Asking for Help

Year Level

Year 2

Duration

50 minutes

Class Size

20 students

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Understand and practise respectful ways to ask a teacher for assistance.
• Explore polite communication and patience while waiting for help.

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Success Criteria

Students will be able to:

• Use polite phrases to ask a teacher for help.
• Demonstrate respectful body language and tone.
• Practice waiting patiently without interrupting.
• Identify which ways of asking for help feel most comfortable and effective in class.

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Australian Curriculum Alignment

This lesson closely aligns with the Personal and Social Capability from the Australian Curriculum (Version 9), particularly:

• Self-Awareness and Management:

• Recognise and express emotions appropriately.

• Develop respectful communication strategies.

• Social Awareness and Management:

• Communicate effectively with others.

• Negotiate and resolve conflicts respectfully.

• Content Descriptor AC9HP2P04:

• Practise strategies they can use when they need to seek, give or deny permission respectfully.

• In Languages (general capabilities):

• Use everyday greetings and social exchanges to interact with others, including asking for help politely.

This supports students’ communication skills and respectful interactions in the classroom setting,.

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Resources Needed

• Role-play scenario cards with different classroom help situations (e.g., “I don’t understand the question,” “Can you please explain this again?”)

• ‘Polite phrases’ posters (e.g., “Excuse me, can you help me please?” “May I ask a question?”)

• Visual timers or a patience countdown chart to model waiting.

• Optional: Soft ball or hand puppet as a “help request token” to signal when students want to ask for help.

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Lesson Outline

Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Class Discussion:

• Ask: “What do we do when we need help from the teacher?”

• List all ideas on a chart.

• Introduce the concept: Asking for help politely and waiting patiently helps everyone learn and feel respected.

2. WALT and Success Criteria:

Explain in student-friendly language the goals of today's lesson and what success looks like.

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Explicit Teaching (10 minutes)

1. Show posters with polite phrases.

2. Model respectfully asking for help yourself, using clear voice, polite words, and waiting patiently without interrupting.

3. Demonstrate less effective ways (e.g., shouting or interrupting) and discuss why these make it harder for the teacher to help.

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Guided Practice: Role-playing Scenarios (20 minutes)

1. Set-up:

• Divide the class into pairs or small groups (3-4 students).

• Give each group a scenario card with simple, relatable situations:

  • Asking a friend to help with a classroom task (e.g., "Can you help me find my pencil?").

  • Asking the teacher for help with a problem (e.g., "Excuse me, can you please help me with this question?").

  • Asking a family member for support (e.g., "Could you please help me tie my shoes?").

2. Activity:

• Each group takes turns role-playing asking for help politely using different phrases.

• Use clear prompts such as "Start by saying 'Excuse me' or 'Please'" and "Remember to wait patiently."

• One student can be the helper; the other asks for help.

3. Monitor and Support:

• Circulate, giving prompts and feedback on polite language, clear voice, and waiting behaviour.

• Encourage students to repeat role-plays to build confidence.

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Suggested video search: "Role-playing asking for help for young learners"

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Class Reflection and Discussion (7 minutes)

• Gather students and ask which ways of asking for help felt most comfortable.

• Discuss how waiting patiently helped or made things easier.

• Ask students to share their favourite polite phrase or waiting strategy from the role-play.

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Conclusion & Extension Activity (3 minutes)

• Summarise key learning points.

• For homework or extra challenge: students can draw a comic strip showing a polite way to ask for help and waiting patiently.

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Differentiation Strategies

• For EAL Learners:

• Use visual prompts and sentence starters (e.g., “Excuse me, can you please help me with…”).

• Model and practise phrases with gestures and simple words.

• Role-play multiple times with peer support.

• Provide scenario cards with pictures illustrating each situation to support understanding.

• Encourage verbal practice with clear, simple prompts and repeat key phrases.

• For Students Needing Additional Support:

• Provide one-on-one modelling or small group practice.

• Use a visual “help request token” to support turn-taking.

• Break down phrases into smaller chunks for easier imitation.

• For Advanced Learners:

• Encourage them to use expanded polite language and add reasons (e.g., “Excuse me, could you please help me because I don’t understand this part?”).

• Challenge them to notice and suggest additional respectful classroom behaviours around asking for help.