Adult ESL Lessons: Predicting the Future (Advanced)

This is Lesson 29, “Predicting the Future,” from our collection of advanced adult ESL lessons. The lesson features a reading passage about fortune tellers, followed by comprehension questions, discussion questions, and a horoscope activity. This content-packed lesson is useful for helping more advanced English learners refine and improve their English fluency. This lesson is available for free download, and you can download many other ESL lessons for adults like this one in our book ESL Pathways: Frontiers.

ADULT ESL LESSONS: Predicting the Future (Text-Only Version)

• What do fortunetellers do?
• Why do people go to see fortunetellers?
• Do you believe most fortunetellers are accurate?
• What methods do fortunetellers use to predict the future?
• Can a fortuneteller really see into the future?
• Have you ever had your fortune told?  What did it say?
• What good things do you think will happen to you in the future?
• Are you usually more scientific or more superstitious?  Why?

Read about fortunetellers.

Fortune telling is the practice of predicting the future, usually of an individual, through mystical or supernatural means.  Common methods used in fortune telling include astrology, tarot card reading, crystallomancy (reading of a crystal sphere), and palmistry.  Are you interested in having someone read your palm?  Would you like to take your chances with tarot cards?  Would you like to visit an old-fashioned Gypsy fortuneteller who looks into a crystal ball and sees everything?

There are many different forms of psychic art and different kinds of fortune telling methods.  For example, palmistry is a method of interpreting the shape of the hand and the lines of the palm to determine your character and life experiences. One type of palmistry attempts to tell your future by reading the lines on the palm of your hand. Another type of palmistry tries to read the strengths and weaknesses of your personality from the shape of your hand.  Other forms of fortune telling include the observation of the wind currents and cloud formation, interpreting the damage when a hatchet is smacked into a table, reading smoke, tea leaves or coffee grinds, reading the holes or mold in cheese, and even interpreting the lines in your belly button.

A psychic is someone who claims to have paranormal or supernatural powers that he or she uses to answer your questions or make observations about you.  The psychic might simply look you over and start talking, or they may use props or aids such as tarot cards, astrological charts, your palm, or pieces of jewelry or metal that have been against your skin.  Readings can focus on issues of the past, present or future and are offered in various degrees of detail and complexity.

Visiting a psychic can be a lot of fun.  How much of it you take seriously is up to you.  However, it can be interesting to hear what someone who doesn’t know you has to say about you and about your life.  Most people who take psychics seriously often don’t use them for predicting the future, but use them as an aid in expanding the way they view themselves and / or their possibilities for the future.  They see fortunetellers as advice or suggestion givers, rather than actually predicting what will happen in the future.  

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is fortune telling?
2. What are some common methods of fortune telling?
3. What can a gypsy fortuneteller do?
4. What is palmistry?
5. What are some other forms of fortune telling?
6. What is a psychic?
7. What props might a psychic use?
8. What kinds of issues can psychic reading focus on?
9. What is up to you when you visit a psychic?
10. What do most people who take psychics seriously often use them for?

Discussion Questions:

1. Name some things that are considered good luck in your country.
2. Name some things that are considered bad luck in your country.
3. Are you usually a lucky or unlucky person?  Give an example.
4. What lucky things have happened to you recently?
5. What unlucky things have happened to you recently?
6. Do you believe in miracles?  Why?
7. What is a magician?  How are magicians and fortunetellers different?
8. Do you know anyone who can predict the future?
9. Do you believe in ghosts?  Have you, or anyone you know, ever seen a ghost?  If so, describe the experience.
10. If you could ask a fortuneteller three questions, what would they be?
11. Do you know anyone who has been to see a fortuneteller?  Who?  What did the fortuneteller say?  Was the prediction accurate or not?
12. How much should you pay a fortuneteller for a psychic reading?
13. How much should you pay a fortuneteller to read your palm?
14. What different lines on your palm do fortunetellers identify?
15. What is your zodiac (star) sign? (Refer to the zodiac chart below)
16. Find an English newspaper.  What is your horoscope for today?  Is it accurate?
17. If possible, find yesterdays newspaper.  Was your horoscope accurate?