The concept of rhyming — or words having endings that sound alike, such as “cat” and “bat” — is one that is usually taught to younger pupils, such as those in preschool or early elementary school. Teachers can create various rhyming lesson plans to help their students learn this basic poetry concept. Rhyming lesson plans may include activities such as explaining the concept, showing examples and providing hands-on activities to practice doing it. Teaching the concept of rhyme also can be accomplished through reading rhyming storybooks, having students create their own rhymes in stories or poems, and by playing rhyming games.
The first thing teachers may want to do in presenting rhymes to their students is to thoroughly explain the concept by using available audiovisual materials and by giving several examples of rhyming words. They also can ask students for examples and answer any preliminary questions students may have. Students need to have a basic understanding of the concept of rhyming before moving on to activities that involve more responsibility or higher-level thinking.
Reading rhyming picture storybooks to students is important to include in rhyming lesson plans. By having exposure to words that rhyme in stories, children can see how rhymes work in the context of writing. Students also can be asked to read the books aloud to their class or to small groups to give them practice with the concept of rhyming.
Teachers might choose to incorporate worksheets into their rhyming lesson plans. They could do this, for example, by giving students sheets with pictures of various things and then having them cut and paste pictures representing words that rhyme. This would give them hands-on experience with the concept. This activity could be altered by directing students to cut out pictures representing rhyming words, or the words themselves, out of newspapers or magazines to create a rhyming collage.
Once students have learned about rhymes and have seen plenty of examples, they might be asked to come up with their own rhymes. A class might be asked to create their own poems or stories in which they incorporate rhymes; they could then share their efforts with their classmates. Students could work on this activity individually or in small groups.
Games that reinforce the concept of rhymes also can be included in rhyming lesson plans. Students might be asked to listen to words that may or may not rhyme. When they hear rhyming words, students could be asked to touch their nose or jump in place. Hands-on activities such as this are an enjoyable way to strengthen young students’ understanding of rhyme.