Learning with Children’S Melodies/Aprende Con Melodías Infantiles: Spanish Lessons with a Thematic Approach for Preschool Through the Primary Grades

By Yvette T. Barrett

The focus of Learning with Childrens Melodies/Aprende con Melodas Infantiles is to recognize the need to transition children of Hispanic heritage into an English-speaking school system by building a classroom culture that not only recognizes the bilingual reality of its students but uses the language difference of the students as a vehicle to create linguistic empowerment. Each of the lessons is based on childrens songs from various ethnic cultures that make up the United States of America, including Latin American traditional songs.

Literacy is accomplished more rapidly if reading materials have cultural relevance. If the protagonists of a story are Hispanic, the Hispanic students will be more attentive to the lesson. In the first lesson song, Los Pollitos (the little chicks), there are personifications of children with attributes of all children. The embodiment of childlike personality traits into the little chicks catches the interest of students that are English-speaking and Spanish-speaking. Repetition of vocabulary learned in the morning circle and in the other learning centers throughout the day will increase retention.

Happy learning to you and your class!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Apr 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504903356

Yvette T. Barrett

The author and artist, Yvette T. Barrett, was born in Los Ebanos, Texas, a rural border town along the Rio Grande River, whose population is Mexican American. She grew up in Hialeah and Miami, Florida, in a multicultural population that included Americans from various ancestries reflected all over the USA, but mostly Hispanic. Inclined to study the arts from an early age, she received a BA in Arts from FSU. At Chapman University, she received an elementary K–8 classroom teacher certification. She was certified to teach in the states of Arizona and New Mexico and was a classroom teacher for nine years. As a children’s case manager for a mental health facility for two years, she assisted the psychologists in linking their clients to community services and helped the children with individual education plans to improve academically and socially.

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© 2015 Yvette T. Barrett. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 04/02/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-0334-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-0335-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015905112

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Table of Contents

Each Lesson Includes: An Illustrated Lyrics Poster; & A Lesson Plan for the literary and language focus (the songs) in the Circle Activities. Lesson Centers Activities are thematically linked to the songs in the Circle Activity.

Lesson 1: Los Pollitos (The little Chicks)

Lesson 2: Las Mañanitas

Lesson 3: La Araña Pequeñita (The Itsy Bitsy Spider)

Lesson 4: La Raspa (lyrics by Yvette T. Barrett)

Lesson 5: Los Animales del Amazonas / The Animals of the Amazon

Lesson 6: Mi Perrito

Lesson 7: La Bruja Hilda / Hilda the Witch

Lesson 8: Sobre el Río y a través del Bosque / Over the River and through the Woods

Lesson 9: Le Deseamos una Féliz Navidad / We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Lesson 10: Uno, Dos, Tres, Pingüinos Pequeñitos / One, Two, Three, Wee Penguins

Bibliography * Discography * References

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Acknowledgements

I would like to start by saying that during my professional experience as an educator of young children in the pre- school through primary grades in the states of New Mexico and Arizona I received a great deal of cultural education from the schools I worked at. The administrators, Principals, fellow teachers, parents and students inspired me to write this book.

While researching for material that would serve as a lesson spring board for educating students in bilingual classrooms I came across beautifully expressive music by Juanita Ulloa (Canta Conmigo CD; Canta Conmigo Songbook; Latin American Songs for Piano). Ms. Ulloa provided me with encouragement and advice while working on my manuscript. I feel deeply indebted to her for her help and council.

While seeking professional expertise in the Spanish language I consulted with Manuel Rodriguez Acting Head of the Language Institute at Western New Mexico University in Silver City New Mexico. He reviewed and edited my Manuscript for errors in Spanish.

Preface

Within this book you will find a thematic approach to teaching literacy at the Pre-school and Primary Grade Levels of Kindergarten through Third grades. Each of the lessons are based on children’s songs from various ethnic cultures that make up the United States of America including Latin American traditional songs. Los Animales del Amazonas / The Animals of the Amazon has lyrics adapted to the Mexican Folk song La Cucaracha, The Itsy Bitsy Spider was originally Incy Wincy Spider from England. All the songs exhibit the universal language of play that all children understand.

The focus of Learning with Children’s Melodies / Aprende con Melodías Infantiles is to recognize the need to transition children of Hispanic heritage into an English speaking school system by building a classroom culture that not only recognizes the bilingual reality of its students, but uses the language difference of the students as a vehicle to create linguistic empowerment. The songs are in Spanish and English, enabling those that speak English to help classmates learn English and those that speak Spanish to help their classmates to learn Spanish. The lessons are designed especially for United States communities with a large Hispanic population.

Literacy is accomplished more rapidly if reading materials have cultural relevance. If the protagonists of a story are Hispanic the Hispanic students will be more attentive to the lesson. In Los Pollitos (the little Chicks), the main characters are personifications of children with attributes of all children, this catches the interest of students that are English speaking and Spanish speaking. Repetition of vocabulary learned in the morning circle in the other learning centers throughout the day will increase retention.

The lesson is introduced at the Learning Circle at the beginning of