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Riotous Rhymes
Start Students on the Road to Reading
with the Fun of Working with Rhymes
by
Kathryn Wheeler
illustrated by
Janet Armbrust
Publisher
Key Education Publishing Company, LLC
Minneapolis, Minnesota
www.keyeducationpublishing.com
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CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR PURCHASE OF A KEY EDUCATION PRODUCT!
The editors at Key Education are former teachers who bring experience, enthusiasm, and quality to each and every product.
Thousands of teachers have looked to the staff at Key Education for new and innovative resources to make their work more
enjoyable and rewarding. Key Education is committed to developing and publishing educational materials that will assist
teachers in building a strong and developmentally appropriate curriculum for young children.
PLAN FOR GREAT TEACHING EXPERIENCES WHEN YOU USE
EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS FROM KEY EDUCATION PUBLISHING COMPANY, LLC
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Credits Key Education welcomes
About the Author
Author: Kathryn Wheeler manuscripts from teachers.
Publisher: Sherrill B. Flora Kathryn Wheeler has worked as a teacher, For a copy of our submission
Cover Art: JJ Rudisill an educational consultant, and an editor in guidelines, please send a
Illustrations: Janet Armbrust educational publishing. She has published self-addressed,
Editors: Diane Folkerts & workbooks, stories, and magazine articles stamped envelope to:
for children. Kate was awarded a Michigan
George C. Flora Council for the Arts grant for fiction. She has Key Education, LLC
Cover Design & Art Director: a B.A. degree in English from Hope College. Acquisitions Department
Annette Hollister-Papp Kate lives in Michigan with her husband, Don. 7309 West 112th Street
Production: Key Education Minneapolis, MN 55438
This book supports the NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts and the recommended teaching practices outlined in the NAEYC/
IRA position statement Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children.
NCTE/IRA STANDARDS FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Each activity in this book supports one or more of the following standards:
1. Students read many different types of print and nonprint texts for a variety of purposes. Riotous Rhymes includes 50 poems, finger plays,
chants, and more for students to read, listen to, and participate in.
2. Students use a variety of strategies to build meaning while reading. The rhymes in this book help students learn about patterns in
language.
3. Students communicate in spoken, written, and visual form, for a variety of purposes and a variety of audiences. Students chant along
with many of the rhymes in Riotous Rhymes, while extension activities incorporate spoken communication through discussions and visual
communication through art projects.
4. Students become participating members of a variety of literacy communities. Group activities, songs and chants, and discussions included
in Riotous Rhymes support the building of a classroom literacy community.
5. Students use spoken, written, and visual language for their own purposes, such as to learn, for enjoyment, or to share information.
There are four mini-books in Riotous Rhymes, which are designed to be reproduced and sent home with students and help to build personal
libraries. The engaging rhymes and activities in this book will encourage a love of language and reading in students, and the skill-building
activities will support students in becoming more effective independent readers.
NAEYC/IRA POSITION STATEMENT LEARNING TO READ AND WRITE: DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
Each activity in this book supports one or more of the following recommended teaching practices for preschool students:
1. Adults create positive relationships with children by talking with them, modeling reading and writing, and building children’s interest
in reading and writing. Riotous Rhymes supports this standard by providing teachers with 50+ engaging rhymes that will make children
excited about reading and writing and by creating opportunities for discussion.
2. Teachers provide opportunities for children to discuss what has been read to them, focusing on both language structure and content.
Extension activities in Riotous Rhymes provide many opportunities for teachers and students to discuss the rhymes.
3. Teachers promote the development of phonemic awareness through appropriate songs, finger plays, games, poems, and stories.
Riotous Rhymes includes more than 50 rhymes and finger plays specifically designed to reinforce recognition of sound and word patterns.
4. Teachers provide experiences and materials that help children expand their vocabularies. The rhymes in Riotous Rhymes introduce and
reinforce vocabulary in a variety of popular early childhood themes.
Each activity in this book supports one or more of the following recommended teaching practices for kindergarten and primary-grade students:
1. Teachers read to children daily and provide opportunities for students to read independently both fiction and nonfiction texts. Riotous
Rhymes provides many rhymes and finger plays that teachers read to students.
2. Teachers provide balanced literacy instruction that incorporates systematic phonics instruction along with meaningful reading and
writing activities. Riotous Rhymes incorporates phonics instruction through the study of word patterns into listening, speaking, and reading
activities that are very engaging for children.
3. Teachers provide challenging instruction that expands children’s knowledge of their world and expands their vocabularies. The rhymes
in Riotous Rhymes introduce and reinforce vocabulary in a variety of popular themes.
Copyright Notice
The purchase of this electronic book entitles the buyer to reproduce worksheets and activities ISBN: 978-1-602689-20-6
for classroom or home use only—not for commercial resale. When applicable, purchaser is Riotous Rhymes
entitled to scan, store, or copy products solely for personal, noncommercial use in a single Copyright © 2006 by Key Education
classroom or home setting. Printing the contents of this e-book for other individuals, other Publishing Company, LLC
classrooms, or the entire school system is strictly prohibited. Reproduction, distribution, or
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55438
transmission by other means (mechanically, electronically, recording, etc.) without the prior
written consent of Key Education Publishing Company is strictly prohibited. Any attempt to
All rights reserved
circumvent or modify security technology, if any, may be considered a copyright violation. Key
Education Publishing Company reserves the right to modify these usage rules at any time.
