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  • ¡Come Bien! Eat Right!
    Tools for Teaching
    ¡Come Bien! Eat Right!
    Promoting Healthy Nutrition and Dual Language Development through Daily Singing in English and Spanish
    by Carla B. Herrera, Two-Way Immersion Specialist

En Español

Download a PDF of this lesson plan →

Summary:

¡Come Bien! Eat Right! is a charming, educational bilingual collection of 36 songs (19 each in Spanish and English) and activities promoting healthy nutrition for children and adults by award-winning author, educator, and singer José-Luis Orozco. The songs provide the catalyst to ignite interest and enhance students’ learning about good nutrition and healthy habits while developing oral language and early literacy skills in English and Spanish, for both first- and second-language learners, and engaging their families as partners in their children’s education.

Suggested Grade Levels: Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten, K-2, and beyond

Countries and Regions: USA, Mexico, and all of Latin America

Cultural Group: For dual language learners, bilingual, or monolingual speakers of English and/or Spanish. more

These activities are particularly useful in a dual language classroom, first and second language development and biliteracy settings, but they also provide culturally relevant music and language awareness in any classroom or home setting.

Genre: Latin American, Children’s Music

Instruments: Voice, body, palmas ”hand-claps,” percussion, rain stick, Brazilian percussion, more

Afro-Colombian percussion, conga, snare drum, marimbol, guitar, guitarrón, Cuban tres, electric tres, jarocho-style guitarra de son, jarana, leona, quinto sonero, requinto, bajo-sexto, accordion, violin, bass, upright bass, baby bass, requinto romántico.

Languages: English and Spanish

Co-Curricular Areas: Health and Nutrition, Science, Social Studies, English and Spanish Language Arts, English and Spanish Second Language Development

National Standards (of Music Education): 1, 3, 6, 8, 9
The target age of preschool to primary-aged children will participate in adapted developmentally appropriate activities as precursors to building proficiency by grade four, as related to: more

Content Standard 1: Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music

  • Students sing expressively, and with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, interpretation.

Content Standard 3: Improvising melodies, variations and accompaniments

  • Students improvise “answers” in the same style to given rhythmic and melodic phrases
  • Students improvise rhythmic and simple melody embellishments on familiar melodies

Content Standard 6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music

  • Students demonstrate perceptual skills by moving, by answering questions about, and by describing aural examples of music of various styles representing diverse cultures
  • Students identify the sounds of a variety of instruments, including many orchestra and band instruments, and instruments from various cultures, as well as children’s voices and male and female adult voices
  • Students respond through purposeful movement (E.g., swaying, skipping, dramatic play), to selected prominent music characteristics (E.g., meter, dynamics, tempo) or to specific music events while listening to music

Content Standard 8: Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts

  • Students identify ways in which the principles and subject matter of other disciplines taught in the school are interrelated with those of music (E.g., foreign languages: singing songs in various languages; language arts … geography … songs related with various countries or regions)

Content Standard 9: Understanding music in relation to history and culture

  • Students describe in simple terms how elements of music are used in music examples from various cultures of the world (E.g., foreign languages: singing songs in various languages; language arts)
  • Students identify and describe roles of musicians in various music settings and cultures (E.g., orchestra conductor, folksinger, church organist)
  • Students identify various uses of music in their daily experiences and describe characteristics that make certain music suitable for each use (celebration of special occasions, background music …)
  • Students demonstrate audience behavior appropriate for the context and style of music performed.

Prerequisites: No prior musical knowledge needed for students to participate and succeed. The songs and activities provide the context for students’ awareness to music, movement, conversations about healthy nutrition, and language development.

Objectives

Children, teachers and families will participate in: more

  • Singing, chanting and response to music
  • Developmentally appropriate activities and conversations for school and home about family traditions, healthy habits, nutrition awareness, moderate food portions and the five food groups.
  • Oral language and early literacy development in English and Spanish
    • Learn and discuss song-related English-language proverbs and Spanish-language dichos to develop first and second language skills in a culturally relevant way to involve children and their families at home and at school.
    • Practice nutritional-related vocabulary through the context of the songs
    • Promote language awareness about the similarities of Spanish and English words and cross-linguistic transfer through highlighting “cognates” – words that are very similar in sound or spelling, such as “fruit” in English and “fruta” in Spanish. Spanish words are italicized in word pairs for emphasis in word pairs: fruta/fruit.
Video: José-Luis Orozco Canta “El Baile de las Legumbres”

Video: José-Luis Orozco Canta “El Baile de las Legumbres”

Materials

  • ¡Come bien! Eat Right! CD with song lyrics inside accompanied booklet more
  • CD player with speakers
  • Floor space large enough to move around
  • Percussion instruments, if available, to accompany songs
  • Routine classroom items as specified with each theme or song, some also to be made available for simple home activities
    • Chart paper to create lyrics large enough to be seen by a whole class
    • Construction paper to create student books of dictations and drawings
    • Crayons, scissors, paste or glue
    • Photos of foods from newspaper food advertisements and magazines
    • Paper plates
  • Real foods when possible to provide concrete experiences
  • If possible, set up a classroom dramatic play center. Provide props for a home kitchen with cultural utensils, including a molinillo – wooden tool used to froth chocolate. Provide opportunities related to professionals and roleplay for agriculture and food industry, grocery store, market or restaurant. Include writing tools and paper to make shopping lists and menus.

