Standard Lesson

A-Hunting We Will Go: Teaching Rhyming Through Musical Verse

Grades
K - 2
Lesson Plan Type
Standard Lesson
Estimated Time
Two 40-minute sessions
Author
Publisher
ILA
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Overview

This lesson is most appropriate for second graders, but it could be adapted for kindergarten or first graders. Students first learn to sing the song "A-Hunting We Will Go" with its original verses and several new verses that support rhyming concepts. Then they brainstorm pairs of rhyming words and create their own verses for the song. As a follow-up activity, students can create original verses using other simple rhyming songs as a framework.

Featured Resources

Construct-a-Word: This tool has students generate words by adding a beginning letter or blend to a word ending; in this lesson it provides further practice and invites students to build a personal word bank of rhyming words

From Theory to Practice

Singing and songwriting support early literacy instruction
  • Art, music, dance, and drama activities have been found to have academic benefits for students.

  • According to research, music activities are strongly associated with nonmusical curricular outcomes.

  • Music activities can help children with academic performance, content learning, and social skills.

  • Music activities are effective for the teaching of literacy skills.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

  • 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
  • 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
  • 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

Materials and Technology

  • Computers with Internet access and printing capability

  • Chart paper or overhead transparency

Printouts

Verse Frame

Preparation

  1. Familiarize yourself with the melody and words to the song "A-Hunting We Will Go."
  2. Prepare to instruct students in accessing and using the Construct-a-Word interactive tool on the computer. Schedule time for the class to use the computer lab.

Student Objectives

Students will

  • Identify rhyming words

  • Brainstorm rhyming words

  • Create song verses (as a class or individually)

  • Practice rhyming using an online interactive tool

Session 1: Introducing rhyming words through music

1. Begin the lesson by teaching students to sing the song "A-Hunting We Will Go."
Oh, a-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go.
We'll take a little fox and put it in a box
and then will let it go.
2. Ask students to identify the two words that sound the same in the song (fox and box). Continue to sing the song with the following phrases to replace the second line. As you sing the song, pause for the second rhyming word and allow students to sing the word they think rhymes. This should be easy and fun for students.
We'll take a little whale and put it in a pail
We'll take a little frog and put it on a log
We'll take a little fish and put it on a dish
3. Allow students to sing the song together several more times using both the original lyrics and the three new verses.
4. Ask students to brainstorm other animals that could be used in the song. List these animals on chart paper. Then ask students to think of words that rhyme with each animal name. For example:
snake: lake, cake, rake
bear: hair, dare, chair
cat: hat, mat
5. Model for students how these words can be used to create new verses of the song. For example:
We'll take a little snake and put it in a lake
We'll take a little bear and hug it if we dare
We'll take a little cat and put it on a mat
6. Next, write the following verse frame on chart paper or an overhead transparency.
Oh, a-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go.
We'll take a little ________ and put it in a _______
and then will let it go.
7. Invite students to choose one of the animal names from the brainstorming list and one of the rhyming words. Write these words in the blanks of the verse frame.
8. For additional practice, instruct students to make their own lists of animal names and rhyming words.
9. Provide each student with the Verse Frame handout. Ask each student to create two or three verses to the song by writing pairs of rhyming words in the blanks.
10. Once they have completed their verses, gather the students together and allow them to share them. Sing the verses together as a class.

Session 2: Practicing rhyming words

1. Take the students to the computer lab to continue practicing rhyming words.
2. Have students access the Construct-a-Word interactive tool.
3. After clicking on "Begin," students will be prompted to select a word ending. Then a set of letters and blends will appear on the screen. Students click on a letter that, when added to the word ending, makes a word. By creating several words, students will make their own lists of rhyming words. Be sure to draw students' attention to the Word Bank where they can read and review their word lists.

Note: Some of the words on the lists do not rhyme. For example, oat and eat do not rhyme with cat, fat, and hat. Take the opportunity to discuss with students why these words do not rhyme even though they have the same ending letters.
4. When students successfully create all possible words for a word ending, instruct them to print their word lists. Students can then continue the game by selecting a different word ending and creating another list of rhyming words.
5. Have students use their printed word lists to create new verses for other rhyming songs.

