Orators of folk literature and nursery rhymes entertain, inform, and persuade their audiences through the straightforward plots in those genres. Because nursery rhymes recitations usually happen in groups, they help children acquire the mechanics of oral communication and promote communal bonding. Although nursery rhymes have a simpler form than…

Offers examples of the kind of story exploration the author carries out with adults or children to discover as much about the story as they can. Notes that nursery rhymes are effective for this exploration. (RS)

Songs, rhymes, and sayings entered in this handbook are particularly useful as basic teaching techniques for babies and small children. Popular and easy to learn, many are simple Mother Goose nursery rhymes. Others are traditional songs and sayings that have been passed on from generation to generation in our culture. Some are appropriate for use…

Drama through Mother Goose nursery rhymes can be integrated in the pre-K-3 curriculum. Activities can range from spontaneous gestures and facial expression, to guided performance where a teacher might have specific objectives in mind and rehearse a rhyme for formal performance. Activities include unison or choral speaking; "line-a-child"…

Primary-grade children can learn rhythm and rhyme from nursery rhymes. But those same poems can be used to help young students make connections to letters, sounds, and word chunks. This lesson lets Mother Goose help children grow as readers and writers. During the 5-10 minutes per day for these lessons, students will: develop a feel for the rhythm…

This textbook is a first reader that includes exercises on phonetics and word-building, word grouping, introduction of phonic elements, the grouping or indentation of sentences, nursery rhymes, and the letters of the alphabet. Footnotes and references are provided for teacher's guidance.

Suggests ways to bring nursery rhymes into the elementary school classroom through creative dramatics, creative writing, and reading experiences. (DD)

The pairing of Mother Goose rhymes and nursery tales with the scientific thinking process is an effective instructional strategy linking reading and science learning at the primary level. This paper presents several such pairings which stress the basic science processes in grades K-3 of observing, communicating, comparing, ordering, and…

Preschool and elementary school children can participate in pleasurable and worthwhile language experiences through the use of rhythmic group chants. Teachers can select contemporary poems, nursery rhymes, or have children make up their own chants. Provides examples of group chants and sources for chants, rhymes, and poems. (MDM)

Describes using the pastiche as the basis for a writing workshop with secondary students. Shows how students are afforded opportunities to explore and enter a rich tradition of imaginative invention and literary formulation as they probe, consider, select, and blend the works of various master writers and Mother Goose rhymes. (SR)

Investigates children's interest in the nursery rhyme genre. Notes that by talking about the rhymes, seeing an expert writer modeling the writing process and writing collaboratively with their teacher and with each other, the children wrote an "alternative" nursery rhyme book. Concludes the children began to see writing as a long term process but…

Describes and critiques Maurice Sendak's newest book, "We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy," which includes nursery rhymes and pictures. Relates Sendak's book to the poetry of William Blake. Suggests possible readings for the book and approaches to teaching it. (HB)

Discusses the value of rhymes in developing children's concepts of story and pleasure in reading. (HOD)

Discusses opportunities to use nursery rhymes to aid in the mathematical development of young children. Considers rhymes that involve patterns, ordering, and problem solving. (MKR)

Developed from the activities of a summer institute in Texas that focused on "The Odyssey," folk and fairy tale, and folk rhyme, this resource guide presents 50 lesson plans offering a variety of approaches to teaching mythology and folklore to elementary school students. The lesson plans presented in the resource guide share a common…