Greetings & Introductions

Overview

This 60-minute combined lesson for a 6-year-old (Year 1) and a 10-year-old (Year 5) focuses on Spanish greetings and introductions based on the time of day. The lesson is designed to meet the National Curriculum for England’s Languages programme of study by developing speaking, listening, and social interaction skills in an engaging, age-appropriate way.

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Learning Objectives

Year 1 (6 years old)

• NC KS1 Languages (Years 1-2):
  Understand simple spoken language and respond, e.g., greetings
  Begin to pronounce familiar words and phrases accurately
• Specific Objectives:
  • Recognise and use Spanish greetings for different times of day: Buenos días, Buenas tardes, Buenas noches.
  • Respond to and practise short, simple introductions: Hola, me llamo...
  • Understand cultural conventions around greetings in Spanish.

Year 5 (10 years old)

• NC KS2 Languages (Years 5-6):
  Engage in short conversations; ask and answer questions
  Develop accurate pronunciation and intonation
  Understand phrases related to personal information and social interaction
• Specific Objectives:
  • Use appropriate greetings based on time of day and context.
  • Introduce themselves and ask/answer questions about names and well-being: ¿Cómo te llamas? / Me llamo... / ¿Qué tal?
  • Explore cultural nuances of greetings and formal/informal language use.

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Resources

• Flashcards with greetings and time-of-day images (morning sun, afternoon clock, night stars)
• Colourful “greeting time” wheel (rotating disc showing clock and corresponding greeting)
• Mini whiteboards and markers
• Audio recordings of native Spanish speakers saying greetings
• Puppets or soft toys for role-play
• Printable worksheet with matching activities (for Year 5)
• Visual timetable with lesson stages

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction & Warm-up (10 minutes)

• Begin with a fun "Hola, ¿cómo estás?" circle greeting using puppets.
• Show flashcards with the three key greetings: Buenos días, Buenas tardes, Buenas noches.
• Use the "greeting time" wheel to associate each greeting with the part of the day.

Engagement:
Ask both students to mimic the greetings, paying attention to intonation. Use thumbs up/down for pronunciation self-check.

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2. Time Bingo (15 minutes)

Activity: Interactive bingo game to reinforce greetings and times of day.

• Prepare bingo cards with pictures of morning, afternoon, evening, sun, stars, clocks at different times.
• Call out the Spanish greeting (Buenos días, Buenas tardes, Buenas noches) or show a time picture.
• Students mark the matching images or words on their cards.
• First to get a line shouts ¡Bingo! and says the greeting aloud.

Differentiation:

• Year 1 focuses on recognising and saying greetings.
• Year 5 practices responding with a short sentence, e.g., "Buenos días, ¿cómo estás?".

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3. Role-Play: Meeting New People (20 minutes)

• Use puppets or toys for a role-play scenario: meeting someone new at different times of day.
• Model the dialogues first, then have students act out greetings and introductions.
• Encourage Year 5 to form fuller sentences, e.g., "Hola, me llamo Juan. ¿Cómo te llamas?".
• For Year 1, focus on short phrases and repetition.

Extension:
Discuss when people use formal (Buenos días, señor) vs informal greetings (Hola, amigo), linked to cultural understanding.

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4. Creative Task: Greeting Wheel Drawing (10 minutes)

• Each student creates their own greeting wheel on paper showing times of day and matching greetings.
• Encourage colouring and decorating with symbols (sun, moon, stars).
• Students present their wheels and practise the greetings aloud.

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5. Review & Assessment (5 minutes)

• Use mini whiteboards for a quick quiz: teacher says a time of day or greeting; students write or draw the matching greeting or time.
• Assess pronunciation and understanding through spoken answers.
• Give immediate, positive feedback.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Formative: Ongoing oral assessment during role-plays and games—accuracy, confidence, intonation.
• Product: Greeting wheels evaluated for completeness and understanding.
• End of lesson quiz: Oral recognition and recall of greetings; Year 5 writes simple greetings or answers questions on whiteboards.

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Curriculum Links Summary

Year Group	NC Reference	Key Competency	Lesson Alignment
Year 1	KS1 Languages (Years 1-2)	Understand and respond to basic spoken phrases	Greetings, introductions, listening skills
Year 5	KS2 Languages (Years 5-6)	Engage in short conversations, accurate pronunciation	Introducing self, asking/responding, cultural awareness

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Teacher Tips

• Use lots of praise and non-verbal cues to build confidence.
• Leverage puppet play to reduce anxiety in speaking.
• Connect greetings to real-life routines (e.g., greeting each other in the morning vs afternoon).
• Reinforce listening comprehension before spoken response at Year 1 level.
• Encourage Year 5 student to use new vocabulary in full sentences to build fluency.

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By integrating multisensory activities, cultural awareness, and scaffolded speaking practice, this lesson aims to solidify early Spanish speaking and listening skills aligned to the National Curriculum — making language learning lively, practical, and memorable for both ages.