Storytelling

This entertaining storytelling program tells the story of a Puerto Rican folktale called Juan Bobo (Silly Jack), an important part of the oral tradition of storytelling in Puerto Rico. It introduces children to elements of the Latino culture by sharing some of its customs, traditions, food and language; some Spanish vocabulary will be introduced during the storytelling and after the stories end as well. It develops communication skills and enriches the imagination through some audience interaction.

Pre-show activities:

1. Show in the world map the island of Puerto Rico.
2. Talk about the warm climate all year long.
3. Population is around 3.5 million people.
4. The official languages are Spanish, which prevails and English.
5. Most people in the island practice the Catholic religion.
6. Talk about some of the typical food in the island. Plantains are the most common ingredient in Puerto Rican cooking. They can be eaten green, ripped and mashed.Then, there’s asopao, a hearty soup made with sofrito (a zesty blend of seasonings popular in Latin American cuisines), chicken, vegetables, and rice. There’s also “lechon.” That’s pork and it’s usually roasted.
7. Talk about a little frog that lives in the island called the coqui. The name comes from the onomatopoeical name of the very loud mating call which the ‘male mountain’ and the ‘common coqui’ make at night. There are more than 16 different species found in the island.

Post-show activities:

Sing the bilingual song: pollitos-chicken, gallina-hen, lapiz-pencil, pluma-pen, maestrateacher, puerta-door, ventana-window and piso-floor. You can show pictures of a chicken, a hen, a pencil, a pen, a teacher, a door, a window and floor.

Vocabulary learned:

• Juan Bobo: Silly Jack
• Asopao: hearty soup with rice, shrimp or chicken or beef
• platano: plantain
• dorado: mahi-mahi fish
• cerdo: pig
• vaca: cow
• raton: mouse
• hola: hello
• adios: good-bye
• gracias: thank you