Where are you going? + Infinitive of Purpose (YLE)

A good way to deal with the infinitive of purpose when teaching young learners (commonly referred as YLE), is by introducing it as part of the "Around the Town" vocabulary unit. In this unit, although it may have a different name, the vocabulary we usually find are words such as: market, park, school, hospital, bank, library, cinema and so on.

How to proceed:
1. Instead of asking "What can we do...?", ask "Why do we go...?"

2. Let's set 'cinema' as an example. When teaching the meaning of this word we can start by asking our pupils if they like cinema or they don't, we can also ask for frecuency with questions such as:
T: "Do you go to cinema on Monday?
P: "No!"
T: "No? And where do you go on Monday? School?"
P: "Yes! School, school!"
T: "So do you go to the cinema on Saturday, maybe?"
P: "Yes! Saturday.. Saturday and Sunday!"

3. After this ice-breaker we can now introduce the infinitive of purpose.
T: "And... why do you go to the cinema? Do you go to the cinema to buy apples?"
P: "No!"
T: "What for, then?" (Mime if needed)
P: "See a film!"
T: "Wow! You go there TO see a film?" (Try to emphasize the word TO and do not correct them if they say 'see' instead of 'watch')
P: "Yes! To see a film."

We can now introduce the rest of the vocabulary mentioned above.

4. Once they have understood and assimilated the usage of the infinitive of purpose, we can get them to practice the Present Continuous (question and answer)
Give each pupil a card with a place (cinema, school, market...) and keep one for yourself (i.e. "library"). Write the following question on the black board "Where are you going?", read it aloud and ask them to repeat it after you for a few times. Once they have absorbed the pronunciation and intonation, tell them to ask you the question individually.
P1: "Where are you going?"
T: "I'm going to the library to read a book"
P2: "Where are you going?"
T: "I'm going to the library to read a book"

P3: "Where are you going?"

T: "I'm going to the library to read a book"

After they all have asked you the question, ask it now to yourself and let them aswer for you. 

5. Now the teacher asks this question to each pupil individually and checks that he/she knows how to answer properly "I'm going to the... to..." according to their card.

6. Pick up all the cards and shuffle them. Give one to each pupil and ask them to stand up. Explain them the following situation: They all are neighbours and live in the same street, they are walking in the street and come across with the rest of them. In turns (alphabetically, the oldest...) get them to ask "Where are you going?" to just one neighbour, who has to answer properly using the Present Continuous and the Infinitive of Purpose. Once the pupil has replied, he/she asks to a different pupil, and so on until they all have asked and answered.  (This activity needs space, so you may have to move furniture)

7. We can also do an Arts&Crafts activity. Tell them to draw a building, can be the one they had acted in the previous activity, and place the name on it. Tell them to colour it and cut it. Once cut, with the teacher help, they  have to create a flap. On one side of the flap there's the 'title' (bank, cinema, market...); on the other side they have to write the sentence "I'm going to the... to... ". Once all the buildings are ready paste them on a card board. Ask them to draw a boy and a girl asking each other "Where are you going?".

8. If spare time is available you can read a graded "Little Red Riding Hood" reader, so some pupils can be the wolf asking "Where are you going?" and the rest can be "Little Red Riding Hood" giving an answer.