Being Polite

Politeness and manners are extremely important to British people. A “please,”

“thank you” or even subtle body language can go a long way. If your students know
the importance and use of this social etiquette, they’ll be much more confident
talking to Brits.

Activities:
Rank – Making Polite Requests

Give your students a situation where they have to ask for something. For example: A
boss asking an employee to finish a report, or a child asking their parents what’s
for dinner. Have students brainstorm different ways to ask for these things, from
the least polite to the most. They can start with the most basic, direct demand and
gradually move up to extremely polite requests. This will encourage them to be more
creative with their language.

If you’re working with a lower-level group, try giving them the sentences yourself.
Then, ask them to rank each request in order of politeness.

List – Polite Language

The last activity will have given you an idea of what your students already know.
You can build on this knowledge by giving students more vocabulary and phrases to
use when they want to be polite.

Language you could use includes:

Would you mind….?

Is it OK if I …..?

Could you….?

Treasure Hunt – Requests and Responses

Your students can put what they’ve learned to use in this fun treasure hunt game.
Split students into groups and give each group a list of items made up of things
like common belongings or classroom tools (for example: a pencil, a hair clip,
etc.). Each group must work together to obtain the items on their list by finding
someone who has each item and politely asking to borrow it. This can include other
students in the class, as well as any staff who might be around to help.

This involves some preparation. Prime everyone involved, letting them know that
they should only hand the item over if they’re asked politely. Also, make sure the
students who are borrowing keep a note of who every item belongs to, so they can
return it at the end of the class.

To add some excitement, make it a race. The group who successfully collects all of
the items on their list first win the activity.