Future Visioning
Te Tirohanga Anamata • Imagining Tomorrow Through Writing
"Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua"
I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past
Understanding where we come from helps us imagine where we could go. Future visioning is about using our creativity to dream of better possibilities.
🔮 What is Future Visioning?
Future visioning is a creative writing technique where we imagine possible futures. It's used by:
- Science fiction writers — imagining new technologies and societies
- Urban planners — designing cities of tomorrow
- Environmental activists — picturing a sustainable world
- Leaders and innovators — inspiring change
Today, you'll use your imagination to create a vision of the future!
✨ Choose Your Vision
Select ONE prompt to explore:
🏙️ Aotearoa 2100
It's the year 2100. Describe a day in the life of a teenager in Aotearoa. What has changed? What has stayed the same?
🌿 The Restored Land
After decades of environmental action, native ecosystems have been restored. Describe this world through the eyes of a kaitiaki (guardian).
🌍 First Contact
Humanity has made contact with another civilization. You are chosen as a representative of Aotearoa. What do you share about your culture?
🎓 School of the Future
Education has transformed completely. Describe a typical school day in this new system. How do students learn?
🧠 Before You Write — Think About:
- What problem does your future world solve?
- What values drive this society?
- What role does technology play?
- How do people connect with each other and with nature?
- What has been preserved from our time?
- What challenges still exist?
💡 Sentence Starters
Use these to help you begin if you're stuck:
- "When I woke up that morning, the first thing I noticed was..."
- "The old photographs showed how different things used to be..."
- "My grandmother always said that back in the 2020s, people..."
- "The city stretched out before me, but it was nothing like the old stories..."
- "What surprised visitors most about our world was..."
✍️ Your Vision
Prompt chosen: ________________________________
My title: ________________________________
✅ Self-Assessment Checklist
- My writing clearly describes a future world
- I've used sensory details (what you see, hear, feel, smell)
- I've thought about how society and values have changed
- My writing includes specific details that make it believable
- I've connected the future to the present in some way
- I've used paragraphs to organize my ideas
- I've checked my spelling and punctuation
- My writing has a clear beginning, middle, and end
📚 Useful Vocabulary
An ideal, perfect society
A society in decline or ruin
Able to continue long-term
New ideas or methods
Renewal, restoration
Future (te reo Māori)
⭐ Extension: Alternative Futures
Writers often imagine multiple possible futures:
- Best case scenario: Everything goes well
- Worst case scenario: Things go badly
- Most likely scenario: A realistic middle ground
Challenge: Write a short paragraph for each scenario based on the same topic.
👩🏫 Teacher Notes
Curriculum: NZC Level 4-5 English — Creating texts, Thinking critically
Cross-curricular links:
- Social Studies — Futures thinking, citizenship
- Science — Environmental sustainability
- Technology — Design and innovation
Differentiation:
- Support: Provide graphic organizers; allow collaborative writing
- Extension: Write from multiple perspectives; create a multimedia presentation