Names of farm animals and sounds they make
The teacher will introduce nine animal names and the sounds they make in Spanish. Students will become familiar with the animal names and will begin some language production.
A lesson plan for grades K–2 Second Languages
Learning outcomes
The students will learn the names of nine farm animals (la gallina, el gallo, el pollito, la oveja, el cerdo, el gato, el perro, el caballo, la vaca) and the sounds they make in Spanish. They will do this through total physical response, music, and games.
Teacher planning
Time required for lesson
80 minutes
Materials/resources
- pictures and plastic figurines of the nine farm animals
- picture of a barn
- two fly swatters
- dice
- song, “Vengan a Ver mi Granja” found on the found on Sing, Dance, Laugh, and Eat Tacos CD from Teacher’s Discovery
- box or bag from which to pull out plastic animals
Technology resources
CD player and/or internet connection
Pre-activities
Session 1. Begin with usual review of something familiar to the students, such as weather or days of the week.
Session 2. Conduct the Sorpresa Box/Bag activity (see Supplemental section). Use animals introduced in Session 1.
Session 3. Hold animal pictures behind you back and pull them out one at the time. Ask the class or individuals to tell you their correct Spanish names. Repeat them several times with students.
Session 4. Use Sorpresa Box/Bag to review both animal names and sounds.
Activities
Session 1
- After the first day pre-activity, the teacher shows the picture of the barn and the pictures of the first five animals. Ask questions such as “Have you ever been to a farm?” and “What animals do you find on a farm?”
- The teacher shows pictures of the animals one at a time and says their names in Spanish. Have the students repeat them more than once.
- Pick up any two animals and ask questions such as “Which animal is your favorite, the (a) or the (b)?” and “Which one do you not like, (a) or (b)?”
- Play the Silencio game:
- Place pictures of the animals you have introduced on a table or in chalk tray. The teacher will hold up a picture and say the correct name of the animal. The students then repeat the name. Repeat this process several times. Once in a while, pick up an animal and say an incorrect name. At that point, the class should remain silent, and by doing so, they score a point. However, if a student says the incorrect name, the teacher wins a point. See who can win five points first.
Session 2
- After the pre-activity, introduce remaining animals and follow the same routine as the previous session.
- Play Matamosca Game:
- Place the pictures you are using on the board. Divide the class into two teams and ask for a team member from each side to come to the board. Give each team member a matamosca (flyswater). The teacher will then call out the name of one the animals and the two team members will swat the correct animal. Whoever swats the correct animal first wins the point for their team. The two players then pass the matamosca to another team member. Either play to a certain amount of points or play until class time is over.
Session 3
- Ask students what the various animals say (moo, meow, etc.). Explain that in Spanish they may say something different. Tell students they are going to listen to a song. Ask them to listen for the different sounds the animals make in Spanish. Using the tune of the song, adapt the text to include the animals you have taught.
- Play Dice Game:
- Choose six animal pictures to place on the board (you may want to use only those animals that have a different sound in Spanish than in English). Write a number 1–6 beside each picture. Divide the class into two teams and call up a student from each group. The teacher rolls the dice and the students match the number on the dice to the number on the board. The student who says the correct sound of the animal by that number wins a point for the team. Have the students pick the next teammates to come to the board. (The teacher may want to add the written names of the animals to each picture, and possibly, the sound.)
Session 4
- Place the pictures of the farm animals on the wall in various locations in the room.
- Ask the students to stand in the center of the room. Students will listen to the song “Vengan a Ver mi Granja” and as each animal is mentioned, the students should walk to the location of the animal on the wall while producing at the same time the sound of that animal.
Assessment
Session 1: Watch for correct responses while students play the Silencio game.
Session 2: Watch for correct responses while students play the Matamosca game.
Session 3: Watch for correct responses while students play the Dice game.
Session 4: Watch for correct responses while students play the song game.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Second Languages (2005)
Grade 1
- Goal 5: COMPARISONS - The learner will develop insight into the nature of language and culture by comparing his/her own language(s) and culture(s) to others.
- Objective 5.02: Identify similarities and differences of tangible products (e.g., toys, sports equipment, food) of the target cultures and his/her own.
Grade 2
- Goal 5: COMPARISONS - The learner will develop insight into the nature of language and culture by comparing his/her own language(s) and culture(s) to others.
- Objective 5.02: Identify similarities and differences of tangible products (e.g., toys, sports equipment, food) of the target cultures and his/her own.
Kindergarten
- Goal 5: COMPARISONS - The learner will develop insight into the nature of language and culture by comparing his/her own language(s) and culture(s) to others.
- Objective 5.02: Identify similarities and differences of tangible products (e.g., toys, sports equipment, food) of the target cultures and his/her own.