Lesson Segments:

Come Bien! Eat Right! Three Themes with Activities

An approach to develop three themes combines all of the Spanish and English songs as described below. Songs from the three themes are subsequently addressed entirely in Spanish and English language formats in separate sections.

more

Organization of Themes and All Songs listed by language and CD Track
Tracks 1 through 19 are sung in Spanish. Tracks 20 through 38 are English versions of the same songs.

1. Let’s Share Our Cultural Traditions, Healthy Attitudes and Habits Together

Spanish Songs CD Track #
1 A la madre tierra damos gracias
2 Manos limpias
4 Come bien
14 Chocolate
English Songs CD Track #
20 Our Mother Earth Thanksgiving
21 Clean Hands
23 Eat Right
33 Chocolate

2. What’s on my plate for balanced meals?

Spanish Songs CD Track #
3 La comida en mi plato
5 Sabrosos colores
18 Botana
19 Agua
English Songs CD Track #
22 The Food on my Plate
24 Tasty Colors
37 Snack
38 Water

3. Let’s Investigate the Five Food Groups

Vegetables “Veggies”
Spanish Songs CD Track #
7 Verduras
8 Ensalada fresca
English Songs CD Track #
26 Veggies
27 Fresh Salad (Also for fruits)
Fruit
Spanish Songs CD Track #
6 Conga de las frutas
11 Compadre, cómpreme un coco
English Songs CD Track #
25 The Fruit Conga
30 Compadre, buy me a coconut
Grains
Spanish Songs CD Track #
15 Avena
16 Pan integral
17 Tortilla
English Songs CD Track #
Grains
34 Oatmeal
35 Whole Grain Bread
36 Tortilla
Protein
Spanish Songs CD Track #
9 La gallina de Juanito
10 Vamos a la mar
12 El baile de las legumbres
English Songs CD Track #
28 Juanito’s Chicken
29 Let’s Go to the Sea
31 The Legumes Dance
Dairy
Spanish Song CD Track #
13 Leche
English Song CD Track #
32 Milk

THEME ONE

Let’s Share Our Cultural Traditions, Healthy Attitudes, and Habits Together

A. Preparing the Classroom Environment and Practices to Promote Oral Language and Early Literacy Development in First and Second Languages with ¡Come Bien! Eat Right!

Click to view recording details

“Come bien”
from ¡Come Bien! Eat Right! (2015) | SFW45077

  1. Begin each day by singing! Introduce new vocabulary through the songs to provide a context to focus on good nutrition, healthy habits and contributions from home traditions.
  2. Plan room environment, spaces for learning centers and activities for whole and small groups that involve the five senses for active teaching and motivation for learning.
  3. Set up a classroom dramatic play center. Provide props for a home kitchen with cultural utensils, including a molinillo – wooden tool used to froth chocolate.
  4. Rotate the dramatic play center with props related to professionals and role-play for agriculture and food industry, grocery store, market, or restaurant. Include writing tools and paper to make shopping lists and menus.
  5. Have students think, speak, and listen with partners about concepts from songs.
  6. Use concepts to inspire shared writing and morning messages; extend to related activities for discussion or pre-writing that can lead to larger projects.
  7. Use movement and percussion instruments to engage children.
Drawing by parents of Parkview Elementary, South El Monte, California

Drawing by parents of Parkview Elementary, South El Monte, California. Photo by Carla B. Herrera.

B. Prepare for Activities to Introduce the Theme and Songs

  1. In addition to teaching about healthy habits and good nutrition, present the songs to provide a meaningful context beginning with activities to teach
    1. proverbs and Sayings/Dichos and affirm home language and culture
    2. vocabulary in the context to present the songs
    3. dual language development and awareness of cross-linguistic transfer and similarities by highlighting cognates – words that are similar – in both Spanish and English.
  2. Create a large poster of lyrics for each song (teacher or adult-created)
    1. Read lyrics from posters in shared reading activities.
    2. After singing many times and children are familiar with lyrics, use print from lyrics to teach foundational literacy skills appropriate to grade level.
  3. Create a collaborative class book with each song, place in classroom library for children to read.
    1. Option 1: Whole Class Authored Book: Each children creates and illustrates a page with own writing or dictation about important concepts to remember from song. Pages are compiled into a classroom book with a student-decorated cover
    2. Option 2: Small Group Created Book: Students work in teams or small groups to create several books, as above. Each group decorates a cover and more books are read over and over in classroom library during reading and center time.
  4. Create collaborative classroom books and/or individual books to read and teach proverbs and dichos as well as sharing family traditions related to the songs.
    1. In addition to the proverbs and dichos presented with each song, invite families to contribute their own favorite family sayings, proverbs, tongue twisters, riddles and rhymes to create collaborative classroom books and presentations in English and Spanish representative of all children and families.
    2. Invite families to write, illustrate and record their own voices with available technology devices.
    3. Compare the themes, cultural importance and vocabulary across the two languages. The Spanish language family contributions may contain dichos, refranes, proverbios, trabalenguas, y adivinanzas and rimas.
  5. Invite families to come into class to share the origin of favorite recipes and help with cooking and tasting experiences. Learn about where families have come from. Share their origin and compare how favorite foods, recipes and preparation have changed or remained the same over time.
  6. Talk about ways to protect Mother Earth by reducing trash: reuse items, creatively repurpose, and recycle plastics, glass, etc.
    1. Investigate how trash and garbage are recycled or placed into local landfills
    2. Plan and practice Reducing, Reusing and Recycling Practices at school and at home
    3. Plan with children and families to help collect recyclables for classroom art and craft projects, and use in an art center.
  7. Family Engagement Project Ideas
    1. Create a home version of the Songbook with lyrics of ¡Come Bien! Eat Right!
      1. Read the lyrics of the song in the home language
      2. Sing songs at home and talk about the messages
      3. Collaboratively illustrate the songs and describe each illustration
    2. Create a Poster Board to show Drawings and/or Photos of Family
      1. May be designed as family tree or other creative display
      2. Show favorite foods and/or family occasions when food is shared
      3. Display in classroom
      4. Invite families to visit classroom, view and discuss the displays
    3. Cook together at home, share a favorite recipe
      1. Sing Manos Limpias/Clean Hands while washing hands
      2. Involve child in preparation of food, as age-appropriate
      3. Talk about the ingredients and steps of preparation
      4. Write out the recipe, child decorates the border on the page
      5. Return page to school to be compiled into a classroom recipe book; teacher/school may make copies for families to share, read and try out at home
Drawing by children of Bell Gardens Elementary, Bell Gardens, California. Photo by Lilia Sarmiento.

Drawing by children of Bell Gardens Elementary, Bell Gardens, California. Photo by Lilia Sarmiento.

C. Lesson Segments: Sing the Songs in English

English Songs CD Track #
20 Our Mother Earth Thanksgiving
21 Clean Hands
23 Eat Right
33 Chocolate

1. CD Track #20 Our Mother Earth Thanksgiving

  1. PROVERBS
    1. The fresh food of the day, gives good health and happiness
    2. Health is Wealth
  2. VOCABULARY
    Mother Earth, thankful, bounty, prosperity, good health
    Introduce the Song:
    listen to the Vocabulary in Context
    In some countries, a special day is set aside each year for people to think about specific reasons to be thankful. In the United States and Puerto Rico, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated as a national holiday on the fourth Thursday in November every year. We spend this day enjoying traditions in the company of our family and friends. We share the delicious bounty of foods that our Mother Earth gives us, such as autumn’s luscious vegetables, fruits and grains to bring us prosperity and good health.
    1. Think and Talk:
      What are our family traditions or ways we share food? What are favorite foods?
  3. Giving Thanks
    1. Think about, then name one, two or three reasons to give thanks and be happy today. Draw a picture, then write or dictate a sentence or paragraph, “I am thankful and happy today because ____________.”
  4. Protecting Mother Earth
    1. Think, talk about, and plan ways for our class to show we are thankful for our Mother Earth by protecting our planet’s prosperity and our good health. (Examples: Reuse items instead of throwing away; recycle plastics and paper, etc.)
    2. Think about, and ask a friend about ways we can protect Mother Earth in our class.
  5. Describing Family Traditions
    1. Describe, then draw or paint about a happy family time or tradition with favorite foods from Mother Earth’s bounty.
  6. Family Engagement Projects
    1. Use recyclable items for art and crafts from home to help protect Mother Earth.
    2. Create and publish a class recipe book by asking families to share favorites.
    3. Have children help to name the ingredients and list the steps to prepare.
  7. Extensions at Home
    We can live healthy, happier lives every day by thinking about why we are thankful about what Mother Earth gives us, and how we can protect our planet.
    1. Think, talk, and share memories about meals or family traditions when we join together to enjoy foods from our Mother Earth’s bounty.
    2. Recall and talk about a favorite recipe shared by family members, relatives or ancestors
    3. Take an inventory of foods at home that are grown in Mother Earth.
    4. Think, talk about, and plan ways we can protect Mother Earth at home. Consider or discuss how the family recycles or reuses items instead of throwing them away.
    5. Practice sorting recyclable materials at home.
    6. Walk together on a family outing (such as to a park) instead of driving or using public transportation one day a week.

2. English Song CD Track #21 Clean Hands

  1. PROVERBS:
    1. Health, peace and love for a happy life.
  2. VOCABULARY
    1. health, peace, love, happy life, wash our hands, , water, soap, healthy, Pimpón, nice puppet, clean hands, dry and clean, healthy, brush our teeth
    2. Concept of time:
      1. before – after
      2.  before we eat - after we eat
  3. Introduce the Song
    Listen to the Vocabulary in Context:
    Which is more fun … washing our hands while we sing a song about the puppet Pimpón or enjoying a meal with our family or friends?

    Singer/Author José-Luis Orozco’s grandmother Doña María Victoria Ramos de Orozco taught him the sweet song about the puppet Pimpón, which is a very-well known song in Latin America. The song is adapted to make hand-washing and tooth-brushing fun!
    Let’s sing CLEAN HANDS while we wash our hands and brush our teeth. Our hands will be all clean, sweet smelling and ready to enjoy a delicious meal in good company of our loved ones! Then afterward, we’ll have clean and healthy teeth for a friendly smile!
  4. Talk and draw and about what you do during different times of the day:
    1. Before eating – after eating
    2. Before going to school – after going to school
    3. Before doing homework – after doing homework
  5. Creativity in the Art Center and Dramatic Play Area
    1. Make a puppet like Pimpón out of recycled paper, cardboard or recycled material.
    2. Use recycled materials or blocks to make a puppet theater and puppet show.
  6. Physical Activity
    1. While listening to the song, pantomime the motions of turning on the water, putting soap on the hands and then washing your hands. Make sure to scrub between the fingers, and on top of the hands as well as the palms. Then pretend to brush your teeth.
  7. Extensions at home
    1. Sing the song while washing hands.
    2. Tell stories about Pimpón or other characters of favorite childhood songs, rhymes or stories.
    3. Ask relatives to tell their childhood stories, proverbs, saying, or riddles and describe how they learned them.
      1. Write, and illustrate, including information about the author of your own stories. Share with the class by talking and compiling into a collection of Our Class’s Family Stories.

3. English Song CD Track #23 Eat Right

  1. PROVERBS:
    1. Healthy food and a daily walk for a lasting life.
    2. The best medicine, healthy food from the kitchen
  2. VOCABULARY:
    centenarians, grandpa, grandma, grandparents, healthy, good, daily walk, lasting life, eat, healthy, right, nutrition, moderation, balanced, working out, labels, fat, carbs, sugar, salt, junk food, healthy foods

Introduce the Song:
Listen to the Vocabulary in Context
Do you know anyone who has lived to be 100 years old?

People who live to the age of 100 years or more are called centenarians. There are more known centenarians alive today in the United States than in any other country.

Of course there are many things that allow a person to live a long and healthy life, but let’s sing EAT RIGHT to remind us about the importance of good nutrition and daily exercise to keep us healthy.

In some cases, our family members from earlier times ate more fresh food, less processed food, and did more physical activity in their daily lives than we may do today. Now we need to consciously plan daily exercise and activity.

Drawing by parents of Parkview Elementary, South El Monte, California. Photo by Carla B. Herrera.

Drawing by parents of Parkview Elementary, South El Monte, California. Photo by Carla B. Herrera.

  1. Healthy Habits: Eating right and Physical Activity
    1. Brainstorm how we can “eat right” as the songs suggest and do more physical activity or exercise to help us live a long healthy life.
      1. What does “junk food” mean in the song?
      2. What makes food “nutritious” and either healthy or “not healthy?’
    2. Fold a paper in half and write headings on each side:
      1. Yes – healthy food
      2. No – “Junk food”, not healthy
      3. Cut out and classify photos of various foods from newspaper ads or magazines into the two groups:
        1. Yes – healthy food
        2. No – “Junk food”, not healthy
        3. Share the activity and pictures with your friends talk about each other’s pictures
        4. Which foods do you see in common?
      4. Draw and label individual pictures of all the foods and beverages you have consumed in the last 24 hours
      5. Talk about which foods and beverages belong in each category and share your results
  2. Physical Activity
    1. Let’s run around the playground before an active game during recess. Let’s move and dance! Think and share with a partner, “My favorite physical activity is ______________ because ____________________.”
    2. The great beat of the song allows for different physical activities. Create different difficulty levels from marching to the beat of the song to jumping in and out of two lines of masking tape.
      1. Tape two long parallel lines and decide the steps for coming in and out of the lines. Invite the children to follow along clapping to the song.
      2. If necessary, have three or four sets of lines so the children don’t have to wait their turn.
  3. For Further Research and Discussion
    1. Why is exercise/physical activity necessary?
    2. Which exercises/physical activities help to strengthen the heart?
    3. Why is some food called “junk food”?
    4. How can the foods I like be prepared in the healthiest way?
    5. How do some people live to 100 years old? What is their life style?
    6. What do we need to do in order to live to be 100 years old?
  4. Extensions at home
    1. At home, find and read the labels of packaged food, such as bread or cereal, as well as canned food you may have available.
    2. Let’s ask our families what they know about our ancestors’ way of life to learn about the customs and traditions of our rich cultural heritage. Let’s go for a walk together or play an active game at the park! Let’s move and dance!
Video: José-Luis Orozco & Kids Play “Chocolate”

Video: José-Luis Orozco & Kids Play “Chocolate”

4. English Song CD Track #33 Chocolate

  1. PROVERB:
    1. Drink chocolate, pay what you owe….. - A popular line from the traditional Cuban song “El Bodeguero” or The Grocer
  2. VOCABULARY:
    One, two, three, chocolate, stir, molinillo
  3. Cognates: chocolate/chocolate
    Introduce the song with vocabulary development for first and second language:
    1. Sing the song with gestures, demonstrating the meaning of “stir” and the Spanish term “molinillo. The molinillo is a wooden whisk-like tool used to froth drinks and is an important artifact in the history of chocolate, representing the encounter between the New World and the Old World.
    2. Phonological awareness: Sing and segment, emphasizing syllables in the Spanish word “cho-co-la-te.”
    3. Sing slowly, then faster along with the recording to develop pronunciation and fluency in Spanish.
  4. Dramatic Play Area
    1. In the kitchen center, include cultural tools and utensils, such as the wooden molinillo used to stir and foam hot chocolate, the molcajete (stone or modern plastic mortar and pestle), etc.
  5. Family Engagement
    1. Make hot chocolate, sing the song while using the molinillo to stir, beat and create foam on the top.

THEME TWO

What’s on my plate for balanced meals?

A. These songs lead to conversations for children and families to think about, observe and discuss which foods they choose during meals and snacks.  The awareness helps them consider which foods to select for healthy snacks and reminds them of the importance of water to stay hydrated.

