"A ten o' clock scholar": A Read-Aloud-Rhyme

Parents and teachers can read these rhymes aloud, and encourage little ones to repeat and even memorize them (I did when I was a kid!) The "speaker" in this rhyme may be the "ten o'clock scholar's" classmates making fun of him. "Why do you come so soon?" is a kind of sarcasm, like calling a tall person "Shorty" or a fast runner a "slow poke."

A diller, a dollar,
A ten o' clock scholar,
What makes you come so soon?
You used to come at ten o'clock,
But now you come at noon.

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Some words to talk about:

• a diller: a lazy student, perhaps from the old word "dilatory" meaning "slow to act"
• a dollar: a student who is not very smart, from the word "dullard"
• noon: twelve o'clock in the day time
• a scholar: a person who studies; a student, teacher, or writer
• a ten o' clock scholar: a student who is often late

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ACTIVITIES:

There are no special activities for this rhyme. Kids can memorize and recite it, and maybe "pretend" to be talking to a classmate who is "a ten o' clock scholar."

Discussion:

• Is it nice to make fun of another student who comes late, or who is not too smart? How would you feel if someone did this to you? Give an answer to your classmates as though you were the "ten o' clock scholar."
• Have you ever been late to class? How did you feel about it? What can you do to be sure you are on time?