Time off requests: Explaining reasons and dates to HR

Summary

This ESL lesson plan is designed for A2-level English students to practice communicating about time off requests. The lesson focuses on teaching students how to explain their reasons and specify dates when speaking with HR or a manager. It uses practical, interactive exercises to build vocabulary and grammar skills for common workplace situations.

This lesson helps beginner to pre-intermediate students gain confidence in making polite and clear requests at work. The activities include a warm-up discussion, a listening comprehension task, vocabulary matching, and grammar exercises focusing on future tenses and polite request forms. Students will also read a short article and complete sentence-building and speaking tasks to apply what they have learned in a realistic context.

Activities

• A warm-up discussion about personal preferences for taking time off to get students talking about the topic.
• A listening comprehension exercise where students fill in the gaps while listening to a short time off request.
• An interactive vocabulary matching task to learn key terms such as "time off," "HR," "request," and "sick leave."
• Grammar practice focused on using "will" and "be going to" for future plans, and "Can I...?" / "Could I...?" for making polite requests.
• A reading exercise with a fill-in-the-blanks task based on an article about making smooth time off requests.
• Sentence building and speaking practice to help students formulate their own requests and discuss workplace scenarios.

A time-off request

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Vocabulary focus

The vocabulary in this lesson covers essential terms for discussing leave from work. Students will learn and practice words like "time off," "request," "HR (Human Resources)," "urgent," "vacation," and "sick leave." This targeted vocabulary ensures students can understand company policies and clearly communicate their needs.

Grammar focus

This lesson concentrates on two key grammar points for A2 learners: expressing future plans and making polite requests. Students will practice using "will" and "be going to" to talk about their upcoming time off. They will also learn how to use the modal verbs "Can I...?" and "Could I...?" to ask for permission in a professional and courteous way.