Learning Through the Early Years:
The Benefits of Repetition and Variation
Activities
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
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12
Learning Through the Early Years:
The Benefits of Repetition and Variation
Activities
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly. I don’t know why she
swallowed that fly. Perhaps she’ll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a spider that wriggled and jiggled
and wiggled inside her. She swallowed the spider to catch the fly. But
I don’t know why she swallowed that fly. Perhaps she’ll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a bird. How absurd, to swallow
a bird! She swallowed the bird to catch the spider that wriggled and
jiggled and wiggled inside her. She swallowed the spider to catch the
fly. But I don’t know why she swallowed that fly. Perhaps she’ll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a cat. Imagine that! She
swallowed a cat. She swallowed the cat to catch the bird. She
swallowed the bird to catch the spider that wriggled and jiggled and
wiggled inside her. She swallowed the spider to catch the fly. But I don’t
know why she swallowed that fly. Perhaps she’ll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a dog. What a hog, to swallow a
dog! She swallowed the dog to catch the cat. She swallowed the cat to
catch the bird. She swallowed the bird to catch the spider that wriggled
and jiggled and wiggled inside her. She swallowed the spider to catch
the fly. But I don’t know why she swallowed that fly. Perhaps she’ll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a goat. Just opened her throat
and swallowed a goat! She swallowed the goat to catch the dog. She
swallowed the dog to catch the cat. She swallowed the cat to catch
the bird. She swallowed the bird to catch the spider that wriggled and
jiggled and wiggled inside her. She swallowed the spider to catch the
fly. But I don’t know why she swallowed that fly. Perhaps she’ll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a cow. I don’t know how she
swallowed a cow! She swallowed the cow to catch the goat. She
swallowed the goat to catch the dog. She swallowed the dog to catch
the cat. She swallowed the cat to catch the bird. She swallowed the
bird to catch the spider that wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside
her. She swallowed the spider to catch the fly. But I don’t know why she
swallowed that fly. Perhaps she’ll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a horse. She’s dead, of course!
© 2010 KBYU Eleven. All rights reserved. This document may be downloaded and copied for noncommercial home or educational use.
Ready To Learn®; View, Read & Do®; and Learning Triangle® are registered trademarks of the Public Broadcasting Service Corporation.
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There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
© 2010 KBYU Eleven. All rights reserved. This document may be downloaded and copied for noncommercial home or educational use.
Ready To Learn®; View, Read & Do®; and Learning Triangle® are registered trademarks of the Public Broadcasting Service Corporation.
14
GLUE
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
C by KIZCLUB.COM. All rights reserved.
CopyrightCopyright
© by KIZCLUB.COM. All rights reserved.
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
C by KIZCLUB.COM. All rights reserved.
Copyright
Copyright © by KIZCLUB.COM. All rights reserved.
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
Copyright
C
by KIZCLUB.COM. All rights reserved.
Copyright © by KIZCLUB.COM. All rights reserved.
AFTER-VIEWING ACTIVITIES
Discuss Randolph Caldecott and the Caldecott Medal.
Share biographical information about Randolph
Caldecott and historical information about the
Caldecott Medal. Show students examples of books
that have won the Caldecott Medal (or Honor Medal),
including Simms Taback’s Joseph Had a Little
Overcoat and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed
a Fly. Guiding questions:
• Why did these books win awards for art? What
makes the art in these books different from the art you
have seen in other books? (You may want to provide
examples of non-Caldecott Medal winning books)
• How does the art in these books support the story?
instructional method that works very well to build oral
language for English language learners. Create simple
movements to correspond to the key words in the
poem. As you and the children chant the poem aloud
together, perform these movements as you say the corresponding words. After practicing several times, you
begin to whisper the words, but the children continue
to say them aloud. Continue to perform the movements. As the children become proficient, you say
fewer and fewer of the key words until you are silently
acting out the movements while the children chant the
poem independently (also acting out the movements).
