International Day of Families

The International Day of Families is observed on the 15th of May every year. The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 with resolution A/RES/47/237 and reflects the importance the international community attaches to families. The International Day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families.

In its resolution, the General Assembly also noted that the family-related provisions of the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits of the 1990s and their follow-up processes continue to provide policy guidance on ways to strengthen family-centred components of policies and programmes as part of an integrated comprehensive approach to development.

The International Day of Families has inspired a series of awareness-raising events, including national family days. In many countries, that day provides an opportunity to highlight different areas of interest and importance to families. Activities include workshops and conferences, radio and television programmes, newspaper articles and cultural programmes highlighting relevant themes.

( From: http://www.un.org/en/events/familyday/)

Practice

1. Listen to the song

“We are family!” (Sister Sledge)

We are family

I got all my sisters with me

We are family

Get up ev'rybody and sing

Ev'ryone can see we're together

As we walk on by

(FLY!) and we fly just like birds of a feather

I won't tell no lie

(ALL!) all of the people around us they say

Can they be that close

Just let me state for the record

We're giving love in a family dose

(CHORUS x2)

Living life is fun and we've just begun

To get our share of the world's delights

(HIGH!) high hopes we have for the future

And our goal's in sight

(WE!) no we don't get depressed

Here's what we call our golden rule

Have faith in you and the things you do

You won't go wrong

This is our family Jewel

(REPEAT CHORUS TO FADE)

1. Discuss how important family is for a person/society.
2. Give examples of important family traditions and why they are part of a family.

Communicating in English. Expressing opinions.

Personal Point of View	General Point of View	Agreeing with an opinion	Disagreeing with an opinion
In my experience… As far as I'm concerned… Speaking for myself… In my opinion… Personally, I think… I'd say that… I'd suggest that… I'd like to point out that… I believe that… What I mean is…	It is thought that... Some people say that... It is considered... It is generally accepted that...	Of course. You're absolutely right. Yes, I agree. I think so too. That's a good point. Exactly. I don't think so either. So do I. I'd go along with that. That's true. Neither do I. I agree with you entirely. That's just what I was thinking. I couldn't agree more.	That's different. I don't agree with you. However… That's not entirely true. On the contrary… I'm sorry to disagree with you, but… Yes, but don't you think… That's not the same thing at all. I'm afraid I have to disagree. I'm not so sure about that. I must take issue with you on that. It's unjustifiable to say that...

Role-play (optional)

A TV channel organizes a talk-show to discuss the problems of the modern family. The participants of the talk show are:

· a TV host (leads the discussion, prepare questions, helps the others to follow the script and the plan of the discussion);

· a famous politician who thinks that the government should pay more attention and give more support to families;

· a pop-star who considers families to be the thing of the past and believes that in future all people will lead free lives without any family ties;

· a big family (parents, their three children, a grandmother, a great-grandfather, father’ sister, who is divorced ) who live together;

· a single mother with her teenager son;

· a homosexual family who want to adopt a child;

· a lawyer who suggests to simplify the divorce process;

· a family consultant (a psychologist);

· a priest who proclaims traditional Christian family values;

· guests at the TV studio.

Project work.

1. Read the text about the family tree.

Your family tree

Your closest relatives are your parents: your mother and father; and your siblings (brothers orsisters). If your mother or father is not an only child, you also have aunts and / or uncles. An aunt is the sister of your mother or father, while an uncle is the brother of your mother or father. Your female child is called your daughter, and your male child is your son.

If your aunts or uncles have children, they are yourfirst cousins. (In English, the word cousin is used, whether the cousin is female or male.) Your female cousin is your mother (or father's) niece, while a male cousin is the nephew of your mother and father.

In-laws

When you marry, your husband (or wife's) family become your in-laws. The mother of your spouse (husband or wife) is your mother-in-law and his or her father becomes your father-in-law. The term in-law is also used to describe your relationship with the spouses of your siblings. So the husband of your sister becomes your brother-in-law, while the sister of your husband becomes your sister-in-law. If you are a woman, you become the daughter-in-lawof your husband's parents, and if you are a man, you become the son-in-law of your wife's parents. The same term in-law is used for all generations. The husband of your aunt is still your mother's brother-in-law, for example.