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Open in the year 6939: might and might not for future possibility

This A2 ESL lesson plan teaches might for possibility, built around a 1938 time capsule that nobody should open before the year 6939.

Grammar
Might and might not + the base verb for every person (People might live on the moon.), questions with Do you think … might …?, and might (not sure) against going to (sure).
Topic
The Westinghouse time capsule, buried 50 feet under a park in Queens, New York, in 1938, with words such as bury, predict, guess and future.
Activities
A museum notice, a guide's talk and a challenge message, drills that check themselves, a chat that builds a letter to your future self and open-box guesses.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Hello, future!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: time capsulesVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: a message for 6939

    • Look at the photo: things from the 1930sPictureUnlock
    • Read the museum noticeReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: under the park

    • Listen to Paula and MarcoListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to Grandpa's challengeListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: it might happen

    • Study the scheme: might and might notGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct option: might + verbChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: might or might not + verbFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: sure or not sure?Fill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: dear future me

    • Choose the right replies: a letter to your future selfChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: dear future meOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: put the words in the right formFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: going to or might?Choose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the table: might and might notFill in the tableUnlock
    • Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: the cousins' letterDrag and dropUnlock
    • Sort the sentences into the correct columns: the parts of a letterSort into columnsUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: a letter to my future selfFill in the gapsUnlock

30 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • time capsule
  • future
  • robot
  • copper
  • magnifying glass
  • fountain pen
  • doll

Grammar: might and might not for possibility

Might is a modal verb for things that are possible but not sure: People might live on the moon. They might not use paper. Guessing what people in 6939 might make of a 1938 toothbrush, learners put might before the base verb for every person, make negatives with not, ask Do you think … might …? and tell might from going to.

People might live on the moon. They might not use paper.

might = maybe: we aren't sure about the future. going to = we're sure.

Might + the base verb, for every person

Might goes between the person and the base verb: People might live on the moon. The form never changes: no to, no -s and no will beside it, so it's She might come, not She mights come or She might comes.

How to make it

whomight / might notverb (no to, no -s)the rest

People might live on the moon.

They might not use paper.

The same for every person

WhoMaybe yes ✓Maybe no ✗
II might open it.I might not open it.
youYou might open it.You might not open it.
heHe might open it.He might not open it.
sheShe might open it.She might not open it.
itIt might rain.It might not rain.
weWe might open it.We might not open it.
theyThey might open it.They might not open it.

Might not for a negative guess

For a negative guess, not comes right after might: They might not use paper. It might not rain today. Don't might and might don't are both wrong. The guesses about the year 6939 mix both forms: They might open it, or they might not find it.

  • The capsule might stay safe for 5,000 years.
  • People in 6939 might not speak English.
  • Our everyday things might look strange to them.
  • They might think a toothbrush is a tiny broom!
  • Nobody can predict the future: they might open it, or they might not find it.

Might or going to?

Going to is for what you're sure of: a plan (I'm going to write a letter tonight.) or something you can see coming (Look at those black clouds! It's going to rain.). Might is for maybe: I might open my letter in ten years.

going to or might?

going to = sure ✓

  • A plan: I'm going to write a letter tonight.
  • You can see it: Look at those black clouds! It's going to rain.

might = not sure 🤔

  • Maybe: I might open my letter in ten years.
  • Maybe not: It might not rain today.

Future time words

  • later
  • tomorrow
  • next week
  • in ten years
  • one day
  • in 6939

Questions: Do you think … might …?

Questions usually start with Do you think: Do you think people might live on the moon? Do you think it might rain? A question like Might it rain? is very rare. Short answers keep might: Yes, they might. It might. Take an umbrella!

Questions: Do you think …?

QuestionAnswer
Do you think people might live on the moon?Yes, they might. / Maybe not.
Do you think it might rain?It might. Take an umbrella!

Questions with might

To ask about the future, say Do you think … might …?: Do you think it might rain? A question like “Might it rain?” is very rare. Answer: Yes, it might. / Maybe not.

Common mistakes

  • People might to live on the moon.

    People might live on the moon.

    no to after might

  • She mights come. She might comes.

    She might come.

    no -s: the same for every person

  • They might will open it.

    They might open it.

    no will after might

  • I don't might go. I might don't go.

    I might not go.

    not comes after might

More lessons on this grammar: Modal verbs lessons and exercises

Try the might exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 17 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • make guesses about the future with might: In ten years, I might live in a new city.
  • make negative guesses with might not, never don't might: I might not have the same phone!
  • keep might the same for every person, with no to and no -s: She might come. It might rain.
  • ask Do you think … might …? and use going to when they're sure: I'm going to write a letter tonight.

