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GREETINGS!

Mary Frances Higuchi, 9/95

Purpose: The way people greet each other is seen in every place, whether it's a village, town, city, or country. Greetings are universal, some being very unique. Some people wave, others shake hands, bow, or hug each other. Some have no distinctions between a friend or someone they meet for business - they say the same greeting. Others make that distinction and have different wordings for different "levels" of people. Sometimes, not knowing the etiquette in one culture may be bad manners in another. The intent of this lesson is to use the greetings as a way to introduce students to a variety of cultures.

Geographic Themes:Location, Place, Movement, Region

National Geography Standards: The geographically informed person knows and understands...
1. How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
4. The physical and human characteristics of places.
6. How culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and regions.
10. The characteristics, distribution, and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics.

Geographic Skills:
Asking geographic questions
Acquiring, organizing, and analyzing geographic information
Answering geographic questions

Objectives: Students will be able to...

  1. Greet each other using words or gestures. (Asking)
  2. Participate in a greetings activity. (Acquiring)
  3. Group themselves into categories of greetings to find commonalties. (Asking)
  4. Share their greetings with the rest of the class. (Acquiring)
  5. Locate the various countries. (Acquiring)
  6. Listen to a book on greetings. (Acquiring)
  7. Interview people or seek other sources to see how they greet each other. (Acquiring)
  8. Gather background information of the greetings. (Acquiring)
  9. Collect data and graph the information on greetings. (organizing)
  10. Plot findings on a map and make generalizations. (Analyzing and Answering)

Materials:
Books on greetings.
Greetings! by Karin Luisa Badt. 1994. Children's Press, Inc.
A set of cards of greetings (You may use the attached list. Make two copies.)
Chart paper and other supplies
Maps...world, U.S., local -- depending on the data that the students gather.

Assessment: The student graphs, plotting, and generalizations could be used for assessment.

Procedure:

  1. Prepare set of greeting cards, either your own or the ones attached.
  2. Discuss ways people greet each other. i.e., Do people from different countries greet each other the same way? What about locally? Are greetings universal? What are some of the ways used to greet each other? Chart the information.
  3. Distribute cards to the students. Students find their partners by reading and following the directions on the card.
  4. Once students have found their partners, have them group themselves into various categories. If they are having a difficult time, give them some hints, like different gestures or saying the greetings.
  5. Have students share their greetings with the rest of the class. As each set of partners share their greetings, they should place a sticker on the map to acquaint themselves with the countries.
  6. Read the book, Greetings! , to the students (for older students, this is optional)
  7. Students will find some means of gathering information of greetings. You may use the data that was used in the simulation. But, the fun part is for the students to do one of the following: interview their parents, grandparents, etc.; sit at a shopping center to observe the way people greet each other; or, gathering information from books. An option is for students to think of what he/she wants to find out about greetings. In other words, the students will start with a more specific question rather than "how do people from different countries (areas) greet each other?"
  8. Students will graph their findings. With the data, they will need to group them into categories.
  9. Students will plot their findings on a map and using the graphs and maps, make their generalizations.
  10. Reports could be shared with the class. Include background information.

*Extension Lesson:* Citizen of the World

*Resource:* Egypt Greetings - P-J Mohamed


GREETINGS

BELIZE Press fists together. (Make a fist. Look for another person with the same. When you see someone doing the same thing, press your fists together.)

JAPAN Bow from the waist. Look for another person that is doing the same.

RUSSIA Kiss three times, on alternate cheeks...left, right, left. This is an old tradition. (Just kiss in the air and look for someone who is doing the same.)

EGYPT Kiss three times, on alternate cheeks...left, right, left. (Just kiss in the air and look for someone who is doing the same.)

ITALY Kiss on cheek 4 times -- 2 on the left and 2 on the right. (Just kiss in the air and look for someone that is doing the same.)

