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.

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

Look at these sentences from the dialogue. What word shows possession (who it belongs to)?

That's MY wife, Maria. → MY = belongs to ME

Are they YOUR children? → YOUR = belongs to YOU

HER name's Emma. → HER = belongs to SHE

HIS name's Oliver. → HIS = belongs to HE

ITS name is Princess. → ITS = belongs to IT

Expected answer: I→my, you→your, he→his, she→her, it→its. These words show who something belongs to.

Explain:

What's the difference between 'he's' and 'his'?

He's from Brazil = He IS from Brazil — He's = he is (verb)

His name is Oliver = Oliver belongs to HIM — His = possessive (ownership)

Quick Check (oral):

1. Say: "___ name is Emma. (His / Her / He's)"

Expected: Her

If wrong: Emma is a girl → HER name.

2. Say: "___ name is Oliver. (His / Her / He's)"

Expected: His

If wrong: Oliver is a boy → HIS name.

3. Say: "The cat. ___ name is Princess. (His / Her / Its)"

Expected: Its

If wrong: Animal/thing → ITS.

Common Errors

He name is Oliver. → His name is Oliver.
He = pronoun (He is...). His = possessive (His name...). Different words!

She's name is Emma. → Her name is Emma.
She's = she is. Her = possessive. 'Her name' not 'She's name'.

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.

myyourhisheritsour

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

mother

wife

daughter

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?

5. Oliver five years old.

6. Emma Leo and Maria daughter.

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

My Family

Show photos of your family on your phone. Tell your teacher about each person.

Scenario:

Show family photos on your phone and introduce each family member.

Useful Expressions

This is my ___ (brother/sister/mother/father).His/Her name is ___.He's/She's ___ years old.He's/She's from ___.He's my sister's husband.

Round 1 — You show and present

YOU: (shows photo) This is my mother. Her name's ___. She's ___.
TEACHER: What's her name? How old is she? Is she from Sao Paulo?
YOU: (answers with possessives)

Round 2 — Teacher asks about relationships

TEACHER: Who's [name]? (points to person in photo)
YOU: He's my brother. His name's ___.
TEACHER: Is he married? What's his wife's name?
YOU: Yes! His wife's name is ___. She's my brother's wife.

4

Let's Talk

13 minutes

Let's Talk!

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

Talking about your family.

1. Tell me about your family. Do you have brothers or sisters?

Follow-up: What does he/she do?

Target: I have a brother/sister. His/Her name is ___. He's/She's ___ years old.

Expected answer: Yes, one brother. His name is Carlos.

Tip: Model first: 'I have a sister. Her name is Ana. She's 30.' Accept short answers, build to full sentences.

2. What's your mother's name?

Follow-up: How old is she? Where is she from?

Target: My mother's name is ___. / Her name is ___.

Expected answer: Maria. / My mother's name is Maria.

Tip: Practice possessive 's: 'my mother's name' = 'o nome da minha mae'. Check his/her usage.

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