Extensions

  • Students are now ready to identify rhyming words in other popular songs. Access Sing a Song for fun music to share with students. Students simply click on a song title and the music plays! Instruct them to listen for rhyming words in the songs. You might also wish to display the words to certain songs and ask students to underline the words that rhyme.

  • As a class, use other simple rhyming songs to continue practice with rhyming skills as students create their own new verses. The Construct-a-Word interactive tool can be used to help students generate rhyming words for the songs.

Student Assessment / Reflections

  • Students' understanding of rhyming and rhyming words can be assessed by reviewing their completed Verse Frame handouts.

  • Informal, authentic assessment of students' work may also involve observation of students' writing and rhyming during class.
Grades
K - 2
|
Student Interactive
|
Learning About Language
Construct-a-Word

Using Construct-a-Word, students learn letter-sound correspondence by combining a beginning letter or blend to a word ending to create words.

Elizabeth Luff
K-12 Teacher
Thanks for this good information. I teach preschool music and dance and use a similar strategy. Singing is so valuable for developing rhythm, improving diction, encouraging word play and expressing yourself. One of my students' favorites is performed to the tune of Frere Jacques: Snails, and bears and snakes and groundhogs, Hibernate, Hibernate, Sleeping through the winter, sleeping through the winter, Til the spring, Til the spring.
Elizabeth Luff
K-12 Teacher
Thanks for this good information. I teach preschool music and dance and use a similar strategy. Singing is so valuable for developing rhythm, improving diction, encouraging word play and expressing yourself. One of my students' favorites is performed to the tune of Frere Jacques: Snails, and bears and snakes and groundhogs, Hibernate, Hibernate, Sleeping through the winter, sleeping through the winter, Til the spring, Til the spring.
Rebecca Kyriakides
K-12 Teacher
I am using this after talking about hunting and listening to some horn pieces (I teach music). There is an excellent musical tie-in with the Mozart Horn Concerto #2, 3rd Movement Rondo. Online, you can find a lovely listening map featuring horses and foxes. See: Mozart Animation on YouTube.
Jodi
K-12 Teacher
I love this lesson! Thanks for sharing. I am taking an online PBS teacher course right now and this site was referred to by another educator. I can't believe I've not known about this. I will definately be sharing with our staff and district!
In the lesson itself, the song is listed with one incorrect spelling of a word. In the last line it should read
And then we'll let it go. Instead, you have written and then "will" let it go.
Just thought you might want to know.
Jodi
K-12 Teacher
I love this lesson! Thanks for sharing. I am taking an online PBS teacher course right now and this site was referred to by another educator. I can't believe I've not known about this. I will definately be sharing with our staff and district!
In the lesson itself, the song is listed with one incorrect spelling of a word. In the last line it should read
And then we'll let it go. Instead, you have written and then "will" let it go.
Just thought you might want to know.
Elizabeth Luff
K-12 Teacher
Thanks for this good information. I teach preschool music and dance and use a similar strategy. Singing is so valuable for developing rhythm, improving diction, encouraging word play and expressing yourself. One of my students' favorites is performed to the tune of Frere Jacques: Snails, and bears and snakes and groundhogs, Hibernate, Hibernate, Sleeping through the winter, sleeping through the winter, Til the spring, Til the spring.
Rebecca Kyriakides
K-12 Teacher
I am using this after talking about hunting and listening to some horn pieces (I teach music). There is an excellent musical tie-in with the Mozart Horn Concerto #2, 3rd Movement Rondo. Online, you can find a lovely listening map featuring horses and foxes. See: Mozart Animation on YouTube.
Rebecca Kyriakides
K-12 Teacher
I am using this after talking about hunting and listening to some horn pieces (I teach music). There is an excellent musical tie-in with the Mozart Horn Concerto #2, 3rd Movement Rondo. Online, you can find a lovely listening map featuring horses and foxes. See: Mozart Animation on YouTube.
Jodi
K-12 Teacher
I love this lesson! Thanks for sharing. I am taking an online PBS teacher course right now and this site was referred to by another educator. I can't believe I've not known about this. I will definately be sharing with our staff and district!
In the lesson itself, the song is listed with one incorrect spelling of a word. In the last line it should read
And then we'll let it go. Instead, you have written and then "will" let it go.
Just thought you might want to know.

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