Module 3 - Poetry Break #3a

Poetry Break #3a

Introduction: There is a strong correlation between young children’s understanding of sounds of language and literacy rates. Share this alliteration poem with your students.



Riddle-Me Rhyme
By David McCord

Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ree,
An owl is in that tree.
Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ro,
He’s there and he won’t go.
Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ree,
“I’m staying here,” says he.
Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ro,
“Caw-caw,” caws the crow.
Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ree,
An owl by day can’t see.
Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ro,
But he can hear the crow.
Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ree,
Not one crow; now but three.
Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ro,
Now five or six or so.
Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ree,
Nine, then crows round that tree.
Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ro,
Now forty. He won’t go.
Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ree,
How deafening crows can be!
Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ro,
The owl’s still saying “no!”
Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ree,
Did something leave the tree?
Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ro,
You’ll have to ask the crow.
Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ree,
The crows are following he…
Riddle-me, Riddle-me, Ro,
Are following him.
                          I know.

[From: If the owl calls again: a collection of owl poems. By Myra Cohn Livingston and Antonio Frasconi, McElderry Books, 1990.]

Extension: Take alliteration to the extreme and share some tongue twisters with your students such as “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,” “She sells seashells by the seashore,” and “Betty Botter had some butter.” Or share some less concentrated examples of alliteration such as “The Tyger” and “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”