Have to/Don´t have to
Beginner Level 1 hour
Expressing obligation and the absence of obligation (using “have to” and “don’t have to”)​
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Aim: Students will understand the difference between expressing obligation with "have to" and choice with "don't have to."
WARM-UP (10 min)
List some activities that students do in their daily lives, such as having a shower, going to school, brushing their teeth, or taking exams, and write them on the board.
Have the students stand up, then call out one of the listed activities. Ask them, "Do you have to do this or is it a choice?"
Students can move to one side of the room for “obligation” and the other side for “choice.”
This may prompt discussions where, for instance, some students consider brushing their teeth three times a day as necessary while others see it as optional.
VIDEO EXPLANATION (10 min)​
Play the short video about "Have to" (Obligation) & "Don't Have to" (Choice), then check students' understanding.​
"Have to" is used to express obligation, while "Don't have to" indicates that something is optional.
HAVE TO & DON´T HAVE TO DRAWING OR CHARADES (10 min)
Prepare a list of ideas or print out the Have to or Don't have to charades cards.
Students take turns drawing the activity on the board or acting it out (e.g. brushing their teeth, wearing a seatbelt) for the class to guess.
After guessing, the group decides if it’s something you “have to” or “don’t have to” do, then states a full sentence using the target structure (e.g., “You have to brush your teeth.” / “You don’t have to go to bed at 7pm”)​
FIND SOMEONE WHO ...................? (15 min)
Students think of 5 questions to ask the rest of the class, and write them on a piece of paper (You can encourage them to ask some "crazy" or "funny" questions)
e.g. "Do you have to go to bed before 9pm?" or "Do you have to clean your bedroom at the weekend?"
Give them some time to go around the class asking their classmates and answer with the correct structure "Yes, I have to go to bed before 9pm" or "No, I don't have to go to bed before 9pm".
DISCUSSION - DIFFERENT PLACES, DIFFERENT RULES (10 MIN)​
Ask the students questions like:
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“Is there something you have to do at home that you don’t have to do at your grandparents’ house?”
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“Is there something you have to do at school but not at home?”
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“Is there something you don’t have to do on holiday?”
Let students answer in full sentences using the structure:
“At home I have to tidy my room, but at my grandparents’ house I don’t have to.”
You can do this as a whole-class discussion, or in pairs/small groups first to give everyone a chance to speak.
LESSON CONCLUSION (5 min)​
Today we learned how to express obligations and choices using the vocabulary
“Have to” for an obligation & “Don’t have to” for a choice.
Ask a couple of students to give an example of each from their own lives using both structures.​​