You will learn
- Say what a family is.
- Name family members.
- Say that families can be big or small.
- Draw my family.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- A family is people who care for each other.
- Families have members.
- Families can be big or small.
- A home is where a family lives.
Words to know
people who care for each other
one person in a group
the place where you live
to look after someone
1. Discover: The family photo
Aminata holds up a photo of the people she lives with. There is her grandmother, her mother, her big brother and her baby cousin. “This is my family,” she says. Carlos holds up a photo too. It has only his father and his sister. “This is my family,” he says.
Think: Who is in your family?
2. Understand: Family
Idea 1: Family
A family is a group of people who love and care for each other. They share a home or stay close together.
Idea 2: Members
Each person in the family is a member. Members may be parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins or other carers.
Idea 3: Big and small
Some families are big and some are small. A home may be a house, a flat, a room or a compound. What matters is that people care for each other.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Name a member
Name one family member.
- Think.
- Say who.
- Say a kind thing.
Answer: My grandmother cooks for me.
Example 2 (We do it together): Count my family
Count the people in your family.
- Draw each person.
- Count.
- Say the number.
Answer: There are five people.
Example 3 (You try): Say where we live
Tell about your home.
Show the steps and answer
- Think.
- Say what it looks like.
- Say who lives there.
Answer: We live in a house with a green door.
Did you know?
In some places, many generations live together in one home, and in others families live in different towns and visit each other.
Why this matters
Families help us learn, stay safe and feel loved.
4. Explore: My family picture
Draw all the people in your family. Write their names or the word for who they are.
- Draw yourself.
- Draw each member.
- Write names.
- Show a friend.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? My friend’s family looked different, and both were families.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- My family is ___.
- There are ___ people in my family.
- I live with ___.
- My family cares for me by ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. Name one person in your family.
Any member.
Question 2. How many people live in your home?
Own number.
Question 3. What is a home?
Where you live.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- Name one person in your family.
- How many people live in your home?
- What is a home?
- What does care mean?
- Name one way your family cares for you.
Level 2: Grow
- Are all families the same size?
- Why do families care for each other?
- What can a home be?
Level 3: Stretch
- Draw your family.
- Tell a friend about your family.
- Listen and say one thing about their family.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Social Studies in everyday life
A friend has a very big family. You have a small family. What can you say?
Show a sample answer
Both are families.
Another one. Tell a family member thank you for something they do.
Show a sample answer
Thank you for …
7. Common mistakes
Fix: Families can be made in many ways.
Fix: Homes are different.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can say what a family is.
- I can name family members.
- I can say that families can be big or small.
- I can draw my family.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- A family is people who care for each other.
- Families have members.
- Families can be big or small.
- A home is where a family lives.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Different family structures. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- Name two members of a family. [2 marks]
- Say what a family is. [3 marks]
- Say how families can be different. [3 marks]
- How does your family care for you? [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- One each
- People [1]; care [1]; clear sentence [1]
- Size [1]; members [1]; home [1]
- Way [1]; sentence [1]
Score guide: 9 to 10 = secure. 6 to 8 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- Name one person in your family.
- How many people live in your home?
- What is a home?
- What does care mean?
- Name one way your family cares for you.
- Are all families the same size?
- Why do families care for each other?
- What can a home be?
- Draw your family.
- Tell a friend about your family.
Homework
Draw your family at home and tell them what you drew.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Name one person in your family. | Any member. | 1 |
| 2. How many people live in your home? | Own number. | 1 |
| 3. What is a home? | Where you live. | 1 |
| 4. What does care mean? | Look after someone. | 1 |
| 5. Name one way your family cares for you. | Any way. | 1 |
| 6. Are all families the same size? | No. | 1 |
| 7. Why do families care for each other? | To keep each other safe. | 1 |
| 8. What can a home be? | House, flat or room. | 1 |
| 9. Draw your family. | Picture. | 1 |
| 10. Tell a friend about your family. | Sentence. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Any member.; 2 Own number.; 3 Where you live.; 4 Look after someone.; 5 Any way.. Level 2: 1 No.; 2 To keep each other safe.; 3 House, flat or room.. Level 3: 1 Picture.; 2 Sentence.; 3 One sentence..
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Say what a family is | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Name family members | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Say that families can be big or small | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Draw my family | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: “A family must have a mother and a father.” Families can be made in many ways.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Use dolls or drawings. Show one family, name each member and say how they care.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child learns what a family is. Every family is different. Please use words that suit your family. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Look at family photos together.
- Tell your child how you care for them.
- Praise all kinds of families.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: say what a family is; name family members; say that families can be big or small; draw my family.
Prerequisite knowledge. Grade 1 ideas: I am special, I have a name and I can describe myself.
Materials. Paper, crayons. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Draw a sample family picture, not of any child.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Hold up pictures of different families and ask, “What do they have in common?”
Explanation (10 min). Teach family and care.
Guided activity (10 min). Learners draw.
Independent activity (10 min). Learners share kindly.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. Who is in a family? How do families care?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with a picture, story, map or local example. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always ask “how do you know?” and invite more than one view. Treat every family, culture and community with respect, and never ask learners to share private information.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use pictures, maps, real objects and short sentences, and let learners work with a partner. Let learners point, show, act or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example from their own community and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “A family must have a mother and a father.” Families can be made in many ways.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 10-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Use dolls or drawings. Show one family, name each member and say how they care. Enrichment. Find one new example near your home or school, draw or write about it and explain it to someone. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: NCSS standards and C3 Framework, Cambridge Primary Humanities and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Research used to shape this lesson. Courseversity Social Studies curriculum, Grade 1 Unit 2, topic 1; NCSS C3 Framework, individuals and groups; Cambridge Primary Humanities, people; IB Primary Years Programme, who we are. These sources informed the lesson.