This Old Man Counting Song

This Old Man Song - D'Nealian

This Old Man Song - Zaner-Bloser

How to use this teaching resource

• Ask children to LISTEN for the rhyming sounds they can hear as you sing the song – list the – rhyming words and look for similarities / differences in the way the same sounds are represented eg. seven / heaven – what sound is the same – how is this sound represented (grapheme) differently in each word.
• Make up your own class versions with new rhyming words – that is always fun (make up little extra pieces of card to fit over the rhyme word) – write new rhyming words on and blu-tac onto the verse. Use the condensed phonics charts to brainstorm other rhyming words (eg LISTEN for the rhyme sound – locate that sound in the phonic charts – look at ways this sound is represented – look for other words using this sound).
• Print out smaller copies of the large print line, or word copies by printing 2 or more to a page for individual children to cut and paste into their scrapbooks.
• Ask the children to place the large print posters into order of 1-10 correctly – take one away – which one is missing.
• Make use of the ”nick-nack paddy-wack” sections to talk about the use of ”ck” after short vowels. Brainstorm and list other ”ck” words. What other words could we put in place of ”nick-nack, paddy-wack”?
• Great for rhythm and beat – children clap or use instruments etc the rhythm or beat of the song as they sing – relate this to syllables throughout the song (most of the words in this song are single syllables – can they pick the few that are not single syllable?)
• Another great way to use these is to hand out the cut out sections (be it the phrases, or the words) and in groups children have to work together to place the rhyme back in order – or similarly – as a whole group start with the title – then whoever has the next section – comes forward and adds the next piece until the song is complete.
• Print the A4 size for each child to pop into their nursery rhymes, poems and songs scrapbook – children ‘play with the words, letters and sounds’
• Print (bigger onto A3 if prefer), pop onto coloured backing card, laminate and keep up on display to refer to often as a class.
• Print (larger onto A3 if you like, laminate, and cut up ready for children to reconstruct – pop into your song / poem box
• Don’t forget to really make the most of these poems / songs and put your detective hats on to search for rhyming words, circle phonic sounds, play ‘find the word’ games, look for question marks and other structures, lots of ‘playing with words’ – it’s great fun to find all the word/letter patterns in poems and nursery rhymes.
• Please share your ideas with other teachers and parents in COMMENTS – below…