Unit 2: What’s New?

Proficiency:
● Describing family and home
● Describing your neighborhood
● Giving directions
Grammar:
● Possessive adjectives
● Be verb review

Page 14

READING: Family tree

A.
● Preview family vocabulary (sister, grandfather, uncle, etc.) using the family tree.
● Have students complete the exercise. Note that if the name of the family member is not
given, the students should only write the family vocabulary under the photographs. (i.e.,
grandfather and grandmother).
Answer key

B.
● Read the directions as a class.
● Review the given answers. Note that if the information is not given, students
should write, “Doesn’t say.”
● Have students do the exercise individually.
● Have students check their answers with a partner.
● Check the answers as a class.

Answer key

Person Occupation Personality

Grandfather Doctor Serious, kind

Grandmother Doesn’t say Talkative, funny

Father Scientist Doesn’t say

Mother Bank manager Smart and hardworking

 Uncle Robert Engineer Doesn’t say

Uncle Steven Cook Doesn’t say

Aunt Beverly Housewife Doesn’t say

Cousin (Randy) Middle school student Not nice

Cousin (Clarissa) High school student Nice

Page 15

GRAMMAR: Possessive adjectives and nouns

Review the chart. Note that most writing style books require writers to add an
apostrophe and s to words ending in s.

Carlos → Carlos’s home

● Bus → the bus’s wheels

Another option is to use a preposition phrase to indicate possession:

● the home of Carlos

● the wheels of the bus
SPEAKING: How many people are in your family?

A.
● Review the chart with the class. Give your own answers in complete sentences
following the model. Use a variety of the model sentences for your answers.
● Continue to model the activity by calling on several students for their answers
and completing your example chart. Make sure the students answer in complete
sentences. This will make it clear how the students should respond when doing
the survey.
● To help students survey five students, either place them in groups of six or make
this a mingling activity which requires students to get up and find students to
survey.
B.
● Show the example sentences for the report.
● Further model this exercise by reporting on the information from your own
survey chart example (the information you collected for exercise A).
● If possible, show an example of how to report a tie:
○ Stefan and Maria have the most brothers. There are three brothers in
their families.
● Have the students give their reports to a partner or a group. Call on several
students to give their reports to the entire class.
Page 16

LISTENING: Family portrait

A.
● Have students look at and discuss the picture. Identify Professor Violet. Have
students guess what family members are in the picture.
● Note that the listening describes all seven members of Violet’s family, but that the
students should only note the information of five of them. The given answers in
each box indicate which member is being described.
● If needed, play the first character described (Alex) and complete the chart as a
class.
● Play the remaining audio and have the students complete the boxes.
● Optional: Play the audio again and list information for the other family members
(the youngest son, the mother, and the grandmother). This extension activity can
also be assigned as online homework (see online activities for Book 1 Unit 2).

Answer key Relation: Brother

Name: Anthony
Occupation: engineer
Age:27
Personality: funny, easygoing, and lazy

Relation: Mother Relation: Oldest son

Name: Ana Name: Alex
Occupation: Teacher Occupation: elementary school student
Age: 58 Age:7
Personality: kind, patient, and Personality: energetic and curious
disciplined
Relation: Husband Relation: Father
Name: James Name: Marcus
Occupation: Marketer Occupation: Accountant
Age:34 Age: 62
Personality: smart and confident Personality: serious, hardworking, and
organized

2-1 Transcript: Family portrait

This is my family picture. We took this picture about one year ago. Of course, that’s me
on the left. My oldest son is in front of me. His name is Alex. He is an elementary
school student. He’s 7 years old now. He’s a smart boy. He’s very curious about
everything. He asks me so many questions! He has a lot of energy also. He makes me
tired sometimes, but I love his personality.

That’s my husband, James, behind me. Isn’t he handsome? He works for a company.
He’s a marketer. He’s good at his job. He’s smart and confident. He just turned 34
years old last month. He’s holding my younger son, David. David is just 4 years old
now. He’s a little troublemaker, and he’s very silly. He always makes us laugh.

That’s my mother in the front. Can you believe she’s 58? She looks much younger to
me. She teaches middle school students. She’s very kind and patient, but she is very
disciplined as well. I think that makes her a great teacher, and I try to be just like her.

My father is sitting next to my mother. His name is Marcus. He is smiling for the
picture, but actually he’s a very serious person. He’s hardworking and quite organized.
He’s an accountant in a big company. His birthday is in about two weeks. He’ll be 62.
He loves his job. He wants to work until he is 80!

That’s my brother in the yellow shirt. His name is Anthony. He’s my younger brother.
He’s just 27. He’s the opposite of our father. He’s really funny. He makes jokes all the
time, and he’s very easygoing. He’s a server in a restaurant. He’s a little lazy
sometimes, but he is good at his job. He isn’t married yet.

And finally, that is my wonderful grandmother, Ana, on the right. She is the warmest
and most patient person you will ever meet. She’s 83 years old, but she is in great
shape. She didn’t have a job when she was younger. She was a housewife. She had
eight children. Isn’t that amazing? My grandfather passed away about 5 years ago. She
lives with my parents now.

VOCABULARY: Occupations
A.
● Have students look up words they do not know in a dictionary.
● Ask students to think of two occupations that are not on the list (for
example, mechanic, driver, housekeeper) and add them to the box.
Students may use their dictionaries.
● Discuss the occupations as a class. Call on students to share the
additional occupations they added.

Page 17

LISTENING: Occupation review

A.
● Review occupation vocabulary. Ask students what occupations they would like to
have in the future.
● Review what students already know about the characters.
● Have students do the listening activity.
2-3 Transcript:
Professor: Hi Ann. What do you want to be someday?
Ann: Well, as you know, I love to draw. I want to be an artist. Or maybe a fashion
designer.
Professor: You’d be great at those, Ann. You’re very creative. How about you, Sam?
Sam: I want to be a lawyer. The law is important.
Professor: That sounds like a good career for you. Tom? What kind of job do you
want in the future?
Tom: I think I can be a good teacher.
Professor: I think so, too. You are very patient and helpful. Ellen? What would you
like to be?
Ellen: I like to work with people. I’d like to be in sales or management in a company.
Maybe even a CEO.
Professor: Sure, why not? That sounds great. Rachel? What kind of career would you
like to have?
Rachel: I don’t know yet. I like to write, so maybe I’ll be a writer.
Professor: That’s certainly possible. And how about you, Carlos?
Carlos: What?
Professor: Pay attention, Carlos. We’re talking about careers. What kind of job
would you like to have in the future?
Carlos: Job? Well, I don’t know. That’s really far away. I don’t want to think about it
yet.
Professor: Come on. I’m sure you think about it sometimes.
Carlos: Well, what did Rachel say?
Professor: Rachel wants to be a writer.
Carlos: Cool. I’ll be a writer too.
Professor: Carlos. Are you ever serious?
SPEAKING: Introducing family members
A.
● Review the listening activity (family portrait) from page 16. Explain to the
students that they will introduce their own family members in a similar way.
● Show the examples. If possible, model the activity by discussing several of your
own family members.

B.
● Using your own examples (or the examples from the book), model how the
students should give their information in complete sentences.
● Encourage students to show pictures of their family members as they describe
them to make the activity more interesting.
Have the students change partners and do the activity again. If possible, have the
students repeat the activity with at least four partners.

Page 18

LISTENING: Family picture

A.
● Remind students of the character Sam. Review the chart so that students know
what information to listen for.
● Optional: Show the script and discuss the language:
○ Discuss the difference between ‘to be like someone’ and ‘to like someone’.
○ Discuss the meaning of the question ‘What do you do?’ and ‘What does he
do?”.
Script

Ann: Who is this?

Sam: That’s my younger brother. His name is Martin.
Ann: Tell me about him. Is he like you?
Sam: Well, he’s a student in high school. He’s 16 years old. As you can see, he’s short,
but he’s handsome. He has a girlfriend already. He’s smart and really funny.
Ann: Yeah, he looks like an interesting person. Who is he next to?
Sam: That’s Michael. He’s our cousin. He’s the same age as me, 19. He’s a university
student.
Ann: He’s pretty tall.
Sam: Yeah, he is. He’s really good at sports. He’s a bit shy but very kind.
Ann: And the other tall person who’s a bit older, is that your father?
Sam: No, he’s my Uncle Paul. He’s Michael’s father. He’s my dad’s older brother. He
just had his 55th birthday.
Ann: What does he do?
Sam: He’s an accountant. He’s kind of a serious guy. He’s really smart.
Ann: And who is she?
Sam: That’s Michael’s younger sister. Her name is Judith.
Ann: She’s really pretty.
Sam: Do you think so? I guess she is. She’s really silly. She always makes me laugh.
Ann: You have an interesting family.
Sam: Thanks. I think so too.

VOCABULARY: Home
A.
● See which words students already know by having them try the activity alone.
● Check the answers as a class.
Answer key:

D bedroom G kitchen A bathroom B yard

H upstairs E downstairs I living room F stairway

J driveway C garden

Page 19

SPEAKING: Describing your home

A.
● Remind students to use all the home vocabulary on page 19.
● Optional: Have students draw a floor plan of their home or apartment and use
this when describing their home.

VOCABULARY: Household items

A.
● Have students identify the household items in pairs.
● Check the answers as a class.
● Optional: Have students discuss what items they have in their own homes in each
room.

GRAMMAR: Prepositions
A.
● Review the pictures.
● Optional: Continue to quiz students with pictures on the unit slideshow (see
B1U2 Presentation file).
Page 20
Listening: Room description
A.
● If needed, review the vocabulary used in this exercise.
● Stress that the students need to draw the items in the correct places. This
requires understanding the prepositions.
● Option: Make photocopies of the picture so that students can draw the items
more easily.
● Option: Show the script to review the answers.

2-5 Script
In my room, there is a bed, of course. On the bed is a pillow and a blue blanket. Above
the bed I have a clock and two posters. The clock is above the posters. Next to my bed
is my desk. My computer is on the desk. My computer is between a lamp and my water
bottle. I keep a garbage can under the desk. Of course, there’s a chair in front of the
desk.

Above my desk is a bookshelf. On the lower shelf I have some books and I also put my
printer up there. On the highest shelf, I have two small pictures. They are pictures of
my family. Next to my desk is a large bookshelf. I have a lot of books there. Every shelf
is full of books. And yes, I’ve read all of them. Some of them even twice.

Answer key:
Students need to add:
a pillow on the bed, a clock above the bed and posters, another poster above the bed, a
water bottle on the desk on the left of the computer, a garbage can under the desk, a
chair in front of the desk, and two family pictures on the upper shelf above the
computer.
SPEAKING: Information transfer

A.
● Preview the assignment by showing the picture of Sam’s bedroom on page 20 and
asking questions about it.
○ Is there a picture? Where is it?
○ Is there a lamp? Where is it?
○ What’s on the shelf above the desk?
○ Etc.
● Have students get into pairs and determine who is partner A and B.
● Seat the students so that they cannot easily see their partner’s book. Have them
turn to the designated pages.
● On the Unit 2 Presentation file, show page 21 so that students can see how to ask
questions.
● Have the students find the five missing items in each of their pictures.
● Once finished, students can check with their partners to see if they found all the
missing items. Alternatively, show the pictures on the Presentation file.

Answer key:

Picture A is missing: the desk chair, the red book, the cellphone (or remote) on the
nightstand, the backpack on the bed, and the shirt on the seat of the chair,

Picture B is missing: the two shoes, the jacket on the back of the chair, the pillow on
the bed, the lamp on the nightstand, and two posters.
Page 21
WRITING: Describe your bedroom

A.
● Model the activity with either a description of your own bedroom or of Sam’s
bedroom.
● Encourage students to begin with an identification of the room ( ‘In my
bedroom,...’ ) and write at least five sentences.

LISTENING: Places in town

A.
● Review the vocabulary
● Play the audio once. Have students circle the places that are mentioned
● Optional: Play the audio once more. Have students note the number of places
mentioned in the listening.
● Optional: Show the transcript and review the vocabulary

Answer key
[Circled] Library, bus stop, north, west, park, grocery store, restaurant, university

Optional: Number of places:

● Library: 1
● Bus stops: 0
● Park: 1
● Grocery stores: 2
● Restaurants: 2
● University (& campus) 1

Not mentioned: Apartments, fire station, pool, shops.

Transcript

Welcome to the Neighborhood

Ellen: Hello? Excuse me, but do you live around here?

Tom: I do.
Ellen: I am new to the neighborhood. My name is Ellen.
Tom: It’s nice to meet you, Ellen. I’m Tom.
Ellen: Nice to meet you! Tom, can I ask you a question? Is there a bus stop on this
street?
Tom: No, there aren’t any bus stops here. But there is one on the north side of the
park.
Ellen: Oh, good! I don’t have a car, and this neighborhood is pretty far from the
university.
Tom: Right. I’m a student at the university as well. There’s a library on the next street
over. It’s a good place to study.
Ellen: Thanks! Is there a grocery store nearby?
Tom: Yes, there are two, one to the north and one to the west.
Ellen: And how many restaurants are around here? I want to find a part-time job.
Tom: There are two restaurants in the neighborhood.
Ellen: Thank you for your help!
Tom: No problem. Maybe I’ll see you on campus sometime.
Ellen: That would be great!

SPEAKING: What’s in your neighborhood?

A.
● Review the examples.
● Note that the singular options include an article (a). There is a pool.
B.
● Have students write their sentences and check with a partner.
● Elicit some answers from several students in the class.

Page 22

LISTENING: Neighborhood tour

A.
● Review the vocabulary and directions (North, South, etc.)
● Have students look at the drawing and identify the locations (bus stop, fire
station, etc.).
● Play the audio twice if necessary
● Option: Give the students directions from Ann’s house to various locations.
○ Example:
● From Ann’s house, go east on First Street. Go past the park and the
library. On your left is the bank. What is on your right? [Answer:
Bookstore]
Answer key N

Grocery Pool
store
Restaurant Restaurant

W Bank

E
House Park Library

Apartment
Ann’s Building
Apartment Fire Book Store
Building station

Transcript

Neighborhood Tour Listening

Ellen: I like to walk through my neighborhood for a quick break when I’m
studying. From my apartment building, I walk north. I pass a house and
walk to the grocery store on the corner of Second Street and Apple Street.
Sometimes I stop and buy a snack. Then I turn east and pass the park and
a restaurant. East of the restaurant is a neighborhood pool. After I pass
the pool, I turn south on Cherry Street. I pass the library and the bank
very slowly. They are very old buildings, and I like to look at them. Then
I turn west on First Street and head home, passing the fire station. The
last building I pass is another apartment building next to mine. When I
get back home, I’m relaxed and ready to study again!

SPEAKING: Information transfer

A.
● Model the activity by describing the map on page 22 (use the Unit 2 Slideshow).
Use the model language to describe the building locations.
○ Next to the __________
○ Across the street from the ___________
○ Go north on _____ street
○ Pass the ____
○ Etc.

● Get students with a partner. Have students decide who is partner A and partner
B.
● Arrange the seating so that the students can not easily see their partner’s book.
● Have the students turn to their designated pages.
● Note that both students have the restaurant (Lily’s Pizza) and purple house with
the bus stop.

Answer key:
Map A:
Mary’s Book Shop Bank

Park Library

House
Map B:

Apartment Fire Station

Building

City Pool

Store House

Page 23

LISTENING: Where is everybody?

A.
● If needed, review vocabulary from the transcript (see below).
● Note that the answers in the second column should be in this format: At _____
in ______. (e.g., at home in his bedroom).
● Play the audio. Check the answers as a class.
● Optional: Show the transcript.

Transcript
• Ann is at home. She’s in her bedroom. She is alone.
• Pete is at his home also. He’s not in the house, though. He’s in the yard with his
dog.
• Ellen is at her home too. She’s inside the house. She’s in the living room with
her sister.
• Tom isn’t at home. Tom is at work. He’s at a restaurant. He’s a waiter. He’s with
a customer.
• Carlos isn’t at work. Carlos is at school. He’s in the library. He is with Rachel.
• Diana is also at school. She’s also in the library. But she isn’t with Carlos and
Rachel. She is alone. She doesn’t seem happy. I wonder why?
Answer key Where? With who?

Ann At home in her bedroom alone

Pete At home in his yard His dog

Ellen At home in the living room Her sister

Tom At work at (in) a restaurant A customer

Carlos At school in the library Rachel

Diana At school in the library Alone

WRITING: Where is everyone right now?

A.
● Model the activity by giving answers about your own friends and
family members.
● Review the vocabulary: certainly, probably, and maybe.
● Discuss the example.
● After the students write their sentences, have them share their
answers with a partner or small group.
● Call on several students to read their answers. Make sure the
grammar is correct.
Page 24

READING: The Changing Family

A.
● Have the students look at each chart. Discuss what each bar or portion
represents. What are the biggest changes from 1976 to 2015 (Chart 1)? What are
the biggest changes from 1960 to 2016 (Chart 2)?
○ Note: The final bar graph should read ‘four or more children’.
● Have the students complete the three questions at the beginning of the reading.
Is the number declining for each answer? If so, ask students why that might be.
● Have students do the reading with two purposes:
○ Fill in the missing blanks with information (numbers) from the charts, and
○ Find the reasons for these changes.

Answer key
If you are like most people in many parts of the world, the answers to those questions
is getting smaller with each generation. In the 1970s, most American families had
four or more (4+) children. About 24% of families had 3 children and about 23% of
families had 2 children. Only 10% of families had only one child. These days, most
American families have 2 children, and families with only one child have doubled to
22%. In the 70s, about 40% of all families had four or more children, but now only
14% do. Family sizes are shrinking. Is this trend happening in your home country as
well?
…
Another big change in families is with the parents. Traditionally, most children lived
with both parents. Many families also lived with their grandparents in the same house.
In the 1960s, most children lived with both of their parents. Only 8% of children lived
with just one parent. In 2016, 60% of children live with both parents. About 26% of
children live with a single parent (mother or father). That means either the
mother or father does not live at home. 14% of children do not live with their parents
at all. Most of these children live with grandparents or other family members.
Page 25

Answer key
Top 3 reasons for smaller A. People do not have enough money for more
families children.
[any order af answers is OK] B. People do not think the world is (or will be) a good
1. __A__ place for children.
2. __C__ C. Parents want more time for themselves.
3. __D__ D. With fewer children, you can spend more time
with each child.
Not mentioned in the reading: E. People are worried about overpopulation (too
___B__ and __E___ many people in the world)

SPEAKING: Your future family

A.
● Review the questions.
● To increase the amount of speaking, have students take 1-2 minutes to consider
their answers.
● Encourage them to take simple notes.
● After students share their answers with partners, solicit several answers from
students.
Page 26

WRITING & SPEAKING: 5-minute conversations

A.
● Model the Wh-Questions strategy to come up with more information to share
with a partner. Select a student in the class and ask about one of the questions in
the exercise. Go through the Wh- and How questions to get more information.
● Review the example in the book as a class to further show how students can come
up with longer answers.
● Give plenty of time to write answers. As much as possible, give corrections and
feedback to the students’ sentences.

Page 27

● After the students write their answers, do the following:

○ Arrange the chairs in two circles--an inside circle and an outside circle.
The chairs should be facing each other. There should be the same number
of chairs in each circle.
○ Students in the inner circle talk to the student they are facing in the outer
circle.
○ Students share their sentences for 3-minutes (about 1.5 minutes for each
student so share her answers).
○ After 3-minutes, students in the outer circle move one chair to the right.
○ Repeat the process until each student has talked to at least 5 different
students (more if time allows).
● For the first two conversations, it is OK for the students to refer to their writing.
● For the final three (or more) conversations, the students should put their writing
away and speak from memory. Tell them it is OK if they do not say the exact
words that they wrote. However, they should still try to use the correct grammar.