Early to Bed and Early to Rise: Rhymes Lesson Plan

Materials Needed

• Printed or handwritten rhyme: “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
• Picture cards showing a bed, sunrise, healthy food, books, and a smiling child
• Paper, crayons, colored pencils, markers, and child-safe scissors
• Glue and a paper plate or sheet of construction paper
• Small cards or pieces of paper for the rhyme game
• Optional: alarm clock, toy bed, flashlight, or sun picture

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, the learner will be able to:

• Recite the rhyme with appropriate rhythm and actions.
• Explain the simple message of the rhyme in their own words.
• Identify two nouns from the rhyme and explain their meanings.
• Answer at least four questions about the rhyme.
• Participate in two activities connected to healthy daily routines.

Success Criteria

I can:

• Say the rhyme clearly and keep the rhythm.
• Tell what “early to bed” and “early to rise” mean.
• Name and explain two nouns from the rhyme.
• Answer questions using information from the rhyme.
• Show one healthy morning or bedtime habit through art or play.

1. Greeting

Time: 3–5 minutes

Greet the learner warmly and invite them to choose one greeting:

• Wave hello
• Give an air high-five
• Say, “Good morning!” in a cheerful voice

Ask:

• “How are you feeling today?”
• “What time did you wake up?”
• “What is one thing you do before going to bed?”

Tell the learner: “Today we will learn a rhyme about going to bed early and waking up early. We will say the rhyme, learn new words, answer questions, and play and create something fun.”

2. Circle Time: Introducing the Rhyme

Time: 10 minutes

The Rhyme

Early to bed and early to rise,
Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

I Do: Teacher or Parent Modeling

1. Read the rhyme slowly and clearly.
2. Point to or show pictures for bed, rise, healthy, wealthy, and wise.
3. Read it again with a steady rhythm.
4. Demonstrate simple actions:
   • Early to bed: Put hands together beside the head like sleeping.
   • Early to rise: Stretch arms upward like waking up.
   • Healthy: Pretend to eat fruit or exercise.
   • Wealthy: Pretend to save coins in a jar.
   • Wise: Tap the side of the head and point to a book.

We Do: Say It Together

Say the rhyme together three times:

• First time: Parent and learner say it together.
• Second time: Say it with the actions.
• Third time: Clap to the rhythm while saying the rhyme.

Quick Check: Ask, “Which words rhyme?” Guide the learner to hear the rhyming words rise and wise.

You Do: Independent Recitation

Invite the learner to recite the rhyme alone using the actions. The learner may:

• Say it normally.
• Say it in a quiet “sleepy” voice.
• Say it in a bright “morning” voice.
• Use a toy or puppet to recite it.

Meaning of the Rhyme

Explain in simple language:

“The rhyme tells us that going to sleep early and waking up early can help us feel healthy, have time to learn and work, and make wise choices. It is a reminder to follow a good daily routine.”

Connect the rhyme to real life by asking: “How do you feel when you get enough sleep? What happens when you stay up too late?”

3. Extension: Nouns and Their Meanings

Time: 10 minutes

Two Nouns from the Rhyme

1. Bed – a piece of furniture where a person sleeps.
   Example: “I sleep in my bed at night.”
2. Man – an adult male person. In this rhyme, the word can also be understood as referring to a person in general.
   Example: “The man reads a book.”

Think and Say: Ask the learner to name other nouns connected to bedtime or morning, such as pillow, blanket, sun, clock, toothbrush, breakfast, or book.

Questions and Answers

1. Question: What should we do early?
   Answer: We should go to bed early.
2. Question: What does “rise” mean in the rhyme?
   Answer: “Rise” means to get up or wake up.
3. Question: Name one noun from the rhyme.
   Answer: Bed is one noun from the rhyme.
4. Question: What is a bed?
   Answer: A bed is a place where a person sleeps.
5. Question: What two words rhyme in the poem?
   Answer: Rise and wise rhyme.
6. Question: What can happen when we get enough sleep?
   Answer: We may feel healthy, energetic, and ready to learn.
7. Question: What does “healthy” mean?
   Answer: Healthy means feeling well and taking good care of our body.
8. Question: What is one good thing to do after waking up?
   Answer: We can brush our teeth, wash our face, exercise, or eat a healthy breakfast.

