Gabriella's Song Unit Study & Lapbook

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Thanks to Celia Hartmann for collaborating with me for this Gabriella’s Song unit study.

Gabriella’s Song Unit Study Lessons

This unit study includes lessons and printables based on the book Gabriella’s Song by Candace Fleming.

Here are some sample lessons from the Gabriella’s Song Unit Study.

Language Arts: Compound Words
A compound word is made when two words are joined to make one word. Can your student find examples of compound words throughout this story? (marketplace, alleyways, waterways, housewives, dockworkers, schoolchildren, notebook, woodwind)

Language Arts: Making a List
Make a list with your student of all the musical expressions in this story. Sometimes we think of music as something grand– a concert played on a piano or a soloist performing for an audience. Some of your answers may include: humming, whistling, singing, playing an accordion, playing a piano, and bells ringing (and more!).

Language Arts: Alliteration
Candace Fleming using a poetic style to write this story (which is very appropriate since it is about music). One of the poetic devices she uses is alliteration. Discuss or review the term with your student. It is defined as the repetition of the same initial consonant sound at the beginning of two or more words (that are immediately succeeding each other or at short intervals). After you examine the following examples (or go looking together in the story on your own), try to write some alliterations. You can use anything to do this–including household objects or musical instruments! Help your child learn to love our language.

Examples:

“Morning melody”
“Blended and blurred”
“Such a sad song”
“Gondoliers gliding”
“Housewives heard and hummed”
“Simple song”

You can grab a copy of the entire Gabriella’s Song Unit Study and Lapbook in an easy-to-print file at the end of this post.

Gabriella’s Song Lapbook Printables

In addition to the unit study lessons, this file also includes a Gabriella’s Song Lapbook with these mini-books and printables:

Italy Shutterfold Map
Flag of Italy Simple Fold
Sites to See in Venice Accordion
Psalm 100 Copywork Pages
Picture Dictionary Mini-book
Pigeon Facts Shape Book
Pigeon Observations Mini-book
My Italian Bakery Simple Fold
What Does a Composer Do? Matchbook
Compound Words Simple Fold Book
My List of Musical Things
Musical Memory Match Game
I Hear Music Tab Book

How to Get Started with Your Gabriella’s Song Unit Study & Lapbook

Follow these simple instructions to get started with the Gabriella’s Song Unit Study:

Buy a copy of the book, Gabriella’s Song, or borrow one from your local library. You may want to check out books about music and Italy, too.
Print the Gabriella’s Song unit study.
Choose the lessons you want to use with your student (a highlighter works great for this).
Choose and prepare the lapbook printables you want to use with your student.
Enjoy a week of literature-based learning with Gabriella’s Song.