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Lesson plan: «La vaca Lola»

Children dance to «La vaca Lola» (“Lola the Cow”) following the song’s directions, name body parts and farm sounds, and count from 1 to 6 as they stomp.

Ages
Ages 2–5
Time
25 minutes
Areas
Movement and the body · Language and communication · Numbers and counting

Opening

  1. Show the cow and ask: «¿Quién es? ¿Cómo hace? ¿Dónde vive?» (“Who is this? What does she say? Where does she live?”). Welcome every answer and explain that her name is Lola and she lives on a farm.
  2. Point to the cow’s body parts together: the head, the tail and the legs. Then everyone touches their own head and pretends to wiggle a little tail.
  3. Watch the video once, together, and notice what Lola does in the meadow. Then turn the screen off.

Main activity

  1. Sing the chorus slowly, without the video: on «tiene cabeza» (“she has a head”), touch your head; on «tiene cola» (“she has a tail”), wiggle your little tail, and on «y hace muuu» (“and she goes moo”), everybody moos! Pause before «muuu» so the group says it.
  2. In the dance, do each move together: move your head («una, dos y tres», “one, two and three”), your little tail («otra vez, otra vez», “again, again”), a step forward and a step back, and clap.
  3. Stomp hard counting from 1 to 6 while a child holds up the card for each number: «Uno, dos» (“one, two”), «Tres, cuatro» (“three, four”), «Cinco, seis» (“five, six”).
  4. In the question part, the adult asks «¿Quién está en la granja?» (“Who’s on the farm?”) and the group answers «¡Lola!»; then «¿Cómo hace Lola?» (“What does Lola say?”), and everyone moos, softly first and then louder and louder.
  5. Play farm: walk around the room like Lola in the meadow, «paso a pasito» (“step by little step”), and when the bell rings, freeze like statues until it rings again.

Closing

  1. To wind down, sing the chorus softer and softer, until Lola goes to sleep with a whispered «muuu» (“moo”).
  2. Talk about it: “What other animals live on the farm? What do they say?” Make some of the sounds together.
  3. Have children draw Lola in the meadow and ask each child to tell what their cow is doing.

Materials

  • A picture or a stuffed toy of a cow
  • A small bell
  • Six cards with the numbers 1 to 6
  • Paper and crayons

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What to observe

  • Touches their head and wiggles their little tail when the song names them.
  • Says «muuu» (“moo”) softly and loudly when asked.
  • Counts from 1 to 6, with or without help, while stomping.
  • Freezes when the bell rings and waits for the signal to go on.

Adaptations

  • With 1-year-olds, sing it with the child on your lap: touch their head on «tiene cabeza» (“she has a head”), tickle them gently on «tiene cola» (“she has a tail”) and moo together.
  • For children who don’t speak yet or who use AAC, the cow picture and the number cards are their support: they can point to Lola on «¿Quién está en la granja?» (“Who’s on the farm?”).
  • For children who need to move less, everything works sitting down: the head and hands do the dance, and stomping can be patting their legs.
  • If the group speaks other languages, ask what the cow says at home and sing it that way in one of the rounds.

For families

Ask families to sing «La vaca Lola» at home and let their child teach them the dance: the head, the little tail, the claps and stomping up to six.

If you teach Spanish as a new language

  • Teach the key words with gestures (TPR): «vaca» (cow), «cabeza» (head), «cola» (tail), «granja» (farm), «palmas» (claps).
  • Model one line at a time and let students echo it: the chorus repeats «La vaca Lola, la vaca Lola» (“Lola the cow, Lola the cow”), so everyone can join in from the first round.
  • Count «uno» to «seis» (one to six) as students stomp, then ask «¿Cómo hace la vaca?» (“What does the cow say?”) — students answer «¡Muuu!».

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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