FLOWERS & MOTHERS

The child stands with shining eyes

Waiting for expectant praise.

His fingers form around his prize

That grow on sunny days.

"I picked it just for you," says he

And reaches out his pudgy hand. 

This first flower he gives to me.

As if it were an orchid  grand.

I take the yellow bit of gold and say,

"Why Tommie, this is so fine!" 

He honors me with his first bouquet

Made up of a yellow dandelion.

~~~~ 

(C) by Margaret C. Arvanitis 

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Lindy’s Dialogue - WAY TO RHYME

(Written by M. C. Arvanitis)

Props: pencil, tablet, enough set of two rhyming pictures for number of students. Have these placed around the room so each student can find one.

(See how to make the suggested rhyme cards at the end of dialogue.)

Puppets: your school’s teaching puppet. We call ours Lindy.

Teacher: Lindy, time for you. (Don’t take him out yet: say to students) Sometimes Lindy gets so busy he doesn’t hear us calling him. Lindy, we are waiting.

(Place a pencil in puppet’s mouth before bringing him out. Take pencil from him as you start talking.)

Teacher: I see you are writing again.

Lindy: I was looking for a certain rhyme.

Teacher: Oh you are making rhymes? I like to rhyme

(to students) Rhymes are words with ending sounds that are alike.

Lindy: I searched all night to find a rhyme for ‘light’.

Teacher: I think you just found one when you said night. Can anyone tell Lindy another word that rhymes with light? (Teacher copies words that the student suggests on a tablet even if they don’t rhyme. Lindy repeats each word with the words light/night, nodding when he hears a rhyming word. When he says one that doesn’t rhyme, teacher stops him.)

Teacher: That’s a good word, (name student who offered it) but does it rhyme? Let’s say that word again and listen carefully. Does that word really rhyme with light or night?

(Student listens and react.)

Lindy: Wow, now I have enough rhyming words to finish my poem I’m writing. Thank you.

Teacher: Ok Lindy, we were glad to help you. (Turn to students.) Let’s play a rhyming game. I’ve hidden some rhyming cards in the room. Each of you must find one. When you find your rhyme card, show it to Lindy and he will read it for you. (Let Lindy read cards as students find theirs. When everyone has a card have them sit down again.)

Teacher: Everyone look at your card. The picture on it represents a word. We’ll take turns reading your card. The rest of you listen carefully to hear if the word sounds like the picture on your card. When you hear the word that rhymes with your card stand next to that person.

(Let students repeat the word of the picture on his/her card. When each child has found the matching rhyme, continue dialogue.

Lindy: You all rhyme so well. I’m proud of you so I will give you a treat. (Have Lindy give each child a kiss on the cheek.)

Teacher: Now that is a neat, sweet treat Lindy. Thanks for the rhyming lesson. (Teacher returns puppet to his place.) 

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Instruction on making rhyming cards

Draw or find pictures of the rhyme sets listed below. Glue each picture on a 5”x3” cardboard. Laminate for longer use. 

List of rhyming words, (I’m sure you’ll find more.)

(Remember your students should easily recognize pictures of each word.)

bear/chair – house/mouse – bee/tree – dish-fish – bat/cat – frog/dog – moon/spoon – bug-rug – moose/goose – fox/box – egg/leg – goat/boat – nail/pail – plant/ant.

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The Bashful bee and the Dragonfly

Sing to the tune, Little Brown Jug

The bashful bee was a sad insect.

His head hung down bending at this neck.

The fear he had of leaving the ground

Kept him from flying away - hey.

Kept him from flying away.

When the dragonfly saw the bashful bee

He said "My friend, just listen to me.

You can't fly when you're looking down'.

Listen to me and you'll fly away, hey.

Listen to me and you'll fly away.

If you lift your head and look up high

You will find that you too can fly."

So the bashful bee looked up and found

That he could fly away, hey

And he flew away today, hey.

C l995 taken from my book "Songs for Children"

by M C Arvanitis

All rights reserved.

 Are You My Mother?     

by P.D.Eastman  (Author)

This is one of my favorite book to read to my students. An oldie but goodie. 

A baby bird goes in search of his mother in this hilarious Beginner Book. When a mother bird’s egg starts to jump, she hurries off to make sure she has something for her little one to eat. But as soon as she’s gone, out pops the baby bird. He immediately sets off to find his mother, not knowing what she looks like. The little hatchling is determined to find his mother, even after meeting a kitten, a hen, a dog, and a Snort. The timeless message of the bond between mother and child make P. D. Eastman’s Are You My Mother? a must read for Mother’s Day.

http://www.amazon.com/Are-You-Mother-Beginner-Books/dp/0394800184/

by Mercer Mayer, well known auther of the Little Critter Books. 

Link: http://amzn.com/030712584X

Little Critter means well, but he gets himself in trouble all along the way. His mother is oh so patient when Critter loses the train tickets, picks up a dinosaur egg in the natural history museum, and misbehaves at lunch. 

Happy Mother's Day, Dear Dragon 

by children’s author and former first-grade teacher Margaret Hillert.

"Happy Mother's Day, Dear Dragon" presents the story of a boy and his pet dragon, written to encourage reading fluency by using a controlled, limited vocabulary of high-frequency words.

http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Mothers-Day-Dear-Dragon/dp/1595770224/

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