Chapter 2: Familia

Discussion | Role Play | Lab | Simulation

Activity 1: Discussion

Extention of Encuentro Cultural p. 58. In groups of three or four, discuss the family dynamics and relationships in your family. Are you close? What do you do together? How do express anger or happiness? Does everybody get along well? Is there a black sheep of the family? How is this similar to or different than the idea of family presented on p. 58?

Expresiones �tiles
Tenemos una relaci�n �ntima.	We have a close relationship
(dif�cil/frustrante)	(a difficult relationship; a frustrating relationship..)
(No) Nos llevamos bien.	We (don�t) get along well.
Mi hermano grita mucho.	My brother yells a lot.
Cuando no tiene todo lo que quiere, llora.	When he/she doesn�t have everything she wants, she cries.
Yo soy la oveja negra de la familia.	I am the black sheep of the family.

Activity 2: Discussion

What is a �normal� family? What kinds of �alternative families� exist? Do you consider your family to be �normal� or �alternative,� and why? What are the advantages and disadvantages of different family systems?

Expresiones �tiles
Familia alternativa	Alternative family
Pareja (dom�stica)	(Domestic) Partner: gender-neutral term
La adopci�n	Adoption
Los ni�os adoptados	Adopted children
La comuna	Commune
La vida comunitaria	Community life

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Activity 3: Role Play

My family is better than your family! In pairs. You are a pair of dogs (or other mascotas) who live with different families. Each of you tries to convince the other that your family is the best, by describing how each family member treats you.

Activity 4: Role Play

My family is the worst! In pairs. You are best friends, 10 years old, and you each try to convince the other that your family is the worst, by describing your various family members and what they do that annoy you.

Activity 5: Role Play

In pairs. One students plays a reporter who is interviewing a university student about campus and student life in their town. The student tries to pretend that he/she lives a model life, but the reporter, who was also a student until last year, keeps asking more quesions until he/she finds out the real story.

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Activity 6: Lab

Go to Blue Mountain in Spanish. http://www1.monteazul.com/

Compose and send an electronic greeting card to three family members with e-mail (or to three friends, if no family members have e-mail.) Be sure to include a personal note in Spanish, and send a copy to your instructor as well.

Activity 7: Lab

At the official Web site of the royal family of Spain, http://www.casareal.es/casareal/inicio2.html, click on the section titled La Familia Real. Look at the photos and read descriptions of the royal family. Complete the following three activities:

1. Write down descriptions of three of the family members.
2. Write down three questions that you could ask a classmate in Spanish that could be answered from information on the web site.
3. Write down three differences between this family and the first family of the United States.

Activity 8: Lab

In the browser http://www.altavista.com/, do a search of sites in Spanish for the term �familia.� Surf the results to find personal web pages of families in Spain and Latin America. Choose one page/family to present to the class, describing the family and saying why you like about the site.

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Activity 9: Simulation

Busca a tu familia. Each student has lost his/her family and must find them. The object of this exercise is for students to practice asking other people their name, nationality, age, and profession. In addition, students must find out something about the other person�s family in order to find their own. Each piece of information on every person�s card gives a clue as to which family he or she belongs. Cut out the information for each person (removing the titles like yo, mi esposo, etc. and paste it to a 3x5 card. Mix up the cards and give each student one. Choose the families to use according to the number of students you have. If necessary the instructor can participate taking the role of one of the family members, or you can add a family member by taking a clue from two or three other family members and then make the new person(s) an extended family member (a cu�ado, sobrino, t�a, prima, etc.). Do not remove family members, because you will not be able to connect the family to one another without all the cards. If you need to add a card to family four you could make up something like the following�

• Pedro
• argentino
• 37 a�os
• mi cu�ado es piloto
• mi hermana tiene tres hijos
• mi sobrina juega al tenis

Key phrases:

• �C�mo te llamas? �C�mo se llama?
• �De d�nde eres?
• �Cu�ntos a�os tienes?
• �Cu�l es tu profesi�n?

FAMILIA 1
Yo -Silvia -Uruguaya -40 a�os -tengo un hijo que es artista -soy profesora de espa�ol	Mi esposo -Gregorio -Estadounidense -45 a�os -tengo cuatro hijos -una hija toca el piano -soy panadero	Mis hijos -Yolanda -uruguaya -20 a�os -tengo padre panadero -soy estudiante universitario
Marcos -estadounidense -15 a�os -tengo una hermana de 20 a�os -trabajo en McDonald�s; soy cocinero	Juan Carlos -estadounidense -11 a�os -tengo dos hermanas -mi madre es profesora de espa�ol -soy estudiante y artista	Carmen -norteamericana -13 a�os -mi madre es uruguaya -toco el piano

FAMILIA 2
Yo -Oscar -mexicano -65 a�os -mi esposa es m�dica -soy ingeniero	Mi esposo -Juanita -peruana -63 a�os -tengo 6 hijos -soy m�dica	Mis hijos -Jorge -mexicano -43 a�os -mi madre es peruana -soy abogado
Elena -uruguaya -41 a�os -mi esposo es abogado -soy profesora de biolog�a	Jos� -mexicano -40 a�os -mi hermano mayor es abogado -soy taxista	Rosa -estadounidense -35 a�os -mi padre tiene 65 a�os -soy enfermera
Mar�a -mexicana -37 a�os -mi hermana menor es enfermera -soy qu�mica	Beatriz -estadounidense -29 a�os -mi cu�ada es profesora de biolog�a -soy secretaria	Roberto -estadounidense -26 a�os -mi hermano es taxista -soy mec�nico

FAMILIA 3
Yo -Gabriela -argentina -32 a�os -mis padres viven conmigo y mi familia -soy ama de casa	Mi esposo -David -chileno -36 a�os -tengo 3 hijos -mi hija juega al tenis -soy piloto	Mis hijos -Adriana -chilena -12 a�os -tengo dos hermanos menores -juego al tenis
Ram�n -chileno -10 a�os -mi abuela es artista -soy estudiante de la primaria	Carlos -argentino -7 a�os -mi madre es ama de casa -soy estudiante -toco el piano	Mis padres -Francisco -argentino -60 a�os -mi yerno es piloto -soy hombre de negocios
Marta -peruana -55 a�os -estoy casada con un argentino -soy artista

FAMILIA 4
Pepe -44 a�os -mi esposa es peruana -mi hijo toca el piano -soy hombre de negocios	Josefina -43 a�os -peruana -mi hija juega al voleibol -soy ama de casa	Nieves -18 a�os -mi padre es hombre de negocios -yo juego al voleibol -trabajo en Ahorra M�s
-Pedro -16 a�os -mi madre es ama de casa -mi hermana tiene catorce a�os -me gustan los videojuegos	-�ngela -14 a�os -mi hermana trabaja en Ahorra M�s -mi pap� tiene 44 a�os -A mi hermano le gustan los videojuegos

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