Booklet 1: Who is family?

Objective Students will identify family members and explain how they are different from non-family.

Things to be kept ready

• Pictures of family members, teachers, neighbours, shopkeepers, maid, driver, vegetable shop keepers, barbers etc. The pictures of non-family members essentially can be the people whom they see on a regular basis but not family.

• Print out of the family tree poster or a handmade template.

• Pictures of collective family time doing different things together

• Pictures of each family member doing something that signifies the role they play

• If it is a child using Avaz, enter the tiles ‘Family’ and ‘Not family’ in the people folder. Keep a visual ready with the words ‘Family’ and ‘Not family’ written.

Activities

Activity 1

Use photo cards of family, teachers, neighbours, shopkeepers, etc. and sort into “Family” and “Not Family.”

How to conduct the activity

• Have two sorting trays labelled ‘Family’ and ‘Not Family’. The labels should be placed such that it is clearly visible. It can be place infront of the trays.

• Give the children one picture at a time from a mix of family and non family.

• Let them think about where the picture goes and place in the tray.

• When they keep the picture in one of the piles ask them why they placed it there. ‘Because it’s family’ or ‘Because it’s not family’. Children can say their responses, use Avaz or point to the visual. It depends on the comfort of the child to whichever way he or she likes to respond.

Circle Family Worksheets

Use the following worksheets to reinforce the concepts covered in this activity. A tailor made picture worksheet can also be made on similar lines. The file also has a sheet with blank spaces where different pictures from the child’s life can be pasted and they can circle who their family is.

Download Circle Family Worksheet

Activity 2

Create a personal family tree poster with names

How to conduct the activity

• Paste pictures of mother, father, sibling and themselves in their scrap book or on a sheet.
• If the children recognise and relate to grand parents, add them as well.

Receptive Identification

By roles: Have the children receptively identify all the family members by their roles as mother, father, sister, brother etc. Children can paste the role names below each picture. You ask ‘Show me …..’ and the children show their family members.

By names: Have the children receptively identify all the family members by their actual names too. You can ask ‘Show me ‘their mother’s name’’ and they point to their mother.

Expression

Children can use Avaz or a common visual strip to point as answer to the questions.

By roles: You can show a picture and ask ‘Who is this?’ The child can respond by saying,or through Avaz or point in the scrap book.

By name: You can ask ‘What is your mother’s name?’ They can say, use Avaz or point in their scrap book

Talk about family structure

You can begin with the child’s name. Write it on the board or paper. Who is your father? Draw a line from the child’s name and write father and name. Who is your mother? Do the same as above. Then ask just like your have a father and mother, your father also has father and mother. Who is your mother’s father? If the children are familiar, write by what name they call them Who is your mother’s mother? Do the same as above.

If the children are familiar with aunts and uncles, then introduce them as mother’s family tree and father’s family tree. Do not do everything in one day. Go one step at a time.

Then continue with the father’s parents.

Grandmother and grand father, their children and their children. Arrange it like a flow chart on the board. Then move on to worksheet to make their own family tree.

Family Tree Worksheets

Use the following worksheets to reinforce the concepts covered in this activity.

Download Family Tree Worksheet

Activity 3

Things that a family does together and for each other.

How to conduct the activity

• Collect pictures of what the child’s family does together.
• Paste them in the scrap book and label them.
• A help box can be provided describing each activity. The words can also be added in Avaz.
• Suggestions for pictures to collect: Playing games, small fights, arguments, eat together, sleep in the same house, hug, take care of the sick, cooks for others, travel together etc.

• Discussion points: Talk about all the fun things a family does together, ask the children what their favourite activity is and who they like to do it with.

• List the family members, what each of them do in general

• Collect pictures of what each of the family members do in general.
• For example - Father - Appa/Nanna/Acha/Daddy: Goes to office / Teaches in school/ Works on laptop etc / takes us oout / buys things; Mother - Amma/ Mommy/ Mamma - Goes to office /cooks for us/ takes us out/ feeds me / plays with me; Brother /sister - Akka/ Anna / Thangi/Thambi - Goes to school/ Plays with me/ fights with me / studies with me /does (chores - any specific thing the child does); Me - Go to school / does (chores - any specific thing the child does) / plays some game / goes to (a specific class)

Discussion - What does Appa do? - Go through the various pictures and label them. These can be put in Avaz so that children can answer. - The same list can be printed as word strips or made into word strips so that they can choose the correct one and paste below each picture. - Paste these in a scrap book. Describe each of these pictures with words. - The children can write the description below the pictures or paste word strips.

Worksheets

Use the scrap book as visual support to do the worksheets. An example worksheet is provided as guidance.

Download Family what they do Worksheet

Discussion points for worksheets

• Ask leading questions for each of the items in the worksheet. Provide visual support - scrap book and Avaz so that children can respond.
• Use the basic family chart worksheet as support for the matching worksheet
• Use the matching worksheet as support for the missing items worksheet.