Vaca, Caballo, Pollo, Cerdo
Cow, Horse, Chicken, Pig
📐 Standards alignment
ACTFL World-Readiness: Communication (interpersonal, interpretive, presentational) · Cultures (farm life and animal sounds in the Spanish-speaking countryside) · Comparisons (Spanish vs. English)
Can-Do targets (NCSSFL-ACTFL, Novice Low):
- I can name eight animals in Spanish.
- I can match Spanish animal sounds to their animals.
- I can say Me gusta about my favorite animal.
Learning objectives
- Name four farm animals in Spanish
- Match farm sounds to animals
- Combine unit words: a big farm scene review
Materials
Toy farm animals or pictures. Optional: build a “farm” from blocks for the finale.
Prior knowledge
Lesson 1 pets and sounds — the farm animals join the same game.
Key vocabulary
la vaca · el caballo · el pollo · el cerdo
Old MacDonald had a granja
Sing one verse of Old MacDonald. Today his farm goes bilingual — and the rooster changes languages entirely.
Meet four new words
Tap each card to flip it and hear how it sounds. Look at the picture, say the Spanish word out loud, then check the back for the English meaning.
Say it three times
Go back through the cards above. For each word: the grown-up (or the 🔊 listen button) says it once, then your child repeats it three times, nice and loud. Silly voices are encouraged!
Build the farm
Set up a farm scene together (toys, blocks, or drawings). Every animal must be announced in Spanish to enter the farm: ¡La vaca! Muu. Walk through all eight unit animals — pets visit the farm too.
Memory game: ¡Encuentra el par!
Find the matching pairs — each Spanish word has its picture hiding somewhere in the grid.
Find the matching pairs!
Escucha y elige — Listen and choose
Press each play button and choose what you heard.
1. Press play. What did you hear?
2. Press play. What did you hear?
3. Press play. What did you hear?
The granja opera
The grand finale: assign each family member (or class group) an animal. Conduct them like an orchestra — point at the vaca section: ¡MUU! Point at the cerdos: ¡OINC! Crescendo everyone together. Neighbors may complain. Worth it.
One more flip-through
Scroll back up to the flashcards and let your child flip through them on their own, saying each word before checking the back. No help this time — just see what they remember!
Show what you know
1. “El caballo” is a…
2. Which animal says “oinc oinc”?
¡Muy bien!
Eight animals strong: pets and farm animals, each with a Spanish voice. Your child can run a bilingual barnyard — and Me gusta el caballo is a full Spanish opinion.
Take it home
My granja
Draw a farm with all four farm animals. Label them in Spanish, and give each one a sound bubble: ¡muu! ¡oinc! Show someone your farm and perform the sounds.
Name: Date:
Zoo preview
Animals continue in Grade 3! For now: draw one wild animal you wish you could name in Spanish. (Ask a grown-up to look it up together — sneak preview.)
Note for teachers & parents
Pacing: the opera finale is chaos by design — it reviews every animal from both lessons at maximum engagement. Save five full minutes for it.
Watch for: caballo and pollo share the LL sound (“Y”): kah-BAH-yoh, POH-yoh. Two chances to anchor one sound.