Carolyn Cregor / Natrona County Schools, Casper, WY
Endorsed by:
These lesson plans are the result of the work of the teachers who have attended the Columbia Education Center's Summer Workshop. CEC is a consortium of teacher from 14 western states dedicated to improving the quality of education in the rural, western, United States, and particularly the quality of math and science Education. CEC uses Big Sky Telegraph as the hub of their telecommunications network that allows the participating teachers to stay in contact with their trainers and peers that they have met at the Workshops.
Date:
May 1994
Grade Level(s):
4, 5, 6
Subject(s):
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Language Arts/Whole Language
Overview:
Many upper elementary students do not know nursery rhymes, a basis for literature. Nursery rhymes can also be used for many creative activities.
Purpose:
To learn nursery rhymes through many creative activities.
Objectives:
Main objectives
- Students will be familiar with many different nursery rhymes.
Secondary objectives
- Some knowledge of rhyming patterns and rhyming. Cooperative learning skills. The 5 W's and H of newspaper articles. Data need in advertisements. Performance and presentation skills. Creative ideas. The correlation of nursery rhymes to current events, history, and other literature and media.
Resources/Materials:
Teacher
- nursery rhyme books or library access for students; optional - newspapers, computer(s), newspaper writing computer program, paper for printing newspapers. (Save political cartoons, comics, and other items relating to nursery rhymes)
Students
- pencil, paper, drawing paper and crayons or other art media, costumes and props.
Activities and Procedures:
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Have the class brainstorm nursery rhyme titles and list them.
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Each person selects a nursery rhyme to say from memory.
Additional Activities:
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Draw your nursery rhyme;
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act out your nursery rhyme and include your name and different ideas, but using the same rhyme pattern (discuss rhyming patterns and rhyming words);
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write a modern day nursery rhyme;
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write a nursery rhyme about a book or tv character or a famous, historical, or political person;
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write and draw an advertisement for a product or business using your nursery rhyme (present to the business - they love it);
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invite an ad write to speak and share class ideas;
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have a local radio station do nursery rhyme ads;
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make up a story about a nursery rhyme character (using the present, past, future, other characters, etc.);
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write a newspaper article and/or make a political cartoon about a nursery rhyme character;
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publish a nursery rhyme newspaper (study newspaper writing and format - there are some good computer newspaper programs);
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find nursery rhymes used in other ways (political cartoons, comics, ads, literature)
Tying It All Together:
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Present rhymes and discuss.
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Display drawings and nursery rhymes.
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Present rewritten rhymes and perhaps printed copies for all.
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Present advertisements orally and display drawn ones.
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Publish a nursery rhyme newspaper.
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Display other uses of nursery rhymes.