English Songs CD Track #
22 The Food on my Plate
24 Tasty Colors
37 Snack
38 Water

1. CD Track # 22 The Food on my Plate

  1. PROVERBS:
    1. The fresh food of the day, gives good health and happiness
    2. Health is Wealth.
  2. VOCABULARY:
    1. choose, wisely, well-balanced, five, moderate, portions, food, plate, salad, vegetables, fruit, protein, grains, dairy, milk
    2. First and Second Language Development: Cognates: balanced/balanceada; moderate/moderada; portions/porciones; plate/plato; salad/ensalada; fruit/fruta; protein/proteína; grains/granos
    3. Introduce the Song:
      Listen to the Vocabulary in Context
      Do you know how many food groups there are for good, well-balanced nutrition?
      There are five food groups; each is important, but not all are the same serving sizes for children to grow strong and adults to remain healthy:
      1. Vegetables
      2. Fruit
      3. Protein
      4. Grains
      5. Dairy products
      Let’s sing and learn about how to choose moderate portion sizes wisely on our ideal plate. The largest portions should be vegetables and fruit, very delicious in fresh salads! We can get the protein our bodies need from various foods. We can enjoy vegetables and fruits that contain protein, such as broccoli and avocado. Beans and other legumes contain lots of protein. We should eat moderate portions of meat, fish and poultry. Important grains are found in whole wheat bread and tortillas. Milk, cheese and yogurt enrich us with dairy products. People who are lactose-intolerant may drink almond milk or soy milk.
  3. Let’s make our plate!
    1. Provide children with a paper plate and magazines or grocery advertisements that show pictures and photos of food items that can be cut and glued onto their plates.
      1. Younger children may need to have pre-cut pictures of food items.
      2. Children and their family members can do this activity together. They should be encouraged to discuss the various food choices with each other as they are working on their plate activity.
      3. Ask the children to look at each other’s plates and give them an opportunity to talk about the foods they chose.
        1. Explain that eating a variety of foods can help their bodies to grow and be stronger as well as have energy to work and play.
      4. Encourage their discussion by asking:
        1. How many foods do you have on your plate?
        2. What colors are the foods on your plate?
        3. How do you think the food helps your body?
        4. What do we need to learn about food to make healthy choices for meals or snacks?
        5. What is an important liquid to drink during the day?
  4. Physical Activity
    1. Provide each child with ribbon, crepe paper or a scarf, alternating the colors in groups of five. If possible, color code, using:
      1. green for vegetables,
      2. red for fruits,
      3. white for dairy,
      4. orange for grains
      5. purple for protein.
    2. Create a large “plate” with string, masking tape or a hula hoop for children to move around.
    3. Have the children stand in groups by color. As the song plays, they will move around the room, waving their ribbons. As each food group is named, they should raise their ribbons together. By the end of the song they should be in groups of five - one group for each of the five food groups.
  5. Extensions at Home
    1. Talk about the foods chosen on the paper plate activity (described above) made by your child. Ask your child why each food item was chosen and name which food items can be found at home.
    2. As a family, make a paper platter, using photos and drawings of foods in moderate portions to paste on the plate to “serve to the family.” Remember that the largest portions should be of vegetables and fruits.
    3. Serve lean protein of fish or chicken for dinner at least two or three times per week.

2. English Song CD Track # 24 Tasty Colors

  1. PROVERB:
    1. A colorful and friendly plate for a healthy life!
  2. VOCABULARY:
    bright, colors, fruits, veggies, springtime, vitamins, minerals, meals, joy, flavors, delicious
  3. First and Second Language Development: Cognates:
    colors/colores; fruits/frutas; veggies, vegetables/vegetales; natural/natural; vitamins/vitaminas; minerals/minerales; delicious/deliciosos
    Introduce the Song:
    Listen to the Vocabulary in Context
    Have you noticed that fruits and vegetables are available in many vibrant colors? Some fruit may be bright yellow, such as bananas, yet apples can shine as red, green or yellow. Some veggies are very orange, such as carrots, but beets can be purple, yellow or orange. Each fruit and vegetable is unique, delicious, full of color and full of vitamins and minerals. Each one is special and unique – just as our friends and we are all special and unique!
  4. Make concrete graph of fruits or vegetables
    1. Invite children to bring in a fruit or vegetable from home. Along with friends, look at and compare their favorite fruits and vegetables.
    2. Favorite fruits: Line up the fruits or vegetables to make a graph and see if more than one person chooses the same favorite.
    3. Fruit colors: Compare the fruits or vegetables and line them up again to make a new graph by color only.
      1. Are there different fruits and vegetables that have the same color?
      2. Are there similar fruits or vegetables that have a different color?
  5. Family Engagement
    1. Enlist an adult to cut the fruits and vegetables from the real graph as described previously into pieces to discover something new:
      1. Compare and contrast:
        1. Which fruits and vegetables have the same color inside?
        2. Which fruits and vegetables have a different color inside than the rind or skin on the outside?
      2. Think, pair and share what you have discovered.
  6. Plan a field trip to a local store or market.
    1. Let’s visit and search at the grocery store, market to discover how many different colors of fruits and vegetables we can find.
    2. Option: If not possible to visit a store or market, use photos from food advertisements or magazines to discover the colors of fruits and vegetables.
  7. Extensions at Home
    1. Let’s also look at home to find which colors of fruits and vegetables we have to make our own meals.

3. English Song CD Track # 37 Snack

  1. PROVERBS:
    1. Choose your snack wisely.
    2. For a healthy and happy life, a delicious botana (snack) and also a song with a guitar and a jarana (Mexican string instrument)
  2. VOCABULARY:
    1. healthy snack, home, school, park, peanut butter, jelly, burrito
    2. Spanish words: Jarana - string instrument, typical of Veracruz, Mexico; botana - snack

Introduce the Song
Listen to the Vocabulary in Context

Introduce the song with vocabulary development for first and second language:
What is a botana? When you need a little bit of energy, you eat a botana. Botana is a Spanish language word that means “snack.” Spanish speakers use other words to say “snack” in Spanish, depending on the region or country where they are from. Many people say “bocadillo,” “ picada” or “merienda” to explain about their snacks. A botana (also bocadillo, picada or merienda - snack) is a little bit of food to eat during the afternoon or evening, in between large meals, such as between lunch and dinner.

