Meet David De’ Ath, co-founder, editor, and writer at Wonderful World English. With his extensive background as an English teacher, David provides valuable insights and practical tips on ESL for students and teachers alike.
If you’re an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher or a teacher of young learners looking for some tips and materials on teaching the subject of families and family trees, you’re in the right place!
This lesson is an important aspect of English language learning, especially for young learners, as it helps them build comprehension of everyday family words.
From basic words like “me,” “mom,” and “dad” to terms like “family tree” and “baby cousin,” this lesson is a must for any young learner in an ESL curriculum.
Teachers should include materials and visual prompts to teach a lesson on families and family trees effectively. The goal is for students to understand and produce the vocabulary and be able to answer the question, “Who’s this?”. Teachers can use TPR well and keep the lesson fun and engaging.
I am an experienced ESL teacher who has taught this lesson to families many times; it is good fun and great to have in a student’s English toolkit.
I have provided the materials I use for this lesson, along with the PPT and lesson plan for you below, for free!
Feel free to use these materials in your classroom; you can add or take away anything to your class however you see fit.
Let’s jump in!
Family Tree ESL Lesson
This lesson is a staple in any English curriculum.
Learners need to understand the vocabulary associated with family members at a basic level before moving on to more complicated areas.
Students typically love to get involved and discuss their parents or siblings, so this lesson can be a lot of fun.
With the right mix of games and activities, songs, and movies, this will surely be a success.
Below, we will look at the lesson plan on the subject of families for a 45-minute class for young ESL learners, as well as some materials and games to include.
Here is the lesson plan:
1. Lesson Plan
This lesson is focused on the key sentence: “How does it taste?”, and teaches students to reply with “It’s sour,” “It’s spicy,” “It’s sweet,” or “It’s salty.”
This lesson is for very basic-level English learners, so I don’t overwhelm them.
If you believe your students can handle a little more, then go ahead and include more vocabulary, such as “it’s bitter” or “it’s delicious,” for example.
This plan should be used as a guide to accompany the PPT supplied below:
Meet My Family
Objective: To teach ESL students family-related vocabulary, foster comprehension, and enable them to talk about their family in English.
You will need An interactive whiteboard for the PPT, a whiteboard/blackboard to keep score of points, paper, pencils, and flashcards of family vocabulary (optional).
1. Introduction (5 minutes):
- Greetings and classroom rule review.
- Split the class into teams (e.g., boys vs. girls or by the row they are sitting in).
- Review content from your previous lesson (if applicable).
2. New Topic Introduction (3 minutes):
- Introduce the new topic: “Family.”
- Show a basic family tree diagram and explain the concept.
3. Family Vocabulary (8 minutes):
- Introduce family vocabulary words like mother, father, sister, brother, etc.
- Show pictures of family members and ask, “Who is this?”
4. Family Tree Exploration (3 minutes):
- Show a more detailed family picture and explain relationships like grandparents, aunts, and uncles.
- Encourage students to identify relationships on the family tree.
- Invite students to point at the family member and produce the language; give points to whoever does this well.
5. Play movie (4 minutes):
- Play a relevant movie to boost comprehension.
6. Make a family tree (8 minutes):
- Show students a family tree and discuss.
- Hand out blank pieces of paper and have students fill in the names or pictures of their family members.
8. Present (10 minutes):
- Select a few students to come to the front and present their family tree to the class.
- Ask questions related to the family tree and award points for correct answers.
- Students can produce sentences such as “This is my mom. She is beautiful,” for example.
9. Wrap-up and Rewards (4 minutes):
- Review all the new language and relationships discussed in the lesson.
- Congratulate the winning team; small rewards such as stickers can be an excellent token of appreciation.
If you’re looking for some great ideas for games and activities that you can include within your lesson plan for this lesson or any other, the guide below is for you!
Related Article: Fun Classroom Games to Play – Teacher’s Guide
2. Free PPT
Below is the PPT I made for you to use in your class; you can download this and use it as it is with the lesson plan above, or you can edit it however you would like:
3. Materials
Some great materials are available on the subject of families and family trees.
You can use YouTube, copyright-free images on sites like Canva, or check out useful platforms such as Teachers Pay Teachers.
Make sure to use appropriate and relevant resources to make sure your class is fun and engaging.
It is great to make the most of flash cards and props in ESL lessons.
You can show an image of your own family and discuss this with your students; they will surely find this interesting.
And if your school has materials you can use, be sure to make the most of them!
The video below is great for teaching the subject of families and has all the key vocabulary needed for this lesson:
Any eye-catching video or song on the subject will keep your students captivated and more receptive to retaining the newly learned language.
Another key lesson is “How does it taste?” check out the link below for more free materials!
Related Article: How Does it Taste? – Free Lesson Plan & PPT for ESL Teachers
Conclusion
“Meet My Family” is a delightful theme that allows students to delve into family vocabulary and relationships, which are integral parts of everyday life.
This lesson opens a window for students to talk about their families, promoting a personal connection to the English language.
Utilize this guide’s lesson plan and PPT as a springboard if you’re seeking inspiration for your teaching journey.
Feel free to personalize the PPT by adding or removing slides to seamlessly align with your lesson objectives.
Incorporating enjoyable games, activities, and materials will undoubtedly make your lesson engaging and memorable.
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Cheers to impactful teaching and the joy of learning.
Have a wonderful day!
Image Attribution: All images licensed via canva.com