Lesson 31 sits third in Plans and dreams, the final unit of English A2.1 · Then and Now. It builds on going to for plans and predictions from lesson 18, now the sure side of the scheme, and on lesson 26's should, which, like might, is followed by the base verb. Will for predictions comes later, in A2.2 lesson 13. A capsule meant for the year 6939 turns every guess into might: nobody can be sure that far ahead.

The warm-up wheel asks about museums, old toys and robots, and the ten word cards (pictures and audio) run from bury and predict to magnifying glass and fountain pen. Students then read a museum notice on the Westinghouse time capsule, buried 50 feet down with about 35 everyday things inside, then hear Marco and Paula, a guide in Flushing Meadows (an AI-voiced dialogue), plus a one-voice message with a challenge. Of the four self-checking exercises after the scheme, one is a table that sets sure against not sure. In a chat, Nora walks students through a letter to their future self, line by line, and open boxes ask for their own guesses.

The nine homework tasks are marked automatically: two word games, a gap-fill of past and plural forms, a choice between going to and might, a table of might and might not, word order, the cousins' letter to drag words into, a sort of a letter's parts and a model letter with gaps.

Grammar:
might / might not · possibility in the future · might vs going to · Do you think … might …?
Topic:
time capsules · the 1939 New York World's Fair · Flushing Meadows, Queens · the future · robots · a letter to your future self

Teaching tips

  • Bring in three everyday things, such as a toothbrush, a pen and a phone charger, and ask what people in 6939 might think each one is: They might think it's a tiny broom!
  • Draw a sure-to-not-sure line on the board: going to at one end, might at the other. Students place guesses from the park dialogue on it, such as They might not understand my jokes!
  • Open each class with a weather guess: one student predicts tomorrow with It might… or It might not…, and the class checks the next day.
  • Let pairs swap time-capsule lists: each student names three things for a class capsule with I might put in…, and the partner guesses what people far in the future might think of them.

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The whole course: English A2.1 · Then and Now

32 lessons for adults at A2 in simple American English, from the past simple to going to, should and might. Eight units tell stories of journeys, American firsts, food, places, sports, music, neighbors and dreams. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Amazing journeys

    the past simple, regular and irregular verbs, negatives, prepositions of movement

    1. Lesson 1Around the world in 72 daysThe past simple of regular verbs
    2. Lesson 2The first drive across AmericaIrregular verbs in the past simple
    3. Lesson 3Get your kicks on Route 66Past simple negatives with didn't
    4. Lesson 4She walked 2,000 miles in sneakersPrepositions of movement

  2. Unit 2 American firsts

    was and were, past questions and short answers, ago and in, could for past ability

    1. Lesson 5The first American woman in spaceWas, were, there was and there were
    2. Lesson 6A real bug in the computerPast simple questions with did
    3. Lesson 7“Mr. Watson, come here”Wh- questions in the past simple
    4. Lesson 8Twelve seconds in the airCould and couldn't for past ability

  3. Unit 3 American food

    countable and uncountable nouns, comparatives, ordering food, a few and a little

    1. Lesson 9The first chocolate chip cookieCountable and uncountable nouns in a recipe
    2. Lesson 10Is a jalapeño hotter than a habanero?Comparatives of short adjectives
    3. Lesson 11Two eggs, sunny side up!Offers and orders with would like
    4. Lesson 12Cooking for twenty on ThanksgivingA few, a little and a lot of

  4. Unit 4 City or country?

    comparatives with more and less, superlatives, as … as, too and enough

    1. Lesson 13The island with no carsComparatives with more and less, plus better, worse and farther
    2. Lesson 14America's extremesSuperlatives with the + -est, the most and the least
    3. Lesson 15San Francisco or Yosemite? You choose!As … as for the same, not as … as for less
    4. Lesson 16A park on an old railroadToo, enough and not … enough

  5. Unit 5 Game on

    play, go and do with sports, going to, adverbs of manner, reflexive pronouns

    1. Lesson 17Basketball started with peach baskets?Play, go and do with sports
    2. Lesson 18What's going to happen at LA 2028?Be going to for plans and predictions
    3. Lesson 19Pickleball: a game from a backyardAdverbs of manner
    4. Lesson 20Be brave and tryReflexive pronouns and each other

  6. Unit 6 Music and nights out

    love, enjoy and hate + -ing, the present continuous for plans, suggestions, to for purpose

    1. Lesson 21Where jazz was bornGerunds after love, like, enjoy, hate and don't mind
    2. Lesson 22Music on every streetThe present continuous for future arrangements
    3. Lesson 23A night on BroadwaySuggestions with Let's, Why don't we and How about
    4. Lesson 24An orchestra for every kidThe infinitive of purpose and to or for

