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Across America by train: going to and the present continuous for plans

Going to vs the present continuous for future plans and arrangements is the focus of this A2 ESL lesson plan, set on a train across America.

Grammar
The present continuous for arrangements, with a ticket or a time with others (We're leaving Chicago at two.), and going to for plans with nothing fixed (We're going to take lots of photos.).
Topic
Amtrak's California Zephyr, about 52 hours from Chicago to the San Francisco Bay Area, with train travel words such as conductor, sleeping car, dining car and luggage.
Activities
A route schedule to read, a conductor's dialogue and a message to hear, self-checking drills, Nora's chat about plans and open-box questions.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1All aboard!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: on the trainVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: the train schedule

    • Look at the photo: the California ZephyrPictureUnlock
    • Read the train scheduleReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: on the Zephyr

    • Listen to Nora and LeonListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Look at the photo: the first California ZephyrPictureUnlock
    • Listen to Grandpa's ChallengeListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: we're leaving, we're going to

    • Study the scheme: arrangements and plansGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the right form: arrangement or plan?Choose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: present continuous or going toFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: every personFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: tickets and plans

    • Choose the right replies: Nora's messagesChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: tickets and plansOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the words: on the trainAnagramUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: train wordsDrag and dropUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: present continuous or going to?Fill in the gapsUnlock
    • Sort the words into the correct columns: arrangement or plan?Sort into columnsUnlock
    • Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the right form: a viewer's commentChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Nora's train diaryDrag and dropUnlock

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Train travel vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • sleeping car
  • dining car
  • lounge car
  • dumbwaiter
  • canyon
  • luggage
  • bunk

Grammar: going to and the present continuous for the future

English talks about the future in several ways, and two of them use forms students already know: the present continuous and be going to. On a long train ride across America, learners test each plan for a ticket or a set time: an arrangement takes We're leaving at two, and a plan with nothing fixed takes We're going to take photos.

We're leaving at two. We're going to take photos.

Two ways to talk about the future: an arrangement (a ticket, a time with other people) or a plan (you decided, but there's no ticket or time).

Arrangement or plan?

An arrangement is fixed by a ticket, a reservation or a time with other people, so arrangements take the present continuous: I'm meeting Earl at six. A plan you only decided takes going to: Marco is going to sleep in the lounge car.

Arrangement → present continuous

  • You have a ticket, a reservation, an appointment or a time with other people.
  • We're leaving Chicago at two. (We have tickets.)
  • I'm meeting Earl at the station at six.

Plan → going to

  • You decided. It's your plan or idea: no ticket, no time with others.
  • We're going to take lots of photos.
  • Marco is going to sleep in the lounge car tonight.

Two forms built on am, is and are

Both forms start with am, is or are: the present continuous adds verb + -ing (We are leaving Chicago at two.), and going to adds the base form (We are going to take lots of photos.). Questions put be first: Are you leaving at two?

Present continuous

am / is / areverb + -ing

We are leaving Chicago at two.

Nora is meeting Earl at six.

going to

am / is / aregoing toverb

We are going to take lots of photos.

Marco is going to sleep in the lounge car.

Every person

WhoArrangementPlan
II'm leaving at two.I'm going to take photos.
youYou're leaving at two.You're going to take photos.
he, she, itNora's leaving at two.Marco's going to take photos.
weWe're leaving at two.We're going to take photos.
theyThey're leaving at two.They're going to take photos.
questionsAre you leaving at two?Are you going to take photos?
negativesWe're not leaving today.I'm not going to sleep in the lounge car!

Clues: a ticket or just an idea?

Look for the clue. A ticket, a reservation, an appointment or at six with Earl point to the present continuous; I decided…, my idea, one day and no ticket yet point to going to. The present continuous still works for now, too: Look! We're crossing the Rockies!

Clues: an arrangement

  • a ticket
  • a reservation
  • an appointment
  • at six with Earl

Clues: a plan

  • I decided…
  • my idea
  • one day
  • no ticket yet

A ticket or just an idea?

Do you have a ticket, a reservation or a time with other people? Yes → present continuous: I'm meeting Earl at six. No, it's only your plan → going to: I'm going to call Earl tonight. Remember: the present continuous is for now too: Look! We're crossing the Rockies!

Don't drop be, don't add -ing

Three slips break the forms: We going to take photos has no are, We're leave Chicago at two has no -ing, and going to sleeping has one -ing too many. After going to, the verb stays bare: Marco is going to sleep in the lounge car.

  • We going to take photos.

    We're going to take photos.

    Don't forget am / is / are.

  • We're leave Chicago at two.

    We're leaving Chicago at two.

    am / is / are + verb-ing

  • Marco is going to sleeping in the lounge car.

    Marco is going to sleep in the lounge car.

    going to + verb, no -ing

  • I decided: I'm learning the harmonica one day.

