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Swahili Days of the Week

Third graders learn the days of the week in Swahili (siku) — and discover something neat: many day names contain numbers! “Juma” means day, so Jumatatu (juma + tatu, “three”) is Monday, Jumanne (“four”) is Tuesday, Jumatano (“five”) is Wednesday. (Alhamisi and Ijumaa come from Arabic.)

Grade 3Days of the Week45 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 days.
  • ✓See they contain numbers.
  • ✓Say today & the weekend.
  • ✓Talk about the week.
Essential Question

Jumatatu to Jumapili — what are the days of the week 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
Explore · Interactive

Swahili Days Check

Project each item and have students answer about the Swahili days of the week.

📅 Understand the Swahili days of the weekTry it
Answer each question about the Swahili days of the week.
The Lesson · Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

45 minutes, five moves

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

1

Warm-Up — The Week in Swahili

5 min

What are the days of the week in Swahili?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Point to a calendar.
  • Say “Jumatatu.”
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Repeat.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Days

10 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Swahili Days Check.
  • Note the 7 days.
  • See how many days contain numbers.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

12 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say today in Swahili.
  • Say the weekend days.
  • Chant the week.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Chant.
4

Speak — Speak

12 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say “leo ni…” (today is…).
  • Name your favorite day.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Name.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a day.
  • Say the weekend.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

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

Built to the standards you report on

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

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand day names.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Explore numbered day names.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to the calendar & counting.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: say what day it is.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Day cards in order.
  • Point on a calendar.
  • Chant the days.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with Jumatatu & Jumapili.
  • Use a calendar.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Match day to its number.
  • Make a weekly schedule.
  • Note Jumatano = “day five.”
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 📅Day cards + calendar
  • 💻Swahili Days Check
  • 🗓️Weekly planner
  • 📓Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

sikudaysJumatatuMonday (“day three”)JumanneTuesday (“day four”)JumatanoWednesday (“day five”)AlhamisiThursdayIjumaaFridayJumamosiSaturdayJumapiliSunday
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
Many Swahili weekdays contain what kind of word?
Numbers (juma + tatu, nne, tano…).
QUESTION 2
What is “Jumatatu” in English?
Monday.
QUESTION 3
What does Jumapili mean?
Sunday.

Reflect: days of the week.

Have students name today’s day in Swahili at home. A printable Swahili days 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 Days of the WeekFlip
Card 1
Term
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Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

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

📝 Swahili Days of the WeekQuiz
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1 / 6
Question 1
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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 Days of the WeekPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: Alhamisi, Ijumaa, Jumamosi, Jumanne, Jumapili, Jumatano, Jumatatu, siku
  1. Thursday
  2. Wednesday (“day five”)
  3. Tuesday (“day four”)
  4. days
  5. Friday
  6. Sunday
  7. Monday (“day three”)
  8. Saturday

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Many Swahili weekdays contain what kind of word?
  2. What is “Jumatatu” in English?
  3. What does Jumapili mean?
Answer key — Part A: 1) Alhamisi · 2) Jumatano · 3) Jumanne · 4) siku · 5) Ijumaa · 6) Jumapili · 7) Jumatatu · 8) Jumamosi
Part B: 1) Numbers (juma + tatu, nne, tano…). 2) Monday. 3) Sunday.