Planting and Gardening Lesson in French, Spanish, and Other Foreign Languages

Posted by Diane

May 9, 2009

I am getting so many great content ideas for my French lessons by following my son’s kindergarten curriculum. Today, I taught a simple lesson about planting flowers. A grade level expectation is that children understand what plants need to grow: soil, water, and sunlight. I came in with all of my “stuff” . . . a flower pot, packet of seeds, watering can, and pictures of soil and the sun. After acting out and narrating planting, I placed all of my visuals and realia in the middle of the circle. The children and I played an adaptation of “The Farmer in the Dell.” Using the same tune, we held hands and walked around in a circle, singing:

Nous plantons une fleur, nous plantons une fleur, nous plantons une fleur. Où est le pot?

We’re planting a flower, we’re planting a flower, we’re planting a flower. Where is the pot?

I chose a volunteer to come to the center and hold up the flower pot. We held hands again and continued with the next verse:

Voici le pot, voici le pot, voici le pot. Où est la terre?

Here is the pot, here is the pot, here is the pot. Where is the soil?

Now, the child holding the flower pot chooses the next child to join him in the center to hold up the picture of the soil. Next verse:

Voici la terre, voici la terre, voici la terre. Où est la graine?

Here is the soil, here is the soil, here is the soil. Where is the seed?

Soil child chooses the seed child, etc. etc.

Voici la graine, voici la graine, voici la graine. Où est de l’eau?

Here is the seed, here is the seed, here is the seed. Where is some water?

Voici de l’eau, voici de l’eau, voici de l’eau. Où est le soleil?

Here is some water, here is some water, here is some water. Where is the sun?

Voici le soleil, voici le soleil, voici le soleil. Où est la plante?

Here is the sun, here is the sun, here is the sun. Where is the plant?

At this point, everyone stops moving the circle and crouches down low. The children slowly rise and then create a blossoming flower with their hands at the end of the song.

La plante pousse et pousse et pousse et pousse. La plante pousse. Voici la fleur!

The plant grows and grows and grows and grows. The plant grows. Here is the flower!

Teaching kids Spanish? Use these verses:

Plantamos una flor (3 x)

¿Dónde está la maceta?

Aquí está la maceta (3x)

¿Dónde está la tierra?

Aquí está la tierra (3x)

¿Dónde está la semilla?

Aquí está la semilla (3x)

¿Dónde está el agua?

Aquí está el agua (3x)

¿Dónde está el sol?

Aquí está el sol (3x)

¿Dónde está la planta?

La planta se crece (3x)

Aquí está la flor.

Flower pot image: by mordoc at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/673514

Soil image: by kovik at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/891195

Seed image: by Sunira at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/337882

Watering can image: by scrappin at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/908008

Sun image: by classroomclipart.com

Flower image: by benedeki at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/965533

Foreign Language Fun, Foreign Language House, French, Lessons, Songs, Spanish

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