- down
- move
- ramp
- slide
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).
