A1 listening skills lesson plan about families

In this lesson, learners practise and improve their listening skills as they listen to a conversation between two teenagers describing and comparing their families.

Large Muslim family laughing together at home

Sarah Smith and Sea Steele

13 - 17

This lesson helps learners to develop listening comprehension skills and reflect on the different types of families that exist. The lesson raises awareness that not all families look the same and that family can include friends, pets or anyone that makes us feel loved or safe. The materials provide meaningful language practice and encourage learners to think critically and empathetically by asking them to understand, compare and discuss different families.

Lesson outcomes

All learners will:

discuss what makes a family
listen to and understand a conversation between two teenagers describing and comparing their families
learn useful vocabulary related to families and family routines
design a poster about their own families and discuss who is part of our family.

Age and level

13–17 at CEFR level A1/A2

Materials

Lesson plan

Student worksheet

Presentation

Transcript

Audio files

Lead-in (10 minutes)

Show the learners the four images on Slide 2 and ask them, in pairs, to describe each family to each other. Click to reveal some useful process language that they can use: The family in picture ___ is/has … Set 3–4 minutes for this. (Worksheet Task 1)
Monitor closely and put some of their ideas on the board as the learners are on task.
After 3–4 minutes, ask the learners to look at the ideas on the board and summarise them. Here is an opportunity to deal with some vocabulary that they might need. Show Slide 3 and tell learners to tell their partner which family is the most similar to theirs.

NOTE: You might want to check the meaning of similar by asking 'If someone is similar to us, are they the same or different?' (The same) 'Exactly the same or almost the same?' (Almost).
Click to reveal some useful process language that they can use: The family in picture 1/2/3/4, because ... Set two minutes for this.
After two minutes, thank the learners, but only elicit answers if they're comfortable sharing about their families.

Listening 1 (8 minutes)

Slide 4. Tell the learners that they're going to listen to two teenagers, Ali and Samir, talking about their families. Ask 'Which family is Ali's, and which family is Samir's? Write "Ali" and "Samir" in the correct box.' (Worksheet Task 2)
Play audio once and have a quick pair check. If learners need to listen again, allow them to do so.
Click on the slide to reveal the answers.
Optional: Go to the follow-up question on Slide 5. In pairs, learners discuss the question 'Are Ali's and Samir's families similar or different?' Get learners to discuss for a minute, and then ask the follow-up question 'What's different about them?'
Monitor closely and elicit answers from the learners.

Listening 2 (10 minutes)

Now the learners listen again. Set up the listening task on Slide 6 (Worksheet Task 4). Click to show an example.
Play the audio again (twice if needed).

Answers:

I got up early today. (B)
I have a lot of siblings. (A)
I play sport with my family after school. (A)
There's very little noise in my house. (S)
There's lots of work to do at home. (B)
My dog is learning how to do tricks. (S)
I want a dog. (A)

The learners check their answers in pairs together.
Click to reveal who says which sentence and elicit justifications for the answers.
OPTIONAL: Slide 7 (show audio transcript with colour coding that shows learners where the answers are).

Vocabulary focus (8 minutes)

Tell the learners that they're going to focus on some of the vocabulary they heard in the listening.
Slide 8: Show learners the words in the box (siblings, walk, tricks, get up, teaches, deal).
Set up the activity: learners put the words in the sentences. They can do this individually, then pair check, or in pairs. (Worksheet Task 3)
In feedback, click to show the answers one by one, and check the meaning of any words learners found challenging. Model and drill each for pronunciation – elicit from the learners where the word stress is in polysyllabic words and highlight any difficult phonemes for them in response to their needs.
If necessary, you could play the audio a final time for learners to check.

Productive task (15–20 minutes)

Tell the learners that there are all different types of families. Families can be the people we live with, our closest friends or animals. On the poster, draw and/or write the names of the people and animals who make your family.
Show Slide 9 (Worksheet Task 5). If comfortable, write/draw some examples of your family on the poster – these can be relatives, friends, colleagues, pets, etc.
Click to show Slide 10 with some examples that learners could use. Be ready to help with vocabulary related to family, e.g. aunty, uncle, step-father etc.
Tell the learners that they can draw/write the people in their family on the poster. Remind them that families can mean the people/animals who we love and who love us back.
Give learners 5–10 minutes for this and monitor closely, helping learners with vocabulary where necessary.
Put learners in pairs or small groups. Tell them to show each other their posters and to describe who is in their family. Encourage them to talk using the prompts on Slide 11. Encourage them to ask each other follow-up questions.
Learners can repeat the activity with a new group.

Feedback (5 minutes)

If the learners are comfortable, do some whole-class feedback on the similarities and differences between the families they discussed.
Respond to any language needs (error correction, celebrating good language use).

Extension tasks

Reflection: Learners can discuss the following:

What does family mean to you? Write down ten words you associate with the idea of a family .
Help with some examples here if necessary – e.g. love, noise, people, house, food, siblings, cat, playing, holidays, etc.
Create a 'Family diversity tree' on a poster board. Each learner adds a leaf with a drawing or sentence about their family (e.g. I live with my grandparents, I have a cat named Luna.)
Celebrate diversity: Read statements like the following aloud. Learners step forward/raise their hands if they agree or stay in place/keep their hands down if they don't.
Example statements: