Since in many of my classes my students read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle, and also to support the butterfly unit they explore in their homerooms, I came up with an adapted version which I love calling “la versión criolla” of Eric Carle’s story. This oruga decides to take a trip around Latin America and tries different traditional dishes. I used a picture of a caterpillar, a big colorful map, and pictures of the different traditional dishes and places where they originate that la oruga visited. Children had fun learning about the different dishes, and it was also an opportunity to learn about geography and the butterfly life cycle in Spanish!
La Oruga Comelona
En un día en el que hace sol, la oruga sale de su huevo para cantar una canción:
“Tengo hambre, tengo hambre, debo crecer muy grande. Mis maletas debo empacar y por Latinoamérica me voy a viajar”
El lunes comió en Colombia un sancocho que la dejó como un ocho.
El martes fue a México, comió un pozole y luego se durmió sobre unas flores.
El miércoles fue a la República Dominicana, comió mofongo y se quedó dormida sobre un hongo.
El jueves fue a Cuba, comió tostones y se quedó dormida sobre un par de cajones.
El viernes se fue a Argentina, se comió unos alfajores que después le dieron dolores.
El sábado fue a Perú y comió ceviche como loca que otra oruga la confundió con una foca.
El domingo fue a Ecuador y sintió que comer una hoja sería mejor.
Después de tanto viajar, a su casa en Colombia tenía que regresar. Había ganado tanto peso que ya no cabía en la hoja de su árbol de cerezo.
¡Upa, upa, es hora de construir una pupa! Y después de tanta fiesta en su nueva casa decidió tomar unalarga siesta.
En la mañana, junto al sol, de la pupa una linda mariposa salió.
I always love bringing literature to support my lessons during the middle of a unit or to end a unit. I have found it difficult to find books that are well written in English and Spanish. Sometimes the translations are not very relevant to the original text in Spanish which makes it lose flavor when reading in class. These books are well written in both languages and the author, Adriana Pacheco, wrote both the Spanish and English versions.
The stories in each book are simple and easy to understand. The colorful illustrations represent accurately what is being expressed in the text and place the readers in the settings of the story. Many of the characters make multiple appearances in various stories, helping readers become more familiar with them, and many of the situations are very relevant to the day to day life of young learners. Each book includes a CD, and these are perfect to support listening skills in Spanish and English. What’s best, the speakers in the CD’s are native with very clear pronunciation! In each CD you will find the stories read in Spanish and English with time for the children to read along with the speaker. Even though these books are bilingual, the languages are not mixed together in sentences, a major bonus that is too often ignored by teachers and curriculum developers who think that a child needs immediate translation, forgetting that a young language learner’s mind is very different than their own! I love the idea of having bilingual books with audio because it is a tool that children who are learning or exploring the language can take home to invite their parents into their process of learning a new language.
2. Share the love with other friends! Let them know about Fun for Spanish Teachers andHeritage Language Booksand encourage them to join as fans of each of our sites. 3. Stay tuned and check back often! The winner will be announced on July 21st, 2012. You will have 24 hours to contact me to claim your prize.
4. The book will be sent as soon as you contact me with delivery details.
5. Enjoy reading and exploring the wonderful world of language learning!
¡Hola! I am Carolina, a Colombian elementary Spanish teacher based in Boston, MA. Fun for Spanish Teachers is the result of my passion for teaching Spanish to children and my desire to inspire collaboration and creativity in a vibrant teaching and learning community. It’s the perfect stop if you are looking for songs, games, teaching tips, stories, and fun for your classes.
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