TEACHING GUIDE 6
Hickory dickory dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory Dickory Dock.
Photograph by Joe Mazza / Brave Lux
Hickory Dickory Dock: Introduction
Hickory Dickory Dock
At the beginning of the “Hickory Dickory Dock” video in Miss Natalie’s room, she is counting out the twelve hours on the face of her grandmother clock with Catherine and Sadie. While she’s teaching them the rhyme, suddenly there is a fun surprise. An adorable grey mouse pops her head out of a little door in the big brown clock! The old-fashioned clock gives us the perfect framework for introducing the concept of measuring time. The ticking and chiming of an analog clock may be unfamiliar to your children. They are likely growing up reading digital time displays rather than deciphering hands on a face (“big hand,” “little hand,” “second hand”). Throughout history, people have used many different methods to keep track of time. Let’s explore some of these.
Measuring Time
Long ago there were no clocks; people looked to the sky to know the time of day. The position of the sun told them when it was morning, afternoon, or night. Sundials were early timekeepers that used moving shadows to track time. People also used hourglasses and water clocks that allowed sand or water to slowly flow from one container to another. Demonstrate this with a simple egg timer. Teach your children about the words “dawn” and “dusk.” Note where the sun rises and sets (east and west). Have them notice how the length of their own shadows change throughout the day. Make a sundial.
Before Mother Goose’s time (mid-18th century) most people could not afford to have a clock of their own. Instead, they listened for the chime of the nearest church or bell tower. Time measurement was less accurate in those days. Only the hours were marked, not minutes or seconds. If you have a wind-up clock at home, bring it in to show your class.
Darken the room and shine a flashlight at a globe to demonstrate that half the world is experiencing daytime while the other half is sleeping. This will help to explain that there are different time zones in the world.
A Stitch in Time
There are many wonderful idioms that relate to time. Here are a few examples: “a stitch in time saves nine,” “haste makes waste,” “better late than never,” “no time like the present,” and “time flies when you’re having fun!” Decode these time-honored expressions with your children to reveal their practical wisdom.
“Struck” Not “Striked”
In “Hickory Dickory Dock,” we hear the phrase “the clock struck one.” “Struck” is the irregular past tense form of the verb “to strike.” Explain to your children that in this nursery rhyme, the word “struck” refers to a small hammer hitting the clock chime. You would not say “striked.” Although they may not understand why, they will recognize when the incorrect form is used. Some other examples: see – saw (not seed), come – came (not comed), go – went (not goed), take – took (not taked), make – made (not maked), do – did (not doed), fly – flew (not flied), think – thought (not thinked).
The Color Grey
Our little Hickory Dickory mouse is grey. Grey (or gray) is the color between black and white. Ask your children to name other things that are grey: pigeons, dolphins, stones, rhinos, sharks, cement, fog, squirrels, storm clouds, elephants. Mix black and white paint to demonstrate how the color grey is made. Lighten or darken the paint and describe what is happening to the color as you do. Paint pictures of the things on your grey list.
Clock House The mouse lives inside a big clock. Ask your children to describe her home. Is it cozy inside? Does she love its chiming sounds? Does she enjoy watching all the cogs and gears, and other moving parts? Does she like to swing on the pendulum? Where would you live if you were a mouse? A piano? A breadbox? An old boot? Can your children name another curious dwelling from a Cabinet of Wonder rhyme? Here’s a hint…it’s orange and grows on a vine.
Hickory Dickory Dock: Discussion
Who Lives Inside the Clock?
Who lives inside the grandmother clock? Is it cozy inside? Does the mouse love to hear the clock chiming? Does she enjoy watching all the cogs and gears, and other moving parts? Does she like to swing on the clock’s pendulum? Where would you live if you were a mouse? A piano? A breadbox? An old boot? Who else in Rhyming Town lives in an unusual house? Here’s a hint…their name starts with “P.”
Measuring Time
What are the parts of the clock? (face, hands, and numbers). How is the clock in Cabinet of Wonder different from the clocks we use everyday? Clocks are used to measure time, can you think of any other ways that we measure time? (sundials, the phases of the moon, calendars, seasons, etc.)
The Color Grey
The mouse in the music video is grey. Grey (or gray) is the color between black and white. Can you think of some other things that are grey?
Examples: pigeons, dolphins, rhinos, sharks, cement, fog, squirrels, storm clouds, elephants, stones, gravel.
A Stitch in Time
Have you ever heard any of these sayings: “a stitch in time saves nine,” “haste makes waste,” “better late than never,” or “time flies when you’re having fun”? What do you think they mean?
“Struck” Not “Striked”
In the rhyme, “the clock struck one” and “struck” is how you say “strike” after it has happened. The word changes to describe that the action is in the past now. When we speak English, this happens to lots of words. You probably use them all the time without even noticing!
