Will vs Going to: Choosing the Right Future Tense

Will vs Going to: Choosing the Right Future Tense

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to tell the difference between 'will' and 'going to' and use them correctly in context.

Explain the learning objective and emphasize that students will be able to use both future tenses correctly.

What do you already know about using 'will' and 'going to' to talk about future events?

Definition of 'Will'

'Will' is used to talk about future events that are not planned or arranged.

Define 'will' and give examples. Emphasize that this future tense is used for spontaneous decisions.

Definition of 'Going to'

'Going to' is used to talk about future events that are planned or arranged.

Define 'going to' and give examples. Emphasize that this future tense is used for events that are already in the plans.

Examples of 'Will'

Examples: I will go to the beach tomorrow. She will call you later. They will arrive at 8 pm.

Provide examples of sentences using 'will'. Ask students to identify the future event and explain why 'will' was used.

Examples of 'Going to'

Examples: I am going to the beach tomorrow. She is going to call you later. They are going to arrive at 8 pm.

Provide examples of sentences using 'going to'. Ask students to identify the future event and explain why 'going to' was used.

Practice: Choose the Correct Future Tense

I (will/go to) the party tonight. They (will/go to) travel next week. She (will/go to) call you tomorrow.

Create a worksheet or interactive activity where students fill in the blanks with the correct future tense. Review the answers together as a class.

Real-Life Scenarios

In pairs, students will come up with real-life scenarios using 'will' and 'going to'. They will then share their scenarios with the class.

Have students work in pairs to create scenarios using both future tenses. Encourage creativity and fun scenarios.

Review

What is the difference between 'will' and 'going to'? When do we use 'will'? When do we use 'going to'?

Review the main points of the lesson and ask students to explain the difference between 'will' and 'going to'. Encourage class participation and discussion.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.