Read Aloud Activity Plan

Read Aloud Activity Plan # 3                    Your Name    Dianne Watts

Ages of Children Participating:  3&4

Book Title

Senor Don Gato, A traditional song as told by Alexandra Heil

Concepts

 This book has many emotions to investigate; loving, surprised, hurt, concerned, thoughtful, sad, interested, and happy.  As a poem (or song), there are rhyming words to explore.

Domains (highlight all addressed)

cognitive  :  social  :  emotional  :  physical  :  creative

Content Areas (highlight all addressed)

dramatic play  :  science  :  math  :  language/literacy  :  art  :  music  : 

physical (if you encourage dancing or marching to the beat) :

social studies/anti-bias (Latin American setting, and he thinks the fat can is pretty) :  social-emotional  :  other

Materials Needed

The book has a guitar score for those who play guitar.  Otherwise bring the CD and player.  Maracas or shaker instruments would help the children get involved.

Opening

Start the music and hold up the book to capture their attention.

Strategies for Reading

Encourage the children to predict the rhyming word at the end of each line.

Have the children sing “meow, meow, meow” during the chorus

Have the children shake maracas during the chorus to teach timing. 

Have the children clap the rhythm (fast & slow).

Use fast and slow to express emotion (slow when sad or concerned, fast when excited or happy)

Questions

Don Gato broke his little solar plexis.  What do you think that is?

When he fell off the roof he cried, “Ay Caramba!”  What do you think that means?

The doctors held a consultation.  What do you think a consultation is?

Differentiation

For a child with short attention span, physical participation such as singing “meow, meow, meow” or playing the maracas generally help them stay on task. 

           

Extensions

1.      Encourage the children to act out the story.

2.      Use a chart of facial expressions to have children identify emotions.  Have the children point to the facial expressions that you describe.  Compare them to the facial expressions in the book.  Have the children practice facial expressions to describe the emotions in the book.  Use a mirror. 

3.      Discuss that people come in different sizes and colors.  Don Gato thought that white and fluffy, nice and fat was pretty.  Some people like dark and skinny better.  What other combinations are there?  What makes a person attractive other than color or shape.