Rhyme Time | EL Education Curriculum

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Daily Learning Targets

  • Opening A: I can identify the name and sound for the letters "a," "t," "h," "p," "n," "c," "m," "r," "v," "s," "g," "i," "d," "f," and "l." (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 with a new initial sound.
  • Record students' progress on the Snapshot Assessment.

Agenda

Agenda

1. Opening (5 minutes)

A. Letter-Sound Chant: "a," "t," "h," "p," "n," "c," "m," "r," "v," "s," "g," "i," "d," "f," and "l"

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: "An Afternoon Swim" (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, rhyming (L)

Materials

  • Enlarged poem: "An Afternoon Swim" (to display; from Lesson 36)
  • Large pointer (optional; for teacher to point to words in poem as the class recites)
  • Poetry notebooks (from Lesson 36)
  • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Letter-Sound Chant: "a," "t," "h," "p," "n," "c," "m," "r," "v," "s," "g," "i," "d," "f," and "l"

  • (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 "d": "'d,' dog, /d/," and repeats.

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

4. Teacher repeats steps 2-3 with "a," "t," "h," "p," "n," "c," "m," "r," "v," "s," "g," "i," "f," and "l."

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

  • Refer to Articulatory Gestures chart (see Lesson 36) 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 “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: “day” and then the word “play.”

3. Students repeat: “day,” “play.”

4. Teacher asks:

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

“What sounds do they both have at the end?” (/ā/)

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

Who can think of another word that has the same ending sound, /ā/, as in ‘day’ and ‘play,’ but starts with the sound /s/?” (“say" /s/)

“Who can think of another word that rhymes with ‘day,’ ‘play,’ and ‘say’?”

5. Teacher says: “That’s right! These words all have the same sound pattern at the end of the word. We can say these words rhyme because they follow the sound pattern of /ā/ at the end. Let’s try with some different words.”

6. Repeat steps 2–5 with word sets: “spot,” “hot”; “sun,” “fun”; “see,” “WHEE”; “dark,” “bark.”

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 the rhyme in the poem today. Watch while I model with the first two lines.”

8. Teacher reads the first two lines of the Enlarged poem: “An Afternoon Swim” aloud, jumping for the words “day” and “play.”

9. Teacher invites students to stand and do this together, thinking about what two words they are jumping for.

10. Teacher asks:

“Which words did we jump for?” (“day,” “play”)

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

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

“What pattern did you hear at the end of those rhyming words?” (/ā/)

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

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

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

  • Consider extending this practice 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 the word "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 'day' and 'play' are rhyming words?" (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. Example:
    • "When I say the words 'day' and 'play,' 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: Rhyme Match.
    • Students work with teacher to find pictures of words that rhyme. There are 10 pairs of words:
      • "sock"/"clock," "sled"/"bed," "star"/"car," "cat"/"bat," "bee"/"key," "pie"/"tie," "king"/"ring," "snake"/"cake," "truck"/"duck," "frog"/"dog"
    • Teacher cuts apart the words ahead of time for one set of cards (teacher set).
    • Starting with just four cards (for example, "sock" and "clock"; "sled" and "bed"), teacher supports students as they say the name of each picture.
    • Students and teacher work together to match the pictures that rhyme.
    • Repeat with the remaining six cards.
    • If time allows, students cut apart (or teacher cuts out beforehand) a set of Rhyme Match 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 cuts out a set of cards (or teacher cuts out beforehand). Students glue matching cards (rhyming words) next to each other.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Rhyme Match Cards (one set for teacher)
    • Optional:
      • Scissors (one per student)
      • Rhyme Match Cards (one per student or set of partners)
      • Glue sticks (one per student)
      • Blank piece of paper (one per student)

Early Partial Alphabetic:

  • Practice activity: Rhyme Match.
    • Students work with teacher to find pictures of words that rhyme. There are five pairs of words:
      • "sock"/"clock," "sled"/"bed," "star"/"car," "cat"/"bat," "bee"/"key," "pie"/"tie," "king"/"ring," "snake"/"cake," "truck"/"duck," "frog"/"dog"
    • Teacher cuts apart cards 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.
    • Student keeps cards if they identify a set of rhyming words.
    • Possible variation: Each student cuts out a set of cards (or teacher cuts out beforehand). Students glue matching cards (rhyming words) next to each other.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Rhyme Match Cards (one set for teacher)
    • Optional:
      • Scissors (one per student)
      • Rhyme Match Cards (one per student or set of partners)
      • Glue sticks (one per student)
      • Blank piece of paper (one per student)

Late Partial and Early Full Alphabetic:

  • Independent practice activity: Rhyme Match.
    • Students work independently to match the words that rhyme. There are five pairs of words:
      • "sock"/"clock," "sled"/"bed," "star"/"car," "cat"/"bat," "bee"/"key," "pie"/"tie," "king"/"ring," "snake"/"cake," "truck"/"duck," "frog"/"dog"
    • Students cut apart the cards.
    • Students spread all of the cards out and say the name of each picture.
    • Students match the pictures that rhyme.
    • 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 (one per student)
    • Rhyme Match Cards (one per student or set of partners)
    • Glue sticks (one per student)
    • Blank piece of paper (one per student)

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