Here is my approach which I use with second graders who are encountering a new language (Spanish) for the first time.
For "buenos días," one child wears a simple sun mask or holds a giant laminated smiling face of a sun. I say, "Es el sol. (pointing to the sun) Hola, sol," as I wave my hand saying "Hola."The children repeat words with hand movement. Another child holds a laminated heavy paper rooster with the head attached with a brad so that it can move as if crowing or a plush rooster. I say (pointing), "Es el gallo. Hola, gallo." The children repeat. I say, "¿Qué dice el gallo? (scratching my head and looking puzzled while pointing at my mouth.) El gallo dice, "¡Quiquiriquí!" The child moves the rooster's head. The whole class shouts, "¡Quiquiriquí!" and the rooster moves his head. We then say, "Buenos días, sol. Buenos días, gallo." The sun and the rooster answer in turn. I cue the individual children with whispers.
For "buenas tardes," the sun steps up on a low footstool, or s/he holds the laminated sun straight up above his/her head. The rooster disappears, and I say "Buenas tardes, sol." The children repeat. The sun answers in turn.
For "buenas noches," the sun disappears, and a child with a moon mask or holding a giant laminated moon climbs upon the low step stool. Children with large laminated stars on paint-stirring sticks appear on either side. I ask another child to turn the lights off, and I again say, "Es la luna. Hola, luna. Buenas noches, luna. Son las estrellas. Hola, estrellas. Buenas noches, estrellas." Then the children repeat. The moon and stars answer in turn.
The next step is a transition one before the children actually speak to one another face-to-face, building up individual self-confidence in speaking another language in front of others. I favor large mouth people puppets and add one of them to each scene as the lesson progresses day to day. Each puppet has the same kind of nametag like the children in the class, and we greet each puppet appropriately after my modeling for each time of the day and night, using "hola" first. Masks of children/people could also be worn by individual children. The puppets or masked children repeat the greeting back.
The next step is to stage the scenes with the sun, rooster, moon and stars and have one child stand in front of each scene as it takes place. Each new child receives a greeting from the class and then repeats it back.
The next step is bringing up to the front of the class a pair of willing students to stand in front of each scene and shake hands in the Spanish culturally tradition while saying the greetings to each other. Choose eager ones first!
The goal is to have students greet each other with the handshake and the appropriate greeting. I usually have a group of four children in front of each vignette, standing in a line. They then face each other in pairs and move down like a chain drill. Keep the personal distance between each child close if teaching Spanish.
One could then add the concept of clock time for third grade and up, using a Judy clock whose hands move very easily with a crank handle. The greeting would change at noon to "Buenas tardes." At six o'clock change to "Buenas noches." Time-telling on the hour, then half-hour is a natural extension of this unit for older students.
(By the way, enlarged color clip art works just fine, too for the masks. Just mount the copy on heavy card stock and laminate if possible. Use paint-stirring sticks from the hardware store and duct tape to attach the stick to the mask.)
Once the children learn these simple greetings, use the masks/puppets to learn/practice the "¿Cómo te llamas? Me llamo ___. ¿Y tú?" exchange.
INTERNET RESOURCES FOR THIS "PRACTICAL POINTER":
1. Multicultural Family "big mouth" Puppets from Demco; they also have other great people puppets. Enter "multicultural family puppets" for a search term.
2. Kids' Bright Spots from Creative Teaching Press make excellent masks when laminated and mounted with duct tape on paint-stirring sticks from the hardware store. (I always make holes for eyes to increase the comfort level of the child.):
4. Judy clock
5. Plush rooster puppet (beautiful!) from Nancy's Plush Toys and Gifts
Go to "Shop Online." Then do search for "rooster."
