A Knife and a Fork and a Bottle and a Cork (Riddle Rhyme Trilogy, 1) - Softcover

Howard Schrager

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0964484633 ISBN 13: 9780964484634

Publisher: LEMONTREE PRESS, 2010

Synopsis

"A Knife and a Fork and a Bottle and a Cork...That's how you spell New York! Discover the 50 States Through Riddle -Rhymes" is a fabulous collection of Riddle Rhymes that lead the reader to spell the names of all 50 states, one by one. Using creative connections that encourage young reader-detectives to "hear" the magic spelling encoded ion each joyous riddle -rhyme. The process of unlocking the Riddle Rhyme stimulates artistic centers in their minds/ brains, which are becoming increasingly devalued in favor of more formal abstract learning methods. The Riddle Rhymes also are a fun travel activity, stimulating interest in geography as well as actual spelling. Riddle -Rhymes work for personal of all ages, in different ways. Author Schrager says, "Every person, and every group brings something different to the activity. They become a kind of mirror of our thought processes and our emotions." The black and white humorous illustrations of Sarah Madsen add to the brain-twister tease effect of the Riddle Rhymes. In addition to 50 Riddle -Rhymes for 50 states, there are a list of states with capitals and name origins at the end of the book, along with some suggestions for Body Geography, a list of one fact per state, and a list of states by heart, to help memorize the 50 states in alphabetical order. "A Knife and a Fork and a Bottle and a Cork..." is the new poetry out loud approach to learning, which is tons of fun as well as educational!

About this title

About the Author

Raised in New Jersey, Howard Schrager received degrees from UW Madison and from UCLA. As a Waldorf educator for 40 years, Howard has been working to cultivate a type of learning based in imagination, creativity, and physical activity. Recognizing how this approach not only teaches, but enlivens children, bringing out the best in them, he has sought to create stories & poems which do just this. To further this mission, he founded LemonTree Press in 1999.

From the Back Cover

Introducing Riddle Rhymes A number of years ago, I was watching the movie, Cinema Paradiso, when it cut to the scene of a hen roosting in an abandoned car. Immediately the words of a 1920s street rhyme my father had taught me flashed into my mind, Chicken in the Car, and the Car Can t Go that s how you spell Chicago. He d also taught me a companion rhyme that went A Knife and a Fork and a Bottle and a Cork that s how you spell New York. Within days, Howard Schrager, a teacher, had decided to write riddle rhymes for each of the 50 states, A Knife and a Fork and a Bottle and a Cork is the first book in the Riddle Rhyme Trilogy. Soon to follow are: Chicken in the Car and the Car Can t Go(cities), and Here s A Little Riddle for the Kids on the Block(capitals). Riddle Rhymes were part of children s culture for hundreds of years, and Schrager doesn t want to see them vanish. Doing riddle rhymes requires listening, and, moreover, hearing. Unlike games like Jeopardy, where you either know the answer or you don t, with Riddle Rhymes you already know the answer, you just don t know which answer it is. You just have to hear it arise inwardly, and to recognize it. This involves an interesting process of sound sifting, and provides a different slant on competition. With Riddle Rhymes, explains Schrager, the answer to the riddle is wrapped up in a verse. Your job is to decipher the name of the state it suggests. My job is to lead you, and to mislead you, at the same time. All the sounds of the verse do not have to do with the name of the state. Some are there to throw you off the track, others just to make the verse sound better. The rhythms and meter of the verse also help reveal the answer. It is very important to say, That s how you spell before making your guess. Needless to say, the state is not actually, or literally, spelled out. Rather, this is what you might call magic spelling.Because Riddle Rhymes are quasi-poetry, children repeat them subconsciously, and this is so good for them, for it stimulates areas of their minds/brains, which childhood culture has always done. These artistic centers in the brain are becoming less and less valued in our overvaluing of certain other kinds of learning. Yet, Riddle Rhymes stimulate interest in actual spelling, in geography, too. As such, they find a welcome place in the classroom, as a reward, and also as an enrichment. Because of their relation to geography, they make a fine travel activity. Schrager has done Riddle Rhymes with people of all ages. What he s discovered is that there is an active child s mind that resonates in even the oldest among us. Riddle Rhymes are good around a campfire, or as an icebreaker at almost any social gathering. He says, Riddle Rhymes resemble potato chips. Whenever people try a few, they keep craving more.

Edition details

• Publisher: LEMONTREE PRESS
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0964484633
• ISBN 13: 9780964484634
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Sarah Madsen
• Number of pages: 58