Mohamed Ramadan 
Teaching “I wish” vs. “I hope” to both low- and high-level EFL learners is enjoyable. It is a great way for learners to talk about their aspirations, dreams, and even hidden desires.
Here’s a practical lesson plan for teaching “I wish” vs. “I hope” and how to introduce and practice ‘wishes’ and ‘hopes’ in the classroom.
Objectives
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
* Explain the difference between “wish” and “hope” in meaning.
* Tell the difference between “wish” and “hope” in structure.
* Produce various sentences using “wish” and “hope.”
Presentation
Presenting the Meaning of “I wish” vs. “I hope.”
– Write the following examples on the board to show students the difference between “wish” and “hope” in meaning.
“Wishes”
I wish I could fly to the moon.
I wish I had a million dollars.
I wish my mother could be with me now.
“Hopes”
I hope (that) my friend gets better.
I hope (that) it stops raining soon.
I’m hoping for good weather today.
I hope (that) my son succeeds in secondary school.
I hope to study in Europe next year.
– Telling students that there is a difference in meaning between “I wish” and “I hope.”
“I wish” refers to unrealistic dreams. E.g., I wish I could fly to the moon.
Most of the time when we use “I wish,” we want something impossible or that doesn’t seem likely. E.g., I wish I had a million dollars.
We may feel sorry that things are not as we like. E.g., I wish my mother could be with me now.
On the other side, “I hope” is a bit different. When we use “I hope,” we want something to happen, e.g., I hope (that) my friend gets better. I hope (that) it stops raining soon. I’m hoping for good weather today, but we are not sure that it will.
It may be out of our control whether it happens or not, e.g., I hope (that) my son succeeds in secondary school. I hope to study in Europe next year.
Presenting the Structure of “I wish” vs. “I hope.”
* Telling students that there is a difference between “I wish” and “I hope” in structure, as well as asking them to notice the structural differences from the examples above.
* Eliciting from them that we use the past simple tense with “I wish” for a wish in the present.
* Providing the following diagram:
(I wish + subject + past simple tense) and giving more examples, e.g., I wish I spoke Italian, I wish I had better news, I wish I were a famous footballer … etc.
* (With high-level learners), add that we use the past perfect tense with “I wish” for a wish in the past.
* Providing the following diagram:
(I wish + subject + past perfect tense) and giving more examples, e.g., I wish I had studied harder for the test; I wish I had travelled with my father to London last summer, etc.
* Then go to “hope” structures and elicit the following diagrams:
a) Hope + that-clause giving more examples, e.g., “I hope that there’s a cake at the party … etc.,” saying we can omit “that.”
b) Hoping + for + object, stating that hope is commonly used with “-ing.”
Hope + infinitive, giving more examples, e.g. I hope to pass the interview, etc., saying that it is likely formal.
Practice of “I wish” vs. “I hope.”
Guided Practice
Activity 1:
Give a text with gaps and ask students to fill in the gaps with the appropriate word: “wish” or “hope.”
Activity 2:
Asking who wishes he had a car, etc., and eliciting from the student who wishes that to say, “I wish I had a car,” etc. (with high-level learners, you can use wish + past perfect tense).
Activity 3:
Asking students to respond to some situations using “wish” or “hope,” e.g., you dream of being in Paris in the present. You want your friend to get better … etc.
Free Practice & Production
Activity 1:
“Find out wishes & hopes.” Students work in pairs to know each other’s wishes and hopes. Then, each student makes two sentences at least about his/her partner: one wish and one hope. E.g., Jane wishes she were in Cairo; she hopes to learn Arabic. John wishes he could get good marks in the exams; he hopes that he does better in the next exams … etc.
Activity 2:
Asking each student in the classroom to take a paper and write three wishes and three hopes. Then, select some students to tell the whole class what they wish and hope.
Want a valuable resource for English lesson plans?
View all lesson plans and filter them according to what you need
About the Author
Very nice.