From Story to Song:
Octopus Stew

Bring Eric Velasquez’s vibrant picture book Octopus Stew to life through music making, creativity, movement, and song. In this Lesson Kit, Jennifer Bhooshan guides you step-by-step as your students transform story sounds into ostinati, layer in a joyful melody, create their own B section with rhythmic building blocks, and even embody an octopus through expressive group movement. With approachable Orff arrangements, bilingual text that celebrates cultural connections, and playful opportunities for student choice, this kit blends literacy, music, and imagination into one delicious lesson your students won’t forget!

By the end of this Lesson Kit, teach your students to…

• Identify and perform ostinati that support a melody.
• Demonstrate understanding of half notes in both singing and instrumental contexts.  
• Translate story sounds into body percussion and barred instrument patterns.
• Play a simple pentatonic melody on xylophones with accuracy and confidence.
• Combine ostinati, melody, and bass parts into a full class ensemble arrangement.
• Compose and perform an AB form using rhythm building blocks from the story.
• Explore melodic contour by moving stepwise up and down within the pentatonic scale.
• Collaborate in groups to design and perform expressive creative movement.
• Recognize and appreciate cultural and linguistic representation through bilingual text.

Ready-to-use slides, sheet music, and composition templates give you everything you need to take the ideas from the videos straight into your classroom. Use them right away or save them as go-to resources for the future.

Earn a 4-hour certificate of completion while learning at your own pace. This lesson kit combines joyful, hands-on music-making with meaningful professional development—because growth should feel just as fun as teaching.