If It Rains, We'll Stay In: The First Conditional

Learning Objectives

• Form first conditional sentences with if + present simple and will + base verb, in positive, negative and question form.
• Use the correct clause order and comma, and use unless to mean if not.
• Use the first conditional to talk about real future possibilities, promises and warnings.

How to Use This Resource

• Open with slide 1: ask "What will you do if it rains this weekend?" and write students' answers on the board.
• Teach the form, clause order, negatives and questions, and unless with the slides. Check each point with the matching worksheet activity.
• Play the conditional chain game, then use the quiz to check learning and set the homework. Answers are in the answer key.

Classroom Activity Ideas

• Conditional chain: one student starts (If I wake up late, I'll miss the bus); the next student uses the result as a new condition (If I miss the bus, I'll walk to school).
• Superstitions: students share superstitions from their cultures using the first conditional (If you break a mirror, you'll have bad luck).
• Election speech: students write three campaign promises for class president (If you vote for me, I will...).

Differentiation

Support: give sentence frames (If I ___, I will ___.) and a list of base verbs, and let students build sentences from cut-up cards. Challenge: use may, might or can in the result clause, write a conditional chain of five sentences and explain the difference between if and when.

Assessment

Worksheet activities and the quiz check form, clause order, unless and error correction (answer key included). The chain game and the homework writing can be marked with the four-level rubric.

Teacher Tips

The most common mistake is using will in the if-clause (If it will rain). Write "No will after if!" in a corner of the board and point to it whenever the error appears. Drill the contraction 'll so the sentences sound natural.

What's Included

• 12-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
• Key vocabulary list (7 words with meanings and examples)
• Student worksheet (6 activities)
• Quiz / assessment (3 parts)
• Homework practice page
• Printable flashcards: 7 A5 picture cards (separate PDF)
• Assessment rubric (4 levels)
• Lesson slides (editable PowerPoint)
• Editable Word version of all student pages
• Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)

Additional Files

• Lesson Slides (PPTX)
• Editable Student Pages and Lesson Plan (DOCX)
• A5 Flashcards (PDF)
• Answer Key (PDF)

Teacher Reviews