Crimes from Mother Goose

Memphis City Schools
Memphis Tennessee
89039
 
ABSTRACT: Students use Nursery rhymes in a discussion of crimes and criminals. By use of a chart, students decide on identity of criminals, the crime, and name the punishment as told in the rhyme. Use of a chart helps build both thinking skills and vocabulary with an understanding of the concepts in the lesson.

UNIT: Criminal Law

GOAL: To show how criminal law has developed and changed to maintain an organized society.

CONCEPT: There are consequences for breaking rules/laws.

OBJECTIVES: The students will be able to:

1. interpret nursery rhymes.
2. identify the crime and the criminal.
3. tell what was done to help the person do the right thing. VOCABULARY:

STEAL - take something that does not belong to you

PROPERTY - thing or things owned

CRIME - a very wrong act that is against the law

CRIMINAL - a person guilty of doing a wrong act that is against the law

PUNISHMENT - pain, suffering, or loss from doing a wrong act that is against the law

"BADGE" - the policeman (other students and the teacher)

"GAVEL" - the judge (student, teacher, and principal)

"BARS" - the help not to steal again; "time outs"

SKILLS: The students can:

1. listen to and interpret nursery rhymes.
2. repeat nursery rhymes.
3. name the crime, the criminals, and the punishment.
4. hypothesize fair solutions to the problem of stealing property in the classroom.
5. compare solutions of long ago and today.
6. develop vocabulary. STUDENT ACTIVITIES: 1. Teacher shows a pop-tart to the students and asks the following questions: a. What is this?
b. Would you like to eat this?
c. What would happen if you ate the pop-tart and it was not yours? 2. Listen to the nursery rhyme "The Tarts" and be ready to tell what happened to the person who took the tart in the poem.
3. Introduce the law-related vocabulary and write on a chart as each word is discussed and listen to the rhyme again to fill in the chart.
4. Read the following nursery rhymes:

"Taffy"
"Tom, Tom, The Piper's Son"
"The Little Moppet"

Ask the students to fill in the chart when possible.

 EVALUATION: Johnny Brown stole the pop-tart from the teacher. Susie Cue saw him and took him to the teacher. What would happen to Johnny Brown long ago? What would happen to him today? Fill in the chart and illustrate a possible solution for today.

RESOURCE MATERIAL:

Nursery Rhymes: "The Tarts," "Taffy," "Tom, Tom, The Piper's Son," "The Moppet."

 

THE TARTS

The Queen of Hearts, She made some tarts, All on a summer's day;
The Knave of Hearts, He Stole the tarts, And took them clean away.
The King of Hearts
Called for the tarts,
And beat the knave full sore; The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts,
And vowed he'd steal no more.

TAFFY

Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief
Taffy came to my house and stole a piece of beef
I went to Taffy's house, Taffy was not home
Taffy came to my house and stole a marrow-bone.
I went to Taffy's house, Taffy was not in
Taffy came to my house and stole a silver pin
I went to Taffy's house, Taffy was in bed
I took up the marrow-bone and flung it at his head.

TOM, TOM, THE PIPER'S SON

Tom, Tom, the piper's son,
stole a pig, and away he run.
The pig was eat,
And Tom was beat,
And Tom ran crying down the street.

THE LITTLE MOPPET (doll stuffed with corn and hay)

I had a little moppet
I put it in my pocket
And fed it with corn and hay.
There came a proud beggar
And swore he should have her
And stole my little moppet away.