A botana (snack), such as a burrito with peanut butter can be a healthy treat. A botana (snack) is for you, for everyone and me.

  1. Interesting Points about Regionalisms in the Spanish Language

Do you know another Spanish word to say “maní” (peanuts)? It is very interesting to compare different words and names in the Spanish language that are used in various countries and locations where Spanish is spoken. Language is influenced in different regions when people new have experiences and contact with others from other backgrounds. For example, the Spanish word in the song meaning peanut is “maní.

People may use a variety of words to describe foods and customs, depending upon their family origins. For example in México, the word used for peanut may be “cacahuate” instead of “maní.” Cacahuate comes from “cacahuatl” the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs.

The Aztec people and the Nahuatl language have great importance and influence in the history, culture and even the Spanish language of México. When Spanish explorers arrived to the Américas and called it the New World, they found new ideas, customs and food, such as corn, cacao for chocolate and more. Nahuatl language words that end in “atl” like chocolatl, cacahuatl and aguacatl, have been adapted and transformed into Spanish words that end in “ate” such as chocolate, cacahuate and aguacate - chocolate, peanut and avocado!

  1. Physical Activity
    1. This song conjures the Caribbean sounds of Veracruz where the zapateado is danced. The dance uses quick steps in point and counterpoint, similar to Irish clogging and to a lesser extent tap dancing. Invite the children to move their feet in an accompanying rhythm as they dance around the room.
  2. Family Engagement
    1. Talk about the variety of words you have heard, including the word botanafrom the song. Are there other words in Spanish or English you know? Examples of words in Spanish might be guisantes/chícharos, china/naranja, albaricoque/chabacano, etc.
    2. What words do you use in English? Are there varieties of words that mean almost the same thing? Examples: hot dog/wiener/sausage; bun/roll/hoagie, etc.
    3. What word do you use to describe a botana?
      A botana (snack) is a little food to be eaten between regular meals, but is not intended to take the place of a meal. Plan some healthy and fun snacks with your children that can be prepared ahead of time. Talk about what they like when they are hungry and need some energy, such as after school. Plan together and place snacks into small bags, such as a cup of fresh or dried fruit, slices of vegetables cut into interesting shapes. Discuss where a healthy snack may be eaten for more energy, such as at school, home or a walk to a local park.

4. English Song CD Track # 38 Water

  1. PROVERBS:
    1. Water is the perfect drink for a long lasting life.
    2. Water is life, it must not be wasted.
  2. VOCABULARY:
    perfect drink, drink clean fresh water, nutrients, removes food wastes, protects vital organs, regulates body temperature
  3. Introduce the Chant:
    1. Write the chant onto a large chart, or onto sentence strips placed into a pocket chart.
    2. Divide the sentences of the chant to be read by small groups or team.
    3. Have each team think of a movement to demonstrate the meaning of the sentence.
    4. Read and chant along with the recording following the same rhythm, and act out the meaning through the movement.
    5. Think and share with a partner:
      “Water is the perfect drink for a long lasting life. One way water helps my body is ______________.”
  4. For Further Research, Family Engagement and Extensions at Home
    1. How do we know which water is safe to drink?
    2. Can we drink water from a river? How do we know?
    3. Why can’t we drink water from the ocean?
    4. Drink water instead of sugary drinks
    5. Discuss and practice drought-saving techniques to conserve water

THEME THREE

Let’s Investigate the Five Food Groups

This theme follows the Theme II “What’s on My Plate for Balanced Nutrition?” Post the lyrics on charts and involve families by providing individual songbooks to sing at home and practice early literacy activities in Spanish and English.

Students and families have spent time getting to sing and talk about a healthy plate with moderate portions from the five food groups. Now focus further on the exploration and tasting of foods from the five food groups.

A. Vegetables
B. Fruit
C. Grains
D. Protein
E. Dairy Products

English Songs CD Track #
Vegetables
26 Veggies
27 Fresh Salad (Also for fruits)
Fruit
25 The Fruit Conga
30 Compadre, buy me a coconut
Grains
34 Oatmeal
35 Whole Grain Bread
36 Tortilla
Protein
28 Juanito’s Chicken
31 The Legumes Dance
Dairy Products
32 Milk

Click to view recording details

“Veggies”
from ¡Come Bien! Eat Right! (2015) | SFW45077

A. Vegetables
1. English Song CD Track # 26 Veggies

  1. PROVERBS:
    1. With veggies life endures. With veggies life is good.
    2. With veggies and greens, we keep strong and lean.
  2. VOCABULARY:
    ages: kale, spinach, chard, broccoli, cucumbers, cauliflower, cilantro, lettuce, bok choy, zucchini, nopales, carrots, bell peppers, avocado, celery, pumpkins, green beans, cabbage, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, asparagus, eggplant, artichokes, beans, beets, corn
  3. First and Second Language Development: Cognates:
    brócoli/broccoli, coliflor/cauliflower, tomates/tomatoes
  4. Words that keep the same meaning, do not change language and are used universally by their original term:  cilantro, bok choy, frijoles
  5. For Research and Discussion:
    1. What are vegetables? How do we know something is a vegetable?
    2. How do vegetables grow? What is the best climate or conditions for vegetable to grow?
    3. Explore different ways to prepare vegetables
    4. Use your senses to compare how vegetables look, feel and taste.
    5. What happens to vegetables over time? Observe and draw how you see vegetables change over a 3 week time period.
  6. Family Engagement and Extensions at Home
    1. Observe and taste vegetables named in the song.
    2. Look for photos in magazines and newspapers to cut out and make flashcards for a class alphabet of wall cards.
    3. Make a Vegetable “Veggie” Alphabet Book, using names and beginning letter of vegetables representing each letter. Example: A-Asparagus, B-Beet, C-Cauliflower, etc.

