Using the nursery rhyme ‘Round and round the garden’ in English in childhood.
The use of nursery rhymes in English is very useful for introducing children to the English language in a fun and active way.
Planning sheet
Target group: five-year-old pupils
Types of activity
- Listening to and watching the nursery rhyme video
- Repetition of the words of the nursery rhyme
- Association of the new words with pictures printed out and attached in the classroom and
repetition first in Italian then in English
- Imitation of movements using a teddy bear and then working in pairs with a partner
- Tickle game: recite the nursery rhyme by touching the palm of a partner's hand miming a small circle with your finger, then take two steps with your fingers on the arm to tickle your friend.
Skills developed
Linguistic: development of memorisation, understanding of new words, recognition of sounds and intonations
Cognitive: initial understanding of the cause-effect relationship, short term memory
Social and relational: interaction between pupils, respect for others
Motor: fine motor coordination with gestures associated with words (one step, two step
associated with the steps the children have to take)
Strategies and methods
Circle time for listening to and watching the nursery rhyme
Role playing (children divided into pairs first experience the action of tickling their
partner and then receive it, reversing their role, with that of their
partner).
Strengths
The nursery rhyme is useful for getting children to play and approach each other because it enables them to touch each other and tickle each other gently.
By playing, the children have fun and a peaceful learning atmosphere is created in the classroom.
The children will act and dance to the notes of the nursery rhyme, so motor coordination is stimulated.
Emotions are also stimulated because the children know that at the end of the song there will be a tickle and they await it with surprise.
Assessment strategies
Pupils can be assessed by having them recite the nursery rhyme in pairs and showing them
pictures representing words used in the nursery rhyme to see if the pupils associate the picture with the word in English.