"Time travel might be possible, but if that's the case why haven't we been overrun by tourists from the future?" – Stephen Hawkings
When I was younger, I remember going on the Epcot and being so impressed with the Spaceship Earth ride (yes, the one inside the big golf ball). I remember being amazed by all the future technological advancements the ride promised: talking ovens, video chats with people thousands of miles away, and even robots that helped you clean! I wondered, “How does Disney know all this? He must have a time machine!” Ever since then, I have been fascinated with the idea of traveling through time.
In class this week, we will be discussing time travel. Breaking News English offers some ideas to start the conversation:
1. TIME TRAVEL: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about time travel. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
time / traveler / time travelers / cosmology / fans / funeral / ceremony / tourist / birth
concept / intrigued / decades / party / champagne / the future / deadline / possible
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. A GOOD THING: Students A strongly believe time travel would be a good thing; Students B strongly believe it wouldn't. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. TIME: What would it be like to travel to these times? What would you do there? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.
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What would it be like? |
What would you do there? |
Dinosaur times |
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Iron Age |
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2018 years ago |
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The 1800s |
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The 1960s |
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The year 2099 |
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Once we are warmed up, we can begin with some discussion questions. These are from PBS Learning:
Here are a few more from Online Language Academy:
Students interested in further exploring the topic of time travel can check out the following books and movies:
Books:
The Chronos Files by Rysa Walker,
Ancient Guardians by S.L. Morgan,
The Earth and Sky Trilogy by Megan Crewe,
The Transcend Time Saga by Michelle Madow,
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle,
Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving,
A Christmas Carol by Charlies Dickens,
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells,
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon,
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling,
11/22/63 by Stephen King,
Dr. Who series by Godon Flemyng
Movies and TV shows:
Films in the Star Trek Franchise, including:
- Star Trek (2009) by J.J. Abrams,
- Star Trek: Ismael (1985),
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Ho me
- Star Trek Generations
- Star Trek: First Contact
Dr. Who series (movie or tv series)
Planet of the Apes movie series,
Time Bandits
Twilight Zone: The Movie
Back to the Future movies
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Groundhog Day
The Kid
Interstellar
Quantum Leap