    I decided: I'm going to learn the harmonica one day.

    only a plan, no ticket or time: going to

More lessons on this grammar: Future tenses lessons and exercises · Present continuous lessons and exercises

Try the plans and arrangements exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 16 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 3 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • talk about arrangements with the present continuous: I'm meeting my friends at the park on Saturday at ten.
  • talk about plans with going to: I'm going to swim in the lake every day!
  • choose the form from the clue, a ticket or just an idea: We have tickets for Friday. We're taking the train to Denver on Friday.
  • ask about someone's plans: What are you doing this weekend? Are you going to take a long train trip one day?

In Plans and dreams, the closing unit of English A2.1 · Then and Now, lesson 30 comes second. It puts side by side two forms from earlier units: going to for plans and predictions, taught in lesson 18, and the present continuous for arrangements, taught in lesson 22. Lesson 31 then sets going to, for what is sure, against might. On a long train ride, the ticket fixes the departure, while what passengers do on board stays a plan.

Students spin a wheel of travel questions and learn ten words, from depart and conductor to dumbwaiter and bunk, with pictures and audio. They read the California Zephyr's route schedule, with seven states, three time zones and sights such as the Moffat Tunnel, then hear Leon the conductor check Nora's ticket before departure (an AI-voiced dialogue) and a message that remembers the first California Zephyr. The scheme leads into four self-checking drills, the first a choice between arrangement and plan in eight sentences. For speaking, Nora messages students from the train, and open boxes ask for an arrangement, a plan and a dream.

Homework runs to eight tasks, each checked automatically: three train-word games (matching, an anagram, a drag-and-drop), a gap-fill, a two-column sort of arrangements and plans, a word-order drill, a viewer's comment to complete and Nora's train diary to fill in.

Grammar:
present continuous for arrangements · going to for plans · arrangements vs plans · talking about the future
Topic:
California Zephyr · Amtrak · trains · time zones · travel plans · Grandpa's Map

Teaching tips

  • Make Do you have a ticket? the test question: whenever students hesitate between I'm visiting and I'm going to visit, the answer decides the form for them.
  • Trace the route on a US map before the reading: mark Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, Reno and Emeryville, and let students guess where the clocks change. The schedule's time-zone column has the answer.
  • Play the conductor dialogue twice: first for where Marco plans to sleep, then for every future form, which students sort on the board into arrangements and plans.
  • Pair students for the guessing box: one guesses the other's weekend (Are you meeting a friend? Are you going to sleep in?), and the partner answers with a real arrangement or plan.

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The whole course: English A2.1 · Then and Now

32 lessons for adults at A2 in simple American English, from the past simple to going to, should and might. Eight units tell stories of journeys, American firsts, food, places, sports, music, neighbors and dreams. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Amazing journeys

    the past simple, regular and irregular verbs, negatives, prepositions of movement

    1. Lesson 1Around the world in 72 daysThe past simple of regular verbs
    2. Lesson 2The first drive across AmericaIrregular verbs in the past simple
    3. Lesson 3Get your kicks on Route 66Past simple negatives with didn't
    4. Lesson 4She walked 2,000 miles in sneakersPrepositions of movement

  2. Unit 2 American firsts

    was and were, past questions and short answers, ago and in, could for past ability

    1. Lesson 5The first American woman in spaceWas, were, there was and there were
    2. Lesson 6A real bug in the computerPast simple questions with did
    3. Lesson 7“Mr. Watson, come here”Wh- questions in the past simple
    4. Lesson 8Twelve seconds in the airCould and couldn't for past ability

  3. Unit 3 American food

    countable and uncountable nouns, comparatives, ordering food, a few and a little

    1. Lesson 9The first chocolate chip cookieCountable and uncountable nouns in a recipe
    2. Lesson 10Is a jalapeño hotter than a habanero?Comparatives of short adjectives
    3. Lesson 11Two eggs, sunny side up!Offers and orders with would like
    4. Lesson 12Cooking for twenty on ThanksgivingA few, a little and a lot of

  4. Unit 4 City or country?

    comparatives with more and less, superlatives, as … as, too and enough

    1. Lesson 13The island with no carsComparatives with more and less, plus better, worse and farther
    2. Lesson 14America's extremesSuperlatives with the + -est, the most and the least
    3. Lesson 15San Francisco or Yosemite? You choose!As … as for the same, not as … as for less
    4. Lesson 16A park on an old railroadToo, enough and not … enough

  5. Unit 5 Game on

    play, go and do with sports, going to, adverbs of manner, reflexive pronouns

    1. Lesson 17Basketball started with peach baskets?Play, go and do with sports
    2. Lesson 18What's going to happen at LA 2028?Be going to for plans and predictions
    3. Lesson 19Pickleball: a game from a backyardAdverbs of manner
    4. Lesson 20Be brave and tryReflexive pronouns and each other

  6. Unit 6 Music and nights out

    love, enjoy and hate + -ing, the present continuous for plans, suggestions, to for purpose

    1. Lesson 21Where jazz was bornGerunds after love, like, enjoy, hate and don't mind
    2. Lesson 22Music on every streetThe present continuous for future arrangements
    3. Lesson 23A night on BroadwaySuggestions with Let's, Why don't we and How about
    4. Lesson 24An orchestra for every kidThe infinitive of purpose and to or for

