3. Nursery Rhymes

Culture counts

NURSERY RHYMES

A nursery rhyme is a traditional rhyme for children that often tells a story. There are plenty of popular nursery rhymes in English-speaking countries. Here you can learn about some of the most popular ones. Try to learn at least the one you like best by heart (= memorize) to practice your English.

Humpty Dumpty
Imagen de The Big Egg Hunt 2013 en Flickr. Licencia CC

1. HUMPTY DUMPTY

"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again"

  • Check out this video to see  Humpty Dumpty in action:

Vídeo alojado en Youtube

 

Twinkle little star
Imagen en openclipart. Dominio Público

3. TWINKLE, TWINKLE LITTLE STAR

              "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are                   Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle, little star how I wonder what you are
When the blazing sun is gone, when he nothing shines upon
Then you show your little light, twinkle, twinkle all the night
Twinkle, twinkle, little star how I wonder what you are
Then the traveler in the dark, thanks you for your tiny spark;
He could no see which way to go, if you did not twinkle so.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are!
   Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are!"

 

  • Watch Twinkle little Star in this video:

Vídeo alojado en Youtube

hanging spider
Imagen en openclipart
. Dominio público

2. THE ITSY BITSY SPIDER

  • Listen carefully to the nursery rhyme on the video on the right.

Then, do the activity in the following section.

  • Notice the moral: NEVER GIVE UP! 

This is the right attitude when learning second language! 
                   Imagen en wikimedia. Dominio público

  • Check out The Itsy Bitsy
    Spider in this video:

Vídeo alojado en Youtube

Do it yourself

  • Complete the missing verbs in the nursery rhyme:

 

 

" The Itsy Bitsy spider up the waterspout

Down came the rain and the spider out

Out came the sun and up all the rain

And the Itsy Bitsy spider up the spout again

NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER GIVE UP!

NEVER, EVER GIVE UP!

You can do it little spider"

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Now match the regular past verbs in The Itsy Bitsy Spider to the correct pronunciation:

/ɪd/ /t/ /d/

Do it yourself

Pregunta

In the video on the right you can hear a compilation of some famous Nursery Rhymes in English-speaking countries.Some of them you know already and some others may be new to you.

Watch the video and do the activity below.

Vídeo alojado en Youtube

1. Which nursery rhyme is about a boat?

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Pregunta

2. Which one is about a person and an animal?

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Pregunta

3. Which one has to do with something you can see in the sky?

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