Kings and Queens: Supplemental Guide 3A | Old King Cole 73
Presenting the Read-Aloud 10 minutes
Old King Cole
First Read
Show image 4A-1: Old King Cole
Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.
Every fiddler had a very fine fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he.
Oh, there’s none so rare as can compare
With King Cole and his fiddlers three.
Second Read with Motions
Show image 4A-1: Old King Cole
[With an exaggerated smile, swing your arms to the beat of the rhyme.]
Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
[Explain that this means that Old King Cole was a very happy person.]
And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl,
[Explain that in this poem, a bowl means a cup or a goblet that the king drinks
from. Make the shape of a bowl with your hands.]
And he called for his fiddlers three.
[Remind students that a fiddler is someone who plays the fiddle, or violin.]
[For the second stanza, move your arms back and forth like your are playing the
fiddle to the beat of the rhyme.]
Every fiddler had a very fine fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he.