NURSERY RHYME LESSON
Humpty Dumpty

MORE POETRY BOOKS
Trick or Treat: A Holiday Rhyme
Lotsa Pasta
Bird Children
Mother Earth's Children
Flower Children
Wildflower Children
Bird Children Book 2
Mother Earth's Children Book 2
Flower Children Book 2
Wildflower Children Book 2
Summer's a Bummer
Susan
Christmas in Animal Land
I Had a Great Day
Making Spaghetti
Snow
Just the Wind
Peter Pumpkin Picker
Poetry Anthology
Trading for Lunch Money
Tread Softly
Ocean Poems
The Meaning of Numbers
How Long?
Looking for Numbers
I'm All Right
Reading Mysteries
My Places
So Much to Learn
Circle of Smiles
Winter Holidays
Making Changes: Poems about Great African-Americans
Expressing Myself
A Nation Arises
The Rabbit
Miss Susie: A Handclap Game
The Perfect Snowball
Winter Is Fun
I'm Never Alone
Planets of My Solar System
My Stars
Why Do I Care?

MORE NURSERY RHYMES
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
The Lion and the Unicorn
Wee Willie Winkie
Baa Baa Black Sheep
There Was a Crooked Man
Jack and Jill
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Little Boy Blue
Little Miss Muffet
Hey, Diddle Diddle
Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat
Ladybug, Ladybug
Humpty Dumpty
Little Jack Horner
To Market
Doctor Foster
Two Blackbirds
This Little Piggy
I Had a Little Hen

Humpty Dumpty
Text Type: Poetry • Word Count: 26

Nursery Rhyme Summary
Everyone remembers the story of Humpty Dumpty and his precarious perch on a wall. This half-riddle, half-rhyme will delight students with its familiar verses and nonsense solution.

Building Background
Ask students where and when they have heard the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty before. Because nursery rhymes are passed down orally, students may have heard different versions or other verses than those included in the book. Have students recite the versions they know.

Discuss poetry's rhymes and rhythms. Read the title and first line, and ask students to come up with a word that rhymes with wall. Use other familiar rhymes as references. Also explain that poetry's syllables follow a rhythm or "beat."

Preview the Poem
Show students the cover of the book, and read the title. Open the book to the title page. Have students make predictions about what will happen to Humpty Dumpty. Preview the illustrations and go over any vocabulary you think students may find challenging.

During the Reading
Allow students to stop and ask questions during reading, especially if there is something they do not understand. If reading aloud, be sure to read with expression. Emphasize the rhythms and rhymes of the poem. You may wish to have students clap along to the rhythm or signal when they hear rhyming words. Use think-aloud strategies and react to parts of the poem with facial expressions and gestures.

After the Reading
Reader Response
Ask students what they thought of the poem. Have volunteers summarize the poem or name their favorite part. Did they think the poem was funny, sad, or just nonsense?

Comprehension
Ask specific questions that allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the poem.

• What happened to Humpty Dumpty?
  
• Who tried to help him?
  
• What is Humpty Dumpty?
  
• Do you think he will ever be put back together?