Show-Me Classroom Performance Assessments Communication Arts

Laughable Limericks
Grade Level: 5th

Assessment Summary
The students will create an original limerick using the specific limerick pattern. The finished product will include rhyme, rhythm, and humor characteristic to limericks. The students will submit their limericks to the Annual Worldwide Castlemoyle Kids Limerick Writing Contest. Finally, they will explain in writing how all the parts of a limerick were used in creating the poem.

1998 Pattonville School District

Laughable Limericks
Content Standards Complex Reasoning Processes

Big Idea: Patterns help us understand the world.

Essential Question(s):

1. How do written patterns focus our attention and communicate ideas and humor? 2. What can be communicated through a limerick? Show-Me Standards and Goals:
CA 1 - Students acquire skills in speaking and writing standard English (including grammar, usage, punctuation, spelling, capitalization). CA 2 - Students acquire skills in reading and evaluating fiction, poetry, & drama.

Comparing Classifying Abstracting Induction Deduction Analyzing Perspectives Error Analysis Constructing Support Decision Making Problem Solving Investigation Experimental Inquiry Invention
Reproduced with permission of McREL Institute, 2550 S. Parker Road, Suite 500, Aurora, CO 80014. Telephone (303) 337-0990 Copyright 1993 by McREL Institute. All rights rese

Goal 1
Students in Missouri public schools will acquire the knowledge and skills to gather, analyze and apply information and ideas.

Goal 2
Students in Missouri public schools will acquire the knowledge and skills to communicate effectively within and beyond the classroom. 2.1 The student plans and makes written, oral and visual presentations for a variety of purposes and audiences.

Goal 3

Goal 4

Students in Missouri public Students in Missouri public schools will acquire the schools will acquire the knowledge and skills to knowledge and skills to make recognize and solve decisions and act as problems. responsible members of society.

1.6 The student discovers and evaluates patterns and relationships in information, ideas, and structures.

1998 Pattonville School District

Laughable Limericks Instructional Activities Prerequisite Knowledge Students Need: 1. There are word patterns in poetry. 2. Students have an understanding of the mechanics of writing poetry. 3. Students have experience using the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing).

Pre-Assessment Activities:
1 . Read numerous limericks 2 . Listen to numerous limericks 3 . After reading and hearing many examples of limericks, students can brainstorm common characteristics, including patterns in the rhythm, rhyme and structure of a limerick. Rhyme pattern-AABBA. Rhythm pattern-8-10 syllables in lines 1,2 and 5. 5-7 syllables in lines 3 and 4. 4 . Become familiar with and discuss famous authors of limericks, such as Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll, and Dr. Seuss. 5 . To help students identify and practice the rhythm pattern of a limerick, have them tap and/or clap the rhythm as limericks are read aloud, emphasizing the stressed syllables. 6 . Choose names of people and places and brainstorm lists of words that rhyme with them. 7 . Read limericks leaving off the last word of lines 2 and/or 5. Students can practice using rhyming words by completing the lines with the actual missing words or other suitable rhyming words. The same can be done for limerick lines 3 and 4. 8 . For additional practice, or for students having difficulty starting a limerick, the teacher can give students the first line of a limerick, or make up some suitable first lines having last words which are easy to rhyme. Students can then finish the limerick. 9 . Compose one or more limericks as a class to model and provide practice in writing limericks. 1 0 . Small groups can create limericks round robin style with each student adding a new line to the poem. Have one person be the recorder.

1998 Pattonville School District

Laughable Limericks

Bibliography
Adams-Gordon, Beverly. Lear, Limericks, & Literature, Castlemoyle Books, http://www. castlemoyle.com/learunit.htm

Childrens Books on Limericks:

Bodecker, N. M. A Person from Britain & Other Limericks. New York: Antheneum, 1980. Ciardi, John. The Hopeful Trout and other Limericks. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989. Kennedy, X. J. Uncle Switch: Loony Limericks. New York: Simon, 1997. Lear, Edward. Daffy Down Dillies: Silly Limericks. Honesdale, PA: Caroline House, 1992. Lear, Edward. The Nonsense Verse of Edward Lear. New York: Harmony, 1978. Lear, Edward. There Was an Old Man...: A Gallery of Nonsense Rhymes. New York: Morrow, 1994. Livingston, Myra Cohn. How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear. New York: Holiday House, 1982. Livingston, Myra Cohn. A Lollygag of Limericks. New York: Antheneum, 1978. Livingston, Myra Cohn, ed. Lots of Limericks. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 1991. Lobel, Arnold. The Book of Pigericks: Pig Limericks. New York, New York: Harper & Row, 1983. Lots of Limericks. New York: Macmillan, 1991. Manley, Molly. Talkaty Talker. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills, 1994. Rosenbloom, Joseph. The Looniest Limerick Book in the World. New York: Sterling, 1982. Stokes, Jack. Loony Limericks from Alabama to Wyoming. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1978.

1998 Pattonville School District

Laughable Limericks

Assessment Activity
Teacher Directions:
Students should be given the scoring guide along with the prompt for this task. What the students will doThe students will create original, humorous rhymes using the limerick form. Time required for Taskapproximately 3 class periods

Suggested Materialsmany books of poetry containing limericks (see bibliography for suggestions) Post a visual reminder containing the characteristics of a limerick. Interdisciplinary LinksSocial Studies - Write a limerick using a historical figure or famous place. Literature - Select a book character and write an original limerick.

