Let me introduce to you my verse called White Sheep. It is a lovely story of a sheep that is going to set sail to Australia to visit its close relatives. I wrote it in the form of a dialogue, and those whose mother tongue is English will probably feel an allusion to the well-known Ba, ba, Black Sheep, have you any wool? Actually, I do hope that you and your children will take no lesser pleasure in listening to it and viewing a funny cartoon created by Dmitriy Nesterov.
This rhyme can also be used by ESL teachers when teaching English to beginners. The rhyme introduces speech patterns with the Future Simple Tense (e.g. “When will you set sail to Australia?”, “It will be my first trip” and the like), as well as some structures which can serve as a model to put questions in the Present Simple Tense: “Do you have a little ship?”, “Is the ocean shallow or deep?”, “Who lives in Australia?” You can also use the rhyme to illustrate family relationship: auntie, cousin, twin sister. Students can role-play the dialogue practicing different intonation patterns: those of rising tone in general questions and salutation formulas, and those of falling tone – in special questions and statements. Good luck in your teaching!
Sheep Nursery Rhyme
- Hello, White Sheep!
Hello, White Sheep!
Do you have a little ship?
- Yes, I do.
My ship is called “Azalea”,
I will set sail to Australia.
- Oh, lovely name – “Azalea”!
When will you sail to Australia?
- I think I’ll start tomorrow,
Then I will feel no sorrow.
When the voyage has begun,
I will have a lot of fun!
- Oh, White Sheep,
Oh, White Sheep!
Is the ocean shallow or deep?
- It will be my first trip,
I don’t know if it’s deep.
- But who lives in Australia?
My auntie Camellia,
My cousin Sheila,
My twin sister Leela.
- Is your family united?
- Yes, it is. I’m so delighted!
- How long will you be staying there?
- Till I see a little mare.
- Do you want to see a mare?
- To be honest, I don’t care!
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