Examples:
see – saw (not seed), eat – ate (not eated), come – came (not comed), take – took (not taked), make – made (not maked), do – did (not doed), go – went (not goed), fly – flew (not flied), forget – forgot (not forgetted), think – thought (not thinked), stick – stuck (not sticked).
Hickory Dickory Dock: Language
KEY RHYMING WORDS
dock – clock
RESPONSE RHYMES
block – crock – hock – jock – lock – knock – mock – rock – stock – tock
VOCABULARY
”dawn”
“dusk”
“east”
“west”
“big hand”
“little hand”
“second hand”
“clock face”
“sundial”
“hourglass”
“water clock”
“grandmother clock”
“grandfather clock”
“pendulum”
IDIOMS
“a stitch in time saves nine”
“haste makes waste”
“better late than never”
“time flies when you’re having fun!”
GRAMMAR: Irregular Verb Tenses
In “Hickory Dickory Dock,” we hear the phrase “the clock struck one.” “Struck” is the irregular past tense form of the verb “to strike.” You would not say “striked.” Although they may not understand why, they will recognize when the incorrect form is used.
Here are some other examples: see – saw (not seed)
eat – ate (not eated)
come – came (not comed)
take – took (not taked)
make – made (not maked)
do – did (not doed)
go – went (not goed)
fly – flew (not flied)
forget – forgot (not forgetted)
think – thought (not thinked) stick – stuck (not sticked)
Hickory Dickory Dock: Activities
OVERVIEW
In the following activities, children will explore different ways of marking time and practice beating out time with rhythm sticks. By mixing white and black paint together, they will make shades of grey to color pictures of dolphins, elephants, mice and fog. They will play a game of “Duck, Duck, Mouse” and “What Time is it Miss Mousey?” With found items in their class, they will imitate the ticking of a clock, the chiming of a bell and the scurrying sound of a mouse.
1. ACTIVITY: Measuring Time
Explore various ways of marking time with your children. Make a sundial. Watch sand falling inside an egg timer. Listen to the ticking of a wind-up clock. Darken the room and shine a flashlight at a globe to demonstrate that half the world is experiencing daytime while the other half is sleeping. Explain that there are different time zones in the world.
2. ACTIVITY: Keeping Time
Children can be given rhythm sticks to beat out time, like the woodblock in the song imitates the clock. Bring in a wind-up clock or metronome and have the children tap their sticks in time with the device.
3. GAME: Duck, Duck, Mouse
Try playing a version of duck-duck-goose using the “Hickory Dickory Dock” rhyme. The children recite the rhyme as the class member who is “it” taps them on the shoulder in time with the rhyme. When she/he reaches the end of the rhyme, the last child they touch chases them in the circle (just like the girls chase the Mousey that lives in Miss Natalie’s clock).
4. GAME: Tick-Tock, Mouse in a Clock
Materials:
tick-tock of clock: rhythm sticks, wooden blocks, plastic game pieces
mouse scurrying: scratching a metal bowl with fingernails, crumpling paper
chime of the clock: cymbal, metal pan lid, a wind-up clock alarm, or a metronome
Teacher: “We are going to play a game called ‘Tick-Tock, Mouse in a Clock.’ What are some ways we can make tick tock sounds like a clock? What are some ways we can make chime sounds like a bell? How can we sound like a scurrying mouse?”
Explore different ways to make tick tocks, chimes, and mouse sounds with your children.
Teacher: “Now, let’s play the game. I need three volunteers: A Tick-Tocker, A Chimer, and A Mouse.”
Class seated as an audience.
1. Three volunteers stand in front of the audience.
2. The rest of the class chants the rhyme.
3. Volunteers wait for their cues and make their sounds, in this order:
“Hickory Dickory Dock, the mouse ran up the clock…”
The Tick-Tocker (beats out time with rhythm sticks).
“The clock struck one…”
The Chimer (hits a bell when the clock strikes one).
“The mouse ran down…”
The Mouse (imitate the sound of the mouse scurrying).
4. Volunteers take a bow.
5. A new trio stands to replace them.
6. Repeat until every child has had a turn to perform.
5. ACTIVITY: Shades of Grey
Materials:
black and white paint
paint brushes and paper
Mix black and white paint to demonstrate how the color grey is made. Lighten or darken the paint and describe what is happening to the color as you do. Paint pictures of the things on your grey list (pigeons, dolphins, stones, rhinos, sharks, cement, fog, squirrels, storm clouds, elephants, stones, gravel).
6. GAME: What Time is it Miss/Mrs./Mr. Mousey?
Materials:
a pair of mouse ears
a starting line (marked on the floor)
Teacher: “We’re going to play a new game called ‘What Time is it, Miss/Mrs./Mr. Mousey?’ We’ll need to listen and work together.”
The children stand at one end of the room at a starting line (marked on the floor).
