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Black History Month
Counting in Swahili
Age/Grade Level or Audience
Kindergarten through primary grades.
Description
Teach students to count from one to ten in Swahili.
Procedure
Present a brief description of Swahili, how old a language it is, where it is spoken, and who speaks it. Then repeat the first ten numbers in Swahili until students have them memorized.
- moja [mow'-jah]
- mbili [uhm'-bee'-lee]
- tatu [tah'-too]
- nne [uhn'-nay]
- tano [tah'-no]
- sita [see'-tah]
- saba [sah'-buh]
- nane [nah'-nay]
- tisa [tee'-suh]
- kumi [koo'-mee]
Refer to these numbers in future counting exercises.
Sources
Haskins, Jim, Count Your Way through Africa, Carolrhoda Books, 1989.
Alternative Applications
Use each number alongside its pronunciation and a uniquely African representation of the meaning:
- one Mount Kilimanjaro or Niger River
- two wildebeest or gnus
- three ostriches or emus
- four yams or bowls of fufu
- five grass huts or village compounds
- six Ashanti drums or finger pianos
- seven diamonds or pyramids
- eight Maasai women or Mali children
- nine hyenas or hippos
- ten baobab trees or pyrethrum daisies
© 2009 Gale.