Week 37 – Making plans & decisions

Week 37 – Making plans & decisions (going to / will / might/may, A2+)

Theme: Talking about future plans, decisions, and possibilities; expressing different degrees of certainty.

Main grammar & functions:

• be going to for plans and intentions (review):
  • I’m going to start a new course., We’re going to visit my parents.
• will for spontaneous decisions and neutral predictions (review):
  • I’ll help you., I think it will be easy.
• might / may for possibility (less certain):
  • I might go to the party., We may visit them next month.

CEFR link:

A2+: Can talk about future plans, make simple predictions, and express different levels of certainty using basic modal verbs (CEFR: “Can describe future plans and arrangements,” “Can express possibility and make simple predictions.”)

1. Lesson objectives (for students)

By the end of the week, students can:

1. Use going to to talk about personal plans and intentions.
2. Use will for spontaneous decisions and simple predictions.
3. Use might / may to talk about possible future actions.
4. Distinguish between sure / not sure about the future in simple sentences.

2. Grammar focus (with Ukrainian‑speaker notes)

a) be going to – plans & intentions (review)

Form:

• am / is / are + going to + verb
  • I’m going to study English tonight.
  • She’s going to look for a new job.
  • We’re going to visit our friends.

Use:

• Plans/intentions decided before the moment of speaking.

b) will – decisions now & neutral predictions (review)

Form:

• will + verb → I’ll, you’ll, he’ll, she’ll, we’ll, they’ll.

Use 1 – decision at the moment:

• Phone rings → I’ll answer it.
• You’re busy → I’ll help you.

Use 2 – prediction / opinion about future:

• I think it’ll rain tomorrow.
• I don’t think it will be difficult.

c) might / may – possibility

Form:

• might / may + verb (no "to", no -s; same for all persons):
  • I might go to the party.
  • She may stay at home.
  • They might not come. / They may not come.

Use:

• To say something is possible, but not sure:
  • I’m not sure – I might go to the cinema.
  • We may visit them next month.
  • It might not be sunny on Sunday.

Certainty scale (simple):

• will – I’m sure / I think yes.
• might/may – maybe yes, maybe no.
• won’t – I’m sure no.

Ukrainian issues:

• Translating можливо / може бути – students often overuse "maybe" at the beginning of sentence only; teach might/may as verbs in the middle:
  • "Maybe I will go" → also show I might go.

At A2+ keep it lexical: short useful patterns rather than full modal theory.

3. Vocabulary sets

Topics for plans & decisions:

• study/work: start a course, change job, learn a language, study more, take an exam
• travel: go on holiday, visit another city, travel abroad, book a trip
• free time: go to a concert, join a gym, start a new hobby, meet friends

Useful time expressions:

• tonight, tomorrow, next week/month/year, this weekend, on Saturday, in the summer

Opinion phrases:

• I think…, I don’t think…, I’m sure…, I’m not sure…, maybe…

4. Lesson skeleton (60–90 minutes)

1) Warm‑up – Future certainty line (10–15 min)

• Draw a line on the board:

0% won’t – might/may – will 100%

• Ask a few questions and elicit answers using the line:
  • "Will you drink coffee tomorrow?" – Yes, I will.
  • "Will you go to the cinema next week?" – I might / may go.
• This activates will / might / may with meaning.

2) Presentation – Short text with all three forms (15–20 min)

1. Show a short text:

Example:

This weekend I’m going to visit my parents. On Saturday we’re going to have dinner together. On Sunday I might go to the cinema with my friends, but I’m not sure. I think it will be a nice weekend.

2. Underline:
   • going to = fixed plans (visit, have dinner).
   • might = possible plan (go to the cinema).
   • will = prediction/opinion (will be nice).
3. Check understanding: Which plans are sure? Which are maybe? What is the prediction?

3) Controlled practice – Plans vs possibilities (15–20 min)

1. Give students a table with "sure plans" and "maybe plans".

• • Sure: visit grandparents, study English, clean the house.
  • Maybe: go to a party, go to the cinema, go shopping.

2. Students write sentences:
   • Sure → with going to:
     • "I’m going to visit my grandparents."
   • Maybe → with might/may:
     • "I might go to a party." / "I may go shopping."
3. Pair check and quick board feedback.

4) Decisions now – will (10–15 min)

Role‑play decisions at the moment.

1. Give small situation cards, e.g.:
   • Your friend is carrying heavy bags.
   • The phone is ringing.
   • You are cold.
   • You can’t do your homework.
2. Students react with will:
   • "I’ll help you."
   • "I’ll answer it."
   • "I think I’ll make some tea."
   • "I’ll help you with your homework."
3. Practise quickly in pairs.

5) Freer practice – My plans & maybe plans (15–20 min)

Students talk about sure and possible future actions.

1. Students make two lists in their notebook:
   • Definite plans (this week/this month).
   • Possible plans (they are not sure).
2. They write sentences:
   • Plans with going to:
     • "I’m going to start a new project."
     • "We’re going to visit friends next weekend."
   • Possibilities with might/may:
     • "I might go to the gym."
     • "We may travel in August."
3. In pairs, they ask and answer about their future:
   • "What are you going to do this weekend?"
   • "What might you do in the summer?"
   • "Do you think it will be a busy week?"

5. Homework / revision ideas

Choose 1–2:

1. My next year – plans and possibilities
   • Students write 8–10 sentences:
     • 4–5 with going to (plans),
     • 2–3 with will (predictions),
     • 2–3 with might/may (possibilities).

2. Future interview
   • Students prepare 5 questions to ask a classmate about their future using going to / will / might.
   • Next lesson, they interview and then report to class.

3. Certainty scale practice
   • Students write 3 future ideas and give two versions each:
     • sure: "I’ll get up at 7 tomorrow."
     • possible: "I might get up at 8."