Experts are becoming increasingly aware of the valuable role that singing songs and reciting chants and rhymes play in laying the foundation for reading readiness (Schiller). With conscious effort and intentional implementation, rhymes are a fantastic springboard for developing literacy skills.
Through rhymes, chants and songs children develop skills that are strong predictors of reading and writing achievement, such as:
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Activity 1: Australian Curriculum connections
English Recognise rhymes, syllables and sounds (phonemes) in spoken words (ACELA1439) Recognise some different types of literary texts and identify some characteristic features of literary texts, for example beginnings and endings of traditional texts and rhyme in poetry (ACELT1785) Replicate the rhythms and sound patterns in stories, rhymes, songs and poems from a range of cultures (ACELT1579) |
Early Years Learning Framework connections
Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity; Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect. Outcome 2:Children are connected with and contribute to their world; Children develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities and an understanding of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities necessary for active community participation. Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes. Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts. Children begin to understand how symbols and patterns work. |
Activity 2: Australian Curriculum connections
English Recognise rhymes, syllables and sounds (phonemes) in spoken words (ACELA1439) Recognise the letters of the alphabet and know there are lower and upper case letters (ACELA1440) Know how to use onset and rime to spell words (ACELA1438) Recognise some different types of literary texts and identify some characteristic features of literary texts, for example beginnings and endings of traditional texts and rhyme in poetry (ACELT1785) Replicate the rhythms and sound patterns in stories, rhymes, songs and poems from a range of cultures (ACELT1579) Retell familiar literary texts through performance, use of illustrations and images (ACELT1580) Use interaction skills including listening while others speak, using appropriate voice levels, articulation and body language, gestures and eye contact (ACELY1784) Know that spoken sounds and words can be written down using letters of the alphabet and how to write some high-frequency sight words and known words (ACELA1758) |
Early Years Learning Framework connections
Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity; Children feel safe, secure and supported. Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect. Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world; Children develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities and an understanding of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities necessary for active community participation. Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners; Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity. Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another. Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes. Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts. Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media. Children begin to understand how symbols and patterns work. |
What to avoid when teaching rhymeIt is important to be intentional when teaching rhyme as often children will not notice the pattern of sounds in rhymes by themselves. However, avoid continually using direct instruction as this can take the enjoyment out of learning about rhyme. If children do not enjoy the activity, they may consequently develop a negative attitude toward literacy which can affect the development their literacy skills.
Opportunities to practise in their environment
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Incorporating rhyme meaningfullyIt is important to regularly incorporate rhyme into the classroom through routines, transitions and enjoyable experiences.
Schiller cautions that we must be intentional and explicit with rhyme to maximise the learning benefits of chants and songs for children. It is also pivotal to use rhyme as a medium for literacy learning, purposefully and intentionally using rhyme as learning opportunities. This can be done by teaching children about the vocabulary introduced and explicitly pointing out the rhyming words. Educators must also plan and construct purposeful environments or open-ended activities for children to actively explore rhyme. However, educators must also be careful to foster children's love of literacy, through selecting rhymes that are enjoyable to children and relevant to their backgrounds and interests. Opportunities to practise with explicit teaching
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