  7. Unit 7 Neighbors and community

    much and many, should, something and everyone, because and so

    1. Lesson 25Everybody cleans up!Much and many with nouns you can and can't count
    2. Lesson 26Good neighbors shovel snowShould and shouldn't + the base verb
    3. Lesson 27Take a book, leave a bookIndefinite pronouns with some-, any-, no- and every-
    4. Lesson 28A bench for making friendsBecause for reasons, so for results

  8. Unit 8 Plans and dreams

    verb + to, the present continuous vs going to, might, when, before and after

    1. Lesson 29Never give up: from farm fields to spaceVerb + to + the base form
    2. Lesson 30Across America by trainGoing to and the present continuous for the future
    3. Lesson 31 · you're hereOpen in the year 6939Might and might not for possibility
    4. Lesson 32A college graduate at 95Time clauses with when, before and after

Questions about this lesson

What does "might" mean?
Might means maybe: something is possible, but not sure. It might rain later. In ten years, I might live in a new city. As a modal verb, it is followed by the plain base form, without to, and it never adds -s: She might come. The A2 lesson Open in the year 6939 on edio.ai uses it for guesses about a time capsule buried in 1938.
What's the difference between may and might?
For possibility, may and might mean almost the same: It may rain. It might rain. Might is more common in everyday American speech, while may sounds a little more formal. In everyday English, only may asks for or gives permission: May I come in? You may sit down. Both take the base verb with no to and never add -s: She may come. She might come.
Is "might" less sure than "may"?
Only a little, if at all: some speakers hear might as slightly less sure, but in most sentences the two swap freely. We might visit Queens and We may visit Queens both mean it's possible. The bigger difference is with sure forms: going to for a plan (I'm going to write a letter tonight) and might for a guess (I might open my letter in ten years).
How do you use "might not"?
Put not straight after might, then the base verb: They might not use paper. I might not have the same phone! It makes a negative guess: maybe something won't happen. Don't might and might don't are always wrong, and the short form mightn't is rare in American English. The gap-fill this page plays from Open in the year 6939, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, mixes might and might not in eight sentences.
What's the difference between might and will?
Will sounds sure; might only says it's possible. It will rain is a firm prediction, and It might rain is a guess. Never use the two together: They might will open it is wrong, so say They might open it. For a plan you're sure of, going to works as well: We're going to visit the park tomorrow.
How do you ask a question with "might"?
Most questions use Do you think + might: Do you think it might rain? Do you think people might live on the moon? Starting with might (Might it rain?) is correct but very rare. Short answers keep might or use maybe: Yes, they might. Maybe not. It might. Take an umbrella!
Is it "might go" or "might to go"?
It's might go, with no to: People might live on the moon, not People might to live on the moon. Like can and should, might takes the bare verb, and it never adds -s: She might come, not She mights come or She might comes. The chat in the A2 lesson Open in the year 6939 on edio.ai offers I might to live in a new city as a wrong reply.
How do you write a letter to your future self in English?
A letter to your future self needs a greeting, you today, some guesses and a goodbye. Open with Dear Future Me,, describe yourself now (Today I'm fifteen.), guess with might (In ten years, I might live in a new city.) and close with See you in ten years! Love, Me. One sure plan with going to fits too. A chat in Open in the year 6939 on edio.ai builds one line by line.
How do I teach might to A2 students?
Start with guesses nobody can check yet: tomorrow's weather, life in 100 years, the class in ten years. Model It might rain and People might not use paper money, then set a sure plan with going to beside them. Deal early with the three traps: might to, mights and don't might. A time capsule built to last about 5,000 years makes a good subject, since every guess about its future is a might.
What's a good game for practicing might?
A mystery-object guessing game works well: show an old or odd object, and students guess with It might be… or It might not be… until someone gets it. To look ahead, ask what people far in the future might think a toothbrush is: They might think it's a tiny broom! Open-the-box prompts add more rounds, such as Name three things for your time capsule.
What's good homework for practicing might?
Good homework makes students choose between sure and not sure: I'm sure: we're going to visit the park tomorrow. I'm not sure: it might snow tomorrow. Open in the year 6939 on edio.ai sets nine homework tasks that mark themselves, from word games and a going to or might choice to a table of positive and negative forms and a model letter with gaps for might.
Are there interactive exercises for might and might not?
Yes: exercises that check every guess as students go suit might well. On this page, four parts of Open in the year 6939, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, need no account: the 1938 time capsule's museum notice, a dialogue between a guide and Marco in Queens, a gap-fill of might or might not + verb, and a chat that builds a letter to your future self. The sure-or-not-sure table and the rest are locked.
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