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Introduction
One of the most important skills in early reading development is the recognition of patterns. The
power of word patterns is clear: when a student recognizes a word pattern, such as a word-family
member, it is the key that unlocks sight recognition for an entire group of words. One of the best
ways to start students on this road to reading mastery is to work with rhyming words. And the big
advantage of rhyming words? They’re fun! Attuning students to rhyming sounds prepares them for
reading in an enjoyable way.
This book offers groups of fun rhymes that connect with other lessons in the classroom: animals,
Mother Goose, weather, colors, and special days rhymes. Different types of activities lend variety to
the rhyming fun. Act-it-out poems and play/skits bring action and movement to the rhymes. Flannel-
board rhymes and stick-puppet rhymes double as story-time events. Choral chants let students
connect rhymes with familiar tunes. Finger plays and minibooks create quieter activity times, while
still offering rhyming fun! You will also find follow-up activities that extend word-family learning
or connect with other curriculum areas. Use this book to help your students start a lifelong love of
words and reading.
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AMAZING ANIMALS Foggy Morning on the Farm
Why I Bark! (act-it-out poem) ........................4–5 (stick-puppet or flannel-board rhyme) .........47–49
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Pig (choral chant) ...........6 The First Frost (finger play) .......................50–51
Little Bear (play/skit) ...................................7–8 Rain on Mars (flannel-board rhyme) ............52–53
Rock-a-Bye, Little Squirrel The Ice Storm (choral chant) .....................54–55
(flannel-board rhyme) ......................................9–10 The Contest (play/skit) .............................56–57
The Giraffe’s Dinner (choral chant) ..................11 The Lost Ball (minibook poem) ...................58–60
Lion and Mouse (stick-puppet rhyme) .........12–13
Building a Web (finger play) ............................14 CRAZY COLORS
Two Little Birds (act-it-out/puppet poem) ...........15 Purple Monsters (act-it-out poem) ..............61–63
Rabbit Holiday (stick-puppet rhyme) ...........16–17 The Pink Pig (stick-puppet rhyme) ...............64–65
The Teeny Tiny Ant (minibook poem) .........18–20 Mystery Meal (choral chant) .....................66–67
The Beauty of Blue (flannel-board rhyme) ....68–69
MADCAP MOTHER GOOSE Little Brown Sparrows (finger play) ...........70–71
Five Healthy Pigs (act-it-out poem) ............21–22 The Lost Black Cat (choral chant) ....................72
A Trip to the Mall (choral chant) ......................23 Five Green Frogs (finger play) ...................73–74
Rub-a-Dub Cluck! (flannel-board rhyme) ......24–25 I Love Red (act-it-out poem) ......................75–76
Hickory, Dickory, Dock (act-it-out poem) ....26–27 A Feast in Space (play/skit) ............................77
Jack Be Speedy (stick-puppet rhyme) .................28 A Mess at the Zoo (minibook poem) ...........78–80
Little Miss Mungle (choral chant) ..............29–30
Pussycat, Pussycat (play/skit) ..................31–32 SPECIAL DAYS
A Dillar, A Dollar (choral chant) .................33–34 Valentine Swimming Party (choral chant) ..81–82
Old Mother Myrtle (stick-puppet rhyme) ............35 Arbor Day (act-it-out poem) .......................83–84
One, Two, Boo! (minibook poem) ................36–38 Mother’s Day Is Everywhere!
(flannel-board rhyme) ............................85–86
WACKY WEATHER Pie Picnic (stick-puppet rhyme) ...................87–88
Snow Thoughts (act-it-out poem) ...............39–40 Parade Day (act-it-out poem) .....................89–90
The Big Storm (choral chant) .....................41–42 First Day of School (play/skit) ..................91–92
Hot, Hot, Hot! (flannel-board rhyme) ...........43–44 Halloween (act-it-out poem) ......................93–94
What’s the Weather in Outer Space? Turkey Carol (choral chant) .............................95
(finger play) ..............................................45 Santa’s Elves (finger play) ...............................96
Strange Rain (act-it-out poem) .........................46
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Theme: Amazing Animals
WHY I BARK!
(An Act-It-Out Poem)
I want to go in!
Students pretend they are jumping up and down in front of a door.
I want to go out!
Students “paddle” at door with their “paws” to show they want to go out.
I bark, bark, bark,
Students bark loudly. Suggested noises: yip, yap, bow-wow, and arf. Encourage a variety!
Then you shout, shout, shout!
Students cover their ears and hunch down, as if they are being scolded.
I’m only barking
Students should raise their hands up in an “explaining” gesture.
To tell you this:
Students point with finger, as if making a point.
I want a walk.
Students bounce around like they are puppies excited about going on a walk.