2. English Song CD Track # 27 Fresh Salad (Also for fruits)

  1. PROVERBS:
    1. Eat to live, don’t live to eat.
    2. Fresh salad of the day, for good health and happiness.
  2. VOCABULARY:
    fresh salad, lettuce, carrots, tomato, onion, salt, pepper, lemon
  3. First and Second Language Development: Cognates: ensalada/salad, tomate/tomato, sal/salt
  4. Introduce the Song
    1. Before listening to the song, have children practice clapping.
    2. Practice on different surfaces, maintaining the rhythm (on the table, on the floor, on their lap …)
    3. Ask them to listen for the different sound effects.
  5. For Further Research and Discussion:
    1. Explore different types of salads. Which combinations of vegetables and dressings do you like best? Make a recipe with photos or drawings.
    2. How do you know if a salad is fresh?
    3. Make a recipe book on how to prepare delicious salads. Make sure to include what you like or don’t like in the salad.
  6. Family Engagement and Extensions at Home
    1. Observe and taste fruits named in the song.
    2. Memory game:
      1. Look for photos in magazines and newspapers to make flash cards.
      2. Make two copies each of every vegetable “veggie” into a flash card.
      3. Play in pairs of two students. Place all cards face down, then each player flips two cards over at a time, revealing the photos. The objective is to find matches of pairs of identical flashcards.
      4. Continue playing until all pairs have been found. The winner is the person who has most pairs of matching cards when all cards are turned over.

B. Fruit
1. English Song CD Track # 25 The Fruit Conga

  1. PROVERBS: An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
  2. VOCABULARY:
    fruit, conga, bright colors, delicious flavors, salad, paletas, aguas frescas,
    Red fruits - strawberries, cherries
    Green fruits – apples, pears
    Yellow fruits – bananas, pineapples
    Purple fruits - figs, grapes
    Orange fruits – peaches, oranges
    White fruits – coconuts, lychees
  3. First and Second Language Development:  Cognates conga/conga,  fruta/fruit, banana/banana, lichi/lychee
  4. Bonus words that have some similarities: piña/pineapple, coco/coconut, pera/pear, higo/fig
    1. Spanish names of foods and beverages that are sometimes used with an English pronunciation: paletas - frozen fruit treats; aguas frescas - a delicious drink made of fresh fruit
  5. Practice the names of the fruits from the song, plus real fruit, plastic fruit, photos or drawings to:
    1. classify fruits by color
    2. make a graph, sorted by various colors of fruits
    3. make a graph according to students’ favorite fruits
  6. Physical Activity
    1. Dance and enjoy the song’s rhythm! Children will surely want to get up and dance!
    2. Provide each child with a colored square or circle mentioned in the song: red, green yellow, purple, orange, and white.
    3. Ask them to line up two-by-two, matching the color of another child. Create two conga lines and dance to the song. Try to end up next to someone with the same color.
  7. Family Engagement
    1. Invite families to talk about variations of names, pronunciations and types of fruit, such as apricot or tomato in English
  8. Extensions at Home
    1. Dance and share different rhythms and types of dances that can be done in group following a leader, such as a conga line, other line dancing, square dancing, etc.

2. English Song CD Track # 30 Compadre, Buy Me a Coconut

  1. PROVERBS
    1. He who plants a coconut tree, plants food and drink, vessels and clothing, a home for himself and a heritage for his children.
  2. VOCABULARY:
    coconut, I buy
    Amounts - Very little, few
    Little – more – most
  3. Physical Activity:
    1. Using cups and pencils follow the beat of the song and walk around the room. As the song accelerates, move more quickly. Children can also snap their fingers.
    2. This is a great song to play a hand game. Sit facing a partner and start by each clapping once, then reach across and touch the left hand to the other person’s right; then the right to the left. Tap twice on own legs and start over. This can be done in many variations--how intricate can you make the game?
    3. If possible, use dried coconut half-shell cups and other student-made instruments to add interesting sounds.
  4. Family Engagement and Extensions for Home
    1. Share “tongue twisters” that family members know in English.
    2. Talk about families and relationships among friends. What does the word Compadre” mean?

C. Grains
1. English Song CD Track # 34 Oatmeal

  1. PROVERB:
    Oatmeal makes a good morning meal.
    - José-Luis Orozco
  2. VOCABULARY: oatmeal, almond
    1. Compound word: oatmeal
  3. Cognates: almendra/almond
  4. Physical Activity
    1. Organize the children to stand in a circle and play “Oatmeal.”
    2. Start by moving to the left, then stop and crouch down when you hear “with fruit and almonds.”
    3. Then move to the right, stomp and crouch down the next time you hear “with fruit and almonds.”
    4. Continue back and forth, switching directions each time you hear “with fruit and almonds.”

