Courseversity

Lesson

Formal and informal communication

Primary EducationGrade 5English & Language ArtsCV-PRI-G05-ELA-U01-L0845–60 min

You will learn

  • Identify audience.
  • Identify purpose.
  • Choose formal or informal words.
  • Adjust greeting and tone.

Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.

Student lesson

The lesson in 60 seconds

  1. Who is listening?
  2. Why am I speaking?
  3. Choose the register.
  4. Check greeting and tone.

Words to know

formal
careful, polite language for official situations
informal
relaxed language for friends and family
register
the level of formality of language
audience
the people you speak or write to

1. Discover: Two messages

Chidi asks to borrow a book twice. To his friend: “Hey Ola, can I borrow your book? Thanks!” To the head teacher: “Good morning, Madam. May I please borrow a book from the library? Thank you very much.”

The words, greetings and tone change because the audience is different.

Think: Which message is formal and how can you tell?

2. Understand: Right words, right place

Idea 1: Formal

Formal language uses full sentences, polite words (may I please) and titles (Madam).

Idea 2: Informal

Informal language is relaxed and may use short forms and friendly greetings (Hey).

Idea 3: Register

Choose your register by thinking about your audience, purpose and setting.

Remember: Choose formal or informal language to suit the audience, purpose and setting.

3. Worked examples

Example 1 (I show you): Formal

Which message is formal?

  1. The head teacher one.

Answer: the message to the head teacher

Example 2 (We do it together): Sign

Give one sign of formality.

  1. Polite words.

Answer: may I please or the title Madam

Example 3 (You try): Why

Why do messages differ?

Show the steps and answer
  1. Audience.

Answer: because the audience is different

Did you know?

People switch between formal and informal language many times a day without noticing.

Why this matters

Using the right register shows respect and helps you be understood.

4. Explore: Switch

Change register.

  1. Write an informal request.
  2. Rewrite it for a head teacher.
  3. Compare the changes.
  4. Say both aloud.
Think about it: what did you notice?

You can choose the right register.

5. Practise

Say it in a sentence

Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.

  • This is formal because ___.
  • This is informal because ___.
  • My audience is ___.
  • I will say ___ instead of ___.

Guided practice

Question 1. Careful polite language for official situations is ___.

formal

Question 2. Relaxed language for friends is ___.

informal

Question 3. The level of formality is the ___.

register

Independent practice

Level 1: Start

  1. Careful polite language for official situations is ___.
  2. Relaxed language for friends is ___.
  3. The level of formality is the ___.
  4. The people you speak to are your ___.
  5. Chidi borrowed a ___.

Level 2: Grow

  1. Who received the informal message?
  2. Who received the formal message?
  3. Which greeting was formal?

Level 3: Stretch

  1. Is Hey formal?
  2. Should you say Madam to a head teacher?
  3. Does audience affect words?

Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.

6. Apply: English in everyday life

Write one request in a formal and an informal way.

Show a sample answer

two requests

Another one. Say one request to a friend and again to a teacher, and note the differences.

Show a sample answer

a completed task

7. Common mistakes

Mistake: Rushing without checking.
Fix: Slow down and check your work.
Another mistake: Skipping the worked example.
Fix: Study the example first, then try.

8. Lesson summary and revision card

I can…

  • I can identify audience.
  • I can identify purpose.
  • I can choose formal or informal words.
  • I can adjust greeting and tone.

9. Check and master

Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.

1. Formal language is ___ and polite.

2. Informal language is ___.

3. Register is the level of ___.

4. Your audience is the ___ you speak to.

5. Which message is formal?

6. Which greeting is informal?

7. Who would you greet with Good morning, Madam?

8. What changes with audience?

9. Which word is polite?

10. Which setting needs formal language?

11. Why choose the right register?

12. Which is informal?

Challenge 1. Which suits an interview with the principal?

Challenge 2. Which suits a text to a close friend?

Your result appears here after you answer every question.

10. Key takeaways

  • Who is listening?
  • Why am I speaking?
  • Choose the register.
  • Check greeting and tone.