Teaching Tips1 . A rhyming dictionary would be useful for students. 2 . This would be a good portfolio item. 3 . Provide students with a variety of examples of limericks.

1998 Pattonville School District

Laughable Limericks

Prompt The Annual Worldwide Castlemoyle Kids Limerick Writing Contest will be held in May. Your task is to write an original limerick to submit to the contest. Make your limerick humorous. Your written poem also needs to follow the rhyme and rhythm patterns characteristic of a limerick. Explain in writing how your poem includes all the parts of a limerick.

1998 Pattonville School District

Laughable Limericks

Holistic Scoring Guide

Teacher Analysis of Limerick
Performance Levels Para ameters

The student has written an original poem that follows the rhythm and rhyming pattern of a limerick using complex vocabulary and humor in an unusual way.
4

The student has written an original poem that follows the rhythm and rhyming pattern of a limerick and uses humor.
3

The student has written an original poem that has some inconsistencies in the rhythm and rhyming pattern of a limerick. It may or may not use humor.
2

The student has attempted to write a poem, but is inconsistent with the pattern of a limerick.
1

1998 Pattonville School District

Laughable Limericks

Holistic Scoring Guide

Teacher Analysis of Explanation
Performance Levels Para ameters

Explanation includes a detailed description of the limerick stating the rhyme and rhythm patterns. A full explanation of humor is included and a clever use of language is evident.
4

Explanation includes a description of the limerick stating rhyme and rhythm patterns. Humor is noted, but may not be detailed.
3

Explanation mentions rhyme and rhythm patterns, but they are not described. Humor is included, but not explained.
2

Explanation does not explain rhyme or rhythm. Humor is not evident or explained.
1

1998 Pattonville School District

Laughable Limericks

Student Reflection and Scoring Guide

Student Analysis of Explanation
Performance Levels Para ameters

My explanation included a detailed description that states the limericks rhyme and rhythm patterns. I also included a full explanation of my humor and a clever use of language is evident.
4

My explanation included a description that states the rhyme and rhythm patterns of my limerick. Humor is mentioned, but not fully explained.
3

My explanation mentioned the rhyme and rhythm patterns of my limerick, but did not explain them. Humor is included, but not explained.
2

My explanation did not explain the rhyme or rhythm patterns of my limerick. Humor is not evident or explained.
1

1. My limerick should get this score because ...

2. From listening to other students limericks, I learned... 3. Explain how patterns in writing helped you write and communicate your ideas and humor.
1998 Pattonville School District

Laughable Limericks

Student Exemplars

1998 Pattonville School District

This is an example of a 4 on the scoring guide because the limerick is original and follows the rhythm and rhyme pattern. It uses humor and complex vocabulary. The explanation describes the rhythm and rhyme patterns and details the use of humor. Example continues on next page.

1998 Pattonville School District

 1998 Pattonville School District

This is an example of a 4 on the scoring guide because the limerick is original and follows the correct rhythm and rhyme patterns and uses humor. The explanation uses detail to describe the patterns and humor.

1998 Pattonville School District

This is an example of a 3 on the scoring guide because the limerick follows the correct rhythm and rhyme pattern and humor is included. Explanation details rhyme and rhythm pattern and explains the humor. Spot There once was a chicken named spot Who wound up where it was very hot. He had his toy sub And looked for the tub But wound up in a boiling pot.

PIG There once was a pig from New York. Who dined on chicken soup and pork. I know its too late, My friend I just ate. He said as he put down his fork.

My limerick included all the parts of a limrick. Witch are hummer, rhyme, and rhythm. The rhythm pattern is eight toten sylibles on the A lines. There are five to seven sylibles on B lines. The rhyme pattern is AABBA. For the finall part hummer. Even if it only bring a simle. Like eating a friend, or landing in a pot of boiling water.

1998 Pattonville School District

The limerick is on the following page. This is an example of a 3 on the scoring guide because the limerick follows the correct rhythm and rhyme pattern and includes humor. The explanation identifies the patterns and makes note of the humor.

1998 Pattonville School District

This is an example of a 2 on the scoring guide because the limerick is original but rhyme and rhythm is inconsistent and it may not be humerous. The student uses words that rhyme, but it is difficult to follow the meaning of the words within the poem. The explanation mentions rhyme and rhythm but are not described and humor is only mentioned.

There was a young girl from Mohay and she loved to munch on hay all day So she started to get fat. and she turned into a rat and know she sits down and pray.

A A B B A

Ther was a young cowboy named Bobby and he was trying to get a Jobby. So he met a girl named Jill. and they ran up a steal hill. And he ended up geting a snobby hobby.

A A B B A

My poem includes apart of a limerick because. It includes a description and states rhmyn and rhthym patterns and humor is included. And I am glad to have a teacher like you.

1998 Pattonville School District

This is an example of a 1 on the scoring guide because there is no attempt to write a poem, but is inconsistent with required rhyme and rhythm. Explanation does not mention or explain rhyme, rhythm and humor. Theres once was a girl named Jenny. Who ate a penny. she got sick. And went to the house sicky. And then stoped playing with penneies

I think i did good on my limericks because it is rhymeing and it has patterns I think I should get a (A).

1998 Pattonville School District