Student Activities
Click on a giraffe hoof print below to download fun companion activities for your students related to Giraffes Can’t Dance.
Playlist
Listen to some of the songs Amo Brass plays as part of their Stories & Music program.
Read Aloud, Think Aloud
Questions to help guide connections before, during, and after a read aloud session
Morning Work
A short morning work writing prompt: What is something YOU are good at?
Character Traits
List character traits, draw a picture and describe Gerald the giraffe.
Story Map
Map out what happens to Gerald in the beginning, middle and end.
Match the Musician
Match the member of Amo Brass to the instrument they play in Giraffes Can’t Dance.
Character Changes
How did Gerald change? How did learning to dance change Gerald?
Text Feature Scavenger Hunt
Conduct a mini lesson on text features of a nonfiction book and have students participate in a text feature scavenger hunt
Reader's Theater
A student read aloud script of Giraffes Can’t Dance
Word Detective
Be a sleuth! Use the title of the book and “Jungle Dance” to write as many words as you can.
Active Listening & Story Making
Listen to music, write what it makes you think of, and then draw your story!
Friendly Letter To Gerald
Students can apply SEL concepts by writing a friendly letter and reflecting on character actions from the story.
What Makes Me Special?
What is something that makes you special – something that is just right for you?
Poetry
Write a 4-line poem using an ABAB rhyme pattern,
just like the style used in Giraffes Can’t Dance.
Favorite Dance Graph
Watch examples of the different dances, vote for your favorite and analyze the results.
Animal Math: Comparing Numbers
Now it’s your turn to become a scientist and compare the many animals that live there.
Giraffe Drawing
Draw your own cartoon style giraffe along with Arts for Kids Hub members during their free drawing lesson.
Recycled Giraffe STEAM Challenge
Design and build a giraffe using recycled materials.
Animal Lifecycle Research Project
Through this interdisciplinary research and study, students will explore animal characteristics, life cycles, and offspring
Connected Text
Take some time to dig deeper through these recommended connected texts.
Get To Know Brass Instruments
Get to know the wonderful instruments in Amo Brass. Then try your hand at identifying the name of each instrument.
Special thanks to teachers Kaylee Avery and Emily Cress for creating the writing, math, STEM, science, ELA, and reading comprehension activities as well as contributions by Kara Kane for music-related activities.