1. Teacher stands alone at the far end of the room with their back to the children.
2. The children pretend to be cheese and try to sneak up on their Teacher, step by step. But in order to move, they must ask,“What time is it, Miss/Mrs./Mr. Mousey?” all together in one voice.
3. Teacher tells them a time. For example: “It’s four o’clock.”
4. The children count, “One, two, three, four,” while taking four steps.
5. Then they all freeze in place and ask again. “What time is it, Miss/Mrs./Mr. Mousey?”
6. Teacher gives a new time and the children advance again.
7. Teacher shouts, “It’s time for cheese!” then spins around and tries to catch the children as they run back to the starting line.
8. If the Teacher catches them before they reach home, they have to sit on the sideline and watch the game until the next round. But even on the sidelines, they ask the time and join in the counting.
Hickory Dickory Dock: Music
THE MUSIC
How does this music make you feel?
Is this music slow or fast?
Does it change your mood?
What pictures does this music create in your mind?
Do you imagine a particular place, person, thing, color, animal, etc.?
How would you move to this music?
THE INSTRUMENTS
What instruments do you hear, can you name them?
How do you think the instruments make their sounds?
Are they blown through, plucked, strummed, bowed, tapped, hit, or struck?
Are these instruments made of wood or metal?
Bassoon
The Bassoon is a member of the woodwind family and uses a double reed to make sound. The player uses their air to vibrate two pieces of bamboo cane that are tied together.
Fiddle
The fiddle is another name for a violin that is used in certain genres of music. To play a fiddle/violin you pull a bow made of horsehair across the strings and use your fingers on the other hand to make the strings longer or shorter.
Wood Block
The woodblock is part of the percussion family and is a small drum made from a single piece of wood. It is played by using a hard mallet to strike the drum and create a sharp cracking sound.
Slide Whistle
The slide whistle is a wind instrument, however, it is usually played by the percussion section in an ensemble. It is typically used to create a sound effect rather than a melody. This type of instrument exists in most cultures around the world and can be made of metal, plastic, or bamboo.
Chimes
Also known as tubular bells, the chimes are part of the percussion family. The sound resembles that of church bells or a bell tower. The chimes are played by striking the top edge of the tube with a mallet or soft hammer.
GENRE: Celtic
Celtic Music is a traditional type of folk music found in areas such as Scotland, Ireland, Britain, Spain, and France. This type of music has been passed down through generations of Celtic people that lived in these parts of the world. Celtic fiddle music has an infectious joy that makes children want to dance, find more examples of Celtic folk music to play for your children. Show them videos of step dancing to inspire them!
LESSON 1: Tick-Tock
The prime listening elements in “Hickory Dickory Dock” are the tick-tock of the woodblock, the bassoon, slide whistle and the fiddle. By listening to the pulse of the song evenly tapped out by the woodblock, children can begin to play along with the pulse of the song.
LESSON 2: Sliding Pitches
The slide whistle is a fun instrument to have in your classroom to demonstrate how pitches shift from high to low. Listen to the slide whistle in “Hickory Dickory Dock” and notice when the pitch is going up and when it’s going down.
Hickory Dickory Dock: Related Rhymes
“One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” is another number themed rhyme by Mother Goose.
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
One two, buckle my shoe,
Three, four, shut the door,
Five, six, pick up sticks,
Seven, eight, lay them straight,
Nine, ten, a good fat hen!
Add hand gestures!
One, two, buckle my shoe!
(pretend to buckle shoes) What is a buckle?
Three, four, shut the door!
(hands outstretched clap together)
Five, six, pick up sticks!
(pretend to pick up sticks from the floor)
Seven, eight, lay them straight!
(pretend to organize the sticks with chopping motion)
Nine, ten, a good fat hen!
(put hand under arms and imitate wings flapping and make clucking and crowing noises)
“Monday’s Child” is a beautiful rhyme that features the days of the week.
Monday’s Child
Monday’s child is fair of face.
Tuesday’s child is full of grace.
Wednesday’s child is full of woe.
Thursday’s child has far to go.
Friday’s child is loving and giving.
Saturday’s child works hard for a living.
But the child born on Sabbath day
Is bonny, blithe, and good and gay.
Hickory Dickory Dock: Standards
Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF)
The Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five (ELOF) presents five broad areas of early learning, referred to as central domains. The framework is designed to show the continuum of learning for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. It is grounded in comprehensive research around what young children should know and be able to do during their early years.
The Head Start Program Performance Standards require grantees to implement program and teaching practices that are aligned with the ELOF. Education managers use the ELOF Implementation Toolkit to guide the alignment process and help their programs strengthen practices to promote children’s development in all ELOF domains.
The Cabinet of Wonder teaching guides are in alignment with Head Start’s ELOF. They have been designed to enhance any standard preschool curriculum by assisting teachers and families in both meeting school readiness goals and developing a joyful learning journey!
