Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary Primary Activities

Nursery Rhyme Kindergarten Phonics and Basic Skills Lesson Plan

Mar 7, 2009

Use a nursery rhyme to teach Kindergarten phonics skills (phonemic awareness, word families) and basic skills (listening, following directions, numbers, colors, feelings)

As part of a spring lesson plan, or during a nursery rhyme theme unit, use the Mother Goose nursery rhyme "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" in Kindergarten activities to teach basic kindergarten skills and phonics skills.

"Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme

To begin, read the nursery rhyme aloud to Kindergartners. Nicely illustrated versions to use can be found in Nursery Rhymes: Well-Loved Verses to Share, edited by Beth Harwood and illustrated by Susie Lacome [Silver Dolphin Books, 2003], Here Comes Mother Goose, edited by Iona Opie and illustrated by Rosemary Wells [Candlewick Press, 1999], and Tomie dePaola’s Mother Goose by Tomie dePaola [Putnam Juvenile, 1985].

Then, pass out a coloring page version of the rhyme. Have children describe what they see and color the page.

Kindergarten Basic Skills Activities – Listening Skills and Following Directions

Pass out a piece of paper printed with one row of bell outlines and one row of shell outlines. To practice listening skills, number sense skills, color recognition, and students' ability to follow directions, read aloud a series of oral directions for Kindergartners to complete. For example:

Kindergarten teachers can repeat this activity with new copies of the page and new directions to practice a different variety of skills each time.

Kindergarten Basic Skills Activities – Identify and Name Feelings

Discuss the meaning of contrary, explaining that someone who is feeling contrary does not want to listen to others or do what he or she is told to do. Then, have children brainstorm and name other feelings, such as sad, mad, happy, or afraid.

Pass out a piece of paper printed with a row of ovals to stand for pretty maid faces. Have children draw in faces on the pretty maid circles to stand for different feelings. Help children label each face appropriately.

Kindergarten Phonics Activities – Phonemic Awareness

Pass out a piece of paper with three pictures in a row: a shell, a bell, and a girl. Pronounce the words shell, bell, and maid, pointing to each picture in turn and having students repeat each word chorally. Next, practice singling out and repeating the beginning sound of each word: /sh/, /b/, /m/.

Then, provide labels with ell, ell, and aid written on them. Depending on children's levels of ability, have them either trace dotted lines to fill in the initial letter(s) – sh, b, m – or provide them with sh, b, and m stickers to stick at the beginning of each label. Then, have children glue each completed label under the appropriate picture.

Kindergarten Phonics Activities – Word Families and Rhyming Words

Write ell on the board or construct it with felt letters on a felt board or magnetic letters on a magnetic surface. Add sh to the beginning and say "shell" with children. Add b and say "bell" with children. Repeat to form and say other appropriate ell words, such as tell, sell, fell, and well. Repeat with ow to make the rhyming words grow, row, bow, low, mow, know, sow, tow, slow, and crow.

Kindergarten teachers can use a familiar Mother Goose nursery rhyme as the focus for a series of Kindergarten activities to teach basic Kindergarten skills and phonics skills. Linking the activities to the rhyme makes the activities more meaningful and fun for students to complete.

The copyright of the article Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary Primary Activities in Primary School Lesson Plans is owned by Renee Carver. Permission to republish Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary Primary Activities in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.