Learning grammar can often seem boring to students. As teachers, we're always seeking new ways to engage our classes and make lessons stick. When it comes to teaching the future tense, especially "going to," getting creative and hands-on is key.

In this article, we'll explore interactive techniques to liven up your future tense lessons and get your students excited about using "going to."

Total Physical Response (TPR)

One excellent way to teach "going to" is through Total Physical Response activities. TPR involves using movement and gestures to act out actions, which helps cement new language.

Some TPR ideas include:

• Students can act out future tense sentences like "I'm going to walk my dog" as you say them.
• Play a game of "Future Charades" where students act out future actions for others to guess.
• Have students draw various future activities on small whiteboards or paper, then act them out.

TPR turns your classroom into a stage for practicing the future in a memorable way.

Crafting with the Future

Easy craft activities are another way to engage different learning styles. Get creative with:

• Paper fortune tellers or "cootie catchers" for practicing future questions and answers.
• Building "futuristic robots" out of cardboard boxes and tubes that can say future tense phrases.
• Making paper clocks with movable hands that students can set to future times.

The hands-on process of creating something solidifies the future tense concepts.

Future Tense Games

Games inject fun competition into learning. Some future tense game ideas include:

• Jeopardy: Make a Jeopardy board using JeopardyLabs and have teams answer future tense questions.
• Board races: Make a snakes and ladders style board with future tense tasks. Teams race by rolling a dice.
• Target practice: Hang hula hoops around the room labeled with future verbs like "going to eat." Students toss balls or bean bags into the correct hoops.

Games get everyone engaged and willing to practice the future over and over.

Digital Practice

Online tools like Padlet, Kahoot and Edpuzzle are great for tech-based practice. You can:

• Make an online "graffiti wall" with Padlet for students to write example future tense sentences.
• Build a competitive Kahoot quiz to review "going to."
• Add voice notes explaining the future tense over a video lesson with Edpuzzle.

Technology brings in variety and caters to different learning preferences.

Real-Life Roleplaying

Roleplaying with real-world situations is an effective technique as well. Students can act out:

• Ordering food at a restaurant: "I'm going to have the pizza."
• Planning a vacation: "We're going to go to the beach."
• Discussing weekend plans: "I'm going to see a movie with friends."

This context helps them see how the future tense applies in everyday life.

Keep It Fun!

Teaching grammar doesn't have to be dry and monotonous. With tools like TPR, crafts, games, technology and roleplaying, you can engage your students and make future tense lessons fun.

The key is using a variety of interactive techniques to accommodate different learning styles. Giving students opportunities to move around and be creative keeps them actively thinking about the future tense in a dynamic way. Lessons become an adventure rather than passive worksheets.

At to-teach, we provide ready-to-use activities, worksheets, and lesson plans to liven up your grammar teaching. Our AI helps customize engaging content on topics that resonate with your students. Sign up today to save time lesson planning with future tense materials that turn "going to" into a blast!