U2 Mirzaeva Sanam

Week 5_Assignment
SPEECH ACT: Making requests

Lesson: Making formal and informal requests

Suggested timeline: 45 minutes

Target level: Pre-Intermediate/Intermediate (B1)

Number of students: 10

Target skills: Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking, Vocabulary, Grammar

Content objectives: By the end of the lesson SWABT:

 distinguish formal and informal types of making requests

 be aware of how to make formal and informal requests

Language objectives: By the end of the lesson SWABT:

 use some new words, phrases and expressions that can be used in making formal and

informal requests

 enhance their speaking and analytical skills

Cultural objectives: By the end of the lesson students will:

 notice and identify the usage of requests depending on the level of formality, social

status, and social distance

 make appropriate requests depending on the level of formality, social status and social

distance

Teaching materials: blackboard, computer, speaker and projector

Assessment: formative type of assessment with the provision of oral feedback by the teacher,

peer-check, summative type of assessment including the rubric.

Procedure:

1. Warm-up

Objectives:

 to revise the topic of making requests

 to enhance speaking skill

Duration: 5 minutes
 U2 Mirzaeva Sanam
Week 5_Assignment
Teacher instructions:

1) In the presentation form or on the boards illustrate different pictures where different

situation are illustrated (Handout 1)

2) Tell your students to guess what kind of situations are illustrated.

3) Distribute your students cards (Handout 2) and ask them to match those requests with

pictures that might illustrate them.

4) Ask them to identify whether these requests are formal or informal, direct or indirect.

Student directions:

1) Look at the pictures illustrated in the presentation (or on the board)

2) Tell your guesses about what kind of situations may be presented in them.

3) Look at the cards distributed by your teacher, and match the requests with the illustrated

pictures.

Activity 1:

Objectives:

 To brainstorm ideas on the topic of making requests

 To enhance and practice writing and speaking skills

 To enable students to analyze and identify the differences in making responses in L1 and

English

Duration: 10 minutes

Teacher instructions:

1) Divide your students into pairs.

2) In the presentation form or on the board, illustrate one situation on making requests

(Handout 3)

3) Ask your students to read it carefully and tell how would they respond to it in their first

language (L1)

4) Then, ask how would they respond to it, if it was in English language.

5) Distribute the handouts including the table (Handout 4), where the students should write

the differences between the responses made in L1 and in English.

 U2 Mirzaeva Sanam
Week 5_Assignment
6) Ask your students to read out their answers and give some words or expressions that can

be used in making requests

Student directions:

1) Work in pairs.

2) Look at the request situation illustrated on the board and read it carefully. Tell how

would you respond to it in your first language (L1)

3) And tell how would you respond to the same request if it was in English.

4) Look at the handout distributes to you by the teacher. With your partner identify the

differences between the responses made in your L1 Karakalpak and in English. Write

down them on the table.

5) Read out your answers and give some words or expressions that can be used in making

requests in English language.

Handout 3

You request a stranger to move your car forward

Handout 4

L1 (Karakalpak) English

Make a request to the case

given above

Activity 2

Objectives:

 To introduce the topic of how to make requests for asking permission

 To teach some new structures and expressions related to making formal and informal

requests for asking permission

 U2 Mirzaeva Sanam
Week 5_Assignment
 To enable students to analyze the requests according to the level of formality, politeness

and directness

Duration: 20 minutes

Part 1: Formal Instruction

Teacher instructions:

1) Put the video material https://youtu.be/77184l_zQ9U

2) Ask your students to watch it carefully and note the words that were used to make formal

and informal requests

3) Teach your students some more words and expressions, as well as grammar structures

that can be used in making formal and informal requests

Student directions:

1) Watch the video carefully

4) Identify and note the words and expressions that were used to make formal and informal

requests in the video

5) Look at some other words and expressions that can be used in making formal and

informal requests and write them down

Handout 5
 U2 Mirzaeva Sanam
Week 5_Assignment
Activity 1

Teacher instructions:

1) Divide your students into 2 mini groups

2) Ask them to identify whether the situation is formal or informal, polite or less polite and

direct or indirect.

3) Distribute the checklist that helps students to write down specific notes about each

dialogue (Handout 7)

4) Tell your students to note down these specific features of the dialogue into the checklist

paper

5) Tell your students to exchange their dialogues with other groups one by one. And in each

round tell them to identify specific things about each dialogue and find the differences

between them in terms of type and level of formality, directness and politeness

6) After each group finished looking through the dialogues and filling their checklists, tell

them to elicit their answers written in the checklists and give your oral feedback

Student directions:

1) Work in 3 mini groups

2) Identify whether the situation is formal or informal, polite or less polite and direct or

indirect.

