Title: Cinco Lobitos
Grade Level: 2nd to 3rd
by Anna Perea, APS Elementary Music Teacher
Lesson Objectives for Music:
Students will sing a traditional New Mexican song in Spanish.
Students will pass an object on the downbeat in triple meter (3 /4)
Students will play a drum on the downbeat in triple meter.
APS Elementary Music Standards:
Standard 1: Sing/Speaking alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
Grade 2/3, C. Sing/Speak from memory a varied repertoire of songs while maintaining a steady beat
Standard 2: Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
Grade 2/3, A. Maintain a steady beat using body percussion and instruments
Standard 7: Understanding music in relation to history and culture.
Grade 2/3, A. Identify by genre or style aural examples of music from various historical periods and cultures.
Related Content Standards:
CCSS English Language Arts, Reading Literature, Key Ideas and Details
2. (Gr 2/3) Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures and determine their central
message, lesson, or moral.
Social Studies, STRAND: History, Content Standard I: Students are able to identify important people and events…
K-4 Benchmark I-B. Understand connections among historical events, people, and symbols significant to United
States history and cultures.
Materials:
Recording of “Cinco Lobitos”
Small stuffed dog or wolf
Drums, or “found sound” (tap on desk, book, or bucket)
Chart of the following Spanish lyrics:
Cinco lobitos, tenía la loba, Blancos y negros detrás de la loma.
Cinco tenía, cinco cuidaba A todos cinco, leche les daba.
English Translation (Literal): Five little lobos had the mother lobo, white ones and black ones, over behind the hill.
She had five and five she took care of, and to all five, she fed them milk
Singable English Translation (by Luis Delgado):
There was a she-wolf with five little puppies
She gave those puppies, lots of good milk
Black ones and white ones, they lived on the hill.
They were quite happy as they drank their fill.
Prior Knowledge
It is helpful if students have done a passing game on the beat.
Vocabulary:
Strong beat (downbeat) - the first beat in the group of three that more emphasized than the other two (weak beats)
Example: Boom chick-chick, Boom chick-chick, or 1 2 3, 1 2 3
Teaching Process:
1. Have students practice showing 3 beats with body percussion. Begin with “pat, clap, clap” or “pat, snap, snap”
while saying 1 2 3, emphasizing 1 loudly and 2, 3 quietly. Switch to “stomp, clap, clap” then have students walk only
on the downbeat (1) around the room while only clapping the 2, 3. E.g. “step, clap, clap step, clap, clap.” Practice
each step until students are comfortable before moving on.
2. Students then return to their seats and practice patting 1 on their legs, and have their hands float up during 2, 3 so
they are only patting on the 1. Play song and show students how the 1 2 3 lines up with the song. Have students Pat
on 1 and have their hands float up during 2 and 3 with the music.
3. Students sit in a circle and pass the stuffed puppy to the next student on the 1, and help the dog to float up on the
2, 3 between each person. (Remind students not the throw the puppy, but to lift it up during the 2 3 and place him in
the next person’s hands on the 1.)
4. Play game. Whoever has the puppy on the last beat of the song is “out.” When a student is “out” have them play a
hand drum or small percussion instrument on the downbeat while the game continues. Keep playing the recording
until only one student is left.
5. Next (perhaps the next lesson) write Spanish words on the board/ Promethean. Go over English translation. Have
students listen to the recording and count how many times they hear the word “cinco.” Students listen again and
count how many times they hear the word “tenia.” Go over the words, teacher saying them and students echoing.
6. Have students create moves for the big/important words. Have them demonstrate and then teacher picks the most
common ones. Have students sing with the recording, with the words and with just the guitar accompaniment. Redo
any words the students have problems with and sing again.
8. Begin erasing words from the board and see if they can still sing the song. Continue erasing words until they can
sing the song with no words. (This can be a game: “Can you still do it without THESE words? I bet you can’t do it
without THIS word! You can? Well, watch this!” etc.)
Assessment and Rubrics:
Can students sing the song with correct notes and words?
4 = Students sing all notes and words correct with patting/playing downbeats= 4
3 = Students sing all notes and words correct= 3
2 = Students sing some (3-5) incorrect words or notes=2
1 = Students sing many (5+) incorrect words or notes=1
Can students pat/play downbeats while listening to the recording?
4 = Never misses a beat, no assistance from teacher
3 = Few mistakes, almost always correct with no assistance from teacher
2 = Lots of mistakes, only correct about ½ the time or can do it correctly with teacher showing the beat also
1 = Cannot show downbeats with or without teacher assistance
Modifications:
Older/Gifted students: play 1, 2, 3 with one hand while playing just the 1 with the other hand. Switch hands.
Special Needs: Teacher, EA or student helper helps student pass or play instrument.
ESL: Spend more time going over English translation. Let students make up moves to go with Spanish words, apply
to English translation also.