Module 3: Future Plans, Predictions, and Fast Talk

Materials Needed

• Paper or a notebook and a pen/pencil
• Timer or clock
• Optional: phone or computer for recording and replaying speech
• Optional: small objects or picture prompts to inspire predictions

Learning Objectives

By the end of this 60-minute lesson, Faramim43 will be able to:

1. Choose will or be going to correctly in at least 4 out of 5 example situations.
2. Form a future sentence with be going to, including the correct form of be.
3. Recognize and use common spoken forms—’ll, gonna, and a relaxed flap /t/—in a short practice dialogue.
4. Use a clear, natural future-tense sentence in a brief speaking task.

Success Criteria

• I can explain why a speaker chooses will or be going to.
• I include am, is, or are in sentences with going to.
• I can recognize that relaxed pronunciation may sound different from careful written English.
• I can speak clearly enough for a listener to understand my meaning.

Lesson at a Glance

Introduction: Hook and Objectives (0–5 minutes)

Hook: Read these two sentences aloud, first carefully and then at a natural conversational pace:

• “I’ll answer the phone.”
• “I’m going to visit Islamabad next weekend.”

Ask: Which sentence sounds like a decision made right now? Which describes a plan made earlier? Invite Faramim43 to explain what they notice about the sound of I will compared with I’ll.

Share the objectives and success criteria. Explain: “Today we’ll connect what future forms mean with how people often say them in everyday conversation. We’ll write the careful form first, then practice recognizing relaxed speech.”

Body: Content and Practice

I Do: Model the Grammar and Pronunciation (5–17 minutes)

Explain and model the following. Write the examples down so the learner can see the difference between written forms and conversational pronunciation.

1. Choosing the Future Form

• Will often expresses a decision made at the moment of speaking: “The phone is ringing. I’ll answer it.”
• Will can express a promise: “I’ll help you with your homework.”
• Will is often used for predictions based on an opinion or belief: “I think our team will win.”
• Be going to often expresses a prior plan or intention: “I’m going to visit Islamabad next weekend.”
• Be going to is often used for a prediction based on present evidence: “Look at those dark clouds. It’s going to rain.”

Form reminder: subject + am/is/are + going to + base verb. For example: She is going to study. The word be is required: not “She going to study.”

Clarify that these are useful patterns, not rigid rules: speakers may sometimes use either form, depending on what they want to emphasize.

2. Contractions with Will

Show how will commonly contracts in speech and informal writing:

• I will → I’ll
• you will → you’ll
• he will → he’ll
• she will → she’ll
• we will → we’ll
• they will → they’ll

Model a gradual transition: say “I will help” slowly, then “I’ll help” naturally. Explain that the contracted form is common in conversation, while the full form can sound more deliberate or emphatic.

3. Going To and “Gonna”

In relaxed speech, going to may sound like gonna when it introduces a future plan or intention:

• “I’m going to call you.” → may sound like “I’m gonna call you.”
• “We’re going to make dinner.” → may sound like “We’re gonna make dinner.”

Important: Gonna is a casual spoken reduction, not a spelling to use in formal writing. It is generally used when going to functions as a future marker before another verb. It is not used for physical movement to a place: “I’m going to the store” means movement, so do not change it to “I’m gonna the store.”

4. The Flap /t/ and Connected Speech

In some varieties of North American English, the /t/ in a phrase such as “What are you…?” may become a quick, light sound called a flap /ɾ/. In fast speech, the phrase may sound like “What are you…” → “What’re you…” or “Whaddaya…”. Combined with the future reduction, “What are you going to do?” may sound approximately like “Whaddaya gonna do?”

Model the phrase at three speeds: careful, conversational, and relaxed. Explain that the relaxed version is useful for listening and informal conversation; Faramim43 may choose a clearer form when speaking slowly or formally. Pronunciation varies by accent, so the flap is an option to recognize, not a requirement.

We Do: Sort, Build, and Say (17–27 minutes)

Work through each prompt together. For every item, Faramim43 should choose the future form, explain the clue, complete the sentence, and then say it aloud.

1. The phone rings. “I ___ get it!” (will: decision made now)
2. There is a ticket on the desk for Saturday. “We ___ travel on Saturday.” (are going to: prior plan)
3. The sky is very dark. “It ___ rain soon.” (is going to: present evidence)
4. “I promise I ___ send you the notes.” (will: promise)
5. “Mina ___ practice after lunch.” (is going to: planned intention)

Next, say each completed sentence in its careful form, then try a natural spoken version where appropriate. Ask quick-check questions: “What clue helped you choose?” “Which word must appear before going to?” “Would you write gonna in a formal email?”

Transition: “Now that we can choose the form and hear its sound, let’s use predictions and plans in a playful fortune-telling game.”

