Rhyme Time | EL Education Curriculum

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Daily Learning Targets

  • Work Time A and B: I can identify the name and sound for the letters "m," "r," "h," "p," "a," and "t." (RF.K.3)
    • I can identify the name of each uppercase letter.
    • I can look at each consonant and say its sound.
  •  Work Time A: I can identify and produce words that rhyme. (RF.K.2)
    • I can listen to a list of three rhyming words and create a new rhyming word with a different sound (provided by the teacher; example: "pat," "bat," "hat," /s/).
    • I can listen to a line of text containing two rhyming words and pick out and say the two words.
    • When given a word, I can create a new rhyming word by changing the first sound in the word.

Ongoing Assessment

  • Observe students during Work Time A.
    • Determine whether they can identify the rhyming words in lines of the poem.
    • Also determine whether they can produce a new rhyming word when provided a new initial sound.
  • Record students' progress on the Snapshot Assessment.

Agenda

Agenda

1. Opening (5 minutes)

A. Letter-Sound Chant: "m," "r," "h," "p," "a," and "t"

2. Work Time (10 minutes)

A. Rhyme Time

3. Closing and Assessment (2 minutes)

A. Reflecting on Learning

4. Differentiated Small Group Instruction and Rotations (40-45 minutes)

In Advance

  • Prepare:
    • Enlarged poem: "Mouse and Rabbit Share a Snack" (handwrite on chart paper, display electronically, or enlarge a photocopy)
    • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)
  • Gather materials for differentiated small group instruction (see Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher).

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T)

  • rhyme (L)

Materials

  • Enlarged poem: "Mouse and Rabbit Share a Snack" (to display; from Lesson 21)
  • Large pointer (optional; for teacher to point to words in poem as the class recites)
  • Poetry notebooks (from Lesson 21)
  • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)

Opening

Opening

A. Letter-Sound Chant: "m," "r," "h," "p," "a," and "t"

  • (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot"):

"Now let's say the alphabet, letter by letter. Here is the letter, here is the sound. When we chant together, we sound great. Listen up to the sounds we make!"

  • Begin the Letter-Sound Chant instructional practice:

1. Teacher says: "Today, we will do a Letter-Sound Chant with ALL the letters we have learned so far."

2. Teacher models the Letter-Sound Chant for "m": "'m,' mountain, /m/" and repeats.

3. Teacher asks students to join in the Letter-Sound Chant for "m": "'m,' mountain, /m/" and repeats.

4. Repeat steps 2-3 with "r," "h," "p," "a," and "t."

5. Teacher says: "Great job! Knowing the sounds for letters helps us become better readers."

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Rhyme Time

  • (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of “Frère Jacques”):

“Now it’s rhyme time, now it’s rhyme time. Hear the sounds, hear the sounds. Listen for the pattern, listen for the pattern. At the end, at the end.”

  • Begin the Rhyme Time instructional practice:

1. Teacher says: “We’re going to explore some sounds in words in the poem again today, but before we do that, we’re going to play a game: I’ll say two words, and you will repeat them. Then we will figure out how the two words go together. Watch while I model.”

2. Teacher says “pin” and then says “fin.”

3. Teacher invites students to say both words: “pin, fin.”

4. Teacher asks:

“How these words are the same?” (sound almost the same, rhyme, endings are the same)

“What sounds do they both have?” (/i/, /n/)

“How are these words different?” (first sound is different)

“Who can think of another word that has the same ending (‘in’) as ‘pin’ and ‘fin’?”

5. Teacher says: “That’s right! These words all have the same sound pattern at the ending of the word. We hear the same pattern, ‘in,’ at the ending of these words. We can say these words rhyme becausethey follow the pattern of ‘in’ and the ending. Let’s try with some different words.”

6. Repeat steps 2–5 with word sets “wet”/“set” and “sack/“tack.”

7. Teacher says: “We know there’s a wonderful rhythm and beat to our poem. Yesterday, we tapped to hear the beats in words. We called those beats ‘syllables.’ Let’s see if we can feel something different in the poem today. Watch while I model a new movement.”

8. Teacher stands up, reciting the first two lines of enlarged poem: “Mouse and Rabbit Share a Snack” aloud.

9. Teacher jumps when saying the words “cheese” and “please.”

10. Teacher invites students to stand and do this together, thinking about what two words will signal their jump.

11. Teacher asks:

“What words did we jump on?” (“cheese” and “please”)

“What do you notice about those words?” (they rhyme)

“What part of the word makes them rhyme? The beginning or the ending?” (ending)

“What pattern did you hear in those rhyming words?” (/ē/ /z/)

12. Repeat steps 8–10 with the remainder of the poem.

13. Teacher says: “Let’s read the poem aloud together now, feeling the rhyme in our bodies and mouths.”

14. Teacher and students recite the poem together, jumping on the rhyming words.

  • Consider allowing students to provide nonsense words when producing rhyming words. The goal is to encourage hearing the pattern in these rhyming words.
  • Hearing rhymes can be challenging for some young students. Consider providing pictures in steps 1-5 to help them successfully produce rhyming words, which they can then analyze to identify the sounds that match in those words.
  • Consider extending this Work Time to include pointing to each word as students recite it and have them say "stop" when they've jumped on a rhyming word. Circle those words. Invite students to notice if they see anything similar in those words.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning

  • Emphasize that successful learners think about what they've learned and why it's important. Consider using a metaphor, such as a baseball player learning to keep his or hers eye on the ball to know exactly when to hit it.
  • Ask:

"What do we hear that is the same in rhyming words?" (the same ending sound)

"How might knowing rhyming words help us with reading and writing?" (Responses will vary.)

