Teaching English Using Nursery Rhymes and Songs

1. Teaching English Using Nursery Rhymes and Songs Randy P. Lachney December 30th 2009

2. Benefits of using Nursery Rhymes and Songs for Teaching English • Introduces cultural elements of the language. • Helps with pronunciation and literacy skills. • The format of nursery rhymes and songs is short, simple and predictive, making them easy to learn and repeat. • Nursery rhymes and songs are easy to find and cost efficient.

3. References • Brown, J. (2006). Rhymes stories and songs in the ESL classroom. Internet TESL Journal, 8. • Gillespie, M. English pronunciation-Improving with Nursery Rhymes. Available online: http://ezinearticles.com/?English-Pronunciation---Improving-With-Nursery-Rhymes&id=2976426 • Goswami, U & Bryant, P. (1990). Phonological Skills and Learning to Read. New York: Psychology Press, Ltd.

4. Grammatical and Phonological Elements • Vocabulary • Intonation • Sentence Structure • Phonics- pre-school children who can identify the beginning and end sounds of a word find learning to read easier. 

5. Peas Porridge Hot • Peas porridge hot,Peas porridge cold,Peas porridge in the potNine days old. Some like it hot,Some like it cold,Some like it in the potNine days old.

6. Phonics • Beginning and ending sounds- • Peas porridge hot, • Peas porridge cold, • Peas porridge in the pot • Nine days old. • Rhymes • Peas porridge hot, • Peas porridge cold, • Peas porridge in the pot • Nine days old.

7. Vocabulary • peas • porridge • pot • hot • cold • old

8. There was an old woman who lived in a shoe • There was an old woman,Who lived in a shoe; She had so many children,She didn't know what to do.She gave them some broth,Without any bread;She whipped them all soundly,And sent them to bed

9. Sentence Structure and Patterns • There was an old woman. • She had so many children. • She didn’t know what to do.

10. Teaching Elements of Nursery Rhymes • Repetition • Sentence Structure • Themes • Objectives and Goals

11. Themes • Time- Hickory Dickory Dock • Weather and bugs-Itsy Bitsy Spider, Little Miss Muffet, It’s Raining, it’s Pouring • Cooking- Peas Porridge Hot, Pat- A -Cake • Counting-1,2 Buckle my shoe, Ten Little Indians • Gardening and plants-Mary Mary Quite Contrary • Animal Names-Hey Diddle Diddle, Little Bo Peep, Little Boy Blue

12. Itsy Bitsy Spider by grade level • 3rd – phonics, rhyme patters, finger puppets, singing, coloring pages • 4th- - phonics, rhyme patterns, finger puppets, singing, drawing, weather (sun and rain) • 5th –phonics, rhyme patterns, puzzles (find the water spout), drawing, creative writing ( change some words in the song),role plays, weather, arts and crafts, recreate the scene through cut-outs and poster boards, Reader’s Theater • 6th – phonics, rhyme patterns, puzzles, weather, creative drawing and writing. Make a new song about the itsy bitsy spider, role plays, reader’s theater, weather (scenarios, what is there is a typhoon, what would the itsy bitsy spider do?)

13. Sample Lesson- It’s Bitsy Spider-3rd Grade • Goals • Students will use English to sing the song Itsy Bitsy Spider. • Objectives- • Students will repeat the words of the nursery rhyme with the teacher. • Students will sing the words of the nursery rhyme with the teacher. • Students will say the words to the song individually and in groups. • Students will sing the words to the song individually and in groups. • Students will learn the meaning to the following vocabulary words • Spider • Spout • Rain • Wash • Dry • Students will create spider puppets. • Students will recreate the nursery rhyme using the finger puppets they made.

14. Sample Lesson, cont’d • Materials • Nursery Rhyme • Computer and or CD Player • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwwUb978l_c • Pencil and Paper • Colors and Markers • Construction paper • Spider Finger Puppet cut-outs

15. Spider This is a spider.

16. Spout The spider is going up the spout.

17. Finger Puppet Cut-outshttp://www.dltk-teach.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.dltk-kids.com/members/images/bfingeritsybitsy.gif

18. Resources-Rhymes and Teaching Materials • www.zelo.com/family/nursery/ • http://www3.amherst.edu/~rjyanco94/literature/mothergoose/rhymes/menu.html • http://www-personal.umich.edu/~pfa/dreamhouse/nursery/rhymes.html • www.mothergoose.com/ • http://www.apples4theteacher.com/mother-goose-nursery-rhymes/

19. Resources- Books

20. Resources- Books http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mother+goose+books&x=11&y=16

21. Resources- CD’s and songs

22. Resources- CD’s and Songs http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ssc_2_15?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=mother+goose+cd&sprefix=mother+goose+cd

23. Resources-Games

24. Resources- Games http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games&field-keywords=mother+goose&x=8&y=16

25. Teacher Practice-Directions Six groups of teachers will be assigned a nursery rhyme and grade level and create a short lesson that includes the following: Goals Objectives 3 activities Short assessment

26. Teacher Practice-1 Baa, baa, black sheep,Have you any wool?Yes sir, yes sir,Three bags full; One for my master,One for my dame,And one for the little boyThat lives in our lane.

27. Teacher Practice-2 Hickory, dickory, dock,The mouse ran up the clock.The clock struck one,The mouse ran down!Hickory, dickory, dock

28. Teacher Practice-3 Little Miss MuffetSat on a tuffet,Eating of curds and whey;There came a big spider,And sat down beside her,And frightened Miss Muffet away.

29. Questions and Comments

30. Thank you!!