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Spanish Family — La Familia

Third graders learn the Spanish words for family members — madre, padre, hermano, hermana — so they can talk about the people they love most in a new language.

Grade 3La Familia35 minutes1 class periodACTFL / CommunicativeExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Name family members in Spanish.
  • ✓Match words to people.
  • ✓Describe your familia.
  • ✓Use family words to speak.
Essential Question

Family is important all around the world! Now you can name your family members in Spanish. What are the Spanish words for mother, father, brother, and sister?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match the Family Word

Project this and match each Spanish family word to its English meaning — tap the Spanish, then tap the English.

👨‍👩‍👧 Match each family word to its meaningTry it
Español
English
Now tap the English!
The Lesson · Communicative Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

35 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Mi Familia

5 min

Family matters everywhere — how do we name family members in Spanish?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Talk about families.
  • Ask how to say them.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Share family.
  • Guess it.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — La Familia

8 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present each family word.
  • Say them aloud.
  • Practice the sounds.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Repeat.
  • Practice.
3

Practice — Match the Words

9 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Family Word.
  • Match each one.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match them.
  • Say them.
  • Explain them.
4

Speak — Speak

8 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name your family in Spanish.
  • Say “es mi ___.”
  • Show a family drawing.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name them.
  • Say it.
  • Show it.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a family word.
  • Say what it means.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Explain it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Novice).

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: talk about family.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Recognize the importance of family in Spanish-speaking cultures.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.2

Compare family words across languages.

ACTFL
Communities 5.1

Use family words with others.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Family picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ means ___.”
  • Draw a family tree.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with madre and padre.
  • Match one pair at a time.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add more family words.
  • Describe your familia.
  • Make a family-tree in Spanish.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🗣️Family-word audio
  • 💻Match the Family Word
  • 🌳A family-tree page
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

familiafamilymadremotherpadrefatherhermanobrotherhermanasisterabuelagrandmotherabuelograndfatherbebébaby
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
How do you say “mother” in Spanish?
Madre.
QUESTION 2
What does “hermano” mean?
Brother.
QUESTION 3
What does “abuela” mean?
Grandmother.

Reflect: mi familia.

Have students draw their family and label each person with the Spanish word — madre, padre, hermano, hermana. A printable familia sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Spanish Family (La Familia)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Spanish Family (La Familia)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Spanish Family (La Familia)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: abuela, abuelo, bebé, familia, hermana, hermano, madre, padre
  1. sister
  2. baby
  3. grandmother
  4. father
  5. family
  6. mother
  7. brother
  8. grandfather

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How do you say “mother” in Spanish?
  2. What does “hermano” mean?
  3. What does “abuela” mean?
Answer key — Part A: 1) hermana · 2) bebé · 3) abuela · 4) padre · 5) familia · 6) madre · 7) hermano · 8) abuelo
Part B: 1) Madre. 2) Brother. 3) Grandmother.