Let’s have a party! (going to)

Kinga | Jan 11, 2026Jan 08, 2026

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this ESL lesson on be going to are to:

• discuss parties, share experiences and give opinions;
• learn and use the structure be going to to talk about the future;
• practise the phrases for party preparations.

In this lesson, students discuss party preferences and explore phrases related to getting the house ready for guests (e.g. bake a cake, wash the dishes, clean the floor). They complete a dialogue, share their experiences and learn how to use the be going to structure. Students also talk about future scenarios, answer questions and work in pairs, imagining planning a party.

WARM-UP AND USEFUL PHRASES

This ESL lesson on be going to starts with a warm-up. Students look at photos (decorations, music and snacks) and say if they are important for them at a party. They give details. Afterwards, students examine statements about party preferences (e.g. I buy/make snacks for parties, because…). They choose the options that are true about them and complete the sentences with their own ideas. Following that, students match photos with pre-party tasks (e.g. this person needs to tidy the flat). They then review the activities from the previous task (e.g. tidy the flat, set the table, bake a cake) and do tasks where they talk about party preparation and preferences. Moving on, students complete a dialogue with missing words. Next, they guess what kind of party the people are talking about. Then, students discuss getting together with others.

BE GOING TO PRACTICE

In this part of the ESL lesson on be going to, students use sentences (e.g. I’m going to bake a cake) to complete the rules about the structure be going to and understand how to use it. Afterwards, they choose the correct form of be going to in statements about different topics (e.g. Pablo not going to/is going not to/is not going to visit his aunt). Following that, students complete gaps to form be going to sentences. Moving on, they use the correct form of be going to and verbs to complete gaps in question-based scenarios about future plans. Then, students create possible answers to the questions from the previous task. Finally, they imagine they are planning a party and write things they are going to do or not do. In pairs, students exchange lists, ask questions to find out their partner’s plans and report on them. They then swap roles.

HOMEWORK/REVISION

This ESL lesson on be going to also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students look at different situations and say one thing the people are going to do and one thing they aren’t to help them succeed. The task is available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. You can print it and hand it out to your students. It’s also included in the e-lesson plan.

WORKSHEETS

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