The Polite Robber - Reported Speech

Sometimes teaching grammar can be tricky. I don't want to get stuck only repeating rules with my students. I want them to understand rules by using them and realizing how that grammar point can be used in real life. With that in mind, I've found this great powerpoint presentation posted by the user Gaby141 on the website Busy Teacher to practice Reported Speech (you can download the presentation at the end of this post). The activity is based on the video "The Most Polite Robbery Ever" (video below) in which a robber is very polite when robbing the owner of a shop. Gaby141 has broken down the interactions from the video in slides. Students should pay attention to the dialogue in each of the slides and then, guided by a question, report what the people in the slides are saying or asking. For example:

Different ways to say hi!

Are you tired of only teaching "Hi, how are you?"? Here's different and commonly used greetings to teach your students!

Cellphones are not enemies!

Have you ever felt frustrated when you were in front of the classroom excitedly teaching, but students were on their phones texting their friends? Well, I have and this feeling is surely shared by many EFL teachers. That can be a bit annoying, but that should also be an inspiration for us, teachers. Students have this amazing gadget with them at almost all times: their cellphones! We already know students love their phones, how about using this feeling to engage them in exciting english language classes? I've found this article on Oxford University Press blog  on 25 ideas for using Whatsapp with students! Which idea is your favorite?