Joe Troiano’s trade book, The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin [Sterling Publishing, 2001], is written in rhyming couplets, or pairs of sentences that rhyme. Primary school teachers can use the pumpkin themed story to teach students about rhyming words and couplet poems.
Write a Rhyming Couplet Pumpkin Poem Lesson Objectives
- Students will identify pairs of rhyming words in the trade book The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin.
- Students will write an original rhyming couplet poem about their clay pumpkin.
Materials Needed to Make Clay Pumpkins and Write Pumpkin Poems
- The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano
- Modeling clay that will harden when allowed to air dry
- Tempera paint
- Paint brushes
- Construction paper
- Colored pencils
How to Teach Rhyming to Primary Students
The teacher will be the lesson by singing The Name Game song and showing the class how to rhyme using their classmates’ names. The teacher will tell the class they are going to read a story about a special pumpkin. She will explain that the author wrote the book so that each pair of sentences rhymes.
The teacher will read the book to the class noting the rhyming words. The class will discuss the plot of the story. The teacher will call attention to the rhyming sentences and explain that they are mini-poems called couplets.
How to Use a Pumpkin Trade Book to Teach Couplet Poems
The teacher will choose sample couplets from the book to read aloud to the class modeling cadence and rhythm. She will then have volunteers from the class take turns choosing and reading couplets.
The teacher will guide the class to compose a pumpkin couplet. The teacher will prompt the students when necessary and vocalize the thought process she would use to create rhyming sentences about pumpkins.
How to Make and Paint Clay Pumpkins
The teacher will hand out sections of modeling clay to each of the students. She will direct the students to shape a pumpkin that would be found in Spookley’s pumpkin patch. When the pumpkins have hardened the students will paint them any color and design they choose.
How to Teach Primary Students to Write Rhyming Pumpkin Couplets
After the students have finished their pumpkins, the class will write a couplet about the pumpkins they have created. Students can pair with a partner for assistance with writing or write the poems during Writer’s Workshop time. The final poems and clay pumpkins should be displayed in the classroom.
The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano features many examples of rhyming couplets. Primary teachers can use these couplets to teach students how to rhyme and write rhyming couplet poetry.
Megan Sheakoski - Megan Sheakoski is a teacher, mom and writer whose ideas have been featured in college text books, graduate courses, on websites and on ...
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