Nursery Rhymes

Rhymers are Readers Tony Stead, national literacy consultant for Mondo Publishing. In 1945, average elementary student had a vocabulary of 10,000 words. Today (2010), children have a vocabulary of 2500 words. “Listening comprehension precedes reading comprehension. For a child to understand what they are reading, they have to be able to hear the language first.” Rhyme is important in developing phonemic awareness in children.

Rhymers are Readers Why Rhymes Are Important Language Development Hear the sounds vowels and consonants make Practice pitch, volume ad voice inflection Vocabulary development Cognitive Development Patterns of rhymes make them easy to recite and memorize Story patterns: Beginning, middle & end Sequencing Numbers, counting, and other math concepts

Rhymers are Readers Why Rhymes Are Important Physical Development Develop mouth and tongue muscles Reciting with movement actions, improve coordination Social/Emotional Development Sense of humor Understand emotions Allows children to express themselves

Ways to Include Nursery Rhymes in the Curriculum Unit: Develop a unit incorporating a group of nursery rhymes. Nursery Rhyme of the Week Add to current curriculum topics Include in morning message Create a center

Planning a Nursery Rhyme Curriculum September: 1,2,3,4,5 Once I Caught a Fish Alive (Letter Ff) Rock A Bye Baby (Baby Moses) October: Rub a Dub Dub (Columbus Day) Little Miss Muffet (Spiders) November: Sing a Song of Sixpence (Birds) Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe (Old Lady and Coins)

January: Wee Willie Winkie (Pajama Day) Three Little Kittens (Winter/Mittens) February: Queen of Hearts Hey, Diddle, Diddle March: Mary Had a Little Lamb Little Bo Peep April/May: Old King Cole Muffin Man

Teacher Resource Books “Cut and Create Mother Goose” by Kim Rankin “Teaching Math and Science with Nursery Rhymes” by Amy DeCasro & Jennifer Kern “Literacy Centers & Activities for Nursery Rhymes Vol. 1 PreK-1” & Vol. 2 by Teacher Created Materials “Follow the Directions Art: Nursery Rhymes” by Deborah Schecter “Mother Goose Math” by Deborah Schecter “Teaching Tunes: Favorite Songs” by Dr. Jean Feldman “Once Upon a Nursery Rhyme Prek-K” Mailbox Books “Everything Nursery Rhymes Pre-K” Mailbox Books “Beginning Counting with Mother Goose” by JoEllen Moore “Literature Pockets: Nursery Rhymes” by JoEllen Moore

References "Rhymers Are Readers: The Importance of Nursery Rhymes." KBYU Eleven, n.d. Web. 18 Feb "Why Nursery Rhymes?." The Kids at Our House - Danny & Kim Adlerman. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb Clip Art: DJ Inkers