3) Note down the specific features into the checklist paper (Handout 7) which was

distributed to you by your teacher

4) After having doing with your dialogue, exchange it with other groups one by one. In each

round identify specific things about each dialogue and find the differences between them

in terms of type and level of formality, directness and politeness

5) Add specific comments on other dialogues as well into your Checklist Paper (Handout 7)

6) After having finished looking through the dialogues, share your answers that you wrote

on your checklist with the teacher and other groups. Listen to the feedback of your

teacher very carefully.

Handout 6:
 U2 Mirzaeva Sanam
Week 5_Assignment
Dialogues:

 At school

Tom: Boy, 15 years old, classmate.

Bob: Boy, 15 years old, classmate.

Distance: Classmates or friends relationship, interact with each other a lot at school and after

school.

Intensity: Requesting to lend some money.

Interaction:

B: Hey mate, how's it going?

T: Hey Bob, cool. You? What's up?

B: Not much. Hey buddy, can you give me your hand?

T: Well.

B: Can you lend some money?

T: How much, then?

B: around 55$

T: Uh, no way. I don't have much.

B: Can you lend me some please? Cause tomorrow is mom's birthday. I wanna buy something

special for her. I gained 45$ in two months but that's not enough I think.

T: Congratulations buddy. Sure, I can give my pocket money, then.

B: Oh really?

T: Sure!

B: Thanks mate. Take care!

 U2 Mirzaeva Sanam
Week 5_Assignment
T: Alright, no problem. You too!

B: See Ya. Bye!

T: Bye!

 At University

John: Male, early 20s, student.

George: Male, in his 50s, supervisor.

Distance: Student-supervisor relationship, interact with each other at University.

Intensity: Requesting to give feedback from supervisor.

Interactions:

S: Good morning professor. May I come in, professor?

P: Good morning. Yes, have a seat please.

S: I came here to consult with you about my final project. Professor, would you mind giving me

a detailed feedback on it?

P: Let me see the work of you?

S: Of course. Here it is.

P: Sure, but I'm afraid I will not be able to send feedback today.

S: I was wondering if it would be possible for you to send me the feedback tomorrow?

P: Hopefully, I will be able to send descriptive feedback tomorrow afternoon.

S: Thank you so much.

T: You're most welcome.

Handout 7
 U2 Mirzaeva Sanam
Week 5_Assignment
Student Checklist Paper

Dialogue 1

a) The level of formality 1 2 3

Informal Less Formal Formal

b) The manner of politeness 1 2 3

Impolite Less Polite Polite

c) The scope of directness 1 2

Indirect Direct

d) The words used to express ________________________________________

Request/ Grammar structures used _______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

e) The words used to express

___________________________________
Request/ Grammar structures used ____________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Dialogue 2

a) The level of formality 1 2 3

Informal Less Formal Formal

b) The manner of politeness 1 2 3

Impolite Less Polite Polite

c) The scope of directness 1 2

Indirect Direct

d) The words used to express ________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

e) The words used to express

___________________________________
Request/ Grammar structures used ____________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
 U2 Mirzaeva Sanam
Week 5_Assignment

Handout 8

Situational cards

[situational cards are retrieved from: teach-this.com]

Handout 10

Peer Evaluation Checklist (Formative Assessment)

Underline or circle the most suitable option

1. The level of formality: Formal/Informal

2. The manner of politeness: Polite/Less polite

3. The manner of directness: Direct/Indirect

4. The responses are clear and understandable: YES/ To some extent/ NO

5. Appropriate words for responses are used: YES/ To some extent/ NO

6. Sentences are well developed and structured: YES/ To some extent/ NO

7. The level of formality is appropriate: YES/ To some extent/ NO

 U2 Mirzaeva Sanam
Week 5_Assignment
8. The manner of politeness is kept: YES/ To some extent/ NO

9. The responses are appropriate YES/ To some extent/ NO

according to the social and cultural context

10. Some weak points:

____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

11. Suggestions for improvement:

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Handout 12

Rubric for assessment [adapted from: Ishihara & Cohen, 2010, pp.316-317]

Evaluation

4 Very 3 Somewhat 2 Less 1 Inappropriate

appropriate appropriate appropriate
Level of formality, directness and
politeness
Strategies of apologies (responses)

Choice and use of organization

(introduction, main body, conclusion)

Vocabulary and phrases

Grammatical structures

Pragmatic tone (socio-cultural norms)

Strong points: _________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

Weak points: __________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

Suggestions for improvement: ____________________________________________________

 U2 Mirzaeva Sanam
Week 5_Assignment
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

Homework

Teacher instructions:

1) Ask your students to say several things that they learned from the lesson

2) At the end of the lesson, use Random Wheel application in Wordwall.com

3) Randomly choose pairs and assign pictures illustrated in Handout 1 to each pair

4) Ask your students to create a role-play dialogue to act out the situation depicted in the

picture.

