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ES, Español

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Lesson plan: «Debajo de un botón»

Children keep the beat of «Debajo de un botón» (the Spanish song “Under a Button”) with taps on every «ton, ton» and «tin, tin», play with the rhyming sounds and act out what Martín and the mouse do: claps, jumps, a turn and sleep.

Ages
Ages 1–5
Time
20 minutes
Areas
Music and creative expression · Language and communication · Movement and the body

Opening

  1. Show the button and hide the mouse under it. Ask: «¿Qué habrá debajo del botón?» (“What could be under the button?”) and lift it slowly.
  2. Teach the hand button: put your hands together and hide one little finger inside, the mouse. Practice making it peek out.
  3. Watch the video once, together, and notice what Martín and the mouse do. Then turn the screen off.

Main activity

  1. Sing the chorus slowly, without the video: two taps on the knees on every «ton, ton» and two finger taps on every «tin, tin».
  2. Play the echo game: the adult sings «botón» (“button”) or «Martín» and the group answers «ton, ton» or «tin, tin» with the taps.
  3. On «se asomó por el botón» (“peeked out from the button”), the little mouse finger peeks out between the hands; on «se subió sobre el botón» (“climbed up on the button”), it climbs onto the back of the other hand.
  4. On «dio dos palmas don Martín» (“Don Martín clapped twice”), two claps!; on «dio dos saltos el ratón» (“the mouse jumped twice”), two jumps!; on «bailaron por allí» (“they danced over there”), one turn around the button.
  5. On «bostezaba aquel ratón» (“that mouse was yawning”), yawn and rest your head on your hands. Sing the last chorus a little faster and then very slowly.

Closing

  1. To wind down, whisper the chorus and leave the mouse asleep under the button.
  2. Talk about it: «¿Qué hicieron juntos Martín y el ratón? ¿Qué hacen ustedes antes de dormir?» (“What did Martín and the mouse do together? What do you do before you go to sleep?”).
  3. Have children draw the teeny tiny mouse under its button.

Materials

  • A big real button or one drawn on card stock
  • A toy mouse or a picture of a mouse
  • Everyone’s hands
  • Paper and crayons

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What to observe

  • Taps along on «ton, ton» and «tin, tin», even if not always in time yet.
  • Finishes the echo, «ton, ton» or «tin, tin», with the voice or the hands.
  • Claps twice and jumps twice, and counts to two.
  • Keeps still at the end, like the sleeping mouse.

Adaptations

  • With 1-year-olds, sing it with the child on your lap: the adult gives soft taps on the child’s knees and the mouse tickles as it peeks out.
  • For children who don’t speak yet or who use AAC, the echo can be with the hands only: the taps are their answer.
  • For children who can’t jump, do the two jumps with the hands on the table or with the toy mouse.
  • Make up with the group something else the mouse could do (turn around twice, eat some cheese) and sing it with the same echo.

For families

Ask families to sing «Debajo de un botón» at home and hide something small under a button or a cup for their child to find.

If you teach Spanish as a new language

  • The echoes «ton, ton» and «tin, tin» repeat the end of «botón» and «Martín»: students join in on the echo from the first round.
  • Teach the key words with gestures (TPR): «el botón» (the button), «el ratón» (the mouse), «dos palmas» (two claps), «dos saltos» (two jumps).
  • Ask «¿Qué hace el ratón?» (“What does the mouse do?”) and let students answer with the gesture or the word: «salta», «baila», «duerme».

ACTFL World-Readiness Standards: Communication (interpretive and interpersonal), Cultures (a traditional game is a cultural practice; the song, a cultural product) and Comparisons (Spanish sounds and words next to your students’ languages).

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