When teaching polite requests, it's important to create engaging and interactive activities that allow learners to practice their language skills in meaningful contexts. Here are a few activity ideas that can help students understand and use polite requests effectively:
1. Role-Playing Scenarios
Objective: Encourage students to practice making polite requests in various everyday situations.
- Instructions: Divide students into pairs and provide them with different scenarios (e.g., asking a colleague for help, requesting a favor from a friend, or asking a teacher for an extension on an assignment).
- Materials Needed: Scenario cards with prompts.
- Debrief: After each role-play, have students discuss what worked well and what they could improve regarding politeness and tone.
2. Polite Requests Bingo
Objective: Familiarize students with different phrases for making polite requests.
- Instructions: Create Bingo cards filled with various polite request phrases (e.g., "Could you please...?", "Would you mind...?", "I would appreciate if..."). Call out situations, and students mark the appropriate phrases on their cards.
- Materials Needed: Bingo cards, markers.
- Debrief: After the game, discuss the different phrases they used and encourage them to incorporate a variety into their speech.
3. Request Rewrite
Objective: Help students understand how to transform direct requests into polite ones.
- Instructions: Provide students with a list of direct requests (e.g., "Give me the book") and ask them to rewrite each one politely.
- Materials Needed: Printed lists of direct requests.
- Debrief: Review the rewritten requests as a class and discuss the differences in tone and politeness.
4. Permission Passes
Objective: Practice making polite requests for permission in a fun way.
- Instructions: Create “permission passes” (small cards) for students to use in the classroom. Students must ask for permission to do various things (e.g., “May I go to the bathroom?” or “Could I use your notebook?”) using polite language. They can hand the passes to the teacher or another student as they make their request.
- Materials Needed: Pre-made “permission passes.”
- Debrief: Discuss what phrases were used and how polite requests can vary in different contexts.
5. Polite Request Writing Prompt
Objective: Develop writing skills while using polite requests in context.
- Instructions: Have students write a short email or message making a polite request (e.g., requesting information, asking for assistance). Encourage them to use formal language and proper etiquette.
- Materials Needed: Paper or digital tools for writing, examples of polite emails.
- Debrief: Share some of the emails/messages and discuss the use of language and how effective they were in making requests.
6. Group Discussion
Objective: Foster discussion about politeness across different cultures.
- Instructions: Organize a group discussion where students share how polite requests are made in their cultures or languages. Discuss differences and similarities.
- Materials Needed: None.
- Debrief: Reflect on what students learned about politeness in requests and how it varies across cultures.
These activities can be tailored to different age groups and proficiency levels, making the lesson on polite requests both effective and enjoyable.