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Lesson plan: «La lechuza»

Children use «La lechuza» (“The Owl”) to go from moving to calm: lowering their voices on every «shhh», keeping still for a moment, listening to the sounds around them and moving slowly, while getting to know the owl and her nest.

Ages
Ages 1–5
Time
20 minutes
Areas
Attention and self-control · Movement and the body · The natural and social world

Opening

  1. Show the owl and ask: «¿Cuándo despiertan las lechuzas? ¿Qué hacen de noche?» (“When do owls wake up? What do they do at night?”). Welcome every idea.
  2. Practice the «shhh» with a finger on your lips: loud first, then softly and finally almost without a sound.
  3. Watch the video once, together, and notice what the five friends do when they see the owl. Then turn the screen off.

Main activity

  1. Sing the refrain without the video: on every «shhh», a finger on your lips, and on «todos calladitos» (“everyone very quiet”), the whole group freezes like statues.
  2. In the first verse, walk around the room «por el bosque» (“through the forest”) and, on «dos ojitos acaban de ver» (“they have just seen two little eyes”), make glasses with your fingers to look for the owl.
  3. On «la lechuza mueve las alas» (“the owl flaps her wings”), move your arms very slowly; on «se quedan quietos a escuchar» (“they stand still to listen”), stay silent for a few seconds and ask what sounds everyone heard.
  4. Show the nest and, on «acurrucaditos junto a mamá» (“snuggled up next to mom”), curl up on the floor; on «pronto se dormirá» (“will soon fall asleep”), close your eyes for a moment.
  5. In the last verse, tiptoe and wave goodbye. Sing each refrain a little softer than the one before.

Closing

  1. To wind down, whisper the last refrain and stay still, eyes closed, while you count slowly to five.
  2. Talk about it: «¿Qué sonidos oyeron cuando estábamos calladitos? ¿Cuándo nos ayuda hacer silencio?» (“What sounds did you hear when we were quiet? When does it help us to be quiet?”).
  3. Have children draw the owl on her branch, with the two owlets in the nest.

Materials

  • A picture or a stuffed toy of an owl
  • A picture of a nest with two owlets
  • A clear space to walk in
  • Paper and crayons

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What to observe

  • Puts a finger to the lips on «shhh», even if they don’t lower their voice yet.
  • Keeps still for a few seconds on «todos calladitos» (“everyone very quiet”).
  • Says what sound they heard during the silence, or points to it.
  • Walks slowly and on tiptoe when the song asks for it.

Adaptations

  • With 1-year-olds, sing it with the child on your lap: the adult goes «shhh» with a finger on the child’s lips and rocks them slowly in the nest.
  • For children who don’t speak yet or who use AAC, the finger-on-lips gesture is their «shhh», and the owl and nest pictures help them anticipate what comes next.
  • For children who can’t walk or crouch, do the soft steps and the nest with the hands, sitting down.
  • For children who get restless in silence, keep it to two or three seconds and make it longer little by little.

For families

Ask families to sing «La lechuza» at home to go from play to calm, before a story or bedtime.

If you teach Spanish as a new language

  • The «shhh» and the finger on the lips mean the same in English, so students join the refrain from the first round.
  • Teach the key words with gestures (TPR): «la lechuza» (the owl), «calladitos» (very quiet), «las alas» (the wings), «el nido» (the nest).
  • Ask «¿Fuerte o bajito?» (“Loud or soft?”) and let students answer by singing the refrain loudly or softly.

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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