Sign up for freeSign up

Who will walk on the Moon next? Future forms compared: timetables, plans and predictions

This B1 ESL lesson plan teaches future forms by meaning with NASA's Artemis II flight around the Moon and a tour of Space Center Houston.

Grammar
The present simple for timetables (The tram tour leaves at 10:30.), the present continuous for arrangements, be going to for plans and will for predictions and decisions made now.
Topic
Artemis II, which took four astronauts around the Moon and back in April 2026, and NASA's landing plan, with words such as flyby, splash down and lander.
Activities
Jade's story to read, a guided tour and a listener's message to hear, five self-checking drills, a chat to plan a day out and open boxes.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Countdown to the Moon

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: a trip to the MoonVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Around the Moon and back

    • Look at the picture: Orion near the MoonPictureUnlock
    • Read Jade's story about Artemis IIArticleUnlock
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Field trip: Space Center Houston

    • Listen to Jade and Dante at Space Center HoustonListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen again and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Listener's Take: Brittany from ColoradoListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: four ways to the future

    • Study the scheme: four ways to talk about the futureGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: what does it mean?QuizUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: use the form in bracketsFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: every personFill in the tableUnlock
    • Sort the sentences into the correct columns: what do they mean?Sort into columnsUnlock

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

    • Choose the right replies: a day at the space centerChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: plans and predictionsOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: future formsChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: timetables, plans and predictionsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: which sentence is right?QuizUnlock
    • Read Riley's schedule for Jade's dayReal-life documentTry it
    • Choose the correct option: Jade's message to RileyChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Jade's answer to BrittanyDrag and dropUnlock

32 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Space vocabulary

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

+9 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • flyby
  • lunar
  • rocket
  • capsule
  • heat shield
  • crater
  • lander
  • south pole
  • solar eclipse

Grammar: future forms compared by meaning

B1 learners know will, going to and the present continuous from A2; this lesson sets them beside the present simple and picks each form by what the speaker means. At Space Center Houston, a guide's timetable, Jade's lunch with her mom, her plans and a guess about the next Moon walk give every form its own job.

Four ways to talk about the future

Choose the form by its meaning: a timetable, an arrangement, a plan, a prediction or a decision you make now.

Choose the form by its meaning

A timetable takes the present simple, an arrangement made with someone the present continuous, and a plan decided before now going to. A prediction or a decision made while speaking takes will: I think the tour will be amazing. The tram's here? I'll take your photo!

MeaningFormExample
a timetable: fixed times for tours, shows, flights, classes, workpresent simpleThe tram tour leaves at 10:30.
an arrangement: you agreed on a time with someonepresent continuousI'm meeting my mom for lunch at one.
a plan: you decided before nowbe going to + base formI'm going to enroll in a summer program.
a prediction: what you think will happenwill + base formI think the tour will be amazing.
a decision you make now, as you speakwill + base formThe tram's here? I'll take your photo!

Every person, every form

Only the helper verb changes with the person: I'm meeting, he's meeting; you're going to buy, she's going to enroll. Will is the same for everyone, and the present simple adds -s for he, she and it: She flies home at 7:15.

Whotimetable: present simplearrangement: present continuousplan: going toprediction, decision: will
II start work at nine tomorrow.I'm meeting my mom at one.I'm going to enroll.I'll take the photo.
youYou land at 9:15.You're flying home on Sunday.You're going to buy a poster.You'll love it!
heHe starts his new job on Monday.He's meeting us at the tram.He's going to apply.He'll be late.
sheShe flies home at 7:15.She's having lunch with her mom.She's going to enroll.She'll be a great astronaut.
it (the museum)It opens at nine.It's opening a new room in May.It's going to stay open late.It'll be busy today.
weWe land in Houston at noon.We're recording at 2:30.We're going to watch the splashdown.We'll see!
theyThey arrive on Friday.They're visiting Houston next week.They're going to blast off from Florida.They'll be tired.

Negatives and questions

The present simple needs does and doesn't: What time does the tour leave? The other forms move their helper or add not: Are you meeting your mom? He isn't going to enroll. The negative of will is won't: It won't be cold.

FormNegativeQuestion
present simpleThe tour doesn't leave at ten.What time does the tour leave?
present continuousI'm not meeting her today.Are you meeting your mom?
be going toHe isn't going to enroll.Are you going to buy a poster?
willIt won't be cold.Will you go to space one day?

