Meet the Family — Teacher Edition

1

Listening

10 minutes

Say to student:

"Who is Maria? Who is Oliver? Let's learn how to talk about YOUR family!"

Dialogue: Two friends looking at family photos on a phone (recycling L03 context).

Ana and Leo

Here is the text from the listening. Read along and check your answers.

Who's this?

That's my wife, Maria.

And these children? Are they your children?

Yes! Her name's Emma and his name's Oliver.

How old is Emma?

She's 8. And Oliver is 5.

He's Maria's little boy.

And this? Is it your cat?

Yes! Its name is Princess.

So Oliver's your son and Emma's your daughter — beautiful family!

or click any bubble to hear one line

Comprehension:

1. Who is Maria?

2. How old is Oliver?

3. What's the cat's name?

2

Language Focus

12 minutes

Grammar: possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their + possessive 's

Form	Structure
Affirmative	I → MY ___ (my wife). You → YOUR ___ (your children). He → HIS ___ (his name). She → HER ___ (her name). It → ITS ___ (its name). We → OUR ___ (our family). They → THEIR ___ (their kids). Possessive 's: Maria's son (o filho DA Maria).
Negative	It's not my/your/his/her ___. (Ex: She's not my sister, she's my cousin.)
Interrogative	What's his/her/its name? Is he/she your ___? Are they your ___? Whose ___ is this?

Examples:

That's my wife, Maria.

Her name's Emma. (Emma is a girl)

His name's Oliver. (Oliver is a boy)

Its name is Princess. (the cat — animal)

He's Maria's little boy. (possessive 's)

Try it!

1. name is Emma. (Emma is a girl)

2. name is Oliver. (Oliver is a boy)

3. The cat. name is Princess.

4. Maria son is Oliver. (use possessive 's)

Answers: 1. Her | 2. His | 3. Its | 4. 's

Common Errors

He name is Oliver. → His name is Oliver.
Em PT 'o nome dele' tem 2 palavras. Em EN é uma só: HIS = pronome+possessivo. He = sujeito (He is...). His = posse (His name...).

She's name is Emma. → Her name is Emma.
She's = she is (verbo). Her = posse. Em PT 'O nome dela é Emma' → EN: HER name is Emma.

Explicação (PT-BR):
My = meu/minha. Your = seu/sua. His = dele. Her = dela. Its = dele/dela (coisas). Our = nosso. Their = deles/delas. Possessive 's: Maria's son = o filho DA Maria.

3

Practice

15 minutes

Watch for:
- His vs Her — confusion #1: Brazilian uses 'his' for everything (interference from 'seu/sua'). Drill: point to man → 'HIS name', point to woman → 'HER name'. Repeat until automatic.
- Its vs It's: 'Its' (possessive, no apostrophe) vs 'It's' (it is, with apostrophe). In speech there's no difference. For Starter, teach 'its' as 'for animals/things'.
- Children: irregular plural of 'child'. NOT 'childs'. Also mention: man→men, woman→women.
- Possessive 's confusion: 'He's' = he IS. 'Leo's' = belongs to Leo. SAME sound, different meaning. Exercise 3 focuses exactly on this.
- Mother /mʌðər/, father /fɑːðər/, brother /brʌðər/: the /ð/ (voiced TH) is the same in all three.
- Phone photos: ask BEFORE class. If no photos, student describes from memory or draws family tree on the board.

Possessive Adjectives

Complete with the correct possessive adjective.

ourherhisitsyourmy

1. That's wife, Maria. (Leo speaking)

2. Are they children? (Ana asking Leo)

3. name's Emma. (the girl)

4. name's Oliver. (the boy)

5. name is Princess. (the cat)

6. We love family.

Answer Key:
1. my
2. your
3. Her
4. His
5. Its
6. our

Family Pairs

Match the male family member to the female.

Column A

father

son

brother

husband

boy

Column B

daughter

wife

mother

girl

sister

Answer Key:
father = mother
son = daughter
brother = sister
husband = wife
boy = girl

Possessive 's

Complete with 's. Is it 'is' or 'possessive'?

