Chapter Graphic
 : Task: Nonsense You Might See and Hear
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Approach: One to one Level: 4 & 8 
Focus:   Accuracy of oral reading 
Resources: Poem card
352kb

Questions/instructions:
In this activity you are going to have a go at reading a nonsense poem. Nonsense poems use nonsense words – words that are made up so that they are fun to say and listen to. They let you use your imagination. This poem is one like that.

Show poem card to student.
The nonsense words get more complicated as the poem
goes on. You can start at the beginning and see how many of the coloured verses you can read. You don’t have to read all of them – but read as many as you can. Before you read it to me, have a few moments to read it quietly to yourself.

Allow a short period of time.
Now read as much of the poem as you can.
Try to read it slowly and clearly.

Student reads.
I wonder if you liked the nonsense poem.
What did you think of it?

Text:
If you see an ep un
Let it have an uf et
If you meet an id ob
You will see it has an om ag
If you see a jof nug
Let it have a bem dap
If you meet a fim hod
You will see it has a mip mub.
If you see a squeb stram
Let it have a slean craid
If you meet a twuit proup
You will see it has a sleam stroid
If you see any of those squib throsts, spluds, splims or thromps,
Tell them to scrat!
For if you don’t, your sharmint
will get a phurdest whorbunt
Which will make your chirpust
whurdent!

% responses
y4
y8
Decoded accurately:
ep
64
74
un
78
91
uf
60
70
et
67
82
id
58
76
ob
75
91
om
74
83
ag
67
81
jof
74
86
nug
75
89
bem
56
75
dap
60
79
fim
76
89
hod
73
88
mip
71
83
mub
65
80
squeb
33
54
stram
58
84
slean
62
82
craid
43
70
twuit
17
23
proup
24
34
sleam
64
80
stroid
31
63
squib
52
75
throsts
34
66
spluds
54
76
splims
48
71
thromps
43
64
scrat
65
85
shar
45
68
mint
67
84
phur
36
53
dest
55
76
whor
52
70
bunt
55
74
chir
53
78
pust
59
77
whur
52
66
dent
65
83
Total score:             36 – 40
10
26
31 – 35
15
34
26 – 30
22
16
21– 25
12
11
16 – 20
18
6
11 – 15
8
3
0 – 10
15
4
Commentary:
This task was designed to test decoding skills using nonsense (invented) words. Twenty-five percent of year 4 students and 60 percent of year 8 students decoded at least three-quarters of the “words” correctly.
 
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