Lesson Plan for Nursery 1 - Poems and Rhymes - Old King Cole

### Lesson Plan for Nursery 1: Poems and Rhymes - "Old King Cole" **Objective**: - Introduce young learners to the classic nursery rhyme "Old King Cole" - Improve listening and speaking skills - Encourage participation and creativity through singing and actions **Materials**: - Printed copies of the rhyme (large print) - Visual aids (pictures of Old King Cole, a fiddler, etc.) - Music instruments (toy fiddles, toy trumpet, etc.) - A small chair and a toy crown for role-playing **Duration**: - 30 minutes --- **Lesson Outline**: ### Introduction (5 minutes) 1. **Welcome and Warm-Up**: - Greet the students and ask them how they are doing. - Have a quick warm-up activity, like clapping hands or a simple song, to get the children engaged and excited. ### Main Activity (20 minutes) 2. **Introduce the Rhyme**: - Show a picture of Old King Cole. Ask the students questions about what they see, encouraging them to describe the picture. - Read the rhyme out loud slowly. ``` Old King Cole was a merry old soul, And a merry old soul was he; He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl, And he called for his fiddlers three. ``` 3. **Storytelling with Visuals**: - Use the visual aids to depict the lines of the rhyme. Point to each character and object as you mention them in the rhyme. 4. **Sing the Rhyme**: - Sing the rhyme to a simple, catchy tune. Encourage the students to sing along. - Repeat two to three times, allowing the children to get familiar with the words and tune. 5. **Role-Playing**: - Choose one child to be Old King Cole and give them a toy crown and a small chair as the throne. - Select three other children to be the fiddlers, each with a toy fiddle or another simple instrument. - Have Old King Cole call for his pipe, bowl, and fiddlers while the fiddlers play their instruments. - Rotate roles so several children can participate. ### Conclusion (5 minutes) 6. **Closing Activity**: - Have all the students sit in a circle and go around, letting each child say their favorite part of the rhyme or demonstrate an action from the rhyme. - End with one final sing-through of "Old King Cole," encouraging everyone to join in. ### Extension Activities: - **Craft Activity**: Have students create a crown using construction paper and decorating materials. - **Drawing Activity**: Provide coloring sheets related to Old King Cole and his fiddlers. - **Music Time**: Allow students to explore different musical instruments and create their own sounds. ### Assessment: - Observe students during the lesson to see if they are engaging and participating. - Note their ability to repeat lines from the rhyme and sing along. - Check for their understanding of the characters and actions within the rhyme. ### Tips for Success: - Be energetic and animated in your storytelling to keep the children engaged. - Use clear and simple language to explain any new words or concepts. - Provide lots of positive reinforcement and praise to encourage participation. By the end of this lesson, students should be familiar with the rhyme "Old King Cole," enjoy reciting and singing it, and have participated in activities that enhance both their understanding and enjoyment of the rhyme.