Lesson Plan: Aliens Took My Family (1)

This is my absolute favourite lesson to teach. It comes in two versions, one for juniors and one for seniors and it is best used to follow on from the family relations lesson.

This is the junior version.

Lesson Level: Junior 1 and 2 (Grades 7 and 8) Duration: 45 Minutes

Lesson Title: Aliens took my family (1)

Grammar and Vocabulary

Vocabulary of family relationships.

Asking and answering questions.

Lesson Objectives

To consolidate previous lesson’s family vocabulary.

To consolidate use of question words.

To encourage group discussion.

Materials Required

Photographs of your family members. (Photographs to represent your family members will do but classes respond better to the real thing.)

Magnets.

A cut out spaceship about a ten inches wide.

Preparation

Prepare materials.

Before class draw an alien on the board.¹

Procedure

1

Draw an alien and a spaceship

Elicit vocabulary

Alien, spaceship, outer space etc.

2

Play hangman variant.

(Put a picture of family member at bottom of the board and the spaceship at the top. For each wrong letter the spaceship comes closer.

Students win if they get word before spaceship lands and lose if spaceship reaches and kidnaps the family member.)

Use “alien”, “spaceship”, “moon”, “planet and some planet names as the words..

Play rounds with grandmother, grandfather, father, mother, brother (if pictures available)

Choose next person to guess by ball toss.(20 Minutes)

3

Put class into groups of about eight

4

Tell groups that they are all aliens.

Each group must write down the answers to these questions

What is the name of your planet?

What do you eat?

What is the weather on your planet?

What does your planet look like?

Do you play sports on your planet?

Why did you come to China?    (25 Minutes)

5

Use double ball toss between groups. A student in one group must ask a student in the other group one of the questions from the board. The student in the other group musty answer and then ask a different question to the first student.

Notes

1. It doesn’t need to be elaborate art. An oval face with two big eyes is perfectly adequate.