Modal Verbs and Possibility
Understand and use modal verbs (can, may, must, might, shall, will, could, should, would) and modal adverbs (perhaps, surely, certainly) to indicate degrees of possibility, necessity, and permission
Share and support
Teaching Table
Set out your lesson
Choose modal words to show possibility, permission, a requirement or advice in a clear context.
Check that the learner can find the verb in 'The visitor enters' and write a simple future sentence. Revisit simple tenses if needed. Explain that the same modal can have different uses; the situation helps a reader decide.
Check readiness directly. Prerequisite availability is not attainment.
Read the fictional club messages. There is no real weather forecast, safety rule or obligation for the learner. Paper is optional for discussion, but Try asks for writing. Keep the Show word examples out of view for Try; its task supplies only the words explicitly requested. Read the active prompt on screen and write on plain paper; no printer, cutting or purchase is needed. An adult may read instructions without naming target forms. Record reading help, verb hints and scribing separately. Oral answers can show language choices but do not show independent written composition or handwriting. Pause or split the lesson if needed. Adult-only. Keep all keys and scripts off learner pages. Share only the active Show solution. Put Show and Guided examples aside before Try. Do not show a future-stage key. Use invented characters and ordinary paper. Do not collect names, home-language samples or private family events. All rules, clubs and events are fictional.
Record the actual response and assistance. These tasks do not establish mastery.
Use the complete materials on screen or print only the current sheet. Keep adult guidance out of learner view. Retain an earlier model only when the current step supplies it as context.
Teaching limits and safe use
These are finite task opportunities, not proof of mastery. Record what was attempted and what support was used.
All named modal words appear in teaching, but Try samples only permission, requirement, advice and possibility. It does not independently assess every modal or adverb.
Should can express an expectation in other contexts. Must can express an inference. Those uses are not fully taught here.
Record the actual response and assistance. These tasks do not establish mastery.
Compare teaching approaches
Teaching approaches
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1 approach
Choose modal words to show possibility, permission, a requirement or advice in a clear context.
Choose modal words to show possibility, permission, a requirement or advice in a clear context.
Family records and proof options
Keep a record of your learning
Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.
Learning resources
External links for extra practice. They do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
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Check understanding
- Select a modal verb to express certainty, probability, or possibility in a sentence, e.g. 'It will rain' vs 'It might rain' vs 'It could rain'
- Replace a modal verb with a modal adverb to achieve a similar effect, e.g. 'He might come' → 'Perhaps he will come'
- Distinguish between modals expressing permission (may, can), obligation (must, should), and possibility (might, could) in context
“When your child writes, do they choose between words like "must", "might", "could", and "should" to show whether something is certain, possible, or just an idea — rather than treating every action as definite?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- English
- Domain
- Grammar & Punctuation
- Age range
- Ages 9–10
Standards