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A Handle On Homophones – Homophones made easy through rhymes and verses
by Genevieve Farrell
Format: Paperback
Publication date: 7th July 2011
ISBN: 978-1-908282-82-8
Price: €25.00
A Handle On Homophones has been written to improve pupils’ knowledge, comprehension and spelling of a wide range of common homophones (for example, their, they’re, there and to, two, too) in the English language.
A Handle On Homophones is a resource to facilitate teachers in teaching homophones to pupils. It aims to enable pupils to differentiate between a specified number of homophones used on a daily basis in the home, at school and outside the home, school, etc. through the fun medium of poetry. Through reading, listening to and writing rhymes and verses containing homophones, pupils’ recognition, identification and learning of homophones is made easier. This book is aimed at middle and upper primary pupils of age range 8-12 years and its variety of practical lessons makes it suitable for mainstream, special needs and EAL pupils.
A Handle On Homophones includes:
• Thirty relevant homophone poems containing elements of rhythm and rhyme
• High-interest, practical and enjoyable lessons
• Clear definitions of each homophone and examples
• Table of curriculum links, linking the activities to the English Language Curriculum for Ireland
• Teachers notes and answers to questions
A Handle On Homophones provides the opportunity for pupils to not only enhance their knowledge, comprehension and spelling of homophones but also to engage with and write in a wide variety of poetry on a regular basis and to explore new interests and perspectives through reading poetry. The activities provided in this book cover many of the English language objectives in all four curriculum strands for Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth class.
A secondary teacher of foreign languages, Genevieve Farrell has also spent many years teaching mainstream, special needs and EAL pupils at primary level.
Extract from A Handle On Homophones Bear, Bare
Bear, Bare
I see a big, brown bear
by a very bare tree.
Too busy scratching his head,
he doesn’t see me.
I hide behind another bare tree.
Couldn’t bear to have big bear
scare me, you see.
He moves his head from side to side,
then rolls on the ground and
roars the place down.
I’m ready to run from the big, brown bear
- make a sound of any kind I will not dare -
when out from behind the very bare tree,
appears a tiny figure that surprises me:
a cute, baby bear who me doesn’t scare,
jumping up and down without a care.
He huddles beside the big, brown bear
who I now imagine is Daddy bear.
They play and play by the very bare tree
and not even once have they noticed me.
Explanation of each word:
Bear = a noun meaning a mammal having strong claws, a large head and a long coat.
Example: Watch out! There’s a bear behind you!
Bear = a verb meaning to tolerate, endure or suffer.
Example: I cannot bear the pain.
Bare = an adjective meaning without a covering.
Example: The tree in the corner is very bare.
(Bare = an adjective meaning without suitable furnishings.
Example: Your bedroom is quite bare.)
Exercise 2
Oral activity
Questions on the poem:
1) Why didn’t the big bear see the poet?
2) What did the poet see the big bear doing from behind the bare tree?
3) What happened as the poet was about to run from the big bear?
4) What word in the poem is a synonym of curls up and snuggles?
5) Rub is a synonym of what word in the poem?
Exercise 4
Reading and Writing activity
Match the following so that each sentence makes sense:
a) A baby bear to look at it.
b) She can’t bear is called a cub.
c) The trees were bare after the storm.
d) We saw a huge bare after we cleared it out.
e) Our kitchen was quite bear in the jungle.