  • For students who need additional support organizing their ideas: Provide sentence frames. Example:
    •  "When I say the words 'pin' and 'fin,' I hear _____."

Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher

Suggested Plan: Teacher works with the Pre-Alphabetic and Early Partial Alphabetic groups. Teacher may meet briefly with the Late Partial and Early Full Alphabetic groups to get them started on independent work.

Note: Groups not working with the teacher at a given time should be engaged in purposeful independent rotation work. Refer to the Independent and Small Group Work guidance document (see K-2 Skills Resource Manual) for more details.

Pre-Alphabetic:

  • Practice activity: Match the Words That Rhyme.
    • Students work with the teacher to find pictures of words that rhyme. There are 10 pairs of words:
    • "can"/"van," "cat"/"rat," "dice"/"rice," "dog"/"log," "gate"/"skate," "pan"/"man," "box"/"fox," "mice"/"ice," "duck"/"truck," "socks"/"box"
    • Teacher cuts the words apart ahead of time for one set of cards (teacher set).
    • Starting with just four cards (example: "can"/"van," "cat"/"rat," "dice"/"ice," "gate/skate"), the teacher supports students as they say the name of each picture.
    • Teacher supports students as they match the remaining cards that rhyme.
    • If time allows, students (or teacher beforehand) cut apart a set of Match the Word That Rhymes cards for each student or set of partners.
    • Students repeat the activity with less teacher support.
  • Possible variation: Memory.
    • Mix up the teacher set of cards (or student/partner sets) and lay all cards facedown. Students take turns turning over two cards, determining if they match/rhyme. Student keeps cards if they identify a set of rhyming words.
  • Possible variation: Each student (or teacher beforehand) cuts apart a set of cards. Students glue matching cards (rhyming words) next to each other.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
  • Match the Words That Rhyme Cards (one set for teacher)
    • Optional:
      • Scissors and glue sticks (one of each per student)
      • Match the Words That Rhyme Cards (one set per student or set of partners)
      • Blank piece of paper (one per student)

Early Partial Alphabetic:

  • Practice activity: Match the Words That Rhyme.
    • Students work with the teacher to find pictures of words that rhyme. There are 10 pairs of words:
    • "can"/"van," "cat"/"rat," "dice"/"rice," "dog"/"log," "gate"/"skate," "pan"/"man," "box"/"fox," "mice"/"ice," "duck"/"truck," "socks"/"box"
    • Teacher cuts the words apart ahead of time for one set of cards (teacher set).
    • Starting with just four cards (example: "can"/"van," "cat"/"rat," "dice"/"ice," "gate/skate"), the teacher supports students as they say the name of each picture.
    • Teacher supports students as they match the remaining cards that rhyme.
    • Students match the pictures that rhyme.
  • If time allows, play Memory with the cards:
  • Mix up the teacher set of cards (or student/partner sets) and lay all cards facedown.
    • Students take turns turning over two cards, determining if they match/rhyme.
    • Students keep cards if they identify a set of rhyming words.
    • Possible variation: Each student (or teacher beforehand) cuts apart a set of cards. Students glue matching cards (rhyming words) next to each other.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Match the Words That Rhyme Cards (one set for teacher)
    • Optional:
      • Scissors and glue sticks (one of each per student)
      • Match the Words That Rhyme Cards (one set per student or set of partners)
      • Blank piece of paper (one per student)

Late Partial and Early Full Alphabetic:

  • Independent practice activity: Match the Words That Rhyme.
    • Students work with the teacher to find pictures of words that rhyme. There are 10 pairs of words:
    • "can"/"van," "cat"/"rat," "dice"/"rice," "dog"/"log," "gate"/"skate," "pan"/"man," "box"/"fox," "mice"/"ice," "duck"/"truck," "socks"/"box"
    • Teacher cuts the words apart ahead of time for one set of cards (teacher set).
    • Starting with just four cards (example: "can"/"van," "cat"/"rat," "dice"/"ice," "gate/skate"), the teacher supports students as they say the name of each picture.
    • Students match the remaining cards that rhyme.
    • Individually, students glue their matches on a blank piece of paper.
    • Before students glue the matches onto paper, consider pairing them and having them use one set of cards to mix them and lay them out facedown. Students can take turns turning over two cards, saying the word for each picture and determining if they have a match (i.e., if the words rhyme).
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Scissors and glue sticks (one of each per student)
    • Match the Words That Rhyme Cards (one set per student or set of partners)
    • Blank piece of paper (one per student)

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