Instructor’s Page
Requests and Permission Asking for Favors Activity type: Conversation Cards Level: High-Beginning / LowIntermediate
Purpose: Students practice using can, could, would, and may to make requests and grant permission. Students speak and listen to ask questions and form spontaneous positive or negative answers. Set-up: Whole class Time: 5 minutes to prepare / 15 minutes to do the activity
Materials Preparation: 1. Use scissors to cut out the cards on the Student’s Page. 2. If your class has more than 16 students, make a copy of the Student’s Page, and cut out as many extra cards as needed (duplicate cards are OK).
4. Tell students that after they ask the question on their card and respond to the question on their classmate’s card, they must trade cards. Then they should find another classmate and ask their new favor. Ask students to repeat this process until you call time (allow about 10–12 minutes).
Follow-up 1. Ask volunteers to form pairs and share some requests and responses with the class. Discuss other possible responses to the request (for example, if the volunteer gave a negative response, discuss a possible positive response). 2. Ask students to create some impossible requests and give responses. The responses can be humorous or serious. For example, Would you please give me a million dollars? / Of course, I’m a billionaire!
Procedure 1. Pass out one card to each student. You may copy step 2 and step 3 from the Student’s Page onto the board for students to refer to later. 2. Explain to students that they will ask other students for favors and give appropriate responses to other students’ requests. Each student’s response will be different and may be either positive or negative. 3. Model the activity by first writing the following phrases on the board: Sure! Of course you can! / No problem. I’m happy to help you. / Sorry, I’m afraid not. My cell phone battery is dead. Then ask a volunteer May I use your cell phone to make a local call? and prompt the student provide his or her own response or use one of the phrases on the board.
Grammar and Beyond Communicative Activities
© Cambridge University Press 2012
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