Chocolalala Bilingual Teaching Guide
CHOCOLALALA is a collection of original, bilingual songs from award-winning musician Mister G.
Inspired by his concert tours throughout Latin America, the album spans a wide range of musical styles from
bossa nova to ska, funk to folk, rap to pop. The songs teach about counting, colors and nature, and celebrate
the joys of eating chocolate, dancing, and riding on the school bus with friends. A variety of traditional Latin
rhythms are incorporated into the songs, and students are exposed to a host of instruments, including claves,
guiro, cajón, tres, trompeta, trombón, batería, bajo, teclas and, of course, guitarra. The album also features
the voices of bilingual families, and performances by Mister G's former elementary school students.
Mister G has created a series of educational webcasts on his website (www.mistergsongs.com) entitled,
UNDER THE HAT, which are designed to be used in conjunction with the Teaching Guide.
TRACK LISTING:
1. Colores
2. Ahorita
3. Mono en mis manos
4. Chocolalala
5. Bailamos
6. Naturaleza
7. Big Yellow Bus
8. Uno dos tres
9. Señorita Mariposa
10.Waiting for the Ball
11.Sueños
1. Señorita Mariposa: Follow the Butterflies to the Afro Cuban beat
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Students will:
 Learn about the culture, geography and traditional music of Latin America
 Be introduced to traditional Latin rhythms and the specialized Latin instruments of percussion
 Investigate the animals, plants and geography of Latin America
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ACTIVITIES:
Inspired by the annual monarch butterfy migration from North America to the Michoacan province of
Mexico, this cheerful song introduces the traditional Latin rhythm known as clave.
Needed for the Lesson:
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A CD player or video projector
Señorita Mariposa (track #9)
Song lyrics (Spanish and English translation on www.mistergsongs.com)
Wooden sticks
Optional art supplies (paint, markers, tissue paper, glue)
Activity:
Learning about science…
1) Read the lyrics with students and talk to them about the annual butterfy migration from North
America to the Sierra Madre mountains in the Michoacan province in Mexico. Ask students why
they think that butterfies need to migrate. What other animals migrate during the winter? How
do the butterfies know when to return home?
2) Show images of butterfies from books or the Internet, and have students draw their own pictures
of butterfies. Why do butterfies have such distinctive markings? Ask students if they know the
meaning of camoufage. Do male and female butterfies have the same markings?
3) Tell students about the incredible “biodiversity” of Mexico, with 200,000 known species living in
the country. Explain that Mexico has many different kinds of ecosystems, including jungles, high
mountains, deserts, coral reefs, cloud forests, and coastal lagoons, and these provide habitats for
diverse animals and plants.
Learning about music…
1)
Listen to the song again and pay attention to the instrument that is keeping the rhythm. Explore
clapping along with the rhythm of the song. Explain that the percussion instrument in the song
is called “claves.” Claves are simply wooden sticks that are hit together to make a bright
percussion sound. It is the cornerstone of Latin music. Claves play the traditional Afro Cuban
rhythm called clave.
2)
Watch the UNDER THE HAT: Butterfy Migration webcast on www.mistergsongs.com.
Ask students if they can pick out some of the rhyming words in Señorita Mariposa.
3)
Have students make their own claves using wooden sticks. They can paint them different colors,
or decorate them with markers. Invite students to play their claves along to Señorita Mariposa.
Learning about geography…
1)
Have students identify Mexico on the map. Ask them to name the bodies of water on either side
of the country, and locate the Michoacan province. Is this province in the Northern or Southern
part of the country? Is it Eastern or Western? What body of water does it border?
2)
Track the path of the butterfy migration through North America and down into Mexico (you
can fnd a map of the migration here: www.monarch-butterfy.info/Maps.html) Where do the
butterfies pass through on their journey to Michoacan? How close do the butterfies pass to
where you live?
[email protected] • www.MisterGSongs.com • 413.336-2866
2. ¡Bailamos!: Dancing around the World
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Students will:
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Learn about the geography of Latin America
Be able to identify the congas and explain how they function in Latin music
Understand the signifcance of tempo in music
Learn about various types of Latin dance
ACTIVITIES:
Music and dance are an integral part of Latin culture. This fast-paced, energetic song encourages children
to dance and sing along to the music, while learning the names of countries and cities in Latin America.
Needed for the Lesson:
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A CD player or video projector
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Bailamos (track #5)
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Song lyrics (Spanish and English translation on www.mistergsongs.com)
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Map of the world (optional)
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Salsa or merengue CD
Activity:
Learning about geography…
1) Read the lyrics with students and have them list all the names of places that are identifed in the
music. How many of these are countries? How many are cities?