When two forms are both right

Some sentences fit two forms: The tour starts or will start at ten; I'm meeting or I'm going to meet my mom at one. Plans and arrangements don't take the present simple, though: Next year I'm going to enroll, not Next year I enroll.

Two forms can both be right

Sometimes two forms are both fine, so don't worry: The tour starts / will start at ten. I'm meeting / I'm going to meet my mom at one. I think it'll be / it's going to be amazing. But for arrangements with people and for plans, use the present continuous or going to, not the present simple. Not: I meet my mom for lunch tomorrow. Not: Next year I enroll.

Build each form

The present continuous is am, is or are + -ing; going to needs am, is or are before it and the base form after it. After will, there's no to and no -s: It will start, not It will to start or It will starts.

Build each form

Present continuous: am / is / are + -ing: I'm meeting (not I'm meet). Going to: am / is / are + going to + base form: We're going to buy (not We going to buy). Will: will + base form, with no “to” and no “-s”: It will start (not It will to start, not It will starts).

Common mistakes

  • I'm meet my mom at one.

    I'm meeting my mom at one.

    am / is / are + -ing

  • The tour will to start at ten.

    The tour will start at ten.

    will + base form, no “to”

  • We going to buy a poster.

    We're going to buy a poster.

    don't forget am / is / are

  • Next year I enroll in the program.

    Next year I'm going to enroll in the program.

    a plan: going to, not the present simple

At Space Center Houston and on Artemis

  • On April 6, 2026, NASA's timetable said: the crew splashes down on Friday, April 10.
  • The tram tour leaves at 10:30, and it gets back at noon.
  • Jade is meeting her mom for lunch at one.
  • Next month, Jade is going to enroll in a summer program.
  • Who will walk on the Moon next? Maybe it'll be you!
  • The tram's here! Give me your phone. I'll take your photo.

More lessons on this grammar: Future tenses lessons and exercises

Try the future forms exercises

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

More exercises

What's in the lesson

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

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • give times from a timetable in the present simple: The tram tour leaves at 10:30. The visitor center closes at six.
  • talk about arrangements and plans: I'm meeting my mom for lunch at one. I'm going to enroll in a summer program.
  • predict and decide on the spot with will: Somebody on this tram will walk on the Moon one day. Give me your phone. I'll take it.
  • build each form correctly: I'm meeting, not I'm meet; will start, not will to start; We're going to, not We going to

Lesson 10 is the second lesson of Space and discovery, unit 3 of English B1.1 · Stories That Travel. It gathers forms taught separately at A2: going to in A2.1 lesson 18, the present continuous for arrangements in A2.1 lessons 22 and 30, and will in A2.2 lessons 13 and 30. Lesson 11 adds time clauses with when and as soon as. A space center day has a timetable, a lunch already arranged and plans, and the next Moon landing invites predictions.

Students spin a wheel of questions about space, weekends and the future, then learn twelve words, from enroll and blast off to crater and solar eclipse, with pictures and audio. Jade's story about Artemis II comes with true-or-false statements and a quiz. They hear Jade tour Space Center Houston with Dante, a guide, and Brittany, 22, ask whether Jade will go to space; both are AI-voiced. Five self-checking drills follow the scheme, including a four-column sort of what each sentence means. Jade then plans a Saturday at the center with the student in a chat, and open boxes ask for plans and predictions.

Nine of the ten homework tasks check themselves: a word match, an anagram, a word gap-fill, a choice of future forms, gaps with the form in brackets, word order, a quiz, Jade's message to Riley with choices and her answer to Brittany with words to drag in. The tenth is Riley's schedule for Jade's day, a timetable to read before the message.

Grammar:
future forms · present simple for timetables · present continuous for arrangements · be going to for plans · will for predictions and decisions
Topic:
Artemis II · NASA · the Moon · Space Center Houston · Houston · space travel · Stories That Travel

Teaching tips

  • Start with the class's own week: ask what time school or work starts tomorrow, what students are doing on Saturday and what they're going to do next summer. Write each answer under its form on the board.
  • Before Jade's story, ask who walked on the Moon last and when. Students guess, then read to find out why a 2026 flight that didn't land was still big news.
  • Play the tour twice: first for the times (10:30, noon and one), then for the future forms. Students hold up one of four cards, for a timetable, an arrangement, a plan or will, at each one.
  • Turn Riley's schedule into a role-play: in pairs, one student is Jade and the other asks What time does the tram tour leave?, What are you doing at one? and What are you going to buy?

