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Do you have to wear a uniform? Have to and don't have to for school rules

An A2 ESL lesson plan on have to and don't have to for rules, built around uniforms and dress codes in US public schools.

Grammar
Have to and has to for rules, don't or doesn't have to when something isn't necessary (Students don't have to wear a uniform.), questions with Do and Does, and short answers such as Yes, she does.
Topic
Uniforms and dress codes in American public schools, with spirit week and homecoming, and words such as dress code, khakis, yearbook and senior.
Activities
A post on school uniforms, a spirit-week dialogue and a viewer's voice message, self-checking drills, a chat about rules, and open boxes on rules and traditions.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Back to school!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: school clothes and traditionsVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: uniforms in America

    • Look at the photo: a school with uniformsPictureUnlock
    • Read the postReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: it's spirit week!

    • Listen to Nora and LanceListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Viewer's QuestionListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: I have to, you don't have to

    • Study the scheme: have to and don't have toGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: have to or don't have toFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: have to and don't have toFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: rules at your school

    • Choose the right replies: do you have to…?ChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: rules and traditionsOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the correct wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: make sentences with have toFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Nora's postChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: a school noticeDrag and dropUnlock

30 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

School vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • polo shirt
  • khakis
  • outfit
  • spirit week
  • homecoming
  • yearbook
  • senior

Grammar: have to and don't have to for rules

Have to says that a rule or a duty makes something necessary, and don't have to says that nothing does, so the choice is free. In most US public schools, students don't have to wear a uniform, though a lot of schools have a dress code. Learners switch to has to after he, she and it, build negatives and questions with do and does, and keep don't have to apart from can't.

I have to… You don't have to…

have to = a rule: it's necessary. don't have to = no rule: it's not necessary, you choose.

Have to and has to for every person

Use have to with I, you, we and they, and has to with he, she and it: He has to tuck in his shirt. It has to leave at seven. In the negative, have stays the same after doesn't: She doesn't have to wear khakis.

Whohave to / has to ✅don't have to / doesn't have to
II have to get up early.I don't have to wear a uniform.
youYou have to follow the rules.You don't have to iron it.
heHe has to tuck in his shirt.He doesn't have to wear a tie.
sheShe has to iron her polo shirt.She doesn't have to wear khakis.
it (the bus)It has to leave at seven.It doesn't have to wait for you.
weWe have to wear closed-toe shoes in the lab.We don't have to buy a uniform.
theyThey have to follow the dress code.They don't have to wear a uniform.

Questions and short answers with do and does

Questions put Do or Does in front: Do you have to wear a uniform? Does she have to iron it? Short answers repeat do or does, never have: Yes, she does. No, I don't. Do students have to follow the dress code? – Yes, they do.

QuestionShort answer
Do I / you / we / they have to …?Yes, … do. / No, … don't.
Does he / she / it have to …?Yes, … does. / No, … doesn't.
Do you have to wear a uniform?No, I don't.
Does she have to iron it?Yes, she does.
Do students have to follow the dress code?Yes, they do.

Necessary, not necessary or against the rules?

Have to means a rule makes it necessary: We have to wear closed-toe shoes in the lab. Don't have to means there's no rule, so you choose: You don't have to dress up, but it's fun! For a ban, the word is can't: Dogs can't come in.

have to or don't have to?

have to ✅ = it's necessary

  • Students have to follow the dress code.
  • She has to tuck in her shirt.
  • We have to wear closed-toe shoes in the lab.

don't have to = it's not necessary

  • Students don't have to wear a uniform.
  • He doesn't have to wear a tie.
  • You don't have to dress up, but it's fun!

don't have to is not “no!”

Don't have to means it's not necessary, so you choose: Students don't have to wear a uniform (jeans are OK, a uniform is OK). For “no, it's against the rules”, say can't: Dogs can't come in. More about rules in the next lesson!

The base form after have to

After have to and has to comes the base form of the verb: I have to go, not I have to to go; She has to iron it, not She has to irons it. In fast speech, have to sounds like hafta, and has to like hasta.

have to + the base form

After have to and has to, use the base form: I have to go. She has to iron it. Not: I have to to go. Not: She has to irons it. In negatives and questions, use do / does + have to: She doesn't have to go. Does he have to go? (Not: doesn't has to.)

Say it fast

In fast speech, people say have to like “hafta” and has to like “hasta”.

At the high school

  • Lance's daughter has to wear a uniform.
  • Does she have to iron it? – Yes, she does.
  • Students here don't have to wear a uniform.
  • They have to follow the dress code.
  • Biscuit has to wait in the truck!
  • Do teachers have to wear a tie? – No, they don't.

Common mistakes

  • She have to iron it.

    She has to iron it.

    he, she, it: has to

  • He doesn't has to come.

    He doesn't have to come.

    doesn't + have to

  • Do you must wear a uniform?

    Do you have to wear a uniform?

    questions: Do / Does … have to …?

