological breakthrough would you most like to see in your lifetime?
5
Review
A quiz on the lesson's words. With a student, it's homework on their link.
Quiz

Lesson plan

Warm-up

Questions to get the student talking and lead into the topic.

Which piece of technology could you not live without?
What gadget or app do you think will be obsolete in ten years?
Have you used an AI tool recently? What for?

New words

Meet the words and practise them in games.

Find the matchCrossword

breakthrough · cutting-edge · obsolete · artificial intelligence · algorithm · streamline · glitch · automate · upgrade · disrupt · prototype · user-friendly · innovative · scalable · backlash

All words in the set

Exercises

The lesson's words in context. Only you see the answers.

Fill the gap
Fax machines are now almost completely ___.
Answer: obsolete
Fill the gap
The company's decision to charge for the app caused a huge ___ from users.
Answer: backlash
Fill the gap
Had the engineers tested the prototype more carefully, the ___ might never have happened.
Answer: glitch
Fill the gap
If self-driving cars had been introduced earlier, there ___ (be) fewer accidents on the roads today.
Answer: would be / might be
Multiple choice
Software that can grow easily to serve millions of users is ...
scalableuser-friendlyobsoletedisruptive
Multiple choice
Which sentence expresses the strongest certainty?
AI is bound to replace some office jobs.AI may well replace some office jobs.AI could conceivably replace some office jobs.
Multiple choice
Streaming services ___ the music industry: CD sales collapsed within a decade.
disruptedstreamlinedupgradedautomated
True / false
Read: "The start-up's prototype impressed investors, but scaling it up proved harder than expected. The algorithm that worked for a thousand users kept crashing with a million. Only after two years of redesign did the product finally launch." The product launched soon after the prototype was shown to investors.
Answer: False
True / false
Read the text again. The original system was not scalable.
Answer: True
Discussion question
Choose one technology (AI, self-driving cars, smart homes, gene editing). Is it more likely to improve or damage our lives over the next twenty years? Justify your answer.
Sample answer: I'd argue AI is bound to do both. It will almost certainly streamline routine work in medicine and law, freeing people for more creative tasks. On the other hand, entire categories of jobs may well become obsolete, and unless governments plan for that, the backlash could be severe.

Speaking

The student answers using the new words.

Which job do you think AI will never be able to do? Why?
Should companies be allowed to automate jobs without retraining the workers?
Is being an early adopter of new technology worth the glitches?
Do algorithms that recommend content make our lives richer or narrower?
What technological breakthrough would you most like to see in your lifetime?

Review

A quiz on the lesson's words. With a student, it's homework on their link.

Quiz