Making Requests

By Bethany Perry

Grade and Skill Level: SHS / mid – high level (can be adapted)

Aim: To learn the grammatical rules for making requests in English and practicing making requests to each other in a large communicative speaking activity.

Subsidiary aim: To learn about an aspect of British culture and consider what’s rude and polite language.

Part(s) of Learning: Grammar, Speaking, Listening, Culture, Pronunciation

Language to be practiced: Modal verbs

Time: 50 min

Class Size: 25-40

Outline: This lesson is largely a grammar lesson and so is structured as a grammar lesson but the main activity and aim of the lesson is communicative practice of it. Students learn how to accurately make requests with two different grammatically structured sentences and learn about how typically sometimes British people are overly polite when they make requests. Ultimately, students practice making and responding to requests.

Materials:

• School Equipment: Laptop and projector
• ALT: cut up sentences, speaking cards, create PowerPoint, cut up paper tokens or use counters
• Students: dictionary

Preparation:

• Prepare PowerPoint
• Create and cut up sentences for the sentence ordering activity (one set per table)
• Cut up paper tokens or prepare counters (three per student)
• Create and cut up speaking cards (one per student)

Detailed Explanation:

Time	Stage	Activity & Explanation	JTE ALT Tasks	Interaction
5	Lead-in to generate interest and introduce topic	– Students briefly discuss and decide which sentence is the most polite out of a range of six sentences. Some students will search ‘polite’ in the dictionary.   -Students start thinking about how to make requests in English.	– First put students into groups of 4 or 5. Students put their tables together.   -Walk around and listen to their discussions. Offer assistance with understanding of ‘polite’. – After a short discussion ask one person from each table their answer. -Give students the answer and give brief explanation.	T-S, S-S
	Meaning	-Students look at an image of British English ‘How to be Polite’ and discuss what is happening.	-Explain that British people have many long ways of making requests and it is often joked about that we are too polite.   -Read the sentences out loud.	T-S, S-S
10	Form	– Students learn the rules when making requests and the difference between using the infinitive and gerund.	-Show fourth slide of the PowerPoint and explain the rule.   -JTE assists with Japanese to ensure understanding	T-S
5	Checking compr. / Controlled practice	-Students practice the new structure in a group sentence ordering activity where they must order the sentences and also choose the correct form of the verb – infinitive or -ing.	-Hand out sentence ordering packs to each table.   ALT + JTE -assist students but don’t give answers away. -Go through the answers together	T-S, S-S
8	Phonology	-Students practice pronunciation of requests.	-Give a model of the sentences and have students repeat in chorus after you.   -Talk about the intonation going down at the end of the question for these types of questions.	T-S
20	Freer Practice	-Students practice the new grammatical structure in a speaking activity. Students receive both a speaking card that includes 5 requests and 3 tokens. Students must ask fellow students to perform the request on their cards. If they do the request the student who asked must reward them with one of their tokens but if the student refuses to do the request they have to give them a token.   -The students continue to this is within the time frame and the winner is the student with the most tokens at the end.	-First give instructions and explain how to say the requests from the cards.   ALT + JTE -Model the activity showing the difference in responses to the request. -Give students time to read their requests and search any words in the dictionary or ask questions. ALT + JTE -Go around and monitor the activity and encourage correct use of the grammar. -Leave up slide eight on the screen so they can refer to it during the activity.	T-S, S-S, T-S
2	Final Feedback	-Students count their tokens and the winning student is announced.	ALT + JTE -praise their speaking practice and award the winner.   -Reiterate the rules if you think it’s necessary from your monitoring.	T-T, T-S

Tips, Cautions and Suggestions

• For lower level students shorten the amount of requests on the cards to 1 or 2 and write the request in full.
• For even lower level do the activity in pairs only and shorten speaking cards.
• Monitor their speaking in the final activity carefully – make sure they are using the right form of the verb for the sentence.
• If you think its necessary caution students that you’ll take a token away if you hear too much Japanese from them (of course they will speak a little but the aim is to only speak English). Don’t do this if you will it will discourage them.
• Make sure they have sufficient time to understand their cards but don’t spend a long time explaining the activity over and over because it will be become clear from the model and when they start.
• Encourage students (especially the shy ones) to make many requests during monitoring. Similarly, try to mix up the boys and girls. They will try to band together.
• Take out any requests you feel are inappropriate for the class.
• This class can get loud but don’t discourage their speaking!! This is the aim.

Credit:

• English How to Be Polite picture lessons.

Documents:
Lesson Plan Outline
PowerPoint
Sentence sheet
Cards