1. He Maria son.

2. She Leo daughter.

3. My wife name is Maria.

4. What your brother name?

Answer Key:
1. 's (is), 's (possessive)
2. 's (is), 's (possessive)
3. 's (possessive)
4. 's (is), 's (possessive)

My Family — Possessives in Action

Read each prompt out loud. Use real names from your family.

1. Show a photo. Say: This is my husband (or wife). His name is ___. He's our partner.

2. Tell me about your children (or nieces/nephews): My children are ___ and ___. They're our kids.

3. Ask me: What's your mother's name? What's your husband's name?

4. Look at your phone. Say: This is our family — my husband, our children, and my mother.

True or False — Leo's Family

Based on the dialogue, is each statement True (A) or False (B)?

Replay dialogue

1. Maria is Leo's wife.

True

False

✅ Correct: True

2. Emma is 5 years old.

True

False

✅ Correct: False (Emma is 8 years old, not 5. Leo says: 'She's 8. And Oliver is 5.' (Oliver is the 5-year-old).)

3. Oliver is Maria's little boy.

True

False

✅ Correct: True

4. Princess is Leo's dog.

True

False

✅ Correct: False (Princess is Leo's CAT, not dog. Last line: 'Is it your cat?' — 'Yes! Its name is Princess.')

5. Emma is 8 years old.

True

False

✅ Correct: True

4

Let's Talk

13 minutes

Let's Talk!

Use what you learned today to answer these questions. Elaborate as much as you can!

Real family — ages, names, and relationships.

1. Who's the YOUNGEST in your family? And the OLDEST? Tell me their names and ages.

Follow-up: Are you closer to the youngest or the oldest?

Target: The youngest is my ___. His/Her name's ___. He's/She's ___ years old. The oldest is my ___.

Expected answer: The youngest is my brother. His name's Pedro. He's 12. The oldest is my grandfather. He's 75.

Tip: Forces 2 family members + ages + possessive adjectives. Don't accept single-word answers — push for full sentences with names AND ages.

2. Tell me 3 names — using 's: your mother's name, your best friend's name, and one more — your favorite person's name (anyone you want!).

Follow-up: Why is this person your favorite?

Target: My mother's name is ___. My best friend's name is ___. My favorite person is my ___ — his/her name is ___.

Expected answer: My mother's name is Maria. My best friend's name is Carla. My favorite person is my sister — her name is Ana.

Tip: Forces possessive 's THREE times in a row. After each name, ask 'and?' to keep them going. The 'favorite person' opens a relationship — recycles 'He's/She's my ___' from roleplay.

3. Do you have a pet? What's its name? If not — describe a pet you'd like (its size, color, name).

Follow-up: Is it your pet alone, or your family's pet?

Target: Yes, I have a ___. Its name is ___. / No, but I want a ___. Its name will be ___.

Expected answer: Yes, I have a dog. Its name is Rex.

Tip: Forces ITS (animal possessive) — most often confused word in Starter. If no pet: imagined pet works (forces creativity + ITS practice).

4. Now ask ME 3 questions about MY family — use 'his', 'her', or 'your'.

Follow-up: Great question! Now ask me a follow-up — what's HIS/HER name?

Target: What's your mother's name? Is your sister married? How old is your brother?

Expected answer: What's your mother's name?

Tip: Reverse role — student PRODUCES WH-questions with possessives (your/his/her). Most students only practice answering — this forces them to BUILD the question. After teacher answers, prompt for follow-up using HIS/HER.

Extension activity: Aluno rapido: desenhar arvore genealogica no quadro e apresentar TODA a familia. 'This is my grandfather. His name's ___. He's my mother's father.'

Self-Assessment

How did you do today?

✓
I can talk about my family: This is my brother. His name's ___.
✓
I can use possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her, our, their.
✓
I can use possessive 's: Maria's son / my brother's wife.

Great work today!

Next class: adjectives! Big, small, fast, slow, beautiful, ugly...