Family and Possessives

Overview

In this first lesson of “Spanish Language Explorers: My Family and Me”, students revisit family member vocabulary and practise possessive adjectives to describe who they live with and who belongs to them.

Learning intentions

WALT (We Are Learning To):

• Recognise and say key family member words in Spanish.
• Use simple possessive adjectives (my/your/his/her) to describe family.
• Speak in short, clear sentences about who they live with.
• Participate confidently in a review game to practise oral language.

Success criteria

• I can say 6–8 family member words in Spanish with good pronunciation.
• I can use the correct possessive adjective to say “my [family member]” and “I live with…”.
• I can speak a short partner or group sentence without stopping for help.
• I can understand and respond to simple questions about my family (e.g., “¿Con quién vives?”).

Curriculum links

• Languages: building oral language skills through meaningful interaction and practice.
• The learning of vocabulary and structures to communicate about familiar personal contexts.
• Key competencies: Communication and Collaboration through partner speaking; Thinking when choosing correct possessives.
• NZ Curriculum Refresh focus: active language use, culturally inclusive, and scaffolded learning for all learners.

Lesson structure (55 minutes)

1. 5 min — Greeting + “Sound Check”

• Teacher models a quick call-and-response: “Hola, ¿cómo estás?” and introduces today’s focus words with gestures (family + possessives).
• Students echo chorally, then in pairs (A says, B responds).

2. 10 min — Warm-up: Family Word Relay (oral)

• Write family words on cards around the room (e.g., madre, padre, hermano/a, hermana, abuela, abuelo).
• Students in small groups do a relay: run, pick one card, return, and say the word aloud in Spanish.
• Teacher quickly corrects pronunciation (model → echo → practise).

3. 12 min — Mini-teach: “My family” sentence frames

• On the board, display scaffolded sentence frames with colour-coding:
• “Vivo con mi/mi(s) …”
• “Es mi …”
• “(Yo) tengo un(a) …” (optional for faster learners)
• Teacher builds 2–3 examples using real-life-safe prompts (e.g., “Vivo con mi madre y mi padre.”) and students repeat.
• Use gestures for possessives: pointing to self for “mi”, to someone else for “tu”, and gentle model for “su” with care (teacher keeps it simple in this novice unit).

4. 10 min — Guided partner talk: “Who do you live with?”

• Students choose 3 family member cards and complete the spoken frame:
• “Vivo con mi ____ y mi ____.”
• Pair roles: Speaker A says one sentence; Partner B asks “¿Con quién vives?” and then repeats back: “¡Sí! Vives con…”
• Teacher circulates using a quick listening checklist (see Assessment).

5. 10 min — Structured listening: “Listen & Match”

• Teacher reads short sentences at novice speed (e.g., “Vivo con mi hermana.” “Vivo con mi abuelo.”).
• Students match to sentence strips or picture cards at their desks.
• Dyslexia-friendly option: also provide icon + word supports and allow students to point/match rather than only write.

6. 8 min — Quick review game: “Possessive Grab”

• Teacher calls a possessive (mi/tu) and a family card appears; teams race to say the full phrase/sentence correctly.
• Example prompts:
• “¡Mi + hermano!” → team says: “Es mi hermano.”
• “¿Con quién vives?” → students respond using their chosen cards.
• End with a whole-class chant of 2–3 strongest sentences.

Resources

• Family word picture cards (mother/father/sibling/grandparent) and a small set of possessive cards (mi, tu, su).
• Coloured sentence frame cards: “Vivo con mi/mi(s) …”, “Es mi …”.
• Mini whiteboards or response slips for optional “quick check” responses.
• Audio/teacher voice recording (optional) for students who benefit from repeated listening.
• Icon supports for learners who need reduced text.
• Timer for relay and game rounds.
• Dyslexia-friendly print: large font, high contrast, limited text per card.
• Pairing notes (teacher-prepared) for mixed-ability and EAL support.

Assessment

• Ongoing formative assessment: teacher listens during partner talk and the game, noting correct family words and possessive use.
• Evidence collection: at least one spoken sentence per student during the partner activity (record quick notes).
• Quick end-check: students match 2–3 listening sentences in “Listen & Match” (pointing counts).

Differentiation

• Support for ADHD/slow processing: clear turn-taking roles, short timed rounds, and “one sentence only” goal; teacher checks-in at the start of each new step.
• Support for dyslexia: icon-based matching, audio read-aloud, large-font cards, and allow pointing/choosing over reading long strips.
• EAL learners: allow use of gestures and bilingual classroom talk; provide a model sentence bank and rehearse chorally before partner practice.
• Extension for advanced learners: add “Vivo con mi(s)… y con mi(s)…”, include “tu” in a second round, or add one extra possessive sentence (“Es tu…/Es su…”).

Extension (optional)

• If time remains or for fast finishers: create a 20–30 second “family intro” using a photo or drawing prompt: “Yo vivo con…” and rehearse in a small group while teacher listens for possessive accuracy.