Student directions:

1) Tell your teacher several things that you have learned during the lesson (1-2 things)

2) Work with the pair assigned to you by the teacher that is randomly selected in Random

Wheel application in Worldwall.com

3) With your partner create a role-play dialogue including complaint and a response to the

situation depicted in the picture

Rationale for the rubrics

As Ishihara and Cohen (2010) mention in their book, assessment of students’ pragmatic

ability whether it is formal or informal is an integral part of teaching pragmatics (Ishihara &

Cohen, 2010, p.286). Therefore, creating an appropriate assessment rubric is the matter of

importance.

First rubric or in other words a Checklist (Handout 8) is specially developed and

included in order to enable students make a self-assessment on the provided situational context

and scaffold their ideas and thoughts about how to make a formal assessment while analyzing a

speech act according to the certain criteria. As Ishihara and Cohen (2010) state, self-assessment

might be “undertaken in collaboration with teachers” (p.307), therefore the teacher first of all

provides a chance for the students to make a sample evaluation and then himself provides a
 U2 Mirzaeva Sanam
Week 5_Assignment
feedback and his way of assessment. This way of assessment includes analysis and practice the

data that was discussed previously and enables students to observe ready samples and give their

points. In this checklist, students have to look through the responses and analyze the levels of

formality, directness and politeness, as well as identify the words and grammar patterns that are

used in order to describe a complaint and response to it.

Second rubric (Handout 10) also includes Peer Check assessment, but this time with

more extended criteria taking into the consideration guidelines provided by Ishihara and Cohen

(2010). As they state in their book (2010), self-assessment is one of the best ways of creating a

chance for students to take responsibilities to assess others and themselves, since it requires to

carefully analyze responses, as well as strictly following the rubrics in order to keep the fairness

of assessment. Based on the sample analysis and scaffolded version of assessing checklist,

students will be somehow ready not only to tick and select the options in rubrics, but also

identify the weak and strong points of each others’ responses and provide their own suggestions

on how would they improve the answers.

Third rubric is specially designed for teacher’s assessment and feedback, since it

provides the range of requirements and takes into the consideration several aspects of evaluation

in pragmatics. As Ishihara and Cohen (2010) mention, an effective classroom-based assessment

focus on several areas of pragmatic ability, including linguistic aspects (pragma-linguistic

ability), cultural aspects (socio-pragmatic ability), and analytic aspects (meta-pragmatic ability).

In the provided rubric there are included several points, which all focus on assessing

not only the social and cultural abilities of students: whether they know and differentiate the

levels of formality, directness, politeness or social status and distance; but also check the

linguistic abilities including vocabulary range and grammatical abilities, since the assignment

focuses on writing skill and requires students to produce their own output. Students’ competence

on how well they responded to the task, whether they followed a structure that was taught

previously, what discourse markers and connectives they used in their responses, will also be

taken into the notice during the assessment. Moreover, there is a focus on analytic aspects in this
 U2 Mirzaeva Sanam
Week 5_Assignment
rubric, since the teacher is required to analyze and provide his/her feedback on how well the

student responded to the task, taking into an account the linguistic and social patterns.

Afore-mentioned and illustrated rubrics and checklists will fulfill the teaching

process and give a chance not only to the teacher to assess and comment on their students’

output, but also enable students themselves to look through the rubrics and analyze the sample

answers, as well as each other’s works and give their feedback. By this way, students will learn

how to assess without biases and enhance their meta-pragmatic abilities as well.

References:

 Hilliard, A. (2017) Twelve Activities for Teaching the Pragmatics of Complaining to L2

Learners, English Teaching Forum

 Ishihara, N., & Cohen, A.D. (2010). Teaching and Learning Pragmatics: Where

language and culture meet. Harlow, England: Pearson Longman. ISBN: 978-1408204573

 Pictures are retrieved from: https://www.teach-this.com/functional-activities-

worksheets/making-requests

https://slideplayer.com/amp/8676624/