I want a kiss.
Students pretend to leap up and give dog kisses to someone.
I want to run.
Students run a few steps or run in place.
I want to play.
Students jump up and down or pretend to chase something.
I want to stay,
Students press hands together and look up pleadingly.
With you all day.
Students point to teacher or reader of poem.
I want to play
Students pretend to chase or do a “play bow,” where they bend and stretch out arms.
Until it’s dark.
Students point up to the sky.
That’s what I mean,
Students hold out hands and arms in a “summing-up” gesture.
When I bark, bark, bark!
Students bark loudly!
Act-it-Out Poem Directions: Read the poem aloud while students perform the suggested actions.
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Theme: Amazing Animals
WHY I BARK! Puppy Mask
Directions: Students can wear
this mask for the Act-it-Out poem,
“Why I Bark!” Reproduce the mask on
card stock for each student. Have the
students cut out and color their masks
however they wish.
Then carefully cut
out the eyeholes and the
holes on each edge of
the mask. Thread yarn
or shoelaces through the
holes so that the mask
can be gently tied around
the back of the head.
Follow-up Activity
Ask the students to draw a picture
of a dog that they have always wanted.
Put the drawings in a classroom book
called Dog Dreams.
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Theme: Amazing Animals
TWINKLE, TWINKLE
LITTLE PIG
(A Choral Chant)
Twinkle, twinkle, little pig!
Choral Chant Directions
You are pink and you are big.
First teach the words of “Twinkle, Twinkle
Little Pig” to the students. Then have everyone
How I wonder what you eat,
sing the song to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle
Little Star.”
Corn and clover, plums and beets!
Follow-up Activity
Twinkle, twinkle, little pig! Have a pet pig-naming contest! Encourage
the students to think up funny names for their
pigs. Help them write the selected choices on
You are pink and you are big.
name tags for their pets.
TWINKLE, TWINKLE: Pet Pigs for Everybody!
You will need: Sheets of cardboard; two spring-action clothespins per student; one pipe cleaner per
student (optional); pink crayons or paint.
Directions: Use the pattern below to cut out a cardboard pig shape for each student. Have the
students color and draw faces on their pigs. Punch a hole for each pig’s pipe cleaner tail. Have students
thread the tail through the hole and wind it around a pencil to get a curly tail. (Alternative: draw a tail
in black crayon or marker.) Attach one clothespin for the front legs and one for the back legs.
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Theme: Amazing Animals
LITTLE BEAR
( A Play/Skit)
First person: Little bear, little bear, where are you going?
Little Bear: I’m going outside where it is snowing!
Second person: Little bear, little bear, you should be asleep!
Little Bear: But my alarm just went, “Beep, beep, beep.”
Third person: Little bear, little bear, your bed is soft and nice.
Little Bear: But I want to play in the snow and the ice!
Fourth person: Little bear, little bear, close your eyes again.
Little Bear: I’ll go back to sleep now in my nice, warm den.
Play/Skit Directions
This can be acted out as a play or read as a “readers’ theater” poem. The teacher can take the part of
Little Bear, or assign the part to a student with a good memory. Student actors may alternate reading the
remaining lines. For nonreaders, a visual script has been included on page 8.
Follow-up Activity
Share a bedtime snack to help Little Bear get back to sleep. How about instant hot cocoa and honey
graham crackers? While the students enjoy the snack, talk about hibernation.
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Theme: Amazing Animals
LITTLE BEAR: Script for Nonreaders
Directions: This picture-based script will help nonreaders remember their lines.
First Person: Little bear, little bear, where are you going?
Little Bear: I’m going outside where it is snowing!
Second Person: Little bear, little bear, you should be asleep!
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Little Bear: But my alarm just went, “Beep, beep, beep.”
Third Person: Little bear, little bear, your bed is soft and nice.
Little Bear: But I want to play in the snow and the ice!
Fourth Person: Little bear, little bear, close your eyes again.
Little Bear: I’ll go back to sleep now in my nice, warm den.
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Theme: Amazing Animals
ROCK-A-BYE, LITTLE SQUIRREL
(A Flannel-Board Rhyme)
Rock-a-bye, little squirrel, in the treetop.
When the wind blows, your nest, it will rock.
When the bough shakes, the acorns will drop,
After you eat them, off you will hop!
Rock-a-bye, little squirrel, looking for treats.
Acorns and walnuts, seeds you can eat.
When it gets dark, climb back to your nest,
And sleep until morning, the time you love best!
Flannel-Board Rhyme Directions
Read this rhyme aloud or sing the words to the tune of “Rock-a-Bye Baby,” as you use pieces on the
flannel board to reinforce different vocabulary words. Flannel-board patterns and complete directions can
be found on page 10.
Follow-up Activity
Play some acorn games! Acorns are great objects to use for counting games. You can paint tiny squir-
rel faces on acorns for a craft idea. You can also use a hot-glue gun to help students create patterns with
acorn caps on fiberboard or cardboard. Another idea is to use the acorn caps and acorns as Xs and Os for
tic-tac-toe.
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