1.5: Nursery rhyme bias
In this activity students explore the ways in which nursery rhyme characters are often unfairly treated.
Tasks
- Copy and cut up Handouts 3 and 4: Nursery rhyme bias (1) and (2) for the class.
- Ask students to form pairs or small groups and distribute a nursery rhyme to each group.
- Ask
students to read their nursery rhyme and list the characters described
in the rhyme e.g. the blind mice, farmer's wife, Peter Pumpkin Eater,
his wife.
- Ask each student in the group to select a
character and make a list of words that describes their feelings about
what is happening in the rhyme e.g. the blind mice are happy, then
afraid and hurt. Peter Pumpkin's wife is unhappy and angry.
- Ask
students to discuss how each of the character's in the rhyme felt about
the actions of the other(s). Summarise feelings on the board or on
butcher's paper.
- Lead a class discussion on whether the
characters or the situation have been fairly depicted by the writer. In
what ways could the characters or situation been described differently?
- Any similar nursery rhymes may be used as an alternative to the rhymes in Handouts 3 and 4.
- This activity may be conducted as a whole class or in small groups as described.
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