Each time I go to teach at the primary school I greet the classes with something like ‘Hello, everyone! How are you?’ Every single time, they all respond #inunison ‘I’m fine, thank you. And you?’ which really sounds like ‘I’m-a fine, sankyou and-ayou?’ #lovetheaccents. I decided to make the lesson this week ‘slang terms,’ aka new answers for the ‘how are you’ question..
The best of the responses I taught #slangin’it:
Howdy: Complete with the air-cowboy-hat tip (After explaining what a cowboy is they seemed to like this one) #everyoneinChinalovescowboys
What’s up?: The response being ‘nothing really. What’s up with you? (Accompanied by the double point for emphasis.)
Sweet, cool, awesome, groovy, swell, fabulous, wonderful, good: New answer options to the ‘how are you’ question #eachwordaccompaniedbyagesture #groovyisobvious #peacesign
(I was so tempted to throw in the ‘how YOU doin’? A la Joey Tribbiani, but I figured that could be saved for high school #notquiteageappropriate)
So long, farewell: Mentally, of course, this was followed with auf wiedersehen, goodbye. I made up for not singing the song by incorporating sweeping gestures #kidslovedit.
See you later, alligator. After a while, crocodile: This was the final goodbye #piecederesistance. It turned out to be a great success for several reasons. A) I explained what crocodiles and alligators are and where they live #Florida. B) Since the last words in each phrase rhyme, le students had fewer problems pronouncing ‘while,’ which was giving them all issues #soundedliketheyweresaying’will’. C) I made them use arms-as-teeth when I called on them #participationisalwaysfun. D) Everyone likes rhyming.
I can’t wait to go back and be greeted with so many new answers!
WE look forward to greeting you when you return!
So how did you tell them to respond if they were having a lousy day?