2) Using a large map of the world, have students locate the places identifed in the song on the map.
How many are in Latin America? How many are outside of Latin America? What do all these
places have in common? (Answer: they are all places where Spanish is commonly spoken)
Learning about music…
1) Listen to the song again and pay attention to the sounds of the drums in the music. Notice how
the drums speed up and slow down as the tempo of the song changes. Some of the drums used in
the song are congas, or tumbadoras, a narrow, single-headed, tall Cuban drum, which is shaped like a
barrel. In fact, the frst congas were probably made from barrels.
2) Mongo Santamaría was a famous Cuban conga player, called a conguero, who many believe to have
been the greatest conga drummer of the 20th century. You can see examples of his incredible
congo playing on YouTube (www.youtube.com/artist/mongo-santamaria)
3) Watch the UNDER THE HAT: Tempo video on www.mistergsongs.com. Listen to the song
and notice when the tempo changes from fast to slow. How does the music make you feel when it
speeds up? Do you feel differently when it slows down?
Learning about culture…
1) Ask students to list any of the many different kinds of Latin dance styles they’ve heard of (salsa,
merengue, bachata, cha cha cha, rumba, samba, mambo). Show the children videos of one of the simpler
styles of dance, like salsa, or merengue.
2) Teach children the basic steps to one of the Latin dances and have them dance along to the CD.
[email protected] • www.MisterGSongs.com • 413.336-2866
For tips on how to teach children to dance go to: www.ehow.com/how_5779132_teach-latindance-kids.html
3. Naturaleza: Learning to Protect our World
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Students will:
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Learn about the topography and major landscape features of Latin America
Understand the importance of the guitar (guitarra) in Latin music
Identify vocal harmony in songs
Participate in call and response singing
Understand the importance of preserving and maintaining ecosystems
ACTIVITIES:
The ecosystem of Latin America is incredibly diverse, ranging from mountains and rainforests to savannahs
and deserts. This catchy folk song celebrates the unique ecology of the region, and emphasizes the
importance of protecting and preserving nature for future generations.
Needed for the Lesson:
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A CD player or video projector
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Naturaleza (track #6)
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Song lyrics (Spanish and English translation on www.mistergsongs.com)
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Optional art supplies (paint, markers, tissue paper, glue)
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Map of Latin America
Activity:
Learning about science…
1) Ask students to list the many different aspects of nature listed in the song (waterfalls, rivers,
mountains, fowers, wind, snow). Using a map, ask the students to identify major rivers (Amazon,
Orinoco, Essequibbo), mountains (Andes, Sierra Madre) and waterfalls (Angel Falls) in Latin
America.
2) Show students where the Amazon Basin, the largest tropical rain forest in the world, is on the
map. To emphasize the diversity of natural landscapes in the region, point out a small desert in
Chile called the Atacama Desert, which is one of the few deserts in the world that receives no
rain.
3) Explain that the hottest countries in Latin America are the ones that are closest to the Equator.
Snow and wind are most common in the high mountain areas, like the Andres.
Learning about music…
1) Watch the UNDER THE HAT: All About Guitars webcast on www.mistergsongs.com
2) Electric and acoustic guitars are both used in the song. Ask the students if they can distinguish
between the two types of guitars used in the song.
3) Listen to the song and have the students identify how many voices they hear. Is the second voice
that joins Mister G’s voice male or female? Explain that Mister G is singing in harmony with the
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female singer, meaning that their voices complement and enhance each other.
4) Point out to the students that children sing the last line of the song: Juntos para ver la naturaleza. Ask
students to practice singing along to the song by repeating the word “Naturaleza,” and singing the
last line along with the children in the song.
Learning about conservation…
1) Ask students if they know about any major natural landmarks in their region. Are there any
famous rivers, mountains, deserts, forests, lakes or oceans nearby?
2) In the song, Mister G sings, Hay que protegerla, which means, “We have to protect it.” Ask students
what they think Mister G means by this. Why is it important to protect nature? How are parts of
our natural environment endangered? What are ways in which we can protect it?
3) Take students outside for a nature walk. Ask them to collect some different natural materials that
catch their eye: pine cones, fowers, rocks or sticks with interesting shapes, butterfy wings,
feathers. Bring the materials back to the school and have children draw pictures or create collages
to represent the materials they have found.
Visit www.MisterGSongs.com for more
information about Chocolalala, and to
access additional videos, teaching guides,
and music.
[email protected] • www.MisterGSongs.com • 413.336-2866