Unit 2 — My Family

Learning objectives Link to heading

• I can name 12 family words including grandparents and cousins.
• I can use the possessive ’s and the genitive of plural nouns.
• I can write a short text (5–7 sentences) about my family.

Bildungsplan alignment Link to heading

• 3.1.1 Soziokulturelles Orientierungswissen / Themen
• 3.1.3.5 Schreiben
• 3.1.3.7 Verfügen über sprachliche Mittel – Wortschatz
• 3.1.3.8 Verfügen über sprachliche Mittel – Grammatik

(Source: https://www.bildungsplaene-bw.de/,Lde/LS/BP2016BW/ALLG/SEK1/E1)

Lead-in story Link to heading

Mia draws her family on paper. Mother — doctor. Father — works at home. Brother Theo — football. Pepper the cat. Then her two grandmothers, both alive, both stubborn. “Don’t forget your aunt in Hamburg,” Theo says. Mia adds the aunt. Frida the fox watches from the window. “My family,” she says, “is a lot of foxes in one den. None of us draw.”

1. Activate Link to heading

Family quick-tree. Draw three boxes: parents, siblings, grandparents. Add names. Tell a partner who is the youngest, who is the oldest, and who lives closest.

2. Input Link to heading

Vocabulary — extended family Link to heading

mother, father, parents, sister, brother, siblings, grandmother, grandfather, grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousin, niece, nephew, stepmother, stepfather, half-brother, half-sister.

Grammar — possessive ’s and plural genitive Link to heading

• Mia’s brother — singular owner: ’s.
• my parents’ car — plural ending in -s: just ’.
• the children’s room — irregular plural: ’s.
• the cat’s name (singular) vs. the cats’ names (two cats).

3. Practise Link to heading

Niveau E — controlled Link to heading

1. Match: parents — Eltern, sibling — Geschwister, cousin — Cousin, niece — Nichte. (T / F)
2. Build the possessive: (Mia / brother) → ___ ; (the cats / food) → ___ .

Niveau E — productive Link to heading

3. Family description. Use 5 sentences with at least two possessives.
4. (my grandmother / house), (the children / playground), (my friends / parents) — write each as a possessive phrase.

4. Produce Link to heading

Family poster. A4 paper. Draw five family members. Underneath, write five sentences using two possessives and one to be sentence.

Sample Link to heading

This is my family. My mother’s name is Petra. She is a doctor. My grandparents’ house is in Heidelberg. My brother Theo is eleven. We have a cat. The cat’s name is Pepper.

5. Reflect Link to heading

• I can name 12 family words.
• I can use possessive ’s and plural -s'.
• I can write a 5-sentence family text.

One thing in your notebook: Write one sentence that uses something you learned in this Unit.

Exam example Link to heading

Task 1 — Listening (8 BE) Link to heading

Listen twice.

“In my family there are five people. My parents, my brother, my grandmother, and me. My grandmother lives with us. My favourite cousin lives in Hamburg.”

1. How many people: ___ . 2. Who lives with the family: ___ . 3. Cousin’s town: ___ . 4. Who: ___ .

Task 2 — Reading (8 BE) Link to heading

Read.

“This is Mia’s family. Her parents’ names are Petra and Markus. Mia’s brother is Theo. Their grandparents’ house is in Heidelberg. The cat’s name is Pepper.”

1. Mia’s parents: ___ . 2. Brother: ___ . 3. Grandparents’ town: ___ . 4. Cat: ___ .

Task 3 — Use of English (8 BE) Link to heading

Build the possessive.

1. (Theo / book) → ___
2. (the cat / bed) → ___
3. (my parents / friends) → ___
4. (the children / room) → ___

Task 4 — Writing (6 BE) Link to heading

Write 5–6 sentences about your family. Use at least two possessives.

Downloads Link to heading

Common pitfalls Link to heading

• the brother of Mia — grammatical, but Mia’s brother is more natural in English.
• my parents’s car → ✗ / my parents’ car → ✓.
• L1 trap: German Geschwister = English siblings (or brothers and sisters).

Further reading / listening Link to heading

• BBC Learning English — Family vocabulary.
• LearnEnglish Kids — Family Tree.

Downloads

Presentation

Download .pptx

Worksheet

Download .pdf