The Story of Ferdinand Activities & Lapbook

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Read this great classic tale and then jump into our The Story of Ferdinand activities and lapbook to learn even more with Ferdinand the bull. Your student will act out scenes from the story, learn about repetition, visit Spain, possibly learn a little Spanish, and more!

Thanks to Wende and Tamara for collaborating to create this The Story of Ferdinand Lapbook.

The Story of Ferdinand Activities & Lessons

The lessons, activities, and printables based on the book The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf.

Language Arts Activities & Lessons

Repetition Lesson
Authors play with words in many ways. Remind your student of some of these, if you have studied them in the past (onomatopoeia, alliteration, etc.) Repetition is another way writers play with words. Repetition allows the writer to emphasize certain words and phrases while providing the reader with something that feels familiar. Find and discuss the phrases that are repeated in this story.

Foreign Language: Spanish Words
Learn the color words in Spanish with the simple coloring book. If you want to learn more Spanish, try our Spanish Lapbook.

Copywork
Encourage your student to complete the copywork page in her very best handwriting. An older student may want to choose other selections from the book to copy on to her own paper.

Writing Activity: Story Starter
Write a story based on the prompt.

Drama
Let your student select a card and act out the scene from the story. Take turns and have fun! Store the drama cards in the pocket provided.

Science Activities & Lessons

The science section encourages students to research in order to learn more about bulls, vultures, and cork trees–all found within the story.

Social Studies Activities & Lessons

Spain
Use our Spain Lapbook to learn more about Spain. If you don’t want to complete the entire thing, you could simply pull a few pieces from it for your lapbook or notebook.

Iberian Peninsula
Learn what a peninsula is and complete the mini-books about the Iberian Peninsula.

Bullfighting Terms
Learn a little more about bullfighting! Here are some basic terms to learn.

picador: a rider on horseback in a bullfight who jabs the bull with a lance
matador: the bullfighter who plays the major part in the bullfight; the start of the show
banderillero: bull fighter on foot
toro: the bull

Math Activities & Lessons

Measurement Lesson
Ferdinand “grew and grew until he was big and strong.” Tell your student how much he weighed at birth. How much does he weigh now?
How long was your student at birth? How tall is he now? Measure him. Record the answers in the mini-book three different ways (inches, feet, and yards) to help him understand more about measurement. Add your student’s name and he/she to the gray boxes on the cover page.

Measurement & Art Activity
I gave my son a ruler, pencil, and piece of paper. Then I would call out an inch mark, and he would draw a line that was that many inches long. After he had plenty of lines (and shapes), he colored each shape with a watercolor crayon (regular crayons would work fine; they just won’t be as bright). After he finished coloring, he wet a paintbrush and “painted” all the shapes. Please see the next page for photos of this project.

The Story of Ferdinand Lapbook Printables

The following printables are included in the file for your student to create a The Story of Ferdinand Lapbook:

Measurement Tab Book
Iberian Peninsula Map Matchbook
What Is a Peninsula Matchbook
Examples of Repetition from the Story Mini-book
Bullfighting Terms Envelope Fold
Cork Trees Pocket with Sorting Cards
Vulture Diet Simple Fold
Vulture Size Flap Book
Bird of Prey Simple Fold Book
Vulture Flight Facts Fan Book
Vulture Eggs and Nests Simple Fold Book
Bullfighter Notebook Page
My Book of Spanish Colors
Drama Cards & Pocket (act out The Story of Ferdinand)
The Story of Ferdinand Copywork Page
Creative Writing Prompt Notebook Page

How to Get Started with the The Story of Ferdinand Activities, Lessons, and Lapbook

Follow these simple instructions to get started with the The Story of Ferdinand Lapbook.

Buy a copy of the book, The Story of Ferdinand, or grab one from your local library.
Check out other books about Spain, speaking Spanish, cows (bulls), vultures, and other topics your student may want to research throughout the week.
Choose and print the lapbook printables you want to use with your student.
Enjoy a week of literature lapbooking with your student.