- grain
- grow
- plant
- seed
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: “Help!” #1 (BTL show)
STEM Key Concepts: Plants need water and sunlight to grow; Plants have different parts
ELA Focus Skills: Active Viewing, Active Listening, Story Comprehension, Vocabulary
Tell children that today they are going to watch Between the Lions “Help!” Explain that it is a story about a little red hen that finds some wheat grains.
Before You Watch
Explain that grains, like seeds, can be planted and will grow into plants.
Then set a reading focus for children by asking them to watch what the little red hen does with the grains. Say, Think about how the hen could have used the animal's help.
As You Watch
Model active viewing by naming characters, describing action, and singing and moving along with the songs.
- Pause the video when the thought bubble appears on the screen. Explain that the bubble shows that the little red hen is thinking something. Ask children, What idea do you think the little red hen has about the grains?
- Encourage children to chime in when the dog, cat, and duck say “Not I” and when the little red hen responds “I will do it myself!”
After You Watch
Talk with children about the story. Ask questions such as,
- What does the little red hen do with the wheat grains after she finds them? (plants them) Does she have help?
- Why do you think the little red hen wanted help to plant, cut, ground, and bake the bread?
- Why do you think the animals did not want to help the little red hen?
- Why do you think the little red hen said, “I will do it myself!” after she asked the animals to help her eat the bread?
- What do you think the little red hen would have done if the animals had helped her make the bread?
Take It Further: Tell children that wheat is a kind of grass. Say, Wheat grains grow just like the other grass seeds we planted. But wheat grains are good for humans to eat; our grass seeds are not. Show children a slice of whole-wheat bread in which you can see the grains. If possible, show a box of wheat cereal. Ask, Have you ever had whole-wheat bread? Have you ever eaten wheat cereal? If children have no wheat allergies, allow them to taste the products.
English Language Learners: You may wish to talk with children about words that sound alike but have different meanings. Tell children that in this story, the word flour is the powder the wheat seeds or grains make when they are crushed. Bring in some flour for children to see. Explain that it sounds just like flower—the part of the plant—but has a different meaning and is spelled differently.
