Substitute Lesson Plan: Mother Goose Melodies

Objective

Students will listen to and follow along with classic Mother Goose rhymes from the audio recording "Mother Goose Melodies," building listening skills and familiarity with traditional nursery rhyme characters and titles.

Materials

• "Mother Goose Melodies" audio recording (this resource)
• Device to play audio aloud to the class
• Chart paper or whiteboard and marker
• Paper and crayons/pencils for each student

Warm-up (~5 min)

1. Gather students in a circle or at their seats.
2. Ask: "Has anyone ever heard of Mother Goose or nursery rhymes?" Allow a few students to share.
3. Tell students they will be listening to some classic Mother Goose stories today, read aloud by different readers.
4. Explain listening expectations: quiet hands, listening ears, eyes on the speaker or a quiet spot.

Main Activity (~25 min)

1. Play the track "Introduction" (read by Barbara Wedge) to set up the listening session.
2. Choose 2–3 short tracks to play for the class based on available time, for example:
3. "What Little Jack Horner Did" (read by Christie Nowak, ~9:39)
4. "Pussy Cat Mew" (read by Patricia Oakley, ~7:27)
5. "Tom The Piper's Son" (read by Judy Bieber, ~8:21)
6. Before each track, write the title on the board and say it aloud so students know what story they will hear.
7. After each track finishes, pause and ask simple questions such as:
8. "What was the name of this story?"
9. "Who was in the story?"
10. Write down one or two words or names students remember from each rhyme on the board.

Wrap-up / Exit Ticket (~10 min)

1. Have students take out paper and crayons/pencils.
2. Ask each student to draw a picture of their favorite character or moment from one of the rhymes they heard today.
3. Have students write or dictate the title of the rhyme they drew at the top of their paper (teacher or aide may help with spelling by pointing to the titles written on the board).
4. Collect drawings as the exit ticket for the day.

If Time Remains

Play one more short track, such as "Little Bun Rabbit" (read by Judy Bieber, ~12:29) or "Hickory Dickory Dock" (read by Patricia Oakley, ~10:32). Afterward, ask students to name their favorite rhyme from the whole session and do a quick class vote by show of hands.