The very first contact with English. Learners build the alphabet, sounds, numbers and a handful of survival phrases — enough to say who they are and exchange a few words.
Printable one-to-one lesson plan
Possessive adjectives (my, your, his…)
Use my, your, his, her, its, our, and their before a noun to show who owns or is connected to a person or thing.
Use after the complete A0 sequence, not as a lesson quiz.
Open diagnostic →10–15 min optional: Optional same-sound listening check · Optional pronoun-pair matching · Optional no-choice pronoun transformation · Five-minute next-day possessive retrieval
Derived from this lesson’s source
Lesson-specific teaching brief
This is not a second lesson registry. The plan reads the same native content that produces the learner page.
What the learner should do
Use my, your, his, her, its, our, and their before a noun to show who owns or is connected to a person or thing.
What must become clear
A possessive adjective never changes for one thing or many: my book / my books , her client / her clients . The person, group, or thing connected to the noun decides the word, not the noun after it.
High-value friction points
- His phone is new.Before a noun we use the possessive his, not the subject pronoun he.
- Our car is fast.Before a noun we use the possessive our, not the subject pronoun we.
- The app changed its name.Its shows the app’s connection to the name. It’s means it is.
Protect these lesson moments
- Discovery check: read who owns it, then choose
- Drill 1: match each pronoun to its possessive
- Drill 2: his or her? Look at the owner
- Drill 3: build the sentence
- Drill 4: build the sentence
Learner production
Your desk: Name four things at your desk with my . This is my phone. These are my notes. That is my coffee.
- Your team: Tell me about three coworkers. Use his , her , or their for their jobs, relationships, and things. Daniel is on a call with his client. Elena is in her office. Alex uses they and is with their manager.
- Your family: Describe two family members and what they own. My sister is a nurse. Her car is small. My parents have a dog. Their dog is friendly.
- Our place: Describe your workplace or home with our . This is our office. Our team is small. Our meeting room is upstairs.
- Whose is it? (info gap): Your teacher names a person and an object. Answer with the possessive: Daniel, keys. → These are his keys. Continue with new people and things.
Carry this language into the next session
tomorrow, return to the five-minute retrieval check before you reread the pronoun pairs.
Use while teaching
Operational teaching notes
Choose a route before class, but change it when the learner’s production gives you better evidence.
Ask before explaining
- Which examples in “Discovery check: read who owns it, then choose” express the same core meaning?
- How would you explain this decision in your own words: A possessive adjective never changes for one thing or many: my book / my books , her client / her clients . The person, group, or thing connected to the noun decides the word, not the noun after it.
- What needs to change in this repair, and why: His phone is new.
Correct for the stage
- Controlled work: correct immediately, then require the complete repaired sentence.
- Fluency building: note repeated errors and reformulate after the learner finishes the thought.
- Communication: interrupt only when meaning breaks down or the target decision is the lesson’s main evidence.
Retrieve, do not reteach
tomorrow, return to the five-minute retrieval check before you reread the pronoun pairs.
Short, core, or extended
Choose the route
All three routes end in learner production. More time means more contrast and transfer, not a longer explanation.
Short route
Retrieve for 3 minutes. Notice and discover for 8. Use the two most diagnostic tasks from Discovery check: read who owns it, then choose and Drill 1: match each pronoun to its possessive for 12. Protect 9 minutes for Learner production, then reflect for 3.
Core route
Follow the six-stage sequence below. Reduce repeated controlled items when accuracy is already stable, but keep the nearest useful contrast and final production.
Stretch route
Add Optional same-sound listening check · Optional pronoun-pair matching · Optional no-choice pronoun transformation · Five-minute next-day possessive retrieval, then repeat the communication task with a new situation or stricter success criteria.
40–45 min core working plan
Session sequence
Protect the final communication and reflection time. If the learner needs more support, reduce the number of controlled items instead of removing production.
- 5 min
Retrieve
Activate what the learner already controls and check any prerequisite language.
Teacher move: Open with the first practice route: Discovery check: read who owns it, then choose · Drill 1: match each pronoun to its possessive · Drill 2: his or her? Look at the owner.
- 6–8 min
Notice
Let the learner observe meaning and form in a small sample before naming the rule.
Teacher move: Keep the noticing conversation anchored to this decision: A possessive adjective never changes for one thing or many: my book / my books , her client / her clients . The person, group, or thing connected to the noun decides the word, not the noun after it.
- 8–10 min
Discover
Connect form, meaning, use, word order, and the nearest useful contrast.
Teacher move: Test the learner’s explanation against this repair: His phone is new. Before a noun we use the possessive his, not the subject pronoun he.
- 12–15 min
Build + drill
Move from accurate choices to faster retrieval and sentence construction.
Teacher move: Prioritize these lesson tasks: Discovery check: read who owns it, then choose · Drill 1: match each pronoun to its possessive · Drill 2: his or her? Look at the owner · Drill 3: build the sentence. Reduce repetitions if needed, but keep the final production time.
- 12–15 min
Communicate
Use the target language for a real adult purpose the learner cannot complete by copying.
Teacher move: Learner production: Your desk: Name four things at your desk with my . This is my phone. These are my notes. That is my coffee.
- 3–5 min
Reflect
Make progress visible and choose one specific next use.
Teacher move: tomorrow, return to the five-minute retrieval check before you reread the pronoun pairs.
Tutor-only source
Listening scripts
Read these lines from the tutor plan while the learner lesson remains on screen. Each clip names the learner item it supports.
Optional same-sound listening check
- Clip 1
Read: Your phone is here. (possessive) · You’re early. (you are)
Supports: Same sound, different sentence job: Look away from the script. Your tutor reads each pair. Say “possessive” when a noun follows and “subject plus verb” when the phrase contains are or is .
- Clip 2
Read: Its name is Luna. (possessive) · It’s new. (it is)
Supports: Same sound, different sentence job: Look away from the script. Your tutor reads each pair. Say “possessive” when a noun follows and “subject plus verb” when the phrase contains are or is .
- Clip 3
Read: Their office is upstairs. (possessive) · They’re upstairs. (they are)
Supports: Same sound, different sentence job: Look away from the script. Your tutor reads each pair. Say “possessive” when a noun follows and “subject plus verb” when the phrase contains are or is .
Keep only useful evidence
After-lesson notes
These notes are for deliberate tutor records or printing. Nothing is stored in the learner’s browser.
The learner can now…
Write one observable use of the target language.
Still needs support with…
Record one repeated error, contrast, or point of hesitation.
Next retrieval prompt
Write one short prompt the learner will answer at the next session.
Anonymous live-lesson evidence
Learner pilot worksheet
A0 · Possessive adjectives (my, your, his…)
Pilot 1 of 30 recorded · 3 remaining
Date
Approximate starting level
Core lesson time
Starting evidence
What did the learner already control? What was the first misconception, hesitation, or contrast that mattered?
Did the principle become clear?
A possessive adjective never changes for one thing or many: my book / my books , her client / her clients . The person, group, or thing connected to the noun decides the word, not the noun after it.
Did the first hint help?
Record the first item that caused difficulty and whether the contextual hint led to self-correction before the full repair appeared.
Could the learner do the outcome?
Use my, your, his, her, its, our, and their before a noun to show who owns or is connected to a person or thing.
Listen for: The learner uses the target language independently for a real purpose.
What remained available?
If possible, check before rereading in the next session. Record what returned independently and what still required a cue.
Keep, revise, or investigate?
Note any explanation the tutor still had to supply, the smallest useful revision, and whether another pilot should test the same issue.