Damaged Item

Topic: Requests and Apologies 

Mode: Presentational

Level: Intermediate

Students will record apologies for damaging various items.

Components of the activity: Worksheet

Instructions to the teacher

In this activity, students will practice apologizing for items of different value. The table presents a selection of four items with some information, including what happened to the item, how much it is worth, and whether it is replaceable. Students should record a voice memo (using Flipgrid would work well for this) of their apology for the various items. Ideally, you should give students a controlled amount of time to prepare what they want to say so that they don’t write out a complete answer. Give them several minutes to make notes and then allow them to record their apology. It is probably easiest if they record separate apologies for each item. You may also want to determine a minimum length for the apologies in minutes (e.g. 45 seconds for the drinking class, 1.5 minutes for the table). Students should change their answers to reflect the different situations. Apologizing for breaking a drinking glass is much less serious than for damaging an antique table. Before this activity, it would be helpful students to see some examples of different apologies to help them decide what they should say. 

Instructions to students

Imagine you have been staying at your aunt’s house. Unfortunately, you broke a few items, and you need to apologize. Look at the different items in the table and make notes about what you should say for each item. Remember, there are different levels of seriousness in apologies! Your apology should reflect the value of what you broke and whether it is replaceable.