Sneaker Teacher: Cafeteria Language

Everything about school can be overwhelming for our littlest learners, so one lesson I like to do at the beginning of the year with Kinders is cafeteria language. We cover how to ask for help and also how to order lunch.

The first part is teaching the different hand signals that indicate different needs. I took photos in our actual cafeteria and then paired them with visuals of the hand signals they need to use for each request. But, I also want to encourage students to use language and not just hand signals, so each picture/signal is paired with a question.

I use this song to introduce how we need to use please and thank you and then I used the same tune for the questions associated with each cafeteria need. Some people might dislike the use of "can I" instead of "May I" but the video uses "Can I" so I just stuck with that. Kiddos love this video and then it helps provide some musical styling for working on saying those challenging questions!

After we watch the video, we (the teachers) will role play (remember these are co-taught lessons), asking for help in the cafeteria using manners. With students, we will practice singing the questions and saying thank you, modeling after the video.

The next part of the lesson will be teaching students how to order hot lunch. Using some of the same food images as we used in our Pete the Cat lessons {food pics & more food pics}, we will model and how to tell the lunch lady what we'd like for lunch. We role play examples and non-examples so students can get an idea of what they need to do:

Use a "3 foot voice"

Say the name of the food they want

Use manners (please and thank you)

We use the same tune from the video to model a complete sentence: Can I have the ___ please? At this point we are perfectly ok with students pointing to their food choice or simply saying ___ please, but we also teach and encourage students to use a complete sentence if they can.

We also use play food and real cafeteria trays to practice. We check in by pulling sticks to select random students and having them come up to the front and make a food choice. Then we ask the rest of the students to give a thumbs up/thumbs down to show whether or not the student did all of the things we practiced.

Language Objectives:

I can say please and thank you when I ask for help.

I can say what I want to have for lunch.

Language function

Express needs, likes, and feelings

Express social courtesies

Language form: nouns (naming the food items)

Sentence Frame

______ please (newcomers/beginners)

May I have the ____please?

Can I use the bathroom please?

Can I dump my trash now please?