You will learn
- Say what a role is.
- Name roles in a family.
- Say roles can be shared.
- Name my roles.
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
- Everyone in a family has roles.
- Roles can be shared.
- Roles can change.
- Children have roles too.
Words to know
a part you play in a group
to give what is needed
to use or do together
to keep safe
1. Discover: The morning in Kadiatu’s house
In Kadiatu’s house the morning is busy. Her father makes tea. Her mother ties the baby’s clothes. Her big brother sweeps. Kadiatu puts out the cups. “Everyone has a job in our house,” she says.
Think: What is your job in the morning?
2. Understand: Roles
Idea 1: What is a role?
A role is the part someone plays in a group. In a family, roles include providing food and money, cooking, cleaning, teaching, caring for little ones and protecting everyone.
Idea 2: Sharing roles
In many families, people share roles. A mother, a father, a grandparent or a child may cook, clean, teach or help.
Idea 3: Changing roles
Roles change as people grow. A baby has few roles. A child can help more. A grandparent may teach stories. Everyone matters.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Name a role
Name a family role.
- Think.
- Say it.
- Say who.
Answer: Cooking is a role.
Example 2 (We do it together): Share a role
Share a job.
- Name a job.
- Name two helpers.
- Plan.
Answer: We both set the table.
Example 3 (You try): Say my role
Say your own role.
Show the steps and answer
- Think.
- Say it.
- Say why.
Answer: I put out cups so breakfast is ready.
Did you know?
In many families around the world, children help by caring for animals, fetching water or looking after younger children.
Why this matters
When we share roles, no one has to do everything alone.
4. Explore: Role cards
Draw four role cards: cook, teach, clean, protect. Place them in the middle and name who does each in your home.
- Draw cards.
- Write the role.
- Match to a person.
- Share.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? More than one person did each role.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- In my family ___ cooks.
- In my family ___ helps me learn.
- My role is ___.
- We share ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. What is a role?
A part you play.
Question 2. Name a role in a family.
Cook, clean, teach.
Question 3. Who protects the family?
Adults and older members.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- What is a role?
- Name a role in a family.
- Who protects the family?
- Name your role.
- Can roles be shared?
Level 2: Grow
- Why share roles?
- Why do roles change?
- Why are children’s roles important?
Level 3: Stretch
- Make role cards.
- Tell a friend your role.
- Name a role you can learn.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Social Studies in everyday life
Your mother is tired. What role can you take?
Show a sample answer
Set the table.
Another one. Take one new role at home this week.
Show a sample answer
I did …
7. Common mistakes
Fix: Anyone can cook.
Fix: Children have roles.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can say what a role is.
- I can name roles in a family.
- I can say roles can be shared.
- I can name my roles.
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
- Everyone in a family has roles.
- Roles can be shared.
- Roles can change.
- Children have roles too.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Helping at home. 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 roles. [2 marks]
- Say your role and why it helps. [3 marks]
- Say how roles can be shared. [3 marks]
- Why do roles change? [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- One each
- Role [1]; help [1]; clear [1]
- Share [1]; example [1]; fair [1]
- People grow [1]; clear [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
- What is a role?
- Name a role in a family.
- Who protects the family?
- Name your role.
- Can roles be shared?
- Why share roles?
- Why do roles change?
- Why are children’s roles important?
- Make role cards.
- Tell a friend your role.
Homework
Ask a family member what their role is at home.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What is a role? | A part you play. | 1 |
| 2. Name a role in a family. | Cook, clean, teach. | 1 |
| 3. Who protects the family? | Adults and older members. | 1 |
| 4. Name your role. | Own. | 1 |
| 5. Can roles be shared? | Yes. | 1 |
| 6. Why share roles? | So no one is tired. | 1 |
| 7. Why do roles change? | People grow. | 1 |
| 8. Why are children’s roles important? | They help. | 1 |
| 9. Make role cards. | Cards. | 1 |
| 10. Tell a friend your role. | Sentence. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 A part you play.; 2 Cook, clean, teach.; 3 Adults and older members.; 4 Own.; 5 Yes.. Level 2: 1 So no one is tired.; 2 People grow.; 3 They help.. Level 3: 1 Cards.; 2 Sentence.; 3 Role..
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 role 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 roles in a 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 |
| O3 Say roles can be shared | 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 Name my roles | 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: “Only women cook.” Anyone can cook.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Use pictures of jobs. Ask your child to point to who does each in your home.
- 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 that family members share roles. Please give your child a small role. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Name your family roles together.
- Invite your child to try a new role.
- Thank them.
- 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 role is; name roles in a family; say roles can be shared; name my roles.
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 sample cards.
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). Tell the morning story and ask who does what.
Explanation (10 min). Teach roles.
Guided activity (10 min). Learners make cards.
Independent activity (10 min). Learners share.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. What is my role? How do we share?
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. “Only women cook.” Anyone can cook.
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 pictures of jobs. Ask your child to point to who does each in your home. 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 4; NCSS C3 Framework, individuals and groups; Cambridge Primary Humanities, people; IB Primary Years Programme, who we are. These sources informed the lesson.