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Swahili Commands (Imperative)

Tenth graders give commands and instructions in Swahili (amri) — chemsha! (boil!), ongeza! (add!), koroga! (stir!), pika! (cook!), kula! (eat!). They order the steps to make ugali, a beloved East African staple.

Grade 10Commands (Imperative)50 minutes1 class periodACTFL / World LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Learn the imperative.
  • ✓Give commands.
  • ✓Order the steps.
  • ✓Explain how to do something.
Essential Question

chemsha! koroga! kula! How do you give instructions and commands in Swahili?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order the Ugali Recipe

Project this and have students put the ugali-making commands in order.

🍳 Put the commands in order — make ugali!Try it
Tap “Boil the water” first!
The Lesson · Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Do This!

6 min

How do you tell someone to do something in Swahili?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say “sikiliza!” (listen!).
  • Ask how commands work.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Commands

12 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Model chemsha, ongeza, koroga.
  • Note the imperative forms.
  • Send students to Order the Recipe.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Watch.
  • Note it.
  • Order it.
3

Practice — Practice

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Give 3 commands.
  • Say each step.
  • Command a partner (politely!).

🎒 Student Actions

  • Give.
  • Say.
  • Command.
4

Speak — Speak

13 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Explain the recipe aloud with commands.
  • Give a classroom instruction.
  • Teach a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Explain.
  • Give.
  • Teach.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a command.
  • Give one instruction.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Give it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Intermediate-Low).

ACTFL
Communication 1.3

Presentational: give instructions.

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: follow commands.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare command forms.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Explore East African food (ugali).

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Command cards with pictures.
  • Highlight imperative forms.
  • Model with gestures.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with chemsha & kula.
  • Order two at a time.
  • Use pictures.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add negative commands (usi-…!).
  • Write a recipe in commands.
  • Give directions with commands.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🍳Command cards
  • 💻Order the Ugali Recipe
  • 📖Recipe strip
  • 📓Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

amriimperative / commandschemshaboil!ongezaadd!korogastir!pikacook!kulaeat!sikilizalisten!angalialook!
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is the imperative used for?
Giving commands and instructions.
QUESTION 2
How do you say “eat!” in Swahili?
kula!
QUESTION 3
What does “sikiliza!” mean?
Listen!

Reflect: commands.

Have students write three commands in Swahili to make or do something. A printable Swahili commands sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Swahili CommandsFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Swahili CommandsQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Swahili CommandsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: amri, angalia, chemsha, koroga, kula, ongeza, pika, sikiliza
  1. look!
  2. add!
  3. listen!
  4. eat!
  5. boil!
  6. cook!
  7. imperative / commands
  8. stir!

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is the imperative used for?
  2. How do you say “eat!” in Swahili?
  3. What does “sikiliza!” mean?
Answer key — Part A: 1) angalia · 2) ongeza · 3) sikiliza · 4) kula · 5) chemsha · 6) pika · 7) amri · 8) koroga
Part B: 1) Giving commands and instructions. 2) kula! 3) Listen!