Literatacy Connections
This song offers opportunities for students to practice two important language arts skills: using textual clues to make predictions, and creating rhymes.
Pause and talk with students about the pattern: do they notice that there's something wrong with each item? If they notice the pattern, try stopping after a verse and saying, "What do you think might go wrong with the dog named Rover?" Try pausing right before the new item is introduced, and see what ideas they have: "If that diamond ring turns brass, Mama's going to buy you a... a what? What do you think?" Students could develop original verses of the song to perform in small groups, perhaps with illustrations.
These activities engage students in analyzing a primary source because students are identifying a pattern, making predictions, and then having an opportunity for further observation to test and reformulate their predictions. These are skills students can continue to use to critically examine media and construct new, creative meaning in all areas of learning.