In this era of global connection, you can go to a public area in any city in the United States, and you'll almost assuredly hear multiple languages being spoken. A great way to introduce someone, especially a child, to another language is by teaching them a greeting in that language. Music provides a fun and efficient tool to that end. The method that follows is geared to children, ideally between eight and 11 years old.
Instructions
Teach Greetings Through Music
1. Familiarize yourself with the song, "Hello to All the Children of the World." The author is unknown, but you can find videos of the song being performed on http://www.youtube.com. Just type the title into the search box to access the videos. You also can purchase a recording online. Print out the lyrics, which also can be found online (see resources for both).
2. Introduce the song to the children by listing the greetings mentioned in the song on one side of the board and the languages used on the other. Have one student at a time come to the board and try to match the greeting to the correct language by drawing a line between the two. The correct answers from the song are: (1) Hello = English; (2) Bonjour = French; (3) Buenos Dias = Spanish; (4) G'day = Australian; (5) Guten Tag = German; (6) Konichiwa = Japanese; (7) Ciao = Italian; (8) Shalom = Hebrew; (9) Do-Brey Dyen = Russian.
3. Play the song for your students either by using a recording or by performing the song for them yourself. If you do it yourself, you might want to use a piano, keyboard or guitar for accompaniment. Point out the different greetings as they are mentioned in the song.
4. Invite your audience to sing along. You may want to distribute lyrics sheets to help the students as they sing. If you teach them the phrases based solely on listening and singing along, try singing a phrase of the song and having them repeat it after you. Focus on the refrain in the beginning since it contains all the greetings.
5. Extend your students' learning experience in various ways. Depending on how much time you'll have with your audience and/or how often you'll be able interact with this group, you could do any of the following: (1) Discuss the countries from which each language in the song originates. Research customs, geography and history. (2) Encourage students who speak other languages or who are from other countries to share information about their backgrounds and experiences. (3) Prepare your students to perform the song for an audience at a later date.