• Ask students to look for differences between the traditional poem and Taback’s interpretation in the video.
Guiding questions:
• How does Simms Taback make the poem come
alive? Does he change the words or does he do it
through art and illustrations or both? What other differences do you notice?
• Write down (or draw) one new thing that you learned
from the video that was not included in the traditional
poem.
Other videos on poetry available from Weston Woods
are:
Antarctic Antics, by Judy Sierra, ill. by Jose Aruego
and Ariane Dewey
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen,
ill. by Mark Teague
Johnny Appleseed, by Reeve Lindbergh, ill. by Kathy
Jakobsen
In the Small, Small Pond, by Denise Fleming
(Caldecott)
Other videos based on books by Simms Taback available from Weston Woods are:
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat (Caldecott)
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
(Caldecott)
Invite children to write their own poetry about their
own house, using the model and cadence of the
traditional poem. They can title it “This Is the
House That (Child’s Name) Built.” Encourage
children to be creative by reminding them that they
can have any animals and people in their houses that
they want to. Alternatively, you can write a class
poem where children brainstorm ideas, write, and
illustrate the poem together. This also can be
presented as a play or skit for other grades or classes.
Read aloud another classic poem, such as “Stopping
by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” by Robert Frost, or
“The Red Wheelbarrow,” by William Carlos Williams.
Ask students to visualize the action or setting of the
poem and then try to depict a part or all of it in a
drawing. Remind students that details not described
in the poem can be added to the drawing to enhance
the meaning of the poem, as they see it.
THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT
This Is the House That Jack Built
by Simms Taback
Themes: Art, poetry
Grade Level: K-2
Running Time: 7 minutes
SUMMARY
This colorful and lively video brings to life the
favorite children’s rhyme. Jack’s house is like no other
and its inhabitants are full of fun and surprises.
Caldecott Award-winning author Simms Taback adds
his own creative wit to the endless commotion. From
different kinds of rats, to different varieties of cats, to
different flavors of cheese, this video takes viewers
deeper into Jack’s house than they’ve probably ever
been. There is even a special guest star at the end of
this humorous and unique interpretation of an age-old
classic, whose appearance will teach children about its
often forgotten origins.
OBJECTIVES
• Students will learn about the cadence and repetition
of poetry through listening, speaking, and writing.
• Students will learn about Randolph Caldecott and the
Caldecott Medal for art in children’s literature.
BEFORE-VIEWING ACTIVITIES
Read aloud the traditional poem “The House That
Jack Built.” Encourage children to join into the
reading as they begin to remember the sequence and
repetition. Suggested activities:
• Shared reading: Copy the poem in big letters onto
chart paper. Draw simple pictures beneath the key
words such as: house, Jack, rat, cheese, etc. Use a
pointer to track the words as you and the children read
them aloud together.
• Total Physical Response (TPR): This is an
CALL 1-800-243-5020 TO ORDER THESE AND OTHER WESTON WOODS VIDEOS!
This guide may be photocopied for free distribution without restriction
Learning Through the Early Years:
The Benefits of Repetition and Variation
Activities
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree
Color and cut out the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree, and put it on your refrigerator
or other safe metallic surface. Use alphabet magnets to let your child
• act out the story.
• create a new story.
• practice his or her alphabet.
• explore creating words.
• group magnets by color, shapes, upper- or lowercase letters, etc.
© 2010 KBYU Eleven. All rights reserved. This document may be downloaded and copied for noncommercial home or educational use.
Ready To Learn®; View, Read & Do®; and Learning Triangle® are registered trademarks of the Public Broadcasting Service Corporation.
19
Learning Through the Early Years:
The Benefits of Repetition and Variation
Activities
The Big Red Barn
Create or print out the barn and animals. Cut out the animals, or have your child draw his or
her own animals. Cut the barn doors so they will open.
