BEFORE Teaching "Capibara con botas" by Mira Canion

Inside: My ideas, plans, and thoughts pertaining to what I do before I start teaching Capibara con botas by Mira Canion

I had big plans to teach this book last Spring in Spanish I, but thanks to COVID-19 I never got around to it, so this year I was even more pumped to finally teach it. I really utilized other blogs about this book when planning to teach this novel, so here are links to various ones that were useful to me in my planning. (Miss Maestra, Mis Clases Locas, and Profesora Canisalez)

Prior to starting  I like to do a lot of  pre-reading  culture and vocabulary  front loading. I feel it makes my students more confident and  makes reading the novel more enjoyable for all of us, so leading up to the novel I did the following:

Front Loading Options:

Gimkit - (FREE) I love using Gimkit, because you can view the data and use it to help you decide what vocabulary your students know/don't know and how to target the areas they are low in before ever starting to read.

Capibara  Stations  ($3 TPT)  - The fact that this is digital and distance learning friendly was sooo nice. I put it on Google Classroom and students worked individually and we discussed after as a class.

Ecuador Cultural Reading  ($3 TPT)  - Great as intro to the culture and geography in the book; good reading practice

Where are the rainforests-presentation  (FREE)
Where are the rainforests- Student map to fill in during  (FREE)

Rainforest animal- presentation  (FREE)
Rainforest animal - Student reading and drawing handout  (FREE)

Capibara Class  Story  (FREE)
(did this volleyball reading in pairs and then as a class did reader's theater)
Follow up activity for this story  (FREE)

La Selva Tropical Reading  (FREE)
(great for extension or fast finishers also use this with the Toma  Uno activity)

Capibara Craft-Activity (FREE)
Example slides for students to reference
Writing template for students

Capibara y Selva Tropical Toma Uno  ($1 TPT)

Various videos you can show in class if there is time:

Geography Now: Ecuador
Gari the capybara
Capibaras : World's Largest Rodent

My order of events:

Day One:  Do the Ecuador Cultural Reading (discuss as class) and Capibara Stations to check and go over the next day

Day Two: Discuss stations as class, do Capibara class story and reader's theater. You can also give them the  follow up activity where students draw as they reread the class story.

Day Three: Rainforest and animals presentations and handouts.

Day Four: Craftivity of making capibaras and writing backstories 

Day Five: Toma Una Capibara and Selva Reading activity 

I have an upcoming blog about activities and games and resources I used in the first half of this novel coming soon! Stay tuned!