Writing a Nursery Rhyme

2010-05-21T17:27:35Z

Dfbachhuber:

=== Age ===

6-12 

=== Materials ===

Smartboard or LCD projector for showing the nusery rhyme on zelo.com. Students need their writer's notebooks and a pencil. 

=== Preparation ===

Student need no particular preparation. Some familiarity with nursery rhymes is helpful. 

=== Presentation ===

1. Using a Smartboard, or an LCD projector, open this link: http://www.zelo.com/FAMILY/NURSERY/. If you do not have these resources, you'll need a volume of Mother Goose tales, and to write out several nursery rhymes where child can read and comment on them. 

2. The first writing activity is based on "Hickory Dickory Dock." The second is based on "Baa, Baa Black Sheep." 

3.

Hickory dickory dock The mouse ran up the clock The clock struck one The mouse ran down Hickory dickory dock 

4. Read "Hickory Dickory Dock." Point out that it has a mouse that climbs a surprising object, a clock. "In your notebooks, write down the name of an animal, and the name of something the animal climbs."

5. "Now, take the object you've written down and name something it does. "In Hickory Dickory," the clock strikes one. If you used a horse who climbed a rock, the rock could break, or it could fall, or it could tumble, etc.

6. Write down what the animal does in response to the object. For example, if the rock broke, the horse could fly.

7. Now, ask students to write a nonsense phrase similar to hickory dickory dock.

8. Students share their animal, their object, what the object does, what the animal does, and their nonsense phrase.

9. Give the students 8 to ten minutes to compose a nursery rhyme with the information they have written down.

10. Students share their writing.

 

During the same period, I move on to a second prompt, "Baa Baa Black Sheep."

1. Visit zelo.com, or write Baa Baa Black Sheep on the board.

2.

Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full! One for the master, one for the dame, And one for the little boy who lives down the lane. 

3. Read the rhyme. Note that this nursery rhyme is about having a gift (the wool) and sharing it with three others: the master, the dame, the boy.

4. Have students write down the name of an animal.

5. Write down the name of the animal's gift. If your animal is a horse, the gift can be surprising, like "speed."

6. Write down the "amount" of the gift. The sheep's gift is "thee bags full." The horse's gift might be, "a sky full of speed."

7. Now, have students write down three receivers of the animal's gift. 

8. The nursery rhyme can start with the animal's characteristic sound, or a made up sound, along with a question. 

9. Give students five minutes to compose a nursery rhyme, given the information they have assembled. 

10. Students share a few of their nursery rhymes. 

 

Suggestions for student work: Students can compose freely. See "Editing and rewriting a nursery rhyme," for a followup lesson. 

 

=== Control Of Error ===

Teacher needs to check notebooks while students are writing, helping as necessary. 

=== Points Of Interest ===

Nursery rhymes are perfect for early reading. A whole lanuage approach to reading depends on students knowing the material by heart before they read the words. 

=== Purpose ===

Direct Aim: Writing a nursery rhyme. 

Indirect Aim: Preparing students to revise for rhyme and sound. 

=== Variation ===

Choose any nursery rhyme to your liking. 

=== Links ===

http://www.zelo.com/FAMILY/NURSERY/ 

=== Handouts/Attachments ===

N/A 

[[Category:Language]] [[Category:Language_9-12]]

2010-05-14T19:43:52Z

Dfbachhuber: New page: === Age === === Materials === === Preparation === === Presentation === === Control Of Error === === Points Of Interest === === Purpose...

Common and Proper Nouns (In Reynard the Fox)

2010-05-14T19:42:00Z

Dfbachhuber:

=== Age ===

9-12 

=== Materials ===

Students need Language notebooks, pencils. Proeject the passage below on a Smarboard or LCD if possible.

First page of Reynard the Fox. Copy and paste the following into a separate document and copy for your students. Highlighters. Grammar notebook.

      Long ago in a faraway kingdom, young Prince Harold and his beautiful bride, Caroline, were crowned king and queen. Kinights and ladies, bishops and merchants, nobles and common folks—subjects from all corners of the realm—came to Court for the coronation. Everyone happily joined in the celebration—everyone, that is, but the new king.       “Why are you so sad? asked Queen Caroline.       Young Harold sighed. “I am not ready to be king,” he answered. “I have not earned the wisdom to rule. There are many in this kingdom who do not listen to me, who even covet my throne. My new subjects are greedy and constantly fight among theselves. And I am distressed that I don’t know how to deal with them, how to rule them wisely. What am I to do?”       Queen Caroline understood her husband’s misgivings and thought for some time before she said, “I have heard stories of someone who may be able to help us.”       “Give me his name,” said King Harold.       “I do not know his name,” answered the queen. “But I have been told there is a wise hermit who lives among wild animals ina cave deep in the forest. Many seek him out for advice on matters simple and grave. No one knows where he comes from, how long he had been in the forest, or how he gained his wisdom. But it is known for certain that he has helped many of our subjects.”       “My queen, you are very clever!” said the king. “Summon this mysterious hermit to our court.” 

=== Preparation ===

Students should have done some work with Reynard the Fox, but the presentation itself only requires that students know the basic parts of speech. Especially, can they recognize a noun and distinguish nouns from other parts of speech 

=== Presentation ===

1. Review nouns. Show the symbol. Remind children of the pyramids. Review definition of nouns. Have children give examples. Make sure that all students can show a basic understanding.

 2. Introduce the concept of common and proper nouns. Common nouns represent a class of objects, like a car, while Proper nouns represent a specific item within the general class, like a Toyota Prius. Common nouns are not capitalized, unless they are the first word in a sentence, while proper nouns are always capitalized.

 3. Re-use the first page of Reynard. Ask students to be make two columns in their notebooks, common nouns and proper nouns. Underline all capitalized nouns with one color and all nouns that are not capitalized in a second color.

 4. Have students list all nouns in appropriate column.

 5. Discuss the difference between common and proper nouns.

 

Suggestions for Student Work: Have students take the first page of a novel they are reading and list all the nouns, classifying them as common and proper. 

=== Control Of Error ===

Teacher 

=== Points Of Interest ===

Have student notice that published literature makes a careful distinction between common and proper nouns by always capitalizing proper nouns. 

=== Purpose ===

Direct Aim: Introduce Common and Proper Nouns

Indirect Aim: Teaching capitalization rules to be used in writing. 

=== Variation ===

Have students make a list of as many common and proper nouns as they can find, using the first pages of novels. 

=== Links ===

N/A 

=== Handouts/Attachments ===

N/A 

[[Category:Language]] [[Category:Language_9-12]]