Activity 1: The Fortune Teller (27–39 minutes)

Purpose: Practice evidence-based predictions with be going to, opinion-based predictions with will, and clear spoken reasons.

1. Choose three prompts from the list, or invent your own: a rainy-looking sky, a packed calendar, a mystery object, a pet near an open door, or a learner’s hobby.
2. For each prompt, make one prediction based on visible evidence using be going to, if appropriate. Example: “The dog is going to run outside because the door is open.”
3. Make one prediction based on a guess or opinion using will. Example: “I think you’ll learn a new song this month.”
4. Add one promise or spontaneous decision. Example: “I’ll write down your prediction.”
5. Say the sentences aloud. The listener identifies the clue: evidence, opinion, plan, promise, or decision made now.

Choice: Faramim43 may write predictions, speak them, draw a quick scene, or record them and replay the recording.

Feedback: Give one specific comment about grammar and one about speech—for example, “You included are in are going to,” and “Your contracted you’ll sounded smooth and clear.”

Activity 2: The Fast Talk Drill (39–50 minutes)

Purpose: Build awareness of connected speech while keeping the message understandable.

1. Echo: Read a line carefully. Faramim43 repeats it. Then read it at a natural conversational pace for another echo.
2. Spot the change: Ask which words became shorter or linked together.
3. Switch the form: Faramim43 says the careful form first and then a relaxed version where one is common.
4. Role-play: Take turns asking and answering the questions below. Use a clear version first, then try relaxed speech if comfortable.

• What are you going to do after this lesson? → relaxed speech may sound like “Whaddaya gonna do after this lesson?”
• What are you going to make for dinner? → relaxed speech may sound like “Whaddaya gonna make for dinner?”
• Will you help me plan the weekend? → “Will you…” may be spoken with linking; the response could be “I’ll help.”

Remind the learner not to force fast speech: begin slowly, keep the sentence understandable, and increase speed only if comfortable. A recording can help compare careful and relaxed versions.

You Do: Independent Speaking Challenge (50–57 minutes)

Faramim43 chooses one scenario: planning a weekend, preparing for a celebration, making a weather forecast, or organizing a study session. Create and deliver a 4–6 sentence mini-dialogue or monologue that includes:

• One will sentence for a promise or decision made now
• One will prediction based on an opinion, if appropriate
• Two be going to sentences for plans or evidence-based predictions
• At least one spoken contraction or relaxed form, such as I’ll or gonna

Before speaking, check: Did I choose the future form for a reason? Did I include am/is/are before going to? Is my message clear? Give brief, specific feedback tied to the success criteria. Allow a second attempt after feedback.

Assessment

Formative Assessment

• Listen to the learner’s reasons during the We Do sentence sort.
• Check whether the learner includes the correct form of be in be going to sentences.
• Ask the learner to identify a written form and its possible relaxed spoken form during the Fast Talk Drill.
• Use the independent speaking challenge for immediate feedback and a chance to revise.

Summative Assessment

Evaluate the independent speaking challenge using this four-point checklist. Success is meeting at least three of the four criteria, with no repeated omission of the auxiliary verb.

1. Chooses will and be going to appropriately for the intended meaning.
2. Forms be going to with am/is/are and a base verb.
3. Uses or recognizes at least one appropriate contraction or connected-speech form.
4. Delivers a message that is understandable and includes a reason or context for at least one future statement.

Differentiation and Adaptations

• For extra support: Offer sentence frames: “I think ___ will ___.” “I’m going to ___.” “Look at ___; it’s going to ___.” Use only three choices at a time and color-code be in the be going to pattern.
• For a slower pace: Pause the lesson after the We Do section, repeat examples, and use careful pronunciation before attempting reductions. The Fortune Teller and Fast Talk Drill can be completed in separate sessions.
• For pronunciation support: Tap the beat of a sentence, listen to a model, and echo short chunks before combining them. Accept a clear, careful accent; prioritize intelligibility over speed.
• For extension: Compare two possible future forms in the same situation and explain how the speaker’s meaning or emphasis changes. Create a short forecast or dialogue that moves from a careful style to an informal one.
• For different learning settings: A homeschool learner can role-play both speakers, a classroom can pair learners, and a trainer can adapt the scenarios to workplace plans and commitments. Activities may be spoken, written, recorded, or completed digitally.

Conclusion: Recap and Exit Card (57–60 minutes)

Ask Faramim43 to finish these oral recap prompts:

• “I use will for…”
• “I use be going to for…”
• “Before going to, I need…”
• “In relaxed speech, going to may sound like…”

Exit card: Write or record one sentence with will, one with be going to, and a note about how one sentence might sound in relaxed speech. Underline the auxiliary in the be going to sentence. Review the card to decide whether the next lesson should begin with more grammar practice or more connected-speech listening.