LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Finding rhyming patterns with The Crooked Man

In this kindergarten lesson, students will use the nursery rhyme "The Crooked Man" to recognize rhyming patterns, practice writing the letter "i", and discuss different kinds of animal homes.

A lesson plan for grade K English Language Arts and Science

By Lisa Wright

View this page in context

Mother Goose in use: Rhymes that teach
This collection of kindergarten lesson plans uses classic nursery rhymes to teach curriculum objectives in math, English language arts, science, and healthful living.
Page 13

Learn more

Related pages

  • Learning about animals with Three Blind Mice: In this kindergarten lesson plan, students listen to the nursery rhyme "Three Blind Mice." They compare mice to other animals based on their size and think of foods that begin with different letters of the alphabet.
  • Learning numbers with Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary: In this kindergarten lesson plan, students use the nursery rhyme "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" to develop phonemic awareness by rhyming words and participate in a number-matching activity to learn about ordinal numbers.
  • Animal folktales: Legends, superheroes, and pourquoi tales: By writing a narrative about an animal rather than a traditional report, students can learn about literature, develop writing skills, and still fulfill science and research objectives.

Related topics

Help

Please read our disclaimer for lesson plans.

Legal

The text of this page is copyright ©2009. See terms of use. Images and other media may be licensed separately; see captions for more information and read the fine print.

Learning outcomes

  • Students will be able to name and compare animal homes.
  • Students will gain experience identifying rhyming patterns.
  • Students will practice writing the letter “I”.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

40 minutes

Materials needed

Pre-activities

  • If you’re not using a flip chart, write the nursery rhyme on chart paper for students to see.

Activities

  1. Anticipatory set: What is the purpose of a home?
  2. Play the recording of “The Crooked Man” or read the rhyme to the class.
  3. Have the students recite the rhyme with you as they read from the chart.
  4. Help them figure out the pattern in which the word at the end of the line rhymes. (The second and fourth lines rhyme, and the sixth and eighth lines rhyme.)
  5. Ask students which words in the rhyme have the long “I” sound. Then ask what else rhymes with the –ile ending. Write the words on chart paper, leaving out the letter “i” in each word.
  6. Have students come and write in the letter “i” for practice.
  7. Ask students to name the home for the following animals: bird, bear, groundhog, dog, fish, bee. You may add other animals to the list. Present a pair of animals, and ask the students how the animals’ homes are similar, and how they are different.
  8. Read the book A House is a House for Me to the class.
  9. Conclude the lesson by asking the students the following questions:
    • What other rhyme talks about an unusual home? (”The Little Old Woman Who Lived in the Shoe”)
    • What types of homes do people live in?
    • What are homes made of?

Assessment

Assess by students’ participation in the rhyming and “i”-writing activities: Did the students recognize the rhyming pattern? Did they write the letter correctly? Also assess by students’ participation in the animal homes discussion.

North Carolina curriculum alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Kindergarten

  • Goal 1: The learner will develop and apply enabling strategies to read and write.
    • Objective 1.02: Develop phonemic awareness and knowledge of alphabetic principle:
      • demonstrate understanding that spoken language is a sequence of identifiable speech sounds.
      • demonstrate understanding that the sequence of letters in the written word represents the sequence of sounds in the spoken word.
      • demonstrate understanding of the sounds of letters and understanding that words begin and end alike (onsets and rimes).

Science (2005)

Kindergarten

  • Goal 1: The learner will make observations and build an understanding of similarities and differences in animals.
    • Objective 1.01: Observe and describe the similarities and differences among animals including:
      • Structure.
      • Growth.
      • Changes.
      • Movement.

  • Common Core State Standards

    • English Language Arts (2010)

      • Reading: Foundational Skills

        • K.RFS.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). K.RFS.2.1 Recognize and produce rhyming words. K.RFS.2.2 Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words. K.RFS.2.3 Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable...
        • K.RFS.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. K.RFS.3.1 Demonstrate basic knowledge of letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary or most frequent sound for each consonant. K.RFS.3.2 Associate the long and...

  • North Carolina Essential Standards

    • Science (2010)

      • Kindergarten

        • K.L.1 Compare characteristics of animals that make them alike and different from other animals and nonliving things. K.L.1.1 Compare different types of the same animal (i.e. different types of dogs, different types of cats, etc.) to determine individual differences...