This is a beginning of the year activity for a great alphabet book – Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.
Objectives:
- cut and assemble a coconut tree from construction paper without using a pattern
- form letters to place on their coconut tree
- recall and express their favorite part of the story
Materials:
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Audio CD
- half sheet of brown construction paper cut 4.5″ x 12″ for each child
- half sheet of green construction paper cut 9″ x 6″ for each child
- Paper for displaying child responses — I used white, and wrote each child’s response with different colored markers
- large sheet of butcher paper to use as a background for displaying coconut trees and responses — I used light blue
Lesson Plan:
Motivation: To introduce the book, I wear my khaki overalls and safety pin construction paper letters all over them. I tell the class that I’m the coconut tree. After reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, it soon becomes a favorite of the class. The audio version adds a fun beat to the story.
Making the coconut tree: Prepare a model for the coconut tree and explain it to the children before distributing their construction paper. Take the brown paper and cut it to look more like a trunk. (Use the scissors as your tool. It doesn’t need to be drawn first — just cut!) Then, cut the green paper like the top of a coconut tree, or cut it into separate palm leaves. Then glue the leaves/tree top to the trunk.
Adding Letters: After the tree has been assembled, letters can be added. Show them how to write letters on paper in different colors, cut them out, and paste them on the tree. You could have them cut letters from magazines or newspapers, stamp letters, etc.
Favorite Part of Chicka Chicka:While they are working, interview each child by asking what his or her favorite part of the story is. After recording this, you can transfer his or her quote to a larger piece of paper and display it in an attractive marker color followed by the child’s name.
Closure: The children share their coconut trees and I read, or they tell, about their favorite part of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Finally, display the quotes alongside their coconut trees for others to see. I placed the question on the mural, “What do you like most about Chicka Chicka Boom Boom?”
Some responses I received:
- “I like it when they dust their pants.”
- “I like the tree.”
- “I like it when they all fall down.”
- “I like loose-tooth t.”
By: Amanda Post, A to Z Teacher Stuff
Here are some other ideas submitted by teachers:
A follow-up idea to the book would be to give each child a celery stalk with peanut butter and have them “glue” the various letters as they are read onto the celery – using Alpha-Bits. – Mbj2307247
I work in a first grade classroom where chickachick is one of our favorite books. So my master teacher (I am a student intern for the year) bought the CD-Rom. It is great to have the students play with the CD.
- Great for second language learners to pick up the song
- Multicultural with the song played in two different versions.
- Students can play with the alphabets and would be a great extension activity for the students after creating thier own coconut trees.
Hope you enjoy the tip! – Devorah Merling
This is a good 1st day of class activity to assess your kids’ writing & alphabetic abilities & to introduce the alphabet. My idea for a kindergarten class is for the teacher to draw the coconut tree on chart paper, attach to the chalkboard & give each kid a magnetic letter. Then as you come upon the letters in the story, have each kid identify & attach their letter to the tree. You could have them come up & take their letter down afterwards to pretend they’re falling off like in the story. As a follow up activity, give kids green, black, & brown paper to make the tree & then have them print the letters all over the tree. Get together afterwards & have kids discuss their pictures. Fun & easy!
Make a large coconut tree with leaves. Tape it to the side of a filing cabinet. Allow children to re-tell the story of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom using magnetic letters to use on the tree. Tree can be made to look 3-D by taping only a side of each leaf to the cabinet while the other side hangs away from the cabinet. Also, one can add a little tissue to the trunk of the tree and children can have the letters climb the tree on the side of it rather than actually on it. Shared by: K. Richardson
Related Resources at Amazon.com:
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
By Bill Martin, Jr. & John Archambault – Illustrated by Lois Ehlert (Paperback)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Magnet Book
Children can act out “A told B/ and B told C,/ ‘I’ll meet you at the top/ of the coconut tree’ ” with the magnets included in the Chicka Chicka ABC Magnet Book by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illus. by Lois Ehlert.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Lots More Learning Fun! DVD
EXCELLENT–My students love this! It animates the illustrations in the stories and puts them to music. Includes Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Trashy Town, Rosie’s Walk, and The Caterpillar and the Polliwog.
Great idea. I am going to try as a way document weekly progress learning the letters of the alphabet with a large class tree and student booklets to take home to share. Love this idea using the book, art, and music.