Learn basic vocabulary related to family history by talking about grandmothers’ lives
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THIS WEEK’S FEATURED POST
Week of June 22/26
This lesson plan focuses on Canada’s role in World War II. The lesson includes warm-up activities, vocabulary exercises, reading passages, a short video, and reflection questions to increase your students’ understanding of Canadian history.
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Lesson plan overview
| Task | To learn the basic vocabulary to describe family history through discussing students’ grandmothers’ life stories. |
| CLB level | CLB Stage I (CLB 1-3) |
| Delivery method | Online |
| Class size | 10-15 students (vary the number of activities according to your class size) |
| Estimated time | 1.5 hours (depending on class size) |
| CLB Skills and Competencies | Speaking: Interacting with others Sharing information Listening: Interacting with others Comprehending information Reading: Comprehending information |
| Language focus | Learn the vocabulary needed to understand this topic. Use the appropriate grammar structures and vocabulary to respond personally to the reflection questions. (Encourage students to respond in full sentences.) |
| Cultural focus | Students learn more about the life histories of other students (and the instructor) by sharing their grandmothers’ life stories. Students learn more about Alberta history by hearing a typical immigrant’s life story from the early 20th century. |
| Specific task learning objectives | Students learn vocabulary related to life events (e.g., birth, marriage, occupation, birth of children and grandchildren, and death). Students understand life events through the example of one grandmother’s history. Students share their own family history, focusing on their grandmother’s life story. |
| ESL Directions original video (🎥) and audio (🔊) activities? | This lesson includes original video (🎥) and audio (🔊) activities. |
| Resource attribution | ESL Directions original resources are marked below with an asterisk (*). Feel free to use these, but please give credit to ESL Directions. |
Lesson plan
Warm-up: Introducing the topic and defining our terms
- Today, we’re going to talk about family histories.
- What is a family?
- What is a family history?
- What is a grandmother?
- Can you name some important life events?
Skill-building activities
FEATURED CONTENT
- Vocabulary flashcards*
- Listen to the vocabulary again* 🔊 (Pay attention to how to say the words and phrases and what they mean.)
- Talking about life events: My grandmother* 🎥
- My grandmother’s life timeline*
Skill-using tasks
- Audio and comprehension questions* 🔊
- Tell me about your grandmother* (Note: The “Hints” give sample answers to help students understand the questions.)
Assessment/review tasks
- Vocabulary quiz*
- Speaking cards* (Answer the questions in your own words.)
Reflection questions
- What are three words or phrases that you learned today?
- Did you know your grandmother well?
- What can you tell us about your grandmother?
- Did she have an easy or a hard life?
- Did your grandmother tell you stories about your family? Can you tell us one of these stories?
- What else can you tell us about your grandmother?
- Is anyone here a grandmother or grandfather? Do you tell your grandchildren stories about your life?
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Wordwall is a very useful interactive lesson-creation site. If you sign up for a free Wordwall account, you will be able to see our “Community and neighbours” folder, which includes ESL Directions activities that you can add to your lessons.
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ABOUT ESL DIRECTIONS
Kathy Garnsworthy, the creator of ESL Directions, is an ESL teacher, movie buff, constant reader, and former editor and communications pro. Now a graduate of the Teaching English as a Second Language program at the University of Manitoba and an ESL teacher in Edmonton, Alberta, she specializes in teaching online classes of beginner ESL students.
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