Have your child practice repetition by having the animals come in or go out of the barn. Each
time an animal enters or exits, help your child think of a word that rhymes with that animal’s
name. Here are a few suggestions:
Pig
twig, dig
Horse
course, force
Pigeon
smidgen
Sheep
jeep, leap
Foal
coal, pole
Lamb
ham
Hen
pen, den
Goat
moat, coat
Chick
flick, stick
Cow
plow, how
Kid
hid, did
Duck
cluck, muck
Calf
half, laugh
Mouse
house, douse
Dog
log, fog
Cat
hat, pat
Rooster
booster
Bee
knee, see
Kitten
mitten, bitten
Ram
tam, Sam
Crow
sew, mow
Owl
prowl, dowel
Goose
loose
You can expand this learning activity by
• having your child repeat the animal sounds.
• asking your child, “What type of food does this animal eat?”
• asking your child, “How many different colors does the animal come in?”
• asking your child, “What would you do if you had a pet _________________?”
• sorting the animals by color, diet, or type of animal (feathered, fury, etc.).
© 2010 KBYU Eleven. All rights reserved. This document may be downloaded and copied for noncommercial home or educational use.
Ready To Learn®; View, Read & Do®; and Learning Triangle® are registered trademarks of the Public Broadcasting Service Corporation.
22
© 2010 KBYU Eleven. All rights reserved. This document may be downloaded and copied for noncommercial home or educational use.
Ready To Learn®; View, Read & Do®; and Learning Triangle® are registered trademarks of the Public Broadcasting Service Corporation.
23
© 2010 KBYU Eleven. All rights reserved. This document may be downloaded and copied for noncommercial home or educational use.
Ready To Learn®; View, Read & Do®; and Learning Triangle® are registered trademarks of the Public Broadcasting Service Corporation.
24
Learning Through the Early Years:
The Benefits of Repetition and Variation
Activities
Goldilocks, Goldilocks Turn Around
Original Author Unknown
Sung to: “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Turn Around”
Goldilocks, Goldilocks, turn around. (Turn around.)
Goldilocks, Goldilocks, knock on the door. (Knock with hands.)
Goldilocks, Goldilocks, eat some porridge. (Pretend to eat.)
Goldilocks, Goldilocks, have a seat. (Squat.)
Goldilocks, Goldilocks, go to sleep. (Put cheek on folded hands.)
Goldilocks, Goldilocks, run, run, run. (Run off.)
Goldilocks and the Three Bears Song
Sung to: “Pop Goes the Weasel”
Goldilocks came to a house in the woods.
Inside was all quiet.
She saw cereal in three different bowls
And said, “I think I’ll try it.”
“The first bowl is much too hot.
The second’s too cold—I hate it!
But the third bowl tastes just right!”
So Goldie quickly ate it!
Goldilocks went to another room.
Inside all was quiet.
She found three chairs, looked at each,
And said, “I think I’ll try it.”
“The first chair is much too hard.
The second’s too soft, I fear.
But the third chair feels just right!”
Then she sat and broke it. “Oh, dear!”
Goldilocks next climbed into a bed.
And after she closed her eyes
The three bears came back to their home
And found her—what a surprise!
“Who’s in my bed?” cried Baby Bear.
“Who’s that in our house?”
Goldilocks awoke and ran away
As quickly as a mouse.
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25
Goldilocks and the Three Bears Sizing Activity
Educator: The purpose is to compare sizes to develop reasoning skills. Cut cards along dotted lines. Lay out the images of the bowls. Pick two cards and ask, Which bowl is
bigger? Which bowl is smaller? Then have the children look at the three bowls and pick out the biggest and the smallest. Have the children arrange the bowls in order from the
smallest to the biggest. Repeat the exercises with the bed and chairs. Matching game: Make an additional copy to play a matching game. Place cards face down, and have the
children turn over two cards at a time until they can match two that are the same. Continue until all the cards are matched.