  7. Unit 7 Neighbors and community

    much and many, should, something and everyone, because and so

    1. Lesson 25Everybody cleans up!Much and many with nouns you can and can't count
    2. Lesson 26Good neighbors shovel snowShould and shouldn't + the base verb
    3. Lesson 27Take a book, leave a bookIndefinite pronouns with some-, any-, no- and every-
    4. Lesson 28A bench for making friendsBecause for reasons, so for results

  8. Unit 8 Plans and dreams

    verb + to, the present continuous vs going to, might, when, before and after

    1. Lesson 29Never give up: from farm fields to spaceVerb + to + the base form
    2. Lesson 30 · you're hereAcross America by trainGoing to and the present continuous for the future
    3. Lesson 31Open in the year 6939Might and might not for possibility
    4. Lesson 32A college graduate at 95Time clauses with when, before and after

Questions about this lesson

What's the difference between going to and the present continuous?
Use the present continuous for arrangements, going to for plans. An arrangement is fixed by a ticket or a time with other people: I'm meeting my friends on Saturday at ten. A plan is only decided: I'm going to swim in the lake every day! The two often overlap in real speech, and the clue shows which fits better. The A2 lesson Across America by train on edio.ai builds every drill on it.
When do you use the present continuous instead of going to?
Use the present continuous for the future when the event is already fixed: you have a ticket, a reservation, an appointment or a set time with someone. We're leaving Chicago at two. She's seeing the dentist on Monday. Add a future time word, so the sentence can't mean right now. With nothing fixed, going to is the usual choice: I'm going to read ten books this summer.
How do you talk about future plans and arrangements in English?
Ask about arrangements with What are you doing…? and about plans with What are you going to do…?, then reply in the matching form: What are you doing this weekend? I'm meeting my friends on Saturday. What are you going to do there? I'm going to swim every day! For a far-off wish, one day goes with going to: One day, I'm going to ride the California Zephyr too!
Is it "we going to" or "we're going to"?
It's we're going to, never without be. We going to take photos drops are, just as We're leave at two drops the -ing of the present continuous. After going to, use the base verb, not -ing: He's going to sleep, not He's going to sleeping. A gap-fill on this page, from the A2 lesson Across America by train on edio.ai, asks for full forms such as are going to unpack.
Is it "I'm learning" or "I'm going to learn" for a plan?
For a plan with nothing fixed, it's I'm going to learn: I decided: I'm going to learn the harmonica one day. The present continuous needs an arrangement behind it, such as a class you've booked: I'm starting guitar lessons on Monday. Clues like one day, my idea and no ticket yet point to going to; a ticket, a reservation and an appointment point to the present continuous.
What train travel vocabulary do you need?
Basic train travel vocabulary covers the people, the cars and your bags: the conductor checks tickets, you sleep in the sleeping car, often on a bunk, eat in the dining car and watch the view from the lounge car. Trains depart, and at the end you unpack your luggage. On Amtrak's two-level Superliner trains, a dumbwaiter, a tiny elevator, brings meals up from the kitchen downstairs.
What are the parts of a train called?
In American English, a passenger train is made of cars, each with its own job: coach cars have seats, the sleeping car has small bedrooms, the dining car serves meals, and the lounge car has big windows for the view. British English says carriage where Americans say car. On the California Zephyr, the smallest sleeping rooms are Roomettes, each with two bunks.
How do I teach going to and the present continuous for the future?
Give every sentence a clue, such as a ticket, an appointment or I decided: I have a ticket. I'm leaving at six. It's just my idea. I'm going to visit Utah one day. Practice each form first, then mix them, then let students talk about their own week. Across America by train, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, follows that order, from the scheme to a chat and open boxes.
What's a good game for practicing plans and arrangements?
A two-column sorting race works well: cards such as a train ticket, a doctor's appointment, my idea and no ticket yet go under the present continuous or going to, and each team then makes a sentence for every card. For speaking, students guess a partner's weekend: Are you meeting a friend? Are you going to sleep in? If the guess is wrong, the partner gives the real answer.
How do you practice future plans one-to-one?
Start each class with the student's week: ask What are you doing this Friday? and What are you going to do this summer?, and let the answer show whether something is fixed. Then swap roles. For practice alone, the chat in Across America by train on edio.ai has students answer Nora's messages from the train, choosing I'm meeting my friends over I meeting my friends.
What's good homework for practicing going to and the present continuous?
Good homework makes students pick a form from a clue, sentence by sentence: She has a bus ticket for Monday. She's visiting her cousin on Monday. In Across America by train, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, the homework checks itself: a gap-fill, a sort into arrangements and plans, a word-order drill, a viewer's comment and a train diary to complete, plus three games with train words.
Are there interactive exercises for going to and the present continuous?
Yes: online drills that mark each answer help learners pick the right future form. Four parts of Across America by train, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, work right on this page without signing up: the California Zephyr's route schedule, Nora's talk with the conductor before departure, a gap-fill of the present continuous and going to, and a chat with Nora's messages from the train. The table and the other drills need an account.
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