Limericks, Lear and the Library!

We could interrupt instruction daily to celebrate some holiday, and today is no exception. The trick is to find some way to weave the holidays into your important learning objectives -- without confusing the two.  So, here's a creative example: 

This week holds St. Patrick's Day.  Now teachers often can't be bothered with this holiday, but in library time we may be able to rise to the occasion and teach LIMERICKS.   I used to do this with my elementary students and they got it.  It was a simple ELA integration that classrooms didn't have time for, and yet the kids could have fun.  

The pattern is simple: AABBA (See the wikipedia explanation, if you need the history.)  
I would read a couple of Lear's Limericks and then we would model writing one together.  The rest of the time, they would attempt to create one, and it worked.  They rose to the occasion.  (In addition, they learned that literary books were in the 800's....) 

To make this more educational, you could choose to have them create Limericks about some subject matter they are studying in their classroom such as: Patriots, Colonists, Explorers, the Digestive System, Chemical Elements etc.  Why not?  Creation is the key! 

There's a noble gas named radon

Which is 100 times heavier than Hydrogen

I don't understand why 

But I so desperately try

That's why I'm not working in Chem

There once was a Colonist name Benedict

He was a hero, heretic, and derelict 

He loved his money

and sold his soul with his honey

So he escaped before George could convict  

This doesn't get to the "deep understanding" that new standards such as the CCSS call for, but it's a fun activity that your students may remember!