Going to for future plans
How to teach going to for future plans?
Warm up
If you are dealing with beginners, it would be much better to teach the simple present before teaching the future plan. If you are dealing with intermediate students, simply review the simple future. To review the simple future, you may introduce an activity that involves a fortune-teller. Elicit from students how a fortune-teller predicts something in the future:
Examples: Fortune teller says:
1. You will get rich.
2. You will set up your own business.
3. You will marry a beautiful girl.
4. You will have a lot of children…
This can be done in the form of a role play activity.
Of course the simple future is used in other situations (e.g. instant decisions)
Once students understand how and when to use the simple future, you may proceed to teach going to + verb
Presentation
Next, try to introduce the future plan with going to + verb. Give examples where it is used for decisions that were taken before the time of speaking:
Examples:
We are going to get married after graduation. We are not going to live here. We are going to move to New York after graduation.
Help learners notice the following:
1. The use of the future tense with going to.
2. The structure going to + verb in these sentences is used to refer to events planned before the time of speaking. These are decisions taken prior to the moment of speaking.
Activity
1. Introduce an activity which involves an interview with someone who has won a lot of money in the lottery:
A. What are you going to do with the money?
B: I am going to set up my own business.
A: Are you going to help people in your family?
B: Of course, and I’m going to buy a farm in the countryside.
….
2. Shopping list:
Students give examples of things they are going to buy.
Follow up
Writing
Students write a short paragraph about what they have decided to do next weekend.
Students take turn reading their paragraphs.
Pair work
Write these examples on the board:
Warm up
If you are dealing with beginners, it would be much better to teach the simple present before teaching the future plan. If you are dealing with intermediate students, simply review the simple future. To review the simple future, you may introduce an activity that involves a fortune-teller. Elicit from students how a fortune-teller predicts something in the future:
Examples: Fortune teller says:
1. You will get rich.
2. You will set up your own business.
3. You will marry a beautiful girl.
4. You will have a lot of children…
This can be done in the form of a role play activity.
Of course the simple future is used in other situations (e.g. instant decisions)
Once students understand how and when to use the simple future, you may proceed to teach going to + verb
Presentation
Next, try to introduce the future plan with going to + verb. Give examples where it is used for decisions that were taken before the time of speaking:
Examples:
We are going to get married after graduation. We are not going to live here. We are going to move to New York after graduation.
Help learners notice the following:
1. The use of the future tense with going to.
2. The structure going to + verb in these sentences is used to refer to events planned before the time of speaking. These are decisions taken prior to the moment of speaking.
Activity
1. Introduce an activity which involves an interview with someone who has won a lot of money in the lottery:
A. What are you going to do with the money?
B: I am going to set up my own business.
A: Are you going to help people in your family?
B: Of course, and I’m going to buy a farm in the countryside.
….
2. Shopping list:
Students give examples of things they are going to buy.
Follow up
Writing
Students write a short paragraph about what they have decided to do next weekend.
Students take turn reading their paragraphs.
Pair work
Write these examples on the board: