Possessive Determiners

[Carolyn]

I am looking for an activity to help my class of low beginner Chinese seniors to understand and practice using my, your, his/her, our, your, their. They know how to say, "My name is ... ." and "My telephone number is ... ." and I thought I would try to get them to tell the class what another person's name is ie "Her name is ... .". I can work through all that, but one of you, out there in esl world, may have an activity that is particulary useful.

Thank you, C

[Lorikeet]

You can do it with clothes and colors too. My shirt is white. Her blouse is green. His shoes are black. etc.

[lise]

Depending on your students, it might be useful to use pictures. If you can get hold of "Models of Teaching" (7th ed) by Joyce, Weil and Calhoun it explains the teaching model and a few others in detail.

Basically you ask students to analyse a picture (of a busy marketplace etc) and "take it in turns identifying items & actions". Draw lines from the item in the image to blank space around it and print it.

This allows students to think about the use of words, use vocabulary and see it printed. You can vary the activity using word cards which they match to the picture or using several word families and getting them to identify them. Gradually build up to paragraphs which describe the image as a whole.

Try to use a picture that is of interest to them, maybe of somewhere in China.

Hope this helps!

[mesmark]

I have some bag cards that I use with adults. I deal out one set of bags face up to the group. Then I take a bag from the second set and ask everyone 'Whose bag is this?' I elicit answers from the whole group (it's small.) We go through all the bags.

Then:

• - everyone turns over their bags so we can't see them any more.
  - the second set is shuffled and placed in the middle
  - I take a card and ask the person to my left 'whose bag is this?'
  - they must remember and try to answer.
  - if they are right they get the card
  - if they are wrong I get the card.

Play then continues to the left.

This has worked well because the point of reference changes with each play. You can even place cards in between people to make it ours, yours or theirs.

I hope that gives you something to work with

- Mark
www.mes-english.com

[Brian]

A simple activity is to get a colourful cloth bag or box and make a pantomime of tiptoeing around the class 'stealing' items as you go: students' pens, pencils, erasers, notebooks etc.

Then you can go to the front of the class and take the items out one at a time.

Ask "Whose (pencil sharpener) is this?"

Students answer "It's (his/her) pencil sharpener."

You can include some items of your own so that sudents can also say "It's your (wallet)."

Return each item as the owner is identified.

Brian

[rusmeister]

I do something like Brian, except I 'steal' items and then pretend they're mine or somebody else's. (I say this is MY bag, or whatever) The kids get really engaged in claiming their property!

[littleflower]

IN my class I get my students to talk about realias in class room and relate things to themselves. When students talk about themselves and things existed in class, they become more confident to use the language