- grow
- plant
- seed
- soil
- sprout
MA Standards:
English Language Arts/Speaking and Listening/SL.PK.MA.2: Recall information for short periods of time and retell, act out, or represent information from a text read aloud, a recording, or a video (e.g., watch a video about birds and their habitats and make drawings or constructions of birds and their nests).
Head Start Outcomes:
Language Development/Receptive Language: Attends to language during conversations, songs, stories, or other learning experiences.
Logic and Reasoning/Reasoning and Problem Solving: Classifies, compares, and contrasts objects, events, and experiences.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 12: Listen to, recite, sing, and dramatize a variety of age-appropriate literature.
Watch Together: “Peep Plants a Seed” #2 (PEEP show)
STEM Key Concepts: Plants start in different ways; Some plants start from seeds; Some plants start from bulbs; Plants need water and sunlight to grow; Plants grow in places where they get their needs met; Plants often grow in some type of dirt
ELA Focus Skills: Active Viewing, Listening and Speaking, Story Comprehension, Vocabulary
Tell children that they are going to watch Peep and the Big Wide World “Peep Plants a Seed.” Discuss what a plant needs to grow.
Before You Watch
Discuss with children the things a plant needs to grow. Review how Jack’s seeds in Jack’s Garden get their needs met. Set a viewing focus for children by having them notice how Peep’s seed gets its needs met.
As You Watch
- Pause when the bird tells Peep he has to plant the seed. Ask, What do you think would happen to the seed if Peep did not plant it?
- Pause when Peep watered the seed for days and days and days . . . Ask, What do you think would happen if Peep did not water the plant each day?
- Pause as Peep and his friends water the seedling for days and days . . . Ask, Do you think Quack is patient as he waits for the sunflower to grow?
- How do you feel about waiting for your plants to sprout?
After You Watch
Help children make connections from the events in the video to a familiar story or their own experiences. Ask questions such as,
- What did you notice about how Peep planted his seed and how Jack planted his seeds? (Peep dug small hole with foot/Jack and his father prepared a large area)
- What was different about how Peep’s seed got the water it needs to grow and how Jack’s seeds got the water they need to grow? (Peep watered his with a shell/rain watered Jack’s)
- Why do you think Jack didn’t use a watering can like Peep?
- Why do you think the seeds will not grow in the bird’s stomach? (no sunlight or water)
- Replay the last scene and ask, Why do you think the flower is “dancing”?
Educator Tip: Watching and discussing the selected PEEP stories and live-action video clips can spark and extend children’s interest and understanding of plants. We suggest that children watch the video clips after they have had an opportunity to do their own initial exploration of plants. That way your children can compare their experiences and discoveries with those shown on the video clip and think about what additional plant explorations they might like to try.
Social Emotional Tip: Give children multiple opportunities to practice reading body language, so they will become more attuned to their own feelings and how they express those feelings.
Adaptation: If very young children have trouble concentrating during the video, you may want to show the video in two parts at different times.
