This past year in my preschool class we talked about opposites (los opuestos) using the book Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Ricitos de oro y los tres osos) by Ana Lomba.The new vocabulary I introduced:
grande - big
mediano(a) - medium
pequeño(a) - small
blando(a) - soft
duro(a) - hard
frío(a) - cold
caliente - hot
First we talked about the words in Spanish. I had three balls (small, medium, big), some cottonballs (soft), a wooden block (hard) and then for the last two I used a bit of sign language since they were pretty easy to understand without using English. (With hot I did the sign and then waved my hand in front of my mouth like I had just eaten something hot.)
After I felt sure the children understood the words, I read the book aloud in Spanish - in a lively manner. (No need to read it in English since it's so well-known.) What I like about this version of the story is that Lomba simplified it so that kids wouldn't get bored. The children would listen very intently and look at the pictures just as if they were listening in English. I did not hear one peep out of them as I read it. After I was finished, they would ask me to read it again!
Since our class was so short we just talked about the opposites, but at the back of the book is a list of key vocabulary words used in the book with pictures. Also, and this is the best thing, is that the book comes with a cd which also makes this a perfect tool for parents teaching their children at home. On the cd, you'll find the vocabulary and story in both English and Spanish, how to use the cd effectively (great ideas!) and also tracks for each character to so that you can even do a dramatic skit or puppet show.
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4 comments:
I love this book! I started a little side business last year where we do Spanish book fairs at different schools with Spanish programs. This book always sold out really fast (as did most of the other bilingual books). Have you seen Little Red Riding Hood?
Yes, I have that one as well except I don't read all of it to the preschoolers. You know, the part about the woodcutter cutting open the wolf's belly...
Ana Lomba has some really great materials. I use her "hop, skip and sing Spanish". It has some really simple songs and activities. One of the songs in this cd is for the story of Goldilockg. I love telling this story... I tell my own version to teach opposites and to teach the phrases:
Me gusta
No me gusta
Example:
esta silla, no me gusta
esta silla, si me gusta
at the end of the story, I tell my little students that osito is very sad because he is hungry and goldilocks ate his food. So we all pretend to make "tortillitas" by singing the traditional song:
tortillitas para mama
tortillitas para papa...
It's so cute to see them "flipping" the tortillas with their hands :)
Oh, and I love her goodbye song on that cd. We sing that one at the end of class every time. :)
I like the "me gusta, no me gusta"... good idea!
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