  • I have to to go now.

    I have to go now.

    one “to” only

More lessons on this grammar: Modal verbs lessons and exercises

Try the have to exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 17 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • say what is necessary with have to and has to: I have to get up early. She has to iron her polo shirt.
  • say what isn't necessary with don't or doesn't have to: He doesn't have to wear a tie.
  • ask about rules and give short answers: Do you have to wear a uniform? – No, I don't. Does she have to iron it? – Yes, she does.
  • tell don't have to (you choose) from can't (it's against the rules): Dogs can't come in.

Lesson 21 opens School in America, unit 6 of English A2.2 · Curious Minds. It builds on A1.2 lesson 6, which practiced yes/no questions with does and their short answers, so Does she have to iron it? – Yes, she does follows a familiar pattern. Lesson 22 adds must and mustn't, and lesson 24 takes have to into the past with had to. Since most US public schools don't require a uniform, the topic itself is a lesson in don't have to.

The warm-up wheel asks about school clothes and events, and ten word cards with pictures and audio follow, tuck in and iron among them, along with homecoming and yearbook. Students read a post with the share of US public schools that had uniforms in 2019-20. Two AI-voiced listenings come next: Nora talking with Lance, a teacher, during spirit week, and a viewer's voice message from Nebraska.

The grammar chapter goes from the scheme to four exercises that check themselves, among them a fill-in table for every person. In the speaking chapter, students answer Maya's questions about rules at their school or work in a chat, then open boxes that ask, for example, for a five-day spirit week plan.

All nine homework tasks check themselves: matching, unscrambling and gap-filling the new words, choosing has to or have to, building sentences, word order, short answers, a post about yearbooks and a school notice completed by drag-and-drop.

Grammar:
have to / has to · don't have to / doesn't have to · Do you have to…? · short answers
Topic:
school uniforms · dress codes · public schools · spirit week · homecoming · yearbooks · Curious Minds

Teaching tips

  • Start with two lists on the board, I have to… and I don't have to…: each student adds one thing from their school day or job, such as I have to get up early.
  • Ask who wears a uniform before the post: at school, at work or never? The post then shows that nearly one in five US public schools had uniforms in 2019-20.
  • Play the spirit-week dialogue twice: first for what students wear on Friday, then for each question with have to and the reply that follows it.
  • Make the dream-school box a debate: pairs agree on two things students have to do and two they don't have to do, then the class votes for the best school.

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The whole course: English A2.2 · Curious Minds

32 lessons that pick up where English A2.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present perfect to used to, have to and relative clauses. Eight units cover nature, tech at home, heroes, healthy habits, fashion, school, animals and traditions. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Wonders of nature

    the present perfect with ever and never, been to, superlatives with I've ever, articles with place names

    1. Lesson 1Have you ever seen the sky dance?The present perfect for experiences
    2. Lesson 2Have you been to the Grand Canyon?Present perfect vs past simple
    3. Lesson 3The longest cave in the worldSuperlatives with the present perfect
    4. Lesson 4The first national parkArticles with place names

  2. Unit 2 Clever tech at home

    the present perfect with just, already and yet, phrasal verbs, subject and object questions

    1. Lesson 5The chocolate bar that meltedThe present perfect with just
    2. Lesson 6Has my lunch arrived yet?Already and yet with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 7Turn it on, turn it offPhrasal verbs with it and them
    4. Lesson 8The girl who tests waterSubject and object questions

  3. Unit 3 Everyday heroes

    the past continuous, when and while, adjective order, story linkers

    1. Lesson 9When the pager beepsThe past continuous with was and were
    2. Lesson 10The man who planted apple treesPast continuous and past simple with when and while
    3. Lesson 11What's in the lost and found?The order of adjectives
    4. Lesson 12The dogs who saved NomeStory linkers

  4. Unit 4 Healthy and happy habits

    will for predictions, the zero and first conditionals, so do I and neither do I

    1. Lesson 13Why does school start later in California?Will and won't for predictions, decisions and offers
    2. Lesson 14Brain freeze!The zero conditional for facts
    3. Lesson 15Doctor's orders: go to the park!The first conditional with if and will
    4. Lesson 16Walking in the mall at 7 a.m.Agreeing with So do I and Neither do I

  5. Unit 5 Style through time

    used to, didn't use to, made of and made from, still and not anymore

    1. Lesson 17Why did everyone use to wear a hat?Used to for past habits and states
    2. Lesson 18Jeans used to be work clothesUsed to in negatives and questions
    3. Lesson 19Quilts made from old clothesMade of, made from and made by
    4. Lesson 20Cowboy boots, still made by handStill, not anymore and no longer

  6. Unit 6 School in America

    have to, must and mustn't, be allowed to, had to

    1. Lesson 21 · you're hereDo you have to wear a uniform?Have to and don't have to for rules
    2. Lesson 22Stop for the yellow bus!Must, mustn't and don't have to
    3. Lesson 23A class trip to the SmithsonianBe allowed to and can for permission
    4. Lesson 24One room, one teacher, every gradeHad to and didn't have to for past duties

