Rhyme Time | EL Education Curriculum

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Daily Learning Targets

  • Opening A: I can identify the name and sound for the letters "u," "q," and "x." (RF.K.3)
    • I can say the sound that each consonant letter makes in words.
    • I can identify the most common single graphemes (letters) for short vowels.
  • Work Time A: I can identify and produce words that rhyme. (RF.K.2)
    • I can listen to a list of words and identify which one does not rhyme.
    • 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 word that rhymes when provided with a new initial sound.
  • Record students' progress on the Snapshot Assessment.

Agenda

Agenda

1. Opening (5 minutes)

A. Letter-Sound Chant: All Accumulated Letters

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: "A Fox and a Quail in the Rain" (handwrite on chart paper, display electronically, or enlarge a photocopy)
    • A picture of a rose for use during Work Time A (see supporting materials)
    • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)
  • Gather materials for differentiated small group instruction (see Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher section).

Vocabulary

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

  • rhyme, rhyming (L)

Materials

  • Enlarged poem: "A Fox and a Quail in the Rain" (for teacher to display; from Lesson 47)
  • Large pointer (optional; for teacher to point to words in poem as the class recites)
  • Poetry notebooks (from Lesson 47)
  • Work Time Picture Card: rose (one to display)
  • Articulatory Gestures chart (from Lesson 46)
  • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Letter-Sound Chant: All Accumulated Letters

  • (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 "u": "'u,' umbrella, /u/," and repeats.

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

4. Repeat steps 2-3 with "q," "x," and letters accumulated to this point.

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

  • Refer to the Articulatory Gestures chart as needed to support students in producing sounds for each letter.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Rhyme Time

  • (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of "Frere 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. This is how it goes: I'll say a word and then point to an object or picture. You'll say the name of the object or picture, and then we'll figure out if the two words rhyme or don't rhyme."

2. Teacher says: "rope," then points to his or her nose.

3. Students say: "nose."

4. Teacher invites the students to say both words.

5. Teacher asks:

"Do these words rhyme?" (no)

"How do you know?" (They don't sound exactly the same at the end.)

"What part of the word helps us know that they rhyme? The beginning or the end?" (end)

"What is the beginning sound in 'rope'?" (/r/)

"What is the ending chunk in 'rope'?" (/ope/)

"What is the beginning sound in 'nose'?" (/n/)

"What is the ending chunk in 'nose'?" (/ose/)

"Who can make a word that rhymes with 'rope' and begins with /h/?" ("hope")

"Can anyone think of another word that rhymes with 'rope' and 'hope'?" ("soap," "nope," "cope," "slope")

6. Teacher says: "nose," then holds up Work Time Picture Card: rose.

7. Students say: "rose."

8. Teacher repeats steps 3-4.

9. Teacher says: "Now let's see if we can be detectives and find words that rhyme in our poem. Let's try it one part at a time. We'll jump if we hear a word that rhymes. Watch as I do the first line."

10. Teacher recites the first line of the poem aloud. Teacher jumps when saying the word: "box."

11. Teacher asks:

"Why did I jump when I said 'box'?" (rhymes with "fox")

12. Teacher says: "That's right! /b/-ox rhymes with /f/-ox. The ending chunk is the same!"

13. Teacher invites students to stand and do this together using the first line of the poem, thinking about what word will signal their jump.

14. Teacher says: "Listen carefully to the second line: 'And a quiet little quail.'"

15. Teacher asks:

"Are there any words that rhyme in that line?" (no)

16. Teacher and students recite the second line without jumping for any word.

17. Teacher continues to work through each line of the poem using the process described in steps 13-15.

      • Third line: "Sat under an umbrella in the rain ..."
      • Fourth line: "It was a quarter to six. They were in quite a fix."
      • Fifth line: "The water! It was rising so quick!"
      • Sixth line: "They climbed up a big tree, and who did they see?"
      • Seventh line: "A queen with a bright golden crown!"
      • Eighth line: "So together they sat and had a long chat ..."
      • Ninth line: "... and waited until the water went down."

