1.

Please choose a set of vocabulary (English words from X language, English words from Y field)
that you can apply to your chosen poem, list them with definitions and devise an activity that
will help students understand the poem better.

2. Please design one original worksheet for your chosen poem that focuses on the words, letters,
grammar, or spelling in order to help the students understand the poem better. Include one-two
paragraphs that explain how your activity develops an idea presented in Ehri’s article on “Word
Learning.”

(Feel free to consult the Grammar Mechanics Log DB for particular grammatical structures you may
incorporate in your activity.)
This activity is intended for 1st grade level. The poem used in this
worksheet is “Down by the Bay”. Children will hear the song since at
this level they are still learning how to read. A handout with the
lyrics will be distributed to each student so they can see the words
as they hear the song.
You can listen to the song at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIlMyNXmfcM

Note:

All the definitions were retrieved from:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/

http://www.yourdictionary.com

All pictures were retrieved from:

http://www.google.com/images
 Word Definition Picture
bay a large body of
water connected to
an ocean or sea
formed by an inlet
of land.

dare to not be too

scared to do
something
 Down by the Bay
Author unknown

Down by the bay Down by the bay

Where the watermelons grow Where the watermelons grow
Back to my home Back to my home
I dare not go I dare not go
For if I do For if I do
My mother will say My mother will say
“Did you ever see a bear “Did you ever see llamas
Combing his hair Wearing pajamas
Down by the bay?” Down by the bay?”
Down by the bay Down by the bay
Where the watermelons grow Where the watermelons grow
Back to my home Back to my home
I dare not go I dare not go
For if I do For if I do
My mother will say My mother will say
“Did you ever see a fly “Did you ever see a whale
Wearing a tie With a polka-dot tail
Down by the bay?” Down by the bay?”
Did you ever have a time
Where you couldn’t make rhyme
down by the bay?
 Listen to the song “Down by the Bay”

1. Did you hear any High-Frequency words in the song? Use the
worksheet to find and highlight the following High-Frequency
words.

I the you

2. Listen to the following verse:

Down by the bay
Where the watermelons grow
Back to my home
I dare not go
For if I do
My mother will say

Who do you think is the speaker of the poem? Circle the picture

How do you know? Support your answer

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3. What rhymes with moose? Circle the picture

4. What rhymes with llama? Circle the picture

5. What other word rhymes with whale and tail? Circle the picture
Cut out two pictures that rhyme and glue them on the box to
create your own verse for the poem.

Did you ever see a eating a

down by the bay?

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 7. At the end of the poem it says:

Did you ever have a time

Where you couldn’t make a rhyme
Down by the bay?

Has this happened to you? Is rhyming easy or difficult for you?

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8. Why does the speaker of the poem say “back to my home I dare
not go”?
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9. Is the poem fantasy or real? Circle the word

Draw a picture to support your answer.