Introducing Rhyme Time | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA GK:S1:C2:L15

Introducing Rhyme Time

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Daily Learning Targets

  • Opening A: I can identify the name and sound for the letters "h," "p," "a," and "t." (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 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 a new initial sound.
  • Record students' progress on the Snapshot Assessment.

Agenda

Agenda

1. Opening (5 minutes)

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

2. Work Time (10 minutes)

A. Introducing 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 Pink Parrot Took My Hat!" (handwrite on chart paper, display electronically, or enlarge a photocopy )
    • Pictures of a bed, hat, and car for use during Work Time A (see supporting materials)
    • Articulatory Gestures chart (to post)
    • 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, rhyming (L)
  • parrot, swooped (T)

Materials

  • Enlarged poem: "A Pink Parrot Took My Hat!" (to display; from Lesson 11)
  • Large pointer (optional; for teacher to point to words in poem as the class recites)
  • Work Time Picture Cards: "bed," "hat," "car," (one for display)
  • Articulatory Gestures chart (to post)
  • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Letter-Sound Chant: "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 "h": "'h,' house, /h/" and repeats.

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

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

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

  • Refer to the Articulatory Gestures chart (see Lesson 13 supporting materials) as needed to support students in producing sounds for each letter.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Introducing 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.”

  • Introduce 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. You’ll say the name of the object, and then we’ll figure out how the two words go together. Watch while I model.”

2. Teacher says the word: “bee,” then touches his or her knee and says: “knee.”

3. Teacher invites the students to say both words.

4. Teacher asks:

“Does anyone have an idea about how these two words go together?” (sound almost the same, rhyme, endings are the same)

“What sound do both words have?” (/ē/)

5. Teacher says: “hair,” then touches a chair and says: “chair.”

6. Teacher repeats steps 3–4 with this second set of words.

7. Teacher says the word: “head,” holds up Work Time Picture Card: “bed” and says: “You say /b/…”

8. Students say: “bed.”

9. Teacher repeats steps 7–8 with the following words and Work Time Picture Cards: “cat”/“hat” and “jar”/“car.”

10. Teacher asks:

“What do you notice about each pair of words?” (sound the same, rhyme, endings are the same)

“What part of the words sounds the same? The beginning part or ending part?” (end)

11. Teacher says: “We call words like ‘bee’ and ‘knee’ ‘rhyming words.’ They have the same ending sound.”

12. 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.”

13. Teacher stands up, reciting the first two lines of the poem aloud. Teacher jumps when saying the word “way.”

14. Teacher invites students to stand and do this together, again with the first two lines of the poem, with students thinking about which word will signal their jump.

15. Teacher says: “We will jump when we hear two words.”

16.Teacher asks:

“What are the words?” (“day” and “way”)

“Why do you think we jumped on that word?” (rhymes with “day”)

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

17. Repeat steps 13–16 with the next two lines of the poem, jumping for “pat.” Repeat once more with the last two lines, jumping for the word: “that.”

18. Teacher says: “Let’s recite this entire poem aloud together now, feeling the rhyme in our bodies and mouths.”

19. Teacher and students recite the poem together, jumping for the rhyming words.

20. Teacher invites students to listen to this list of words: “hat,” “pat,” “sat,” “that.”

21. Teacher asks:

“Can anyone think of another word that rhymes with those words?”

22. Teacher invites students to talk to an elbow partner or whisper the answer into their hand.

23. Teacher recites all the rhyming words aloud (“hat,” “pat,” “sat,” “that”) and adds words provided by the students.

  • 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 young children. Providing the pictures in steps 1-9 allows students to successfully produce rhyming words, which they can then analyze to identify the sounds that match in those words.
  • Consider extending Work Time A 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.

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

"How do we know that 'pat' and 'hat' are rhyming words?" (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 'pat' and 'hat,' 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 five pairs of words:
    • "rain"/"train," "mouse"/"house," "dog"/"frog," "snake"/"cake," "duck"/"truck"
    • Teacher cuts words apart ahead of time for one set of cards (teacher set).
    • Starting with just four cards (example: "rain," "train," "mouse," "house"), teacher supports students as they say the name of each picture.
    • Students and teacher work together to match the pictures that rhyme.
    • Repeats with the remaining six cards.
    • 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 five pairs of words:
    • "rain"/"train," "mouse"/"house," "dog"/"frog," "snake"/"cake," "duck"/"truck"
    • Teacher cuts words 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 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 five pairs of words:
    • "rain"/"train," "mouse"/"house," "dog"/"frog," "snake"/"cake," "duck"/"truck"
    • Students cut the cards apart.
    • Students spread all of the cards out and say the name of each picture.
    • Students match the pictures 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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