Lesson Plan : Nursery Rhymes

Lesson Level:    Junior                    Duration:  40 Minutes

Lesson Title:     Nursery Rhymes

Grammar and Vocabulary

Lesson is based around pronunciation and rhyming.

Rhyming words. .

Lesson Objectives

Students will learn to group words according to their sounds by listening to and repeating some popular nursery rhymes. 

Materials Required

A large poster and a set of cards for the rhyme race game. ¹

Handout of nursery rhymes.²

Preparation

 Prepare poster, cards and handouts.

Procedure

1

Write “Nursery Rhymes” on the board.

Check if class know what a nursery rhyme is.

If not explain that it is like a little song with no music and choose one from the sheet to read. 

2

Put class into groups of four.

Put poster on the board.

Choose a card and read it and then point to various words on the poster asking if they rhyme. 

3

Play the Rhyme Race game.¹

4

Give the nursery rhyme handouts.

Allocate a rhyme to each group. (There will be some repeats, this doesn’t matter.)

Allow each group a few minutes to practice. Then have each group stand and read their nursery rhyme to the class.

5.

For stronger classes, if there is time have each group try to write their own nursery rhyme using the words from the handout and the words on the board.

Notes

1.

Rhyme Race Activity

Need

A set of cards with single words on them that DO NOT RHYME WITH EACH OTHER (Say 10-20 cards)

A large poster that for each of the words on the card has three words - two that rhyme and one that either looks like a rhyme but isn’t or is a near. Some of the rhymes should be worfs that don’t look like rhymes.

Cat	Hat Sat Pot
Dog	Log Fog Bag
Rice	Price Mice Place
Day	Play Grey Toy
Rain	Cane Train Line
Fair	Hair Bear Hear
Penny	Any Many Twenty
Mile	Smile Aisle Feel
House	Mouse Spouse Loose
Shoe	Do Blue No
Bread	Haid Said Bead
Make	Take Break Beak
Run	Gun Son Burn
Wife	Knife Life Leaf
Snow	Go Throw Threw
Rule	School Fool Hole
Wall	Tall Small Smell
Men	Pen Ten Win
Sky	High Try Tree
Hot	Not Shot Fat

How to play

Divide the class into small groups (four students)

Put the poster on the board.

Shuffle the cards.

Turn the first card.

Read the card out.

Group one chooses a word from the board.

If it rhymes write the word from the card and mark the word on the poster with a magnet (or cover with a post it note) Drill the words with the class.

If it doesn’t rhyme show the difference and drill with the class then  go to the second group with the same card.

Repeat for one or two rounds with the whole class.

Optionally play an extra round with students ADDING a new rhyming word that ISN’T on the poster.

2.

Rain rain go away,

Come again another day.

Little Johnny wants to play;

Rain, rain, go to Spain,

Never show your face again!

Simple Simon met a pieman going to the fair;

Said Simple Simon to the pieman "Let me taste your ware"

Said the pieman to Simple Simon "Show me first your penny"

Said Simple Simon to the pieman "Sir, I have not any!"

There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile,

He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse.

And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,

She had so many children she didn't know what to do!

So she gave them some soup without any bread,

And she kissed them all softly and sent them to bed!

Three blind mice, three blind mice,

See how they run, see how they run,

They all ran after the farmer's wife,

Who cut off their tails with a kitchen knife,

Did you ever see such a thing in your life,

As three blind mice?

Mary had a little lamb its fleece was white as snow;

And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day, which was against the rule;

It made the children laugh and play, to see a lamb at school.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the King's horses, And all the King's men

Couldn't put Humpty together again!

Little Bo peep has lost her sheep

And doesn't know where to find them.

Leave them alone and they'll come home,

Bringing their tails behind them.

Pieman - a man who sells pies (snacks)

Ware - food

Crooked - not straight, bent

Sixpence - old English money

Stile - a kind of gate

Blind - can’t see

Lamb - baby sheep

Fleece - the wool on a sheep