4. Activity One: Art – My Healthy Daily Routine Wheel

Time: 15–20 minutes

Purpose

The learner will show understanding of the rhyme by illustrating healthy bedtime and morning routines.

Instructions

1. Help the learner draw a large circle on a paper plate or sheet of paper.
2. Divide the circle into four sections.
3. In two sections, draw or write bedtime routines, such as:
   • Putting on pajamas
   • Brushing teeth
   • Reading a book
   • Going to bed early
4. In the other two sections, draw or write morning routines, such as:
   • Waking up early
   • Stretching
   • Eating breakfast
   • Getting ready for the day
5. Decorate the wheel with a moon, stars, sun, or clouds.
6. Ask the learner to explain one picture using a complete sentence.

Choice: The learner may draw, use magazine cutouts, or dictate sentences for the adult to write.

Share: The learner presents the wheel by saying: “At night I ________. In the morning I ________.”

5. Activity Two: Game – Rhyme Routine Charades

Time: 10–15 minutes

Purpose

The learner will connect words and ideas from the rhyme with real-life actions.

Preparation

Write or draw action cards. Suggested cards include:

• Sleep in bed
• Wake up
• Stretch
• Brush teeth
• Eat healthy food
• Read a book
• Exercise
• Save coins

How to Play

1. Place the cards face down.
2. The learner chooses one card without showing it.
3. The learner acts out the picture or action without speaking.
4. The adult guesses the action.
5. After each turn, connect the action to the rhyme. For example: “Going to bed early helps us get enough sleep.”
6. Switch roles so the adult acts and the learner guesses.

Challenge Round: The learner places three cards in the correct order for a routine, such as:

Brush teeth → Go to bed → Wake up.

6. Formative Assessment and Feedback

Check understanding throughout the lesson by asking the learner to:

• Repeat the rhyme independently.
• Show the action for “early to bed” and “early to rise.”
• Point to the picture that shows a healthy choice.
• Name two nouns from the rhyme.
• Explain what “bed” means.
• Answer at least four questions correctly.

Give specific feedback, such as:

• “You kept a steady rhythm while saying the rhyme.”
• “You correctly explained that a bed is used for sleeping.”
• “Your routine wheel clearly shows what happens at night and in the morning.”

7. Summative Assessment

Ask the learner to complete a short performance:

1. Recite the rhyme with actions.
2. Identify and explain the meaning of the nouns bed and man.
3. Answer four questions about the rhyme.
4. Explain one healthy bedtime habit and one healthy morning habit.

Simple Assessment Checklist

8. Differentiation and Adaptations

For a Learner Needing Support

• Use picture clues for every important word.
• Say one line of the rhyme at a time and let the learner repeat it.
• Allow the learner to point, draw, or act instead of giving a long verbal answer.
• Offer sentence starters: “A bed is ________.” and “In the morning I ________.”

For a Learner Ready for a Challenge

• Ask the learner to write a new two-line rhyme using another pair of rhyming words.
• Have the learner create a bedtime or morning routine schedule.
• Ask the learner to find additional nouns, verbs, and describing words in or around the rhyme.
• Invite the learner to explain why sleep, exercise, healthy food, and learning are important.

9. Conclusion and Recap

Time: 5 minutes

Say the rhyme one final time together with actions:

Early to bed and early to rise,
Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Ask the learner to complete these sentences:

• “The rhyme teaches us to go to bed ________.”
• “The word bed means ________.”
• “One healthy morning habit is ________.”
• “The rhyming words are ________ and ________.”

Finish with a cheerful reminder: “A good bedtime and morning routine helps us feel ready to learn, play, and make wise choices.”

Optional Home Connection

For one evening and one morning, the learner can record or draw two things they did as part of a healthy routine. The next day, invite the learner to share whether the routine helped them feel rested and ready.