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Swahili Greetings

Third graders say hello and goodbye in Swahili (salamu) — jambo (hello), habari za asubuhi (good morning), kwaheri (goodbye), asante (thank you). Their first friendly words in a language spoken across East Africa.

Grade 3Greetings45 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 Swahili greetings.
  • ✓Match words to meanings.
  • ✓Greet a friend.
  • ✓Say thank you.
Essential Question

How do you say hello, goodbye, and thank you 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
Match It · Interactive

Match the Greeting

Project this and match each Swahili greeting to its meaning — tap the word, then tap the meaning.

👋 Match each greeting to its meaningTry it
Swahili
Meaning
Now tap the meaning!
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 — Jambo!

5 min

How do you say hello in Swahili?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Wave & say “jambo!”
  • Ask what it means.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Do it too.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Greetings

10 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Greeting.
  • Match each one.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Say.
  • Repeat.
3

Practice — Practice

12 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Greet with habari za asubuhi.
  • Say asante.
  • Wave kwaheri.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Greet.
  • Say it.
  • Wave.
4

Speak — Speak

12 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Greet a partner in Swahili.
  • Say thank you.
  • Say goodbye.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Greet.
  • Thank.
  • Bye.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a greeting.
  • Say hello in Swahili.
  • 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 1.1

Interpersonal: greet & thank.

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand greetings.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Explore Swahili greetings.

ACTFL
Communication 1.3

Presentational: say hello & goodbye.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Greeting cards with pictures.
  • Model each aloud.
  • Gesture with words.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with jambo & asante.
  • Match one pair at a time.
  • Use pictures.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add habari yako? (how are you?).
  • Greet 3 classmates.
  • Act out a meeting.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 👋Greeting cards
  • 💻Match the Greeting
  • 🗺️East Africa map
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

salamugreetingsjambohellohabari za asubuhigood morningusiku mwemagood nightkwaherigoodbyeasantethank youtafadhalipleasehabari yakohow are you
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
How do you say “hello” in Swahili?
jambo.
QUESTION 2
What does asante mean?
Thank you.
QUESTION 3
What does kwaheri mean?
Goodbye.

Reflect: greetings.

Have students greet a family member in Swahili (jambo! or habari za asubuhi!). A printable Swahili greetings 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 GreetingsFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
0

Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

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

📝 Swahili GreetingsQuiz
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 GreetingsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: asante, habari yako, habari za asubuhi, jambo, kwaheri, salamu, tafadhali, usiku mwema
  1. good morning
  2. greetings
  3. hello
  4. how are you
  5. please
  6. thank you
  7. goodbye
  8. good night

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How do you say “hello” in Swahili?
  2. What does asante mean?
  3. What does kwaheri mean?
Answer key — Part A: 1) habari za asubuhi · 2) salamu · 3) jambo · 4) habari yako · 5) tafadhali · 6) asante · 7) kwaheri · 8) usiku mwema
Part B: 1) jambo. 2) Thank you. 3) Goodbye.