Task-Based Lesson: How to Request and Offer Help

How to Request and Offer Help Vocabulary

 

Target Phrases

1. Could you give me a hand?
2. Would you mind helping me out?
3. Can you do me a favor?
4. Would you like a bit of help?
5. I wonder if you could help me with that
6. Do you mind taking a break right now?

How to Respond to Polite Requests

[one-half-first]

• ok
• sure
• certainly
• no problem
• Yes

[/one-half-first]
[one-half]

• Please
• Ok
• I am  afraid I can’t do it
• No, Thanks
• Thank you

[/one-half]

Request and Offer Help Exchanges

1. I need to buy a product on amazon
2. Sure,  Can I have your credit card number?

1. Would you mind helping me with the suitcases?
2. Yes, of course

1. My computer is not working, Could you help me?
2. Sure

1. I need a new laptop, could you help me ?
2. Yes, come over here 

1. Could you lend me a few dollars?
2. sure, no problem

How to Request and Offer Help Lesson Plan

Schema Activation (10 Mins)

Students are given pieces of paper with the following exchange, they have to talk to their classmates and reorder the words to make it identical to this.

1. I need to buy a product on amazon
2. Sure,  Can I have your credit card number?

Pre-Task (80 Mins)

Task #1

1. Students are shown some example of polite request: Infographic
2. Students make groups of 3 and 4
3. Teacher sends students a wordle.
4. Students write as many polite requests as they can.
5.  When students finish writing the polite requests, teacher checks how many of the sentences created are identical to these ones

Task #2

• Teacher gives a quizlet set of expressions  and students classify those expressions into expressions to give and ask for help.
  • Could you help me please?
  • Do you need my help?
  • I was wondering if you needed any help
  • Can I ask you a favor?
  • How may I help you?
  • Can you do me a favor?
  • Could you do that for me?
  • Would you mind giving me some help?
  • Would you do that for me?
  • What can I do for you sir?
  • How can I help you?
  • Could I use your phone?
  • Do you want me to help you?
  • Can I give you a hand?

Task#3

1. Students sit in pairs
2. Students are given a sheet with unscrambled sentences. Students unscamble the sentences to make polite requests.
3. Once students have finished unscrambling the sentences, they record themselves asking and answering the questions.
4. Once they do that, they share their recording with another group.

Main-Task

Students are going to create a dialogue about asking for help in these particular situations

1. Department Store
2. Buying a ticket

They can use this video as reference

Post-Task

Students are given a set of questionsand statements that they have to correct.

Related Information

If you are a student looking for information about how to Make Requests  in English, make sure to visit this How to Make Request post.