Liked it?

Teach the whole lesson in edio

32 exercises in 6 chapters, ready to teach. edio is an online platform for language schools and teachers: ready-made interactive lessons, live classes, homework and student progress in one place.

  1. Start a free trial

    7 days, no credit card.

  2. Open the lesson

    Find it in the library of 621 ready lessons. Teach it as it is, or copy any chapter into your own lessons.

  3. Teach it live or as homework

    Students work in their own accounts, in sync with you during the lesson, and the practice exercises check themselves.

Teach it free for 7 days

The whole course: English B1.1 · Stories That Travel

32 lessons for adults at B1 in American English, each built around a true story. Riley, Jade and Darius make a podcast in Kansas City about true American stories, and each lesson tells one, from a seaplane airport in Alaska to the Marfa Lights of West Texas. Learners compare the present perfect with the past simple, use future forms, modals and quantifiers, and give their own opinions. The practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Travel smart

    the present perfect vs the past simple, for and since, indirect questions, be used to and get used to

    1. Lesson 1Would you visit an airport just for fun?Present perfect vs past simple
    2. Lesson 2Would you sleep in a 300-year-old inn?For and since with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 3My suitcase has gone to Honolulu!Indirect questions for polite requests
    4. Lesson 4Can you practice a flight?Be used to and get used to

  2. Unit 2 Dream jobs, new jobs

    will have to and won't be allowed to, the present perfect continuous, simple vs continuous, would vs used to

    1. Lesson 5Would you jump off a moving boat for a job?Will have to, will be able to and will be allowed to
    2. Lesson 6Working from anywherePresent perfect continuous
    3. Lesson 7Could you be a camp counselor?Present perfect simple vs continuous
    4. Lesson 8Would you live in a lighthouse?Would vs used to for the past

  3. Unit 3 Space and discovery

    it's + adjective + to, What's it like to…?, future forms compared, future time clauses, too and enough + to

    1. Lesson 9What's it like to work in space?It's + adjective + to and What's it like to…?
    2. Lesson 10 · you're hereWho will walk on the Moon next?Future forms compared by meaning
    3. Lesson 11A message for the starsFuture time clauses
    4. Lesson 12A helicopter on Mars?Too and enough + to-infinitive

  4. Unit 4 Life online

    the more…, the more…, be supposed to, ought to and had better, let, make and allow

    1. Lesson 13The internet's first word was “LO”Comparative and comparative; the more…, the more…
    2. Lesson 14Who sent the first spam?Be supposed to for rules, expectations and plans
    3. Lesson 15Is your password really safe?Ought to and had better for advice and warnings
    4. Lesson 16Who writes Wikipedia?Let, make and allow + someone

  5. Unit 5 Screen and page

    -ed and -ing adjectives, gradable and extreme adjectives, present tenses for a plot, articles for things in general

    1. Lesson 17Why do readers still love Nancy Drew?-ed and -ing adjectives for feelings
    2. Lesson 18Movie night in your carGradable and extreme adjectives
    3. Lesson 19Would you review a book on TV?Present tenses to tell a plot
    4. Lesson 20Where are the books about girls like me?Articles for things in general and specific things

  6. Unit 6 Green living

    few and a few, little and a little, all, most, some and none, each and every, fewer and less

    1. Lesson 21A year's trash in one jar?Few, a few, little and a little
    2. Lesson 22No food in the trash!All, most, some and none (of)
    3. Lesson 23A farm in the middle of DetroitEach and every
    4. Lesson 24A trash collector with googly eyesFewer and less

  7. Unit 7 Sporting moments

    could, was able to and managed to, for, during and while, present tenses for live commentary, question tags

    1. Lesson 25From a leg brace to three goldsCould, was able to and managed to
    2. Lesson 26A doctor and an Olympic champion?For, during and while
    3. Lesson 27Who's that runner coming from behind?Present simple and continuous for live commentary
    4. Lesson 28Why do high jumpers go backward?Question tags

  8. Unit 8 Mysteries and lost worlds

    both… and, either… or and neither… nor, uncountable nouns, how sure we are about the future, unless, as long as and in case

