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German Family — Die Familie

Third graders learn family words in German — Vater, Mutter, Bruder, Schwester, Opa, Oma — and sort them into male and female family members, so they can talk about their Familie.

Grade 3Die Familie40 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.
  • ✓Tell male from female.
  • ✓Sort the words.
  • ✓Talk about family.
Essential Question

Everyone has a Familie (family)! What are the words for family members in German?

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

Männlich oder Weiblich?

Project this and sort each family member into männlich (male) or weiblich (female).

👪 Sort each — male or female family member?Try it
👨 Männlich (male)
👩 Weiblich (female)
Tap a word, then tap a box.
The Lesson · Communicative Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

40 minutes, five moves

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

1

Warm-Up — Deine Familie

4 min

Everyone has a family — what are the words for family in German?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Ask about their family.
  • Ask how to say it.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Share.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Die Familie

10 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present family words.
  • Say them aloud.
  • Note der and die.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Repeat.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Sort Them

11 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Männlich oder Weiblich?
  • Sort each one.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort.
  • Say.
  • Explain.
4

Speak — Speak

10 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a family member.
  • Say “Mein Vater…”
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Say it.
  • Ask.
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 1.2

Interpretive: understand family words.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Explore family across cultures.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare family words.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: describe family.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Family picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “Das ist mein ___.”
  • Use a family tree.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with Vater and Mutter.
  • Sort one at a time.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add Tante and Onkel.
  • Draw a family tree.
  • Describe your family.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 👪Family cards
  • 💻Männlich oder Weiblich?
  • 🗣️Audio
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

die Familiethe familyder Vaterfatherdie Muttermotherder Bruderbrotherdie Schwestersisterder Opagrandpadie Omagrandmadie Kinderchildren
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
What does “der Vater” mean?
Father.
QUESTION 2
What does “die Schwester” mean?
Sister.
QUESTION 3
Is “die Mutter” a male or female family member?
Female.

Reflect: meine Familie.

Have students name two family members in German (like Vater and Mutter). A printable family 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.

🃏 German Family (Die Familie)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.

📝 German Family (Die Familie)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.

🖨️ German Family (Die Familie)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: der Bruder, der Opa, der Vater, die Familie, die Kinder, die Mutter, die Oma, die Schwester
  1. sister
  2. grandpa
  3. the family
  4. mother
  5. grandma
  6. father
  7. brother
  8. children

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does “der Vater” mean?
  2. What does “die Schwester” mean?
  3. Is “die Mutter” a male or female family member?
Answer key — Part A: 1) die Schwester · 2) der Opa · 3) die Familie · 4) die Mutter · 5) die Oma · 6) der Vater · 7) der Bruder · 8) die Kinder
Part B: 1) Father. 2) Sister. 3) Female.