FUNNY BONES

Module
Storytime
Unit
Funny Bones
Programme Outline
The story is not one of those traditional domestic childrens stories. The central
characters are two skeletons who live with their dog skeleton. They live in a dark dark
house on a dark dark hill in a dark dark town. The story continues, hilariously, showing
how the skeletons want to find something to do in the middle of the night. Finding that
everybody is in bed, they start frightening each other for fun and playing with the skeleton
animals in the zoo.
The story is read aloud by a narrator with two voices representing the big skeleton and
the small skeleton. Part of the story are presented through miming to add fun to it. The
story rolls along with a rhythm because of the simple and repetitive dialogues accompanied
by rhymes and songs specially written for the production.
Key Stage Targets
To develop an ever-improving capability to use English
- to recognize some obvious features of the English language in simple spoken and
written texts such as the sound patterns of English (K.D. f)
- to develop awareness and an enjoyment of the basic sound patterns of English in
imaginative texts through activities such as participating in action rhymes and singing
songs (E.D. a)
- to respond to characters and events in simple imaginative and other narrative texts
through oral and performative means such as making predictions and participating in
the telling of stories (E.D. b)
Communicative Functions
1. Talk about past events
Examples:
The dog skeleton chased the stick,
tripped over a park bench,
bumped into a tree
and ended up as a little pile of bones.

2. Talk about locations

Examples:
On a dark dark hill
there was a dark dark town.
In a dark dark town
there was a dark dark street.

Additional information
Funny Bones is very useful for:
a. learning and reciting rhymes for enjoyment and to practise pronunciation
b. practising reading aloud repetitive and rhythmical language
c. developing the ability to predict actions
Language Skills
Listening
- recognize alliterative and rhyming words in activities such as listening to poems or
songs
- locate specific information
Speaking
- pronounce correctly words in isolation
- produce simple phrases and sentences involving repetition
Writing
- develop written texts by putting words in a logical order to make meaningful phrases or
sentences
Pre-viewing Activities
1. Teachers motivate the pupils by showing them the pictures on the COPYMASTER 1.
The pictures are simple but amusing, and span the age range.
2. Introduce the characters: the big skeleton, the small skeleton and the dog skeleton.
Encourage the pupils to guess what the skeletons will do in the story.
While-viewing Activities
1. Make sure that pupils have the COPYMASTER 1 and pencils on their desks before
viewing the programme. Go through Part I with the class first. Pupils need to complete
the tasks while they are listening to the story and the song. Teachers can pause and
play back the tape.
Answers:
1) On a dark dark hill
there was a dark dark town.
In the dark dark town
there was a dark dark street.
In the dark dark street
there was a dark dark house.
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In the dark dark house

there was a dark dark staircase.
Down the dark dark staircase
There was a dark dark cellar.

2) These bones, these bones can bark again!

Can run in the park again!
Can frighten people in the dark again!
2. Teachers can pause the programme when the story is being read to let children guess and
predict what is happening next
Examples:
Who do you think live in the dark dark cellar?
What will happen to the dog skeleton?
Post-viewing Activities
1. In Part II on the COPYMASTER 2, pupils label the parts of the skeletons body by
filling in the right words given. Pupils can work in pairs.
Answers:

2. In Part III on the COPYMASTER 3, pupils are asked to cut the bones out and arrange
them in an appropriate order. They also need to interpret the picture with their
imagination in their own words.
Answers:
The dog skeleton is running up the stairs./It is running up the stairs.
3. In Part IV on the COPYMASTER 4, pupils can use their imagination to create their
own poem. They may fill in rhyming words. Pupils may complete the poem in pairs or
in groups. Teachers can ask pupils to read out or write down the poems on the
blackboard in the next lesson for sharing.

Follow-up Activities
1. Pupils form into groups of 5 to 6. Ask them to read the poem in the programme aloud to
the class.
2. Encourage pupils to sing the songs on the COPYMASTER 5.

COPYMASTER 1
Funny Bones
_________________________________________________________________________

Part I
What will happen in dark dark areas?
1. Listen to the story and fill in the blanks.
On a dark dark hill
there was a dark dark _______ .
In the dark _________ town
there was a dark dark ________ .
In the _______ dark street
there was a dark dark ________ .
In the dark dark house
there was a dark dark staircase.
_______ the dark dark __________
there was a ______ _________ cellar.
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COPYMASTER 2
Funny Bones
_________________________________________________________________________
2.

Listen to the song and fill in the blanks

These bones, these bones can ________ again!

Can run in the ________ again!
Can frighten people in the ________ again!

3. Part II
Label the picture
Here is a picture of the small skeleton in the story. Label the parts of his body. Choose the
right words from the box below. The hip bone has been labeled as an example.

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COPYMASTER 3
Funny Bones
_________________________________________________________________________
Part III
Put the bones back
The bones at the bottom of this page belong to the dog skeleton. Can you put them back in
the right place for him? Cut and stick the bones onto the picture.

What is the dog skeleton doing?

_______________________________________________________________________ .

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COPYMASTER 4
Funny Bones
_________________________________________________________________________
Part IV
Write your own poem
Fill in the blanks and write your own poem.

In a dark dark school

there was a dark dark classroom.
In the dark dark ________
there was a dark dark ________ .
Up/Down the dark dark _______
there was a dark dark _________.
And in the dark dark ___________
( What would happen?.)

__________________________________________ .

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COPYMASTER 5
Funny Bones
_________________________________________________________________________
First song

Second song

On a dark dark hill

there was a dark dark town.

The toe bones connected to the foot bone!

The foot bones connected to the leg bone!

In the dark dark town

there was a dark dark street

The leg bones connected to the hip bone!

In the dark dark street

there was a dark dark house.

The hip bones connected to the bock bone!

In the dark dark house

there was a dark dark staircase
Down the dark dark staircase
there was a dark dark cellar.

Third song
These bones, these bones can bark again!
Can run in the park again!
Can frighten people in the dark again!!

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