Meeting multiple objectives in one lesson can be difficult, however, there are creative ways to incorporate Common Core standards in a way students will enjoy.

Most of us are familiar with the nursery rhyme of Humpty Dumpty, but many of us may not be aware of the extended stories that exist. In this lesson, students are told the story of Humpty Dumpty in a poem,  prose (picture book), and video.

Before beginning, I would like to give a very special thanks to Fara Bono for thinking of this lesson and for providing the resources and links shared below with my fourth grade team. My students absolutely loved the picture book and were totally engaged throughout! 

Objectives/Standards:

1. Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose.

2. Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual presentation of a text.

3. Integrate information from two texts on the same topic.

 Materials:

-Picture Book: (Prose) What Really Happened to Humpty?

2. Humpty Dumpy (Poem)

3. YouTube: “Humpty Dumpty Nursery Rhyme” (Video)

Procedure:

1. Have students create a two column chart: (Poem  |  Prose)

2. Read “Humpty Dumpty” poem a couple of times. First read the story outloud one to two times, then have students read aloud with teacher (two to three time). Ask students to note rhythm, structure, and elements.

3. Have students list observations in their notebooks.

4. Discuss, and then read “What Really Happened to Humpty Dumpty“.

5. Compare and contrast poem and prose version.

6. For further extension, watch the video version.

7. To incorporate drama, student can read the Reader’s Theater play version. For a more advanced version, a preview of the play created by Brian Freeland can be found at Spotlight Productions.