1 - Ending a Call Takes More Than One Word ~5 mins
Picture this: you have just finished a quick call with Oma in Berlin, or you are heading off the Schulhof after school. In English, do you only say "bye", or do you add "talk soon" or "see you tomorrow"?
Most of us use more than one word to close a chat. German speakers do the same. Today you will learn how to end a conversation the way they would, with a goodbye plus a natural follow-on.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Use eight German goodbye phrases, not just one short word
- Add a natural follow-on so a goodbye feels complete
- Notice how leave-taking can look different from culture to culture
If you want the German word for today's theme when you open the slide, it is die Verabschiedungen (roughly dee fer-AP-shee-doong-en), meaning goodbyes / leave-takings. You do not need to put that word on the board.
Open with a quick show of hands: who ends a call with just one word, and who piles on two or three? Take three or four examples (a call with Oma, leaving the Schulhof, hanging up after football). Link them to today's idea that a German goodbye often carries a follow-on phrase as well.
You do not need fluent German for this hook. Keep it in English and let the flashcards carry the new phrases in the next step.
2 - Eight German Goodbyes ~10 mins
Listen to each German goodbye first, then say it with the class. Your teacher will play the audio before anyone tries the word alone. Notice which ones feel formal, which feel friendly, and which already carry a little follow-on of their own.
Run whole-class flashcards on the board. Hear-then-say only on the first pass: show the German on the card, play the audio, say the respelling yourself, class repeats twice, then reveal the English meaning. Do not ask anyone to produce the German from English until a second, quicker pass with volunteers.
Core five first (spend most of the time here): Tschüss (chooss), Auf Wiedersehen (owf VEE-der-zay-en), Bis bald (biss BAHLT), Bis morgen (biss MOR-gen), Schönen Tag noch (SHER-nen tahk nokh). Then a light bonus listen for the other three: Bis später (biss SHPAY-ter), Bis gleich (biss GLYKH), Gute Nacht (GOO-tuh NAKHT). Those three can reappear in bingo and pair work.
Tricky sounds (have fun with these): Tschüss has that tight ü. Purse your lips like a tiny kiss and say ee: ü-ü-ü… Tschüss! Give me your best chooss. For Schönen, ö is like the vowel in English "bird": Schööönen Tag noch. For Nacht, the ch is a soft throat scrape (like the end of Scottish "loch"): NAKHT, not "nakt".
Point out that phrases such as Bis bald and Schönen Tag noch already act as the follow-on, not just a bare goodbye. That is the new move this year.
3 - Goodbye Bingo ~10 mins
Your teacher will hand out a paper bingo card. Listen carefully for each German goodbye and mark it when you hear it. First full line wins!
How to Play Bingo:
Option 1: Students on Devices (Digital Version)
- Use the digital version where your teacher view of the lesson displays the cards that are being called out.
- Play the pronunciation sound of each word and the children mark it off their unique digital bingo card.
- Each student has a randomised bingo card so winners will vary!
Option 2: Print Out the Bingo Cards
- Print out the Bingo Cards from the attachment above, cut out the cards, and give one to each student.
- You call out the vocabulary words and students mark off their sheets.
- First student to complete a line (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) calls "Bingo!" and wins.
4 - Into Your Copy ~3 mins
Open your copy. First copy the model exchange from the board carefully (watch capital letters and accents). Then, if you like, swap one follow-on for another phrase from the board bank.
Model on the board:
Tschüss! Bis bald!
Tschüss! Schönen Tag noch!
This write comes after the pair chat, so the phrases are still warm. Pin the model exchange on the IWB for the full three minutes. Everyone writes; this is the only stretch where every pupil's pen is moving. Allow straight copying first so spelling, capitals and umlauts are secure; then invite an optional one-phrase swap from the short bank still on screen (e.g. swap Bis bald for Bis gleich or Bis morgen).
Walk the room and check they have written two lines, not a single word list. Do not collect these.
5 - Close the Chat in Pairs ~10 mins
You are leaving the Schulhof after school in Germany (or packing up after football training). Work with a partner to close the chat.
Frame (keep this on the board):
Partner A: ______! ______!
Partner B: ______! ______!
Model together first:
Partner A: Tschüss! Bis morgen!
Partner B: Tschüss! Schönen Tag noch!
Then swap roles so both of you open and answer once.
Keep the two-line frame and the model on the IWB for the full ten minutes. Model one full exchange chorally with the class before pairs begin: Partner A Tschüss! Bis morgen! (chooss! biss MOR-gen!), Partner B Tschüss! Schönen Tag noch! (chooss! SHER-nen tahk nokh!).
On-screen bank if pairs freeze (point, do not invent new German):
- Goodbyes: Tschüss, Auf Wiedersehen
- Follow-ons: Bis bald, Bis später, Bis morgen, Bis gleich, Schönen Tag noch, Gute Nacht
Circulate for pronunciation support. When you hear a clean Bis bald, freeze that pair and get the class to give them a quick clap, then steal their line as the new model. Swap roles so each pupil opens and closes once.
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