Week 36 – Talking about rules & customs

Week 36 – Talking about rules & customs (modals: must / have to / can, A2+)

Theme: Describing rules, obligations, permissions, and customs at home, school, work, and in different countries.

Main grammar & functions:

• must / mustn’t for strong rules and prohibitions:
  • You must wear a seatbelt., You mustn’t smoke here.
• have to / don’t have to for external obligation / lack of necessity:
  • I have to work on Saturdays., You don’t have to wear a uniform.
• can / can’t for permission and possibility:
  • You can park here., You can’t enter without a ticket.

CEFR link:

A2+: Can describe and ask about rules and customs, using basic modal verbs (CEFR: “Can give simple directions and instructions”, “Can express obligation, permission and prohibition.”)

1. Lesson objectives (for students)

By the end of the week, students can:

1. Use must / mustn’t / have to / don’t have to / can / can’t to talk about rules and customs.
2. Describe rules at home, school, work, and in public places.
3. Talk about cultural customs in Ukraine and other countries using these modals.
4. Ask and answer simple questions about what people can / must / don’t have to do.

2. Grammar focus (with Ukrainian‑speaker notes)

a) must / mustn’t

Use:

• must – strong rule or obligation, often speaker’s opinion or strong advice:
  • You must be quiet in the exam.
  • You must stop at a red light.

• mustn’t – prohibition (it is not allowed):
  • You mustn’t smoke here.
  • Students mustn’t use phones in the exam.

Form:

• must / mustn’t + verb (same for all persons):
  • I/you/he/she/we/they must leave now.
  • You mustn’t be late.

Ukrainian issues:

• Confusing mustn’t with don’t have to:
  • mustn’t = not allowed; don’t have to = not necessary.
  • You mustn’t come early ≠ You don’t have to come early.

b) have to / don’t have to

Use:

• have to – something is necessary, usually because of a rule or situation (external obligation):
  • I have to start work at 9.
  • She has to wear a uniform.

• don’t / doesn’t have to – not necessary:
  • You don’t have to work on Sunday. (You can, but it’s not necessary.)
  • He doesn’t have to wear a tie at work.

Form:

• Present Simple structure:
  • I/you/we/they have to + verb.
  • He/she has to + verb.
  • don’t/doesn’t have to + verb.

Ukrainian issues:

• Mixing must and have to; at this level, accept both but show that mustn’t ≠ don’t have to.

c) can / can’t for permission & possibility

Use:

• Permission / allowed:
  • You can park here.
  • You can’t smoke in the restaurant.

• Possibility / ability (in context):
  • You can take a bus to the city centre.
  • You can’t buy alcohol after 10 p.m.

Form:

• can / can’t + verb (no -s, no "to"):
  • She can sit here.
  • They can’t go inside.

Ukrainian issues:

• Usually easy; main problem is adding to ("can to do").
  • Emphasise: can + verb, not can to + verb.

3. Vocabulary sets

Contexts for rules & customs:

• At home: help with housework, watch TV, use the computer, go out, come home late.
• At school: use mobile phones, eat in class, wear a uniform, be late, talk in class.
• At work: wear formal clothes, start/finish at a certain time, smoke, eat at your desk.
• Public places: on buses, in cinemas, in parks, in museums, in airports.

Cultural customs (simple):

• take off shoes in the house / not take off shoes
• bring flowers, bring chocolates, arrive on time / be a bit late, shake hands, hug

4. Lesson skeleton (60–90 minutes)

1) Warm‑up – Rules brainstorm (10–15 min)

• On the board, write 3 places: home, school, public transport.
• In pairs, students list 2–3 rules for each place (in Ukrainian or simple English).
• Collect and start turning them into English with modals:
  • "No smoking" → You mustn’t smoke.
  • "Come on time" → You must / have to come on time.

2) Presentation – must / mustn’t vs have to / don’t have to (15–20 min)

1. Present a small table with example rules:

• • You must wear a seatbelt. (strong rule)
  • You have to stop at a red light. (necessary)
  • You don’t have to buy a ticket for children – it’s free. (not necessary)
  • You mustn’t drink and drive. (forbidden)

2. Highlight meanings: rule / necessary / not necessary / forbidden.
3. Controlled exercise: students choose the best option (must / have to / don’t have to / mustn’t) for 8–10 sentences.

3) Presentation – can / can’t for permission (10–15 min)

1. Show signs: "No smoking", "No photos", "Wi‑Fi free", "Open 24 hours".
2. Elicit sentences:
   • You can’t smoke here.
   • You can’t take photos in the museum.
   • You can use Wi‑Fi here.
3. Controlled practice:
   • Students match signs to can/can’t sentences and then write a few of their own.

4) Controlled practice – Rules at places (15–20 min)

Worksheet idea: tables for home / school / work / public places.

1. Students complete sentences with modals, e.g.:
   • At school you mustn’t use your phone in class.
   • At home I have to do the washing‑up.
   • On the bus you don’t have to buy a ticket if you are under 6.
2. Pair check and short whole‑class feedback.

5) Freer practice – Comparing customs (15–20 min)

Students discuss rules/customs in Ukraine vs other countries or ideal rules.

1. Prompts for discussion in pairs/groups:
   • "At home children must… / don’t have to… / can…"
   • "In Ukrainian schools, students must… / mustn’t…"
   • "In our city, you can / can’t…" (in parks, on buses, in cafés).
2. Students write 5–8 sentences about Ukrainian rules/customs.
3. Optional extension: discuss imagined rules in another country (or in an "ideal school") using modals.

5. Homework / revision ideas

Choose 1–2:

1. Rules poster
   • Students create a poster "Rules in my house" or "Rules in our class" with 6–8 sentences using must / mustn’t / have to / don’t have to / can / can’t.

2. Compare two places
   • Students write a short text comparing rules in two places (e.g., home vs school; Ukraine vs another country).
   • Use at least 6 modal sentences.

3. Sign translation
   • Students find or take photos of 3–5 real signs (in Ukrainian) and at home write English sentences with must / mustn’t / can / can’t / have to / don’t have to to explain them.