Polite English

Students are used to learning about and using polite words in their own language from a young age, so familiarizing themselves with these kinds of words in English can be very useful.

The phrases that I have selected for my lesson are "please", "here you are", "thank you", "you're welcome", and "I'm sorry", as well as terms that the students have studied before, such as "good morning/afternoon" and "how are you?"

After practicing the new words, I ask the students if they know how to say "thank you" in any other languages (apart from Japanese and English).  After this I show them a quick video clip of people from many different countries saying "thank you" in their native language.  Here is the video:

To practice "please", we play a version of Simon Says, using different commands with "please".  If I say "stand up please" or "clap your hands please", the students should do that, but if I only say "jump" or "touch your nose", they shouldn't do anything.

Next I use a Hot Potato game for practicing "here you are" and "thank you".  I give one student a plastic microphone, and they pass it around the room, using the target vocabulary.  As they are doing this, I play some music in the background.  When I pause the music, they stop passing, and I ask the student who has the microphone a simple question.

The main activity is a type of Go Fish card game, using cards with easy pictures on them, such as common foods and classroom objects.  Students make groups and each person receives 7 cards from the deck.  The remaining cards are placed face down in the middle.  One by one, each student asks one other student in their group for a card, such as "pizza please".  If that student has the card, they give it to them and say "here you are", and the first student says "thank you".  If the student who is being asked does not have the card in their hand, they say "I'm sorry", and the student who asked draws 1 card from the pile in the middle.  Then it is the next student's turn.  If a student has 2 of the same cards they put them down in front of them, and that counts as 1 point.

Here are the files for this game: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7lt2hgtnjs9n63c/AACnZsfbNubETZ4Q3iJNp4mSa

It is very important to make sure that students continue to use these polite phrases.  In later classes throughout the year, I check their usage during other games, or when passing out papers and materials.