11. Next lesson

Next lesson: Multisyllabic word analysis. Keep going with the next idea in this course.

Exam practice

These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.

  1. What is formal language? [1 mark]
  2. What is informal language? [1 mark]
  3. Give one formal greeting and one informal greeting. [2 marks]
  4. What is register? [1 mark]
  5. Explain how to choose formal or informal language. [3 marks]

Total: 8 marks.

Marking guide and model answers
  1. careful, polite language for official situations [1]
  2. relaxed language for friends and family [1]
  3. Good morning, Madam [1]; Hey [1]
  4. the level of formality of language [1]
  5. think about the audience [1]; think about purpose and setting [1]; choose words, greeting and tone to match [1]

Score guide: 7 to 8 = secure. 5 to 6 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 5 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.

Printable worksheet

  1. Careful polite language for official situations is ___.
  2. Relaxed language for friends is ___.
  3. The level of formality is the ___.
  4. The people you speak to are your ___.
  5. Chidi borrowed a ___.
  6. Who received the informal message?
  7. Who received the formal message?
  8. Which greeting was formal?
  9. Is Hey formal?
  10. Should you say Madam to a head teacher?

Homework

Say one request to a friend and again to a teacher, and note the differences.

Answer key and marking scheme

Question Expected response Marks
1. Careful polite language for official situations is ___. formal 1
2. Relaxed language for friends is ___. informal 1
3. The level of formality is the ___. register 1
4. The people you speak to are your ___. audience 1
5. Chidi borrowed a ___. book 1
6. Who received the informal message? Ola 1
7. Who received the formal message? the head teacher 1
8. Which greeting was formal? Good morning, Madam 1
9. Is Hey formal? no 1
10. Should you say Madam to a head teacher? yes 1
Total 10

Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 formal; 2 informal; 3 register; 4 audience; 5 book. Level 2: 1 Ola; 2 the head teacher; 3 Good morning, Madam. Level 3: 1 no; 2 yes; 3 yes.

Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.

Mastery and remediation

Objective Bronze (Developing) Silver (Proficient) Gold (Advanced)
O1 Identify audience Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O2 Identify purpose Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O3 Choose formal or informal words Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O4 Adjust greeting and tone Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation

Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.

If a learner struggles

  1. Find the misconception: Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.
  2. Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
  3. Show a simpler example: Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames.
  4. Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
  5. Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
  6. Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.

For parents and guardians

In this lesson your child practises a key Grade 3 English skill with clear examples and a quiz. You do not need to be an expert to help.

  • Listen while your child explains the idea.
  • Ask for one new example.
  • Praise effort and careful work.
  • Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
  • Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
  • Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.

Teacher package

1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration

Lesson objectives. Learners will: identify audience; identify purpose; choose formal or informal words; adjust greeting and tone.

Prerequisite knowledge. Persuasive speaking.

Materials. Chart paper or board, pencils, picture or word cards, a reading book if available. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.

Preparation. Write the key words and examples on the board or on cards before the lesson.

Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.

6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities

Introduction (5 min). Introduce the idea with the opening example.

Explanation (10 min). Teach the key words.

Guided activity (10 min). Practise together.

Independent activity (10 min). Check understanding with the quiz.

Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.

Key questions. What is the key idea? Can I give my own example?

Teacher explanation notes. Move from the spoken word to pictures and then to print. Read aloud often, point to the words, and let learners hear and say before they read and write.

10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions

Support. Use the sentence frames and work with a partner. Extension. Create a harder example of your own.

Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.

Misconceptions. Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.

13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme

Use the quiz, the 8-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.

16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection

Remediation. Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames. Enrichment. Make up your own example and teach it to someone at home. Homework. See above.

Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.

Sources and standards

This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.

Official standards for this topic area. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (official site): Grade 5 » Speaking & Listening. These pages list the standards that cover this topic area; read them alongside the lesson.

Research used to shape this lesson. Common Core SL.5.6 and L.5.3 (use knowledge of language and its conventions; adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate); Cambridge Primary English Stage 5 (register and audience). These sources informed the lesson.

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