“What Happened to Humpty
Dumpty?”
Marian L. Munoz
March 12, 2009
Purpose
The purpose of this learning experience is to
allow students to demonstrate their recall of
a nursery rhyme while using props or
puppets to dramatize the nursery rhyme.
Grade Level/ Ability of Students
Kindergarten inclusion classroom in an
urban school district.
•
17 students
• 9 girls
• 8 boys
• 8 students receive consultant teacher services
• 7 students receive speech
• 10 students receive occupational therapy
• 6 students receive physical therapy
• 15 students participated in the Humpty Dumpty LE
Time Frame
Four day cycle for about 20 minutes each day. Students
have a total working time of about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
During that 20 minutes:
• teacher introduces and models the activity for 5 minutes
• students practice the skill with the teacher for 5 minutes
• students individually demonstrate skill for approximately
2 minutes each
Objectives
Students will be able
individually to recite the
nursery rhyme, Humpty
Dumpty, using stick
puppets to dramatize
the nursery rhyme.
Essential Questions



Why is it important to be able to retell a rhyme or
story?
Why is it important to be able to sequence events from
a rhyme or story?
Can everything be fixed?
Guiding Questions

What happened after Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall?
 Why couldn’t the king’s horses and the king’s men put
Humpty together again?
Enduring Understanding
 The
ability to sequence events in a rhyme
or story is a necessary skill for retelling a
rhyme or story.
 The
ability to sequence events and recite
a rhyme or story are necessary skills for
dramatizing a rhyme or story.
Student Tasks
Task 1
Student recites nursery
rhyme Humpty Dumpty.
Student Tasks
Task 2
Student recites Humpty
Dumpty while using flannel
board pieces to dramatize
the nursery rhyme.
Student Tasks
Task 3
Student sequences 4 pictures illustrating the
nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty.
Student Task
Task 4
Student recites nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty
while pointing to the pictures in sequential order.
Student Tasks
Task 5
Student colors Humpty
Dumpty characters to be
used as stick puppets for
the dramatization.
Student Tasks
Task 6
Student recites Humpty Dumpty whiles using stick
puppets to dramatize the nursery rhyme.
Teacher Exemplar
Recites nursery rhyme
Humpty Dumpty.
Teacher Exemplar
Recites nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty.
Teacher Exemplar
Recites Humpty Dumpty in sequential order while using
puppets to dramatize the nursery rhyme.
Teacher Exemplar
Recites Humpty Dumpty in sequential order while using
puppets to dramatize the nursery rhyme.
Teacher Exemplar
Sequences 4 pictures illustrating the
nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty
Teacher Exemplar
Sequences four pictures illustrating the nursery rhyme Humpty
Dumpty and recites Humpty Dumpty while pointing to the
corresponding pictures.
Developing Student Work
Developing Student Work
Proficient Student Work
Proficient Student Work
Distinguished Student Work
Distinguished Student Work
New York State Standard
Learning Standard: ELA- English/ Language Arts
Standard: ELA Standard 2:

Dramatize or retell stories, using puppets, toys,
and or other props.
 Recite short poems, nursery rhymes and finger
plays
Assessments
Diagnostic Individual Assessment:
Individually each student will recite
Humpty Dumpty.
Teacher will complete a running
record for each student’s
recitation.
Assessments
Formative Assessment:
Each activity will be completed as a small group during the
lesson and then individually at the end of the lesson.
Student:






recites the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty
recites Humpty Dumpty while using the flannel board pieces to
dramatize the nursery rhyme.
places the pictures for Humpty Dumpty in order.
recites Humpty Dumpty while pointing to the correct pictures.
colors Humpty Dumpty, the king’s horses and the king’s men
recites Humpty Dumpty while using the correct stick puppet to act it
out.
Assessments
Formative:
Individual assessments for each activity are recorded on
the Humpty Dumpty Observation Checklist.
Summative Assessment
Students will complete the self-evaluation titled
Checklist for: “What Happened to Humpty Dumpty?”
Summative Assessment
Teacher will assign value to aspects of the students’
work and recitations using The Humpty Dumpty
Recitation and Dramatization Rubric.
Instructional Modifications
Environment and Management Modifications:
 Preferential seating: allows teacher to monitor
student activity and allows for immediate feedback.
Instructional:
 Repeating and rephrasing directions and questions:
ensures students understand important information
enabling them to successfully complete activities.
Content/ Materials:
 Hand out only materials essential to the immediate task:
students do not become overwhelmed with materials.
Assessment Results
Assessment Results
Language for Learning, an intervention program used by
the City of Buffalo, requires students to achieve a 88% on
the mastery test in order to move on to the next lesson.
Using this criterion to examine the percentage of
students able recite Humpty Dumpty while using props or
puppets to dramatize the nursery rhyme the results were:



53% scored at the distinguished level
27% scored at the developing level
20% at the developing level
Reflection
 The
tasks were developmentally
appropriate and achieved the objectives.
 Students were very engaged and behavior
issues were almost nonexistent.
 I need to develop a better way of reporting
the data, perhaps in a chart or other
graphic form.
Thank you to the students who participated in
the Humpty Dumpty LE
Thank you to the wonderful members of the
TLQP Project
A special note of thanks to Jeff Arnold, Connie Kudrna,
Catherine Sedota and Pam Hays. Your encouragement, advice,
help, support and patience has meant so very much to me. I now
feel that I am officially part of a learning community.