TITLE:  Nursery Rhyme Mania

AUTHOR:  Carolyn Cregor, Natrona County Schools, Casper, WY

GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:  4-6; reading, English, social studies,
art

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 4 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:
  1.  Have the class brainstorm nursery rhyme titles and
      list them.
  2.  Each person selects a nursery rhyme to say from
      memory.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES:  Draw your nursery rhyme; act out
your nursery rhyme and include your name and different
ideas, but using the same rhyme pattern (discuss rhyming
patterns and rhyming words); write a modern day nursery
rhyme; write a nursery rhyme about a book or tv character or
a famous, historical, or political person; write and draw an
advertisement for a product or business using your nursery
rhyme (present to the business - they love it); invite an ad
write to speak and share class ideas; have a local radio
station do nursery rhyme ads; make up a story about a
nursery rhyme character (using the present, past, future,
other characters, etc.); write a newspaper article and/or
make a political cartoon about a nursery rhyme character;
publish a nursery rhyme newspaper (study newspaper writing
and format - there are some good computer newspaper
programs); find nursery rhymes used in other ways (political
cartoons, comics, ads, literature)

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
  1.  Present rhymes and discuss.
  2.  Display drawings and nursery rhymes.
  3.  Present rewritten rhymes and perhaps printed copies
      for all.
  4.  Present advertisements orally and display drawn ones.
  5.  Publish a nursery rhyme newspaper.
  6.  Display other uses of nursery rhymes.