    1. Lesson 29A calendar made of posts?Both… and, either… or, neither… nor
    2. Lesson 30What was the Great House for?Uncountable abstract nouns
    3. Lesson 31What does Newspaper Rock say?Certainty about the future
    4. Lesson 32What are the Marfa Lights?Unless, as long as and in case

Questions about this lesson

What are the future forms in English?
English has four common ways to talk about the future: the present simple for timetables (The tram tour leaves at 10:30), the present continuous for arrangements (I'm meeting my mom at one), be going to for plans (I'm going to enroll in a summer program) and will for predictions and quick decisions (I'll take the photo). The B1 lesson Who will walk on the Moon next? on edio.ai compares all four.
How do you choose the right future form?
Ask what kind of future it is. Fixed times for tours, flights and classes take the present simple. Something you've agreed on with another person takes the present continuous. A decision you made before now takes going to. What you think will happen, and what you decide as you speak, take will: This box of posters is heavy! – Wait, I'll help you.
What are some examples of future forms?
These come from a day at Space Center Houston in Who will walk on the Moon next?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai: The tram gets back at noon. I'm meeting my mom for lunch at one. After the tour, I'm going to buy a poster for our studio. Maybe it'll be you. Each sentence shows a different kind of future: a timetable, an arrangement, a plan and a prediction.
What's the difference between going to and will?
Going to is for a plan made before now; will is for a prediction or a decision made at the moment of speaking. In Who will walk on the Moon next? on edio.ai, Jade decided earlier, so she says After the tour, I'm going to buy a poster. Dante decides when the tram arrives, so he says Give me your phone. I'll take it. For predictions, both often work: I think it'll be or it's going to be amazing.
Can you use the present simple for the future?
Yes, for timetables: fixed times for tours, flights, classes and shows. The tram tour leaves at 10:30. My bus gets in at 9:15. It doesn't work for personal plans or arrangements: Next year I enroll and I meet my mom tomorrow are mistakes, so say I'm going to enroll and I'm meeting my mom. With a timetable, will is fine too: The tour starts or will start at ten.
Is it "I'm meet" or "I'm meeting"?
It's I'm meeting, with -ing after am. I'm meet my mom at one mixes two forms. Two similar slips: We going to buy a poster drops are, and The tour will to start at ten adds a to that will never takes. The common mistakes in Who will walk on the Moon next?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, show all three, and its quizzes test them.
What was Artemis II?
Artemis II was a NASA flight around the Moon: in April 2026, four astronauts flew around the Moon and back without landing. They were the first people to travel to the Moon since Apollo 17, in December 1972. NASA's plan, which may change, is an Artemis III test flight in Earth orbit in 2027, then a first Artemis landing near the Moon's south pole on Artemis IV in 2028.
How do I teach future forms to B1 students?
Teach the forms by meaning, not one by one: B1 students know them from A2, so give each its own situation, such as a tour timetable, a lunch date, a plan for next year and a guess about the future. Who will walk on the Moon next? on edio.ai does this with a guide's tour, then has students sort sentences into timetables, arrangements or plans, predictions and decisions.
What's a good game for practicing future forms?
Open the box and answer in the right form: one box asks for tomorrow's timetable, another for two arrangements this week, another for three predictions about life in 2050, and one says Your partner says, “This bag is so heavy!” Decide now and offer help. Students answer aloud, and the class names the form each answer used.
What's good homework for future forms?
Good homework mixes the meanings in one text, so students think about each verb. In Who will walk on the Moon next? on edio.ai, students read Riley's schedule for Jade's day in Houston, then choose the forms in Jade's message about it: My flight to Kansas City leaves at 7:15 p.m. At one, I am having lunch with my mom. Nine of the ten homework tasks check themselves.
How do you practice future forms one-to-one?
Plan a real day out together: the teacher reads out a timetable and asks about arrangements and plans, and the student answers, then offers help when a problem comes up. The chat in Who will walk on the Moon next?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, works without a partner: Jade plans a Saturday at the space center, and the student picks each reply, from It gets in at 9:15 to I'll bring mine!
Are there interactive exercises for future forms?
Yes. This page plays four parts of Who will walk on the Moon next?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, without an account: Jade's tour of Space Center Houston with Dante, a gap-fill with the form in brackets, Jade's chat about a day at the space center and Riley's schedule for Jade's day. The gap-fill and the chat mark each answer. An account opens the rest.
Unlock full lesson

Teach this lesson with your students

Book a demoStart free trial

No credit card required