  7. Unit 7 Amazing animals

    relative clauses with which, that, who and where, look and sound + adjective, adjectives with prepositions

    1. Lesson 25The bird that copies car alarmsRelative clauses with which and that
    2. Lesson 26Alligators and crocodiles togetherWho, which, that and where in relative clauses
    3. Lesson 27Sailors thought it was a mermaidLook, sound and feel as linking verbs
    4. Lesson 28Beagles at the airportAdjectives with prepositions

  8. Unit 8 Traditions we love

    invitations, will vs going to, so and such, one and ones

    1. Lesson 29Come to our cookout!Making, accepting and refusing invitations
    2. Lesson 30Is spring going to come early?Will vs going to for the future
    3. Lesson 31From turnips to pumpkinsSo and such for emphasis
    4. Lesson 32Giant balloons over ManhattanOne and ones in place of a noun

Questions about this lesson

How do you use have to in English?
Use have to and a base verb for what is necessary, often because of a rule: I have to get up early. They have to follow the dress code. With he, she and it, it becomes has to: She has to iron her polo shirt. Negatives and questions need do or does, as most verbs do: Do you have to work on Sundays?
What does "don't have to" mean?
Don't have to means it isn't necessary, so you can choose: Students don't have to wear a uniform, so jeans are OK and a uniform is OK too. After he, she and it, it's doesn't have to: He doesn't have to wear a tie. It never means a ban: for that, say can't. The A2 lesson Do you have to wear a uniform? on edio.ai sets the two side by side in its scheme.
When do you use has to instead of have to?
Use has to after he, she, it and singular nouns, and have to after the others: My brother has to wear a white polo shirt. The bus has to leave at seven. We have to follow a dress code. In negatives and questions, the -s moves to does, so have comes back: He doesn't have to come. Does she have to iron it?
How do you ask questions with have to?
Begin with Do or Does, then the person and have to: Do you have to wear a uniform? Does your teacher have to wear a tie? Answer with do or does, not have: No, I don't. Yes, she does. Do you must…? and Yes, I have are common slips. In the chat of Do you have to wear a uniform?, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, students answer such questions about their own school or job.
Is it "doesn't has to" or "doesn't have to"?
It's doesn't have to, because does already has the -s: He doesn't have to come. Questions work the same way: Does she have to iron it?, not Does she has to iron it? In positive sentences, the -s sits on has, so it's She has to iron it, never She have to iron it.
Does "don't have to" mean the same as "can't"?
No: don't have to means no need, can't means not allowed. You don't have to dress up leaves the choice to you, while Dogs can't come in is a rule against something. So at a school where students don't have to wear a uniform, a student can still wear one. For a ban in a rule or a law, English also uses mustn't.
What school vocabulary do you need to talk about American schools?
Start with words for school clothes and school traditions: a dress code (school rules about what students wear), a polo shirt, khakis (light brown cotton pants) and the verbs tuck in and iron. High school adds spirit week, five school days of fun dress-up themes, homecoming, a fall celebration with a game and a dance, the yearbook and the senior, a student in the last year of high school.
What's the difference between a school uniform and a dress code?
A uniform means the same clothes for everyone, while a dress code is a list of rules about clothes, and students choose their own outfits within it. So it's Students have to wear a uniform at one school, and Students don't have to wear a uniform, but they have to follow the dress code at another. In 2019-20, 18.8 percent of US public schools had uniforms and 43.7 percent a strict dress code.
How do I teach have to and don't have to?
Start from rules your students really follow, at school, at work or at home, and sort them into have to and don't have to. Then practice has to with he and she, and finish with Do you have to…? and its short answers. In the lesson on this page, the forms first come up in a post about uniforms and two listenings, and only then in the scheme and four drills.
What's a good game for practicing have to?
Open-the-box prompts about daily duties make a good game: each box asks for something like two things you have to do every morning or two things you don't have to do on the weekend, and whoever opens it answers aloud. The open boxes in the A2 lesson Do you have to wear a uniform? on edio.ai go further, from a dream school's rules to a spirit-week plan.
What's good homework for practicing have to and don't have to?
Self-checking drills on everyday duties work best: building sentences such as My little sister has to go to bed at eight, choosing has to or have to, putting words in order and picking short answers like No, I don't. For Do you have to wear a uniform? on edio.ai, the homework also has a school notice to complete by drag-and-drop, and every task checks itself.
Are there interactive exercises for have to and don't have to?
Yes: gap-fills and chats that check each answer show at once whether have to, has to or don't have to fits. On this page, visitors without an account can play four parts of Do you have to wear a uniform?, an A2 lesson on edio.ai: the post on school uniforms, Nora and Lance's spirit-week dialogue, a gap-fill of have to and don't have to sentences, and Maya's chat about rules. The rest stays locked.
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