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When to Use Formal English

A 40-minute Grade 3 lesson on speaking in complete sentences and recognizing when formal English is called for.

When to Use Formal English is a free 40-minute Grade 3 English lesson plan for Common Core standard SL.3.6 — speak in full sentences when the situation calls for it. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the meaning, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Grade 3
Length:
40 minutes
Standard:
SL.3.6

Grade 3 · Speaking & Listening

SL.3.6

Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

Objective

Students will be able to judge how formal a situation is, say the same request in a way that fits it, using complete sentences when the situation calls for them, and name what they changed.

Students are successful when they can

  • Places six situations on a dial from least to most formal and gives a reason for at least one middle placement.
  • Says one message three ways and matches each to a situation card.
  • Names at least two changes between versions using the four markers: shortened words, slang, polite words, complete sentences.

What you need

  • Six situation cards, written out in this plan
  • A dial drawn on the board from "friends" to "very formal"
  • Message cards: "I need a pencil," "I don't understand the question," "I've finished my work"
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — rank six situations

5 min
  1. Read the six cards: A, chatting with your best friend at recess. B, asking your big brother for help with homework. C, asking the lunch helper for more water. D, asking your own teacher a question in class. E, reading the morning notices over the school speaker. F, thanking the mayor after she visits your assembly.
  2. Pairs rank them from least to most formal. Then take votes. A and F will agree quickly. Argue about B, C and D — say that is where the real judging happens, because there is no rule, only reasons. For example: "C is more formal than B because the lunch helper is an adult you don't know well."

Teach — a dial, not a switch

13 min
  1. Say the same message at three points on the dial and write each up. Low: "Gimme a pencil, yeah?" Middle: "Can I borrow a pencil, please?" High: "Excuse me, Mrs. Patel. May I please borrow a pencil? I have left mine at home."
  2. Ask: "What changed between the first and the last?" Collect answers, then name the four markers and write them up: "Shortened words (gimme / give me, I've / I have). Slang (yeah, buddy). Polite words (please, excuse me, thank you, may I). Complete sentences that give detail (I have left mine at home)."
  3. Point at the high version's last sentence. Say that formal speaking often adds a complete sentence of detail or explanation — the listener does not know you, so you tell them why you are asking.
  4. Show the top of the dial used at the bottom. Say to a student, as if they are your best friend at recess: "Excuse me. May I please borrow a pencil? I would be most grateful." Ask how it sounds. Fish for: weird, cold, like you are not friends.
  5. Show the reverse: say to an imaginary mayor, "Gimme a pencil, yeah?" Ask how that sounds. Fish for: rude. Say why both are mistakes — the words were fine, but they did not fit the person.
  6. Say the skill and write it up: "Read the situation, then choose the point on the dial."
“It is a dial, not a switch. Most situations are somewhere in the middle. Too formal sounds cold, and too casual sounds rude — the skill is choosing the right spot.”

Guided practice — three points

12 min
  1. Pairs take one message card, such as "I don't understand the question," and say it at three points on the dial. For example: "Huh? Don't get it." / "I don't understand this one, can you help?" / "Excuse me, Mr. Lee. I do not understand question four. Could you explain what it means, please?"
  2. They match each version to a situation card and say why: "The top one is for D, because a teacher is an adult in charge, but not F, because it is just a question in class."
  3. They name the shifts between their versions using the four markers. Circulate and ask: "Which marker did you change first?"
  4. Swap message cards and repeat with "I've finished my work."
“When you tell me what changed, use the four markers: shortened words, slang, polite words, complete sentences.”

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the register page. It gives situations and sentences to match, and asks them to rewrite one casual sentence for a formal situation.
  2. Students who finish write the same request for situation B and situation F and underline what changed.

Close

2 min
  1. Give situation C, the lunch helper, and ask for a version that fits. Take one and ask the class: too formal, too casual or about right?

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Sorts every situation into two piles, so the lunch helper and the mayor get the same "Excuse me, may I" speech.

Why: The words formal and informal come as a pair, so it sounds as if there are only two settings to choose from.

Fix: Use the six-card ranking. Six situations cannot be sorted into two piles convincingly, and the argument about B, C and D is what shows that there is a middle.

Uses the most formal version everywhere: "Excuse me, may I borrow a pencil?" to a best friend.

Why: School rewards formal language, so formal feels safe and correct in every situation.

Fix: Act out the too-formal example to a best friend and ask how it sounds. Sounding cold to a friend is a mistake too; the best version is the one that fits.

Can say two versions but cannot say what changed: "It just sounds posher."

Why: Register is felt rather than analyzed. Children hear the difference long before they have words for it.

Fix: Teach the four named markers with the pencil example: shortened words, slang, polite words, complete sentences. Ask the student to point to one in each version. Naming the change makes it something they can control.

If they are not there yet

  • Two points on the dial rather than three: friends and teacher.
  • Give the six situations already ranked so the student only matches versions to them.
  • Give a word bank for the formal end: "Excuse me," "may I please," "thank you," "I have."

If they finish early

  • Find a situation where the right formality is genuinely arguable, such as a friend's parent at the door, and argue for a place on the dial.
  • Act out a conversation that changes register halfway, such as chatting with a friend when the principal walks in, and say what changed and why.
  • Write the same request — to stay in at lunch to finish a model — four ways, for four people, and label each marker used.

Exit ticket

Write how you would ask to borrow a pencil from a friend, then from a visiting teacher. Underline two things you changed.

What to look for: Two versions with named changes: "Can I borrow a pencil?" and "Excuse me, may I please borrow a pencil? I have left mine at home." Identical versions mean the four markers need practice; a formal friend version means the too-formal example needs repeating.

Printable practice for SL.3.6

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about When to Use Formal English

How long does the When to Use Formal English lesson take?

40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does When to Use Formal English teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.6 — SL.3.6, Speaking & Listening for Grade 3: “Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.” In plain terms, speak in full sentences when the situation calls for it.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Six situation cards, written out in this plan, a dial drawn on the board from "friends" to "very formal", message cards: "I need a pencil," "I don't understand the question," "I've finished my work" and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: sorts every situation into two piles, so the lunch helper and the mayor get the same "Excuse me, may I" speech; uses the most formal version everywhere: "Excuse me, may I borrow a pencil?" to a best friend and can say two versions but cannot say what changed: "It just sounds posher.". The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “Write how you would ask to borrow a pencil from a friend, then from a visiting teacher. Underline two things you changed.” Two versions with named changes: "Can I borrow a pencil?" and "Excuse me, may I please borrow a pencil? I have left mine at home." Identical versions mean the four markers need practice; a formal friend version means the too-formal example needs repeating. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with When to Use Formal English?

Yes — 1 printable SL.3.6 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is When to Use Formal English free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to SL.3.6 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.