Family Members Vocabulary

Overview

This 30-minute lesson for preschool students in New Zealand focuses on introducing and practising vocabulary related to family members, aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh. It is Lesson 5 of 20 in the unit "Communicating with Touch Chat." The session aims to build oral language and interpersonal communication skills using age-appropriate vocabulary and sentence structures.

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Recognise and name family members using basic vocabulary.
• Use simple sentences to talk about family members.
• Listen and respond respectfully to partner sentences.
• Begin to use non-verbal communication to support meaning.

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Curriculum Links

Learning Area: English (Oral Language strand) and Learning Languages
Levels: Early Childhood / Year 0 - 1 (preschool level context)
Key Competencies:

• Using language, symbols, and texts – Students communicate ideas and information with others.
• Relating to others – Students engage in respectful conversations and express ideas.

Learning Objectives from New Zealand Curriculum Refresh:

• Students will describe familiar people using simple vocabulary (family members).
• Use sentence stems to express simple descriptions (e.g., "This is my...").
• Listen actively and respond appropriately to peers.
• Begin to use facial expressions and gestures to support communication.

References to explicit teaching approaches recommended in Te Mātaiaho English in the New Zealand Curriculum Years 0-6 including modelling, structured practice, role play, and supportive feedback are included to scaffold language learning effectively.

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Lesson Plan

1. Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Activity: Greeting and introduction to topic
• Process: Using a family picture book or large photos, introduce the vocabulary: mum, dad, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa. Say each word clearly and have students repeat.
• Purpose: Build oral vocabulary and produce key sounds.

2. Activity 1: Vocabulary Matching (8 minutes)

• Materials: Picture cards with family members, name cards
• Process:
  • Place picture cards on the floor/table.
  • Show a name card and ask students to match it to the correct picture.
  • Encourage students to say the word aloud after matching.
• Differentiation:
  • For diverse learners, provide tactile cards or objects representing family members.
  • For dyslexic learners, use cards with clear large fonts and images; avoid crowding visuals.

3. Activity 2: Sentence Practice with Touch Chat (10 minutes)

• Materials: Communication app/devices such as Touch Chat with family vocabulary and sentence frames (e.g., "This is my...")
• Process:
  • Model using Touch Chat to say "This is my mum," "This is my dad," etc.
  • Take turns practising with the device, guiding students to construct simple sentences.
  • Use gestures and facial expressions to enhance meaning.
• Differentiation:
  • Support students needing additional oral practice with sentence stems visually displayed.
  • Encourage non-verbal expressions (nods/smiles) to support communication for those with speech delays.

4. Activity 3: Role Play Family Chat (5 minutes)

• Materials: Puppets or dolls representing family members
• Process:
  • Set a simple scenario such as introducing family members using puppets.
  • Teacher models: "This is my grandma," "This is my brother."
  • Students take roles to introduce their puppets to each other using the new words and sentences.
• Purpose: To develop interpersonal and presentational communication skills through drama.

5. Wrap-up and Reflection (2 minutes)

• Recap vocabulary by showing cards quickly and asking students to name family members aloud or on their devices.
• Encourage students to share one sentence about their family if possible.
• Give positive feedback and set a small goal: "Next time, you can tell me who else is in your family!"

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Assessment and Feedback

• Formative Assessment:

  • Observe children’s ability to correctly identify family members.
  • Listen for the use of complete simple sentences ("This is my...").
  • Note non-verbal communication such as gestures or expressions supporting explanations.

• Feedback:

  • Provide immediate, positive, specific feedback and gentle rephrasing to model more complete sentences.

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Differentiation Strategies

• For diverse learners:
  • Use multiple modalities: visual, auditory, tactile.
  • Incorporate assistive technology like Touch Chat to scaffold communication.
  • Offer sentence stems and visual prompts for sentence formation.
• For dyslexic learners:
  • Use large, eazy-to-read fonts in materials.
  • Avoid cluttered visuals; use clear images with simple text labels.
  • Encourage oral repetition before reading/writing tasks.

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Resources Needed

• Picture cards/photos of family members
• Name cards with printed vocabulary (large font)
• Touch Chat communication device/app programmed with family vocabulary
• Puppets or dolls for role play
• Family picture storybook

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This lesson plan leverages explicit oral language teaching, multimodal learning, and structured interactions recommended by the New Zealand Curriculum to foster early vocabulary and communication skills around family, which is relevant and meaningful for preschool learners in New Zealand contexts.