2. English Song CD Track # 35 Whole Grain Bread

  1. PROVERB: Sorrow tastes better with bread
  2. VOCABULARY:
    bread, whole grain, hot, delicious, baker
    1. Word families: bake, baker, bakery
  3. Family Engagement and Extensions at Home
    1. Five senses
      1. Ask family members to describe if they have memories of:
        1. the fragrance of freshly baked bread,
        2. the sound of the Baker’s bell on a bicycle or in a Bread Truck
        3. Interview someone who remembers seeing a baker deliver bread in Mexico or any other country.
        4. various shapes of bread loaves
        5. different textures of bread or other baked goods

3. English Song CD Track # 36 Tortilla

  1. PROVERB: When there is no bread, there is a tortilla.
  2. VOCABULARY:
    corn tortillas, flour tortillas, (mami) mommy, papi (pappy), quesadilla, taco, tostada, enchilada, chilaquiles, nachos, burritos, sopapilla
  3. First and Second Language Development Observation:
    Spanish words that are names of food have become widely used with an English pronunciation, such as tortilla, quesadilla, taco, tostada, enchilada, chilaquiles, nachos, burritos, sopapilla, etc.
  4. Innovations: Build your own sentences:
    If you want ____________, you need a tortilla.
    If you want ____________, you need a tortilla.
    Tortilla, tortilla, you need a tortilla.
  5. Physical activity
    1. Pretend to make tortillas, rolling them out at the beginning of the song and then clap your hands while making tortillas.
  6. Family Engagement and Extensions at Home
    1. Observe the changes in the shape of a tortilla when it is heated to be served for a meal
    2. Make flour or corn tortillas with the help of an adult

D. Protein
1. English Song CD Track # 28 “Juanito’s Chicken”

  1. PROVERB: Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
  2. VOCABULARY:
    egg, lit, fire, brought, salt, cook, chubby one, ate it all up, lays ten eggs
    Counting 1- 10, count, clap
  3. For Further Research and Discussion:
    1. What food products do animals give us? Examples: chickens give us eggs; cows give us milk, etc.
  4. Physical Activity
    1. Make a large circle and dance in place. When the chicken starts to sing (counting “co”s), jump for each “co”.
  5. Extensions at Home
    1. Explain the saying: Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
      Ask family member to recall and recite nursery rhymes, finger plays and favor sayings.

2. English Song CD Track # 29 “Let’s Go to the Sea”

  1. PROVERB:
    If someone gives you a fish, you will have food for one day. If you learn how to fish, you will have food all your life.
  2. VOCABULARY:
    sea, fresh fish, tasty, red-mouth fish, wooden dish
    Word families: mar - marine - marina
  3. Build your own sentences:
    Let’s go to [noun: place/location]________
    To eat ___ [noun: food] ______
    ___[adjective]___ , ___[adjective]___
    In a ___ [noun] ________
  4. Physical activity
    1. Ask the children to sit in a circle and pretend they are going to the sea to fish. Between the actions they can tap their hands on their legs or the floor to emphasize the “tun tun” sound.
    2. Alternate: children can walk to the sea, fish, and put the fish into a dish then take big steps for the “tun tun” between the phrases.
Video: José-Luis Orozco & Friends Play “The Legumes Dance”

Video: José-Luis Orozco & Friends Play “The Legumes Dance”

3. English Song CD# 31 “The Legumes Dance – We Have Fiber”

  1. PROVERB: Beans, beans, they are good for your heart.
  2. VOCABULARY:
    beans, heart, cha cha cha beat, pinto bean, legumes, fiber
    Counting – one, two, three
    Directions - Right, left, front, back, full turn
    Heel, toe, steps, hop
  3. First and Second Language Development: Cognates: legumbres/legumes
  4. Physical Activity: Learn to dance the Cha Cha Cha!
    1. Partner as characters from the song:
      1. Sr. Little Pinto Bean with his partner Sra. Lentil
      2. Sr. Chickpea with partner Sra. Lima Bean
      3. Sr. Little Green Pea with partner Sra. Alfalfa
    2. Practice the steps with the children and then enjoy the dance.
    3. Either clap or wiggle hips each time you hear Cha Cha Cha:
      This is the dance of the legumes
      Heel and toe with the right foot
      Heel and toe 3times, cha, cha, cha
      Heel and toe with the left foot
      Heel and toe 3times, cha, cha, cha

      Three steps to the right/left
      One step, two steps, three steps, cha cha cha
      Full turn to the right/left,
      Three hops to the front, one, two, three, cha, cha, cha
      Three hops to the back, one, two, three, cha, cha, cha
      Heel and toe
  5. Family Engagement and Extensions at Home
    1. Dance and move to follow along the lyrics of the song.
    2. Make up your own dance movements!

E. Dairy Products
English Song CD# 32 “Milk&lrdquo;

  1. PROVERB: Milk for healthy and strong bones.
    - José-Luis Orozco
  2. VOCABULARY:
    ranch, milk, calcium, bones, strong, healthy, almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, coconut milk, cow milk, goat milk; to buy ________
  3. First and Second Language Development:
    1. Sequence – forward and backwards, role play
    2. Cognates: calcium/calcio; sane/sano; almond/almendra; soy/soya; coconut/coco
  4. Family Engagement and Extensions at Home
    1. Go shopping to a Dairy or dairy section in supermarket: look for various types of milk and milk products.
    2. Find how many types of milk named in the song are available
    3. Find how many products derived from milk and containing calcium are available, such as cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt, etc.
    4. Compare the amounts of calcium, vitamins and sugar contained in cow’s milk and other types of milk named in the song.
      1. Which type of milk has more nutrients?