Note: Michele Bondesan from Italy informs us with this statement: "I'm an Italian boy and I would like to inform you that what you say about kissing in Italy is uncorrect. I've never seen any Italian people kissing four times: usually we kiss twice or, more recently, three times (young people mostly kiss three times)."

NEW ZEALAND (Maori) when the Maori people greet each other, they press their noses together. This custom is called hongi. (Find your partner by pressing your nose in the air...figure out a way to do this.)

BOLIVIA The Aymara women in Bolivia says hello to a friend with a tip of her bowler hat. (Tip your hat to find your partner who is doing the same.)

ECUADOR An Ecuadorian woman greets her friend with medio abrazo ("half embrace") -- like a partial hug. (Extend your left arm out to the left and look for a person who is extending the right arm.)

MEXICO One kiss on the cheek. (Kiss in the air to the left or right)

U.S. Businessmen (women) usually shake hands when meeting each other. (do a hand shake with your right hand to find your partner.)

SOUTH AFRICA The Zulu of South Africa say, "Sakubona" when greeting friends. (Say Sakubona to find your partner.)

ITALY In Italy, friends greet each other by saying, "Ciao." (Say Ciao to find your partner.)

FIJI Men are expected to say "oooo" when greeting their chief. (To find your chief say, "oooo.")

AFGHANISTAN It is traditional for women to be more reserved in their greetings than men. When meeting a stranger, a man will say "manda na bashi." (May you not be tired.) A Ghilzai woman will raise her hand to cover her mouth. (To find your partner, put your hand over your mouth. Your partner will be saying manda na bashi.

U.S. and EUROPE The High-fives originated among American college basketball players in the early 1980s. It soon spread to other sports and became fashionable among young people. (To find your partner, raise your hand to show your high-fives.)

ZAMBIA To find your partner, nod, slightly bend knees, and shake hands, right hand extended, with left hand under right elbow.

PORTUGAL Bom dia means "hello" in Portuguese. (Say bom dia to find your partner.)

GHANA Ming-gah-bou, Ga means "hello" in Ghana. (Say Ming-gah-bou, Ga to find your partner.)

ISRAEL Shalom means hello in Hebrew. (Say Shalom to find your partner.)

CHINA Some people in China just say Ni-hao-ma which means "How are you?" (Say Ni-hao-ma to find your partner.)

TURKEY Merhaba means "hello." (Say Merhaba to find your partner.)

U.S. MILITARY CADET Salute to find your partner

MADAGASCAR People used to greet nobles by saying Tsara Va?, which meant are you well? (To find your partner say Tsara Va?)

FRANCE In France, people say Bon jour (Good day) during the day and Bon soir (good evening) in the evening. (Say Bon jour to find your partner.)

SOUTH AFRICA The Afikaners of South Africa say "Goeie more" in the morning, "Goeie middag' in the afternoon, and "Goeie naand" in the evening. (to find your partner, say the appropriate greeting.)

CYPRUS Telephone greeting: In Cyprus, people answer the phone with "Ano" ("Yes"). To find your partner, ring your phone and listen for "Ano."

CZECH REPUBLIC Telephone greeting: In Czech Republic, people answer the phone with "Prosim:" ("Ready"). To find your partner, listen for a phone ring and say, "Prosim."

GERMANY Telephone greeting: In Germany, people answer the phone by saying their last name. To find your partner, listen for a phone ring and say your last name.

GREECE In the exotic Greek language, "Kalimera" (Good morning) is said. (To find your partner, say "Kalimera."

VIETNAM Hello in Vietnamese is different depending on whom you are addressing. To an older man it is "Chao ong." To an older woman it is "Chao da." To a younger man it is "Chao anh." To a younger woman it is "Chau co." To small children it is "Chao chau." (to find your partner, use an appropriate greeting. you probably have to try different greetings.)

VIETNAM Since "hello" in Vietnamese varies depending on whom you are addressing, say, "Bach co khoe khong?" (how are you?) to find your partner.


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Copyright © September, 1997 - Hawaii Geographic Alliance
Updated: March, 1998