She Sells Sea Shells

Level: TBD

Aims: Exposure to English, dictionary lookup skills, vocabulary development

Grammar: Combining to words into one

Time: 10-50 mins

Materials: Photocopies of the rhymes, dictionary

Introduction: She Sells Sea Shells is a traditional rhyme of the English world. It’s notable as a difficult “tongue-twister.” Trying to recite the tongue-twister quickly is a fun game for English children.

The students will be given photocopies of the Text of the Rhyme. Using the Text of the Rhyme with Notes, go through the text. Follow this with the Discussion Questions.

Text of the Rhyme

She sells seashells

By the seashore.

The shells she sells

Are surely seashells,

So if she sells seashells,

On the sea shore,

I’m sure she sells

Seashore shells.

Text of the Rhyme with Notes

• Introduce the concept of the tongue-twister. Say, “A tongue-twister is a way that English children play with words.” Give examples of tongue-twisters from the students’ native language if possible.

She sells seashells

• Dictionary lookup: shell

By the seashore.

• Dictionary lookup: shore

The shells she sells

Are surely seashells,

So if she sells seashells,

On the sea shore,

I’m sure she sells

Seashore shells.

Discussion Questions

1. Challenge the students to recite the tongue-twister as quickly as possible. Ask them if their tongue becomes “twisted.”
2. Ask the students, “What is this rhyme about?” and let them think about it. This is an example of a nonsense rhyme; it has no appreciable meaning, and is used merely for playing with words. Elicit examples of nonsense rhymes from the students’ native culture if possible.
3. Point out how two words can combine into one: “seashore,” “seashell.” Ask the students to think of other examples, e.g., policeman, anyway, railroad, etc. Point out how you can often guess the meaning of a word like “seashore” by breaking the two words apart.