1 - Friend or Principal? ~5 mins
You might already know a German hello. Today the job is different: choose the right hello for the person in front of you.
Greet the teacher the way you would greet a friend. Now greet them the way you would greet the principal. Should those two hellos be the same?
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Pick a friendly or a polite German greeting on purpose
- Say how someone is, in the right form for who they are
- Explain why German splits "you" in a way English does not
Take three or four quick answers only. The point is to surface the idea that English uses one greeting style for almost everyone, while German often does not. Do not confirm the "right" answers yet; the word-table in the next step sorts the greetings by audience.
If a pupil offers a German word from last year, accept it warmly and park it: "We'll place that one in a moment." Keep the energy light; prior knowledge is welcome but not required.
2 - Eight German Greetings ~10 mins
Here are today's greetings on the board. We will meet them in two clear sets.
First, the friendly set: listen, then say each one back together. Show a thumbs-up if you would use it with a classmate.
Next, the everyday and polite set: time-of-day hellos you can use with almost anyone, plus the careful "how are you?" for adults. Chorus each line, then show thumbs-up for "works with almost anyone" or a flat hand for "save this for an adult".
Finally, learn one handy reply you can give when someone asks how you are. Tap, listen, and say it back twice. When you hear it later in the matching game, put a hand on your heart: that is our reply signal.
Pass 1 (friendly set): Tap and chorus twice (whole class, then by table): Hallo (HAH-loh), Hi (hi), Wie geht es dir? (vee gayt es deer). Quick thumb-sort: classmate or principal?
Pass 2 (everyday and polite set): Guten Morgen (GOO-ten MOR-gen), Guten Tag (GOO-ten tahk), Guten Abend (GOO-ten AH-bent), then Wie geht es Ihnen? (vee gayt es EE-nen). Say aloud: the three time-of-day lines are fine with a friend and with the principal; the clock chooses them, not the relationship. Wie geht es Ihnen? is the clearly respectful how-are-you for adults.
Pass 3 (reply): Mir geht es gut, danke (meer gayt es goot DAHN-kuh). Two full choral repeats. Stress that this reply works after either how-are-you form. Teach the hand-on-heart gesture now so the matching game has a clear fourth sort signal for this card.
Point at the English meaning as you go. Adults in German-speaking places often tell children which form to use, so the choice is a real social skill, not just a grammar label.
3 - Match the Greetings ~10 mins
Watch the cards on the board. Volunteers flip two at a time to find each German line with its English meaning.
When a match is found, the whole class says the German together. Then sort it with a quick gesture:
- Thumbs-up for friendly (classmate)
- Flat hand for everyday time-of-day (works with almost anyone)
- Arms crossed for the polite adult how-are-you
- Hand on heart for the reply you give when someone asks how you are
Run this on the IWB with volunteers taking turns. Audio plays on every flip, so pronunciation keeps landing while they play. Every desk joins the speak-and-sort beat on each match; do not leave the class as silent spectators.
Four-bucket sort (keep it alive without stopping the game flow):
- Thumbs-up (friendly): Hallo, Hi, Wie geht es dir?
- Flat hand (everyday time-of-day): Guten Morgen, Guten Tag, Guten Abend
- Arms crossed (polite adult): Wie geht es Ihnen?
- Hand on heart (reply): Mir geht es gut, danke (the answer after either how-are-you)
If a pair is missed twice, pause and say the German together before moving on. If pupils freeze on the reply card, cue: "Hand on heart — that is our answer line, not a hello."
4 - Into Your Copy ~3 mins
Open your copy and write one friendly greeting and one polite greeting. Beside each one, write who you would say it to and who you would not.
Pause the board. Everyone writes; this is the only three minutes where every pupil's pen is moving. Keep the word-table on screen while they copy so spelling is visible.
Look for a real register contrast, for example a friendly line for a classmate but not the principal, and a polite how-are-you or careful daytime hello for a shopkeeper but not a teammate. Do not collect these copies.
5 - Partner Greetings ~10 mins
First, say the reply together from the board one more time so it is ready on your tongue.
Then greet a partner for real. Both of you can see the full scripts on the board. Partner A starts, Partner B answers with the reply we practised, then swap.
Try at least one friendly exchange and one polite exchange before you finish. Use the role ideas on the board (classmate at the school gate, shopkeeper in a Berlin bakery, or principal in the corridor).
Whole-class reply beat (about 1–2 minutes): Point to Mir geht es gut, danke (meer gayt es goot DAHN-kuh) on the word-table or board. Class repeats twice. Remind them this answer works after both how-are-you forms.
Model both full scripts on the IWB (write them up if the interactive does not show a full dialogue). Every pupil can see both lines; do not use split "own half only" prompts unless devices are guaranteed.
Polite model: Partner A: Guten Tag! Wie geht es Ihnen? (GOO-ten tahk / vee gayt es EE-nen). Partner B: Guten Tag! Mir geht es gut, danke. (meer gayt es goot DAHN-kuh).
Friendly model: Partner A: Hallo! Wie geht es dir? (HAH-loh / vee gayt es deer). Partner B: Hallo! Mir geht es gut, danke.
Role cards on board (call these out or leave as bullets):
- You meet a classmate at the school gate in Munich: friendly hello + Wie geht es dir?
- You are buying bread in a Berlin bakery: daytime hello + Wie geht es Ihnen?
- You greet the principal in the corridor: polite exchange
Model one full exchange with a volunteer before pairs begin. Circulate and listen for register mix-ups (friendly form used for a "principal" role). A quick correction is enough: model the polite form once and move on. After four or five minutes, signal a swap of roles so both partners lead. Aim for each pair to hit at least one how-are-you form before the swap.
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