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Lesson plan: «Los peces en el río»

Children sing the chorus of «Los peces en el río» (a traditional Spanish Christmas carol) with actions and claps, keep its beat and get to know a traditional carol, while decorating a star together like the five friends in the video.

Ages
Ages 2–6
Time
25 minutes
Areas
Music and creative expression · Movement and the body · Getting along and feelings

Opening

  1. Show the river picture and ask: «¿Qué hacen los peces en el agua? ¿Cómo se mueven?» (“What do fish do in the water? How do they move?”). Move your hands like fish.
  2. Teach the drinking-fish action: hands together open and close like a mouth.
  3. Watch the video once, together, and notice what the five friends carry and how they decorate the nativity. Then turn the screen off.

Main activity

  1. Sing the chorus without the video: point at the river on «pero mira cómo beben» (“but look how they drink”) and make the fish on «beben y beben» (“they drink and drink”). Repeat it until it flows.
  2. Clap on every «beben» (“they drink”) and freeze on «por ver a Dios nacer» (“to see God be born”), like a pause in the game.
  3. In the decorating verses, hand out roles: some hang the star, some ring the little bells and some light an imaginary lantern.
  4. While the chorus plays, decorate the paper star together with ribbons and paper scraps.
  5. In the last verse, walk in a line with the star, like the five friends, and finish with a group hug.

Closing

  1. To wind down, whisper the chorus, with the little fish moving very slowly.
  2. Talk about it: «¿Qué fiestas celebran en su casa? ¿Qué canciones cantan?» (“What celebrations do you have at home? What songs do you sing?”). Listen to everyone.
  3. Hang the decorated star in the classroom and put the group’s fish drawings next to it.

Materials

  • A big paper or card stock star
  • Ribbons, colored paper scraps and glue
  • Some little bells or a jingle bell (if available)
  • A picture of a river with fish

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What to observe

  • Makes the fish action on «beben y beben» (“they drink and drink”).
  • Claps along to the beat of the chorus, even if sometimes early.
  • Sings or fills in a word of the chorus.
  • Works with the group while decorating the star.

Adaptations

  • With the youngest children, sing only the chorus with the fish action and let the adult sing the verses.
  • For children who don’t speak yet or who use AAC, the fish action and the clap are their way of singing.
  • For children who can’t clap, they can ring the jingle bell or tap gently on the table.
  • If some families in the group don’t celebrate Christmas, present the carol as a traditional song and let everyone share their own celebrations.

For families

Ask families to sing «Los peces en el río» at home while decorating something together, and let their child make the little fish on every «beben y beben».

If you teach Spanish as a new language

  • The chorus repeats four times with the same words, so students can join in after the first round.
  • Teach the key words with gestures (TPR): «los peces» (the fish), «el río» (the river), «beben» (they drink), «la estrella» (the star).
  • Ask «¿Qué hacen los peces?» (“What do the fish do?”) and let students answer with the gesture or the word «beben».

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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