Describing People: Let's Chat

Objective & content

By the end, A1 students can describe themselves, friends and family aloud using have got, be and simple adjectives. This speaking deck gives 24 "Describing people" chat prompts spanning appearance, clothes, personality and feelings, each with a sentence-frame scaffold. It plays on screen (draw and shuffle) or prints as a single A4 sheet of cut-out cards.

Pedagogical guide

Use this deck once have got and basic adjectives are introduced — describing people combines both naturally and gives students an authentic reason to talk about someone other than themselves. Each frame supplies the structure ("My hair is ___.", "Yes, my friend is funny."), so students focus on retrieving the right adjective or colour word. No question-forming is expected at A1.

Suggested procedure

1. (2 min) Form groups of 3–4 and shuffle or display the deck.
2. (1 min) Model one card: read the question, complete the frame aloud.
3. (8–10 min) Students take turns drawing a card and answering aloud using the frame; the teacher circulates and prompts extra detail where possible.
4. (2 min) Whole-class share-out: ask 2–3 students to describe someone they talked about.

Adaptations

• [S] Accept one completed sentence per card; pre-teach a short adjective/colour word bank.
• [A] Add one more sentence beyond the frame, describing a second feature or person.

Materials & prerequisites

Plays on screen (draw/shuffle) or prints as a single A4 sheet of cut-out cards. Assumes have got, be, and basic vocabulary for appearance, clothes and feelings.

Curriculum alignment

Maps to Cycle 3 "child and close environment" (FR 6e) — describing oneself and people close to the child.

Assessment & extensions

Listen for correct have got / be forms as an informal speaking check. Extend with a "describe your best friend" drawing-and-caption task, or move to the A2 Describing People deck once comparatives are secure.