El Mundo Es Mi Casa

• Ana Isabel Saillant Valerio & Laura Koulish
• Posted 5/16/22
• 0 comments

Speech Piece With Instruments

Suggested Grades: 3-5 

National Core Arts Standards

#1 — Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.  
#3 — Refine and complete artistic work. 
#6 — Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work. 
#10 — Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. 

Objectives

• Identify, label, and perform ABA form. 
• Define and practice Spanish vocabulary el mundo, mi casa, compartir, amar.

Materials

• Unpitched percussion instruments 
• Conga drums 
• Barred instruments 
• Inflatable Earthball/globe 

Lesson Summary

This original poem by Ana Isabel Saillant Valerio provides a foundation for students to explore how to improve our earth.  Students sing, move, and improvise in addition to learning Spanish phrases and vocabulary. Add this wonderful Earth Day activity collection to your classroom lesson plans.

Suggested Teaching Process

This lesson has been reformatted and slightly modified from the original lesson printed in the book El Mundo Es Mi Casa; The World Is My House, Poemas y Canciones Para Niños, Poetry and Songs for Children to align with the formatting of Music ConstructED.  Download the original format here.

Earth Day Activity 1

1. Throw or pass an inflatable Earthball/globe to another person while speaking or singing the words el mundo using varied inflection, vowel lengths, and dynamics.
   • Variation 1:  As you throw the ball, say a word or a phrase to describe the Earth/world/planet  (e.g., blue, huge, round, orbits the sun, etc.). 
   • Variation 2:  Describe how we can make the Earth a better place to live. (e.g., recycle waste, keep the air and water clean, share, be kind). 

Activity 2

1. Students walk to the beat as the teacher improvises on a drum. 
2. Students freeze when the drum stops. 
3. The teacher speaks the word mi casa (my house). 
4. Students create a body sculpture “house” with a partner or in groups of three or four.   
5. Repeat the process, alternating partners each time.  
6. Repeat the process using the word compartir (to share). 
7. Students demonstrate ways of sharing. 

Activity 3

1. Teach the song by rote using echo imitation. 
   Helpful Hint: Consider posting the lyrics to support students.  
2. Sing and dance the first section of the song. 
3. Dance: Assign or let students choose a partner. One student’s back is to the center of the circle; their partner faces the center.
   • Measures 1-4: Holding hands, they take four steps towards the center (half-notes), then four steps back, moving arms in a circular motion.  
   • Measures 5-8: Sideways step, counterclockwise, close with other foot. Sideways step, clockwise, close with other foot. Repeat. 
4. Each pair improvises a sixteen-beat dance to create a second section demonstrating ways to improve the environment. Ex. Planting a tree, picking up trash, etc.  
5. For the final experience, perform in (ABA form).   
6. Identify, label, and diagram the musical form.   
   Helpful Hint: Consider using shapes to label the musical form:  

Activity 4

1. Introduce the orchestration using speech and body percussion:  

2. Transfer this pattern to the conga.  
3. Teach the other percussion parts using a similar process. 

Final Performance

1. Combine the song and dance.  
2. The B is accompanied by unpitched percussion improvisation. 

 A section = song, dance, percussion 
B section = 16-measure movement and percussion improvisation
A section = song, dance, percussion 

Extensions

1. How can we find ways of helping each other in our class, community, country, and world? 

2. Brainstorm with students about different ways to help each other, for example, help with homework, help people when they fall, and guide younger children. 

3. Show a picture of an area affected by climate change, such as the Southeast Coast of the United States, after a hurricane hit it. Children can discuss ways to help others in such circumstances.  

4. Promote care for the environment by collecting recycled bottles, boxes, egg crates, etc., to make musical instruments like shakers, drums, and guiros. 

5. Perform with the instrumental ensemble. This song can be the recurring theme in a performance of songs and dances representing different world cultures while classes leave and enter the stage.  

Recording Artists:
Voice: Annie Lee Moffett 
Percussion: Danai Gagné, Bob Goldberg, Libán Gomez, Sheri Gottlieb, Katie Traxler 
Guitar: Carlos Díaz 
Recorder: Laura Liben, Craig Taylor 

---

This lesson sketch is excerpted from El Mundo Es Mi Casa, The World Is My House, 
Poemas y Canciones Para Niños, Poetry and Songs for Children  

Text Copyright ©2021 Ana Isabel Saillant Valerio and Laura Koulish 
All Rights Reserved 

Original Copyright ã 2014 El Mundo es mi Casa US Copyright Office 
PAu003720745/2014-03-21 
 
Printed in the U.S.A. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the authors, except for educational use with your students. 

To contact the authors, email lakoulish@yahoo.com or fiyisk@aol.com 

Find another Earth Day Activity