OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES

This declining requests ESL lesson plan offers engaging activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for intermediate B1/B2 students. In this lesson, students will:

• Discuss common situations where saying no is difficult and share personal experiences during the preview discussion.
• Learn practical vocabulary related to boundaries, excuses, and alternatives while exploring communication tips.
• Watch a short video on effective ways to decline requests confidently and without guilt, followed by comprehension and matching exercises.
• Practice target phrases for politely saying no through dialogues and discussion questions in the viewing follow-up.
• Engage in real-life role plays and discussions to activate their skills in declining requests politely while maintaining positive relationships.

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

Students begin this ESL lesson plan on declining requests and offers by reading an email from a busy colleague requesting a favor, then discuss how Rodrigo might feel and how they would respond in his place. They brainstorm communication tips for saying no respectfully using key nouns such as boundaries, explanations, and alternatives. Then, students express their opinions on common beliefs about declining requests, like whether explanations are necessary or if it’s easier to say no in writing. Finally, they discuss why setting respectful boundaries matters and the consequences of always saying yes, preparing them for the lesson focus.

VIEWING ACTIVITY

In this part, students watch a video that offers practical tips to help people say no confidently without feeling guilty, protect their time, and maintain good relationships. After watching, they answer short comprehension questions about the speaker’s struggles and poll results. Next, students match Vanessa’s four key tips for declining requests to their reasons, reinforcing understanding of setting boundaries, avoiding explanations, and offering alternatives. They also complete sentences from the video by filling in missing phrases to practice the target language.

VIEWING FOLLOW-UP

Students discuss how useful Vanessa’s tips might be in real-life situations and reflect on which strategies they already use or find challenging. They then complete two dialogues with polite phrases for declining requests and offering alternatives, focusing on natural, respectful expressions. To deepen vocabulary understanding, students identify phrases or phrasal verbs from the dialogues that mean attending, declining, being busy, accepting offers, and replying. 

REAL-LIFE INVITATIONS & REQUESTS: TURNING PEOPLE DOWN (POLITELY!)

In the activation, students choose or invent real or imagined offers, invitations, or requests to role-play declining politely. One student asks or offers, while the other practices refusing with respectful language and tries to maintain rapport by offering alternatives. This role play builds confidence and fluency in saying no naturally. Alternatively, students discuss personal experiences related to saying no, regretting yes, or managing busy schedules, encouraging reflection and speaking practice around the lesson’s core theme of declining requests.

BENEFITS OF USING THIS DECLINING REQUESTS ESL LESSON PLAN

This lesson plan helps teachers guide students through realistic communication challenges involving saying no politely. It promotes vocabulary growth focused on boundaries and polite refusals while improving listening and speaking skills through video and role play. The structured, step-by-step activities support different learning styles, encouraging both individual reflection and paired interaction. Teachers will find this plan easy to adapt for classroom or online use, providing clear, practical language students can apply in everyday situations. The lesson also fosters confidence and emotional intelligence by addressing common feelings around declining requests, making it a valuable resource for intermediate ESL learners.