Family:

 

Money	Housework	Curfew	Your idea
adultery/unfaithfulness	Divorce	parent who dictate and don’t explain
lack of democratic process in decision making that affects the whole family	lack of discussion on family issues	having boy/girl friends

 

Environment

power cuts	“tavy” slash and burn	bush fires	pollution from cars
polluted water	Garbage	Recycling	Your idea

 

Reading Activity: Students read the following and answer comprehension questions.

A family is a group of people that have a common ancestor. They usually live together in the same house. Although it is a fact that not all families are the same, they can be categorized into different types.

 

A nuclear family consists of parents and their children living together. In many countries in Europe and North American this is the most common form of family. There are three types of nuclear families. In the first type the father works and the mother cares for the children. In the second type, the mother works and the father says at home with the children. In the third type of family, both parents work. This last type of family is the most common in the USA and Canada.

 

In an extended family, different family members such as grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins live together. In many areas of the world, such as Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Southern Europe, this type of family is common.

 

Recently in some countries, couples are choosing to have only one child. These types of families are called single child families. Some people believe that children raised in these kinds of families are spoilt, selfish and lonely. But research doesn’t support this.

Some families have no children at all. The couples that make up these families sometimes make the choice not to have children because they want to have more free time. Some couples choose not to have children for financial reasons.

 

Families with only one parent are called single parent families. There are several causes of these types of families. The first reason is divorce. Another reason is that the one of the parent dies, leaving the surviving parent widowed. Additionally, some parents never get married in the first place.

 

            When, the husband or wife in a marriage brings children with them from  a past marriage, this is called a blended or reconstituted family. This type of family has become more common due to the increase in divorces. For some children this kind of family can be good because there have four parents, instead of two! But there can also be some difficulties as the two new families try to become one.

 

As the basis of all societies, families of all types are very important. This is true now and will be true in the future as well.

 

Comprehension questions:

1. What is a nuclear family?

2. In what countries are nuclear families most common?

3. Does research support the idea that single child families are spoilt and lonely? What is your opinion?

4. Why do some families choose not to have children?

5. What are two causes of single parent families?

6. What does the term “blended family” mean?

7. Who are the members of an “extended family”? Do you have an “extended family”? If so who are they?

8. What is the most important thing about your family?

Reading Activity: Match each description of a family with a type of family below. Description:

1. Two years ago, Darrell and Tanya got married. Before they got married Darrel had three sons and Tanya had a daughter. Now they all live together.

2. Hiroshi's wife died several years ago of cancer. He now raises his two sons Tomo and Taiki by himself.

3. Jose and Maria live with their 3 children. They also live with their parents, an uncle and an aunt.

4. Husband and wife Dalee and Meegung have been married for two years. They are both very successful business people and don't have any children.

5. Harry and his wife Jane have been married for six years. They have one daughter named Melissa.

6. Jack and Betty, who have been married for over 15 years, have two children named Daniel and Christine.

 

Family type:

1. Childless family

2. Nuclear family

3. Single parent family

4. Extended family

5. Single child family

6.   Blended family

 

Vocabulary Activity: Match the descriptions

family reunion  cousins  stepmother in-laws great grand father niece ancestors brother-in-law nephew granddaughter

son of your sister or brother daughter of your sister or brother family that lived a very long time ago children of your uncle or aunt husband of your sister daughter of your children get-together of an extended family father of your grandparents parents of your husband or wife your father’s wife

 

Writing Activity:

1. Students write two or three paragraphs about their family.

2. Students write two or three paragraphs about family habits and traditions.

(A tradition is something that is done repeatedly; for examples, families spending Sunday afternoon in the open air/picnicking; another example is what you do during holidays)

 

 

 

Example: 

 

My lovely family

My name is Ana. I am eight years old and I am from the USA. I’m going to introduce you to my lovely family. We are a big and very happy family. My mother’s name is Laura and my father’s name is Peter. My mother has blond hair and she is very beautiful. My father is tall and slim and he is a funny person.

I have two brothers. Tim is my five years younger and he is a sweet boy who loves playing and being with me all the time. He is only three years old so he attends kindergarten. My youngest brother, David, is a seven-month baby but he is full of personality. He likes being in my father’s lap and he always carries around Eddy, his teddy bear.

My father has a sister. Her name is Olivia and she is my aunt. My mother has two brothers. Their names are Richard and William and they are my uncles. I also have grandparents and three cousins Jacob, Kevin and Chloe. We have a pet called Pirate, he is my favourite dog.

I love my family!

These documents are taken from the Terminales curriculum teacher's guide.

Pages:  43 - 46