Summary
This downloadable PDF lesson plan for English teachers is designed for a B1 business English class. This practical ESL material focuses on the language needed to politely request office equipment and supplies, building both vocabulary and conversational skills.
This English lesson plan provides a structured approach to workplace communication. It begins with a warm-up discussion, followed by a vocabulary exercise on office items. Students then complete a listening task about an equipment request, study modal verbs for politeness, and read a short article. The class concludes with a practical role-play activity, allowing students to use all the language they have learned in a realistic context. This material is ideal for any business English class.
Activities
- Students begin by discussing the most important items on their desks and sharing experiences with faulty equipment, activating prior knowledge and setting the context for the lesson.
- A vocabulary matching exercise introduces and clarifies the meaning of key office supplies, such as 'ergonomic chair', 'shredder', 'scanner', and 'printer ink'.
- The lesson includes a listening exercise where students fill in the gaps in a conversation about an office request and then answer comprehension questions to check their understanding.
- Students read a short article about a company investing in new equipment to improve employee comfort, followed by a true-or-false comprehension check to practice their reading skills.
- The lesson culminates in a guided role-play where students, acting as an employee and an office manager, practice making and responding to requests for new office supplies.
Vocabulary focus
The lesson introduces key vocabulary related to common office items like 'ergonomic chair', 'shredder', 'scanner', 'printer ink', 'stapler', and 'photocopier'. It also provides useful phrases for making requests (e.g., "We're running low on...") and giving reasons ("...because mine is broken.").
Grammar focus
The primary grammar point is making polite requests using modal verbs. Students learn to distinguish between the levels of formality of 'can', 'could', and 'may'. The lesson also introduces the very polite structure 'Would it be possible to...?' for more formal written or spoken requests in the workplace.