18. Teacher and students recite the poem together once more, jumping for the rhyming words.

19. Teacher invites students to listen to the words "crown" and "down."

20. Teacher invites students to think of a word that rhymes with "those" and starts with the sound /fr/. (frown)

  • During step 6, scaffold students' growing understanding that it is the final sound that determines whether or not a word rhymes by showing the picture of the rhyming word.
  • Hearing rhymes can be challenging for some students. Providing the pictures in steps 1-9 allows them to 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 then, each time they jump on a rhyming word, have them say the word "stop." Circle the words that rhyme each time the students say "stop." Invite them to notice if they see anything similar in the words you circle.
  • Some students may identify words such as "quiet" and "quail" as words that rhyme because they hear the same sound at the beginning (/kw/). Support their growing understanding of rhyme by saying each word, exaggerating the separation of the onset from the rime in each word: "/kw/-iet and /kw/-ail."
  • Ask students to compare the last chunk of each word and identify whether or not they are the same.
  • The ninth line is the only line that contains a word ("crown") that rhymes with a word from a previous line (as opposed to within the same line). If students do not hear and recognize this right away, consider reciting the last three lines in succession, emphasizing the words "crown" and "down."

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

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 her eye on the ball to know exactly when to hit it.
  • Ask:

"How do we know that 'crown' and 'down' are words that rhyme?" (have 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. Examples:
    • "When I say the words 'crown' and 'down,' 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: Where Do I Belong?
    • Students work with the teacher to find a picture of a word that rhymes with a set of words. There are four sets of words and four single words that need to find out where they belong:
      • Set 1: "rain," "train," "crane"
      • Set 2: "box," "fox," "rocks"
      • Set 3: "down," "frown," "gown"
      • Set 4: "wall," "fall," "ball"
      • Single words: "tall," "brain," "socks," "crown"
    • Teacher cuts apart the "single" words ahead of time for one set of cards (teacher set).
    • Starting with the first set, the teacher supports the students as they say the name of each picture ("rain," "train," "crane").
    • The teacher then supports the students as they say the name of each "single" word ("brain," "socks," "crown," "tall")
    • Together, teacher and students say each word in the set, followed by one of the "single" words, to listen for whether or not the new word rhymes. Once they have found which of the "new" words belongs, the process continues with the next set of words and the remaining "single" cards.
    • If time allows, students can then repeat this activity with their own cards and sheets.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Where Do I Belong? Cards and sheet (one for teacher)
    • Scissors (one for teacher)
    • Optional:
      • Glue sticks (one per student)
      • Where Do I Belong? Cards and sheet (one per student or partners)

Early Partial Alphabetic:

  • Practice activity: Where Do I Belong?
    • Teacher supports students as they find a picture of a word that rhymes with a set of words. There are four sets of words and four single words that need to find out where they belong:
      • Set 1: "rain," "train," "crane"
      • Set 2: "box," "fox," "rocks"
      • Set 3: "down," "frown," "gown"
      • Set 4: "wall," "fall," "ball"
      • Single words: "tall," "brain," "socks," "crown"
    • Students cut the single words or teacher cuts them apart ahead of time.
    • Teacher spreads all of the cards out and supports students as they say the name of each picture.
    • Students match the "single" pictures to the set with which they belong.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Where Do I Belong? Cards and sheet (one for teacher)
    • Optional:
      • Scissors and glue sticks (one of each per student)
      • Where Do I Belong? Cards and sheet (one per student or partners)

    Late Partial and Early Full Alphabetic:

    • Independent practice activity: Where Do I Belong?
      • Students work independently to find a picture of a word that rhymes with a set of words. There are four sets of words and four single words that need to find out where they belong:
        • Set 1: "rain," "train," "crane"
        • Set 2: "box," "fox," "rocks"
        • Set 3: "down," "frown," "gown"
        • Set 4: "wall," "fall," "ball"
        • Single words: "tall," "brain," "socks," "crown"
      • Students cut apart the cards.
      • Students spread all of the cards out and say the name of each picture.
      • Students match the pictures to the set of words with which they rhyme.
      • Each student glues matches onto the end of the set.
    • Additional Supporting Materials:
      • Where Do I Belong? Cards and sheet (one for teacher)
      • Optional:
        • Scissors and glue sticks (one of each per student)
        • Where Do I Belong? Cards and sheet (one per student or partners)

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