- chart paper
- marker
- explore
- friend
- observe
- special
MA Standards:
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).
Social Emotional/Interpersonal Relationships 7.1: Explain why communication is essential in human relationships and identify people from whom children can learn how to communicate, such
as family members, friends, community members, and members of faith-based groups.
Social Emotional/Mental Health 5.3: Define character traits such as honesty, trustworthiness, self-discipline, respectfulness, and kindness and describe their contribution to identity, self-concept, decision-making, and interpersonal relationships.
Head Start Outcomes:
Social Emotional Development/Social Relationships: Communicates with familiar adults and accepts or requests guidance.
Language Development/Expressive Language: Engages in conversations with peers and adults.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts 2: Participate actively in discussions, listen to the ideas of others, and ask and answer relevant questions.
English Language Arts 10: Engage actively in read-aloud activities by asking questions, offering ideas, predicting or retelling important parts of a story or informational book.
Health Education 17: Talk about ways to solve or prevent problems and discuss situations that illustrate that actions have consequences.
Health Education 18: Talk about how people can be helpful/hurtful to one another.
Watch Together: “That’s a Cat” #1 (PEEP show)
Tell children that they are going to meet some special friends in the video PEEP and the Big Wide World “That’s a Cat.” Provide a viewing focus and have children watch for ways that Peep, Chirp, and Quack are being good friends to one another.
Before You Watch
Explain that the video is about three characters--Peep (a chick), Quack (a duck), and Chirp (a bird)--who meet and become fast friends as they begin to explore and learn about the world together.
- Tell children that when they explore, they will learn new things about their world. Give an example of a time you wondered about something and went exploring to find the answer.
As You Watch
Pause the video to point out how quickly Peep became friends with Chirp and Quack. Say, Peep became friends with Chirp and Quack very quickly! I think they knew right away that they would be friends. Tell children that sometimes you don’t know right away if a person will be your friend, and that sometimes it takes a little while longer to make a friend.
Pause the video and point out how Chirp and Quack are being good friends to Peep. Ask questions such as,
- Did you see how Chirp introduced himself to Peep by saying “I’m Chirp.” That’s a great way to start talking to a new friend.
- Can you see how Peep’s new friends are worried about him? They want to help him stay safe from the cat.
- Did you see how Chirp and Quack helped Peep learn by showing him new things? They are being good friends.
After You Watch
Help children to reflect on what they’ve seen and guide them to make connections to their own lives. Ask, Do you have a friend who helps you learn new things? Name one thing you have learned with your friend.
Reflect and Share Together
Explain that there are many ways to be a good friend. Discuss how friends sometimes get mad at each other, but they are still friends. Talk about how being a good friend includes listening and talking to each other or getting help from a grown-up to help you work through a problem.
- Ask, What are some of the ways that you are a good friend? Give each child a chance to respond. Record their answers on a chart titled “Being a Good Friend.”
- Read all the sentences aloud. Explain that everyone will be meeting new people at school and some will become their friends.
Educator Tip: Watching and discussing the selected PEEP stories and live-action video clips can spark and extend children’s interest and understanding of the concept. We suggest that children watch the videos after they have had an opportunity to do their own initial exploration of the concepts. That way your children can compare their experiences and discoveries with those shown on the video and think about what additional explorations they might like to try.
Adaptation: For older or advanced children, you may want to have children create a story about two unlikely friends and act it out in the Pretend and Play Center.
English Language Learners: When pausing the video, emphasize the word friend. Try to point out specific things the characters are doing that make them a good friend to one another. Ask them to talk about a friend they have and something they like about their friend.
