Articles > In A Story > There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Rose by Lucille Colandro
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"There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Rose" by Lucille Colandro

(Support the author by purchasing this book here.)

Lucille Colandro's ever famous "Old Lady Stories" engage young readers with rhythm, rhyme, imagery, and fun. Let's look at visuals and activities for Valentine's Day based on this "Rose" version. 

 

BEFORE YOU READ....

1.  You need an OLD LADY.

There are so many "feed the Old Lady" products and crafts for retelling these stories. Using the "Large and Small Picture" Template, I cut out the Old Lady and taped her on a coffee can. Using a razor knife, I cut out her mouth for the students to feed her the picture cards from various versions. 

2. Review story vocabulary such as "lace" and "jewel". You may have physical examples along with picture cards to support vocabulary development and comprehension. 

 

DURING THE STORY.....

As you read, have printed visuals to support memory and comprehension. For example, I may feed the lady (Using coffee can or other prop), follow a "schedule", or sequence picture cards. Here are some ideas of visuals to use during or after reading the story. I often use "pretty" paper. 

Flap Schedule: Follow left-to-right sequence revealing each item under a "flap". After a second or third reading of the story, students can predict what comes next or retell using this visual.

   

Dial Template: Use a brad in the middle and spin the dial to each picture. Fine motor & language fun!

   

Scales and Ratings: Students can follow along in a left to right sequence, and slide backward when reciting previous vocab. ("She swallowed the glitter to trim the lace. She swallowed the lace to tie the rose...")

   

 

AFTER THE STORY.....

After reading the story, students love the opportunity to play with the story. For example they can use the props to retell the story. Here are some educational Valentine activities to use following the story....

Comprehension Question Cards

Bingo Dauber Template: Mark the items that the Old Lady swallowed in the story. 

 

Here are More Valentine Activity Ideas:

Valentine Feelings Lacing Cards

   

Heart Cards (Students can wear this card with handprints around their neck to be a Valentine for mom and dad)

Make Heart Animals (Cut out different size hearts. We placed our ladybugs, bees, and snails on sticks and put in a potted plant.)

Graph Candy Hearts