My Extraordinary Family! – Speaking & Describing Activity

1. Print enough copies of page 1 for each student.
2. Print and cut out one or 2 sets (depending on how many students you have) of celebrity cards on pages 2 and 3.
3. Put them in the middle of the table face down.

Students work individually, in pairs, or in teams. Ask each group to draw 20 cards, 10 of which they will place on their empty family tree in the free spaces (page 1). Give your students total freedom in the construction of their family (even if the connections are hardly possible).

Next, ask them to prepare a description of 3 members of their extraordinary family (part 2 of page 1) and respond to the other questions on the page.

Finally, have your students present their families to the rest of the class. You could limit this to a written exercise but its so much less fun. Once all the families have been presented, you could have your class vote for the most incredible family. If you want to go even further, or you are teaching kids… why not have your students make a colorful display of their family tree with pictures and drawings to illustrate their remarkable family and then present it in the next class or on the walls?

Variant: on page 4 you will find a table of empty squares which you can print, cut out and let your students decide who will be the celebrities used in this activity. Pass out 20 empty boxes for each team, let them choose their celebrities, and then collect them, mix them and put them on the table face down and play like in the original version. This version allows your students to focus more on their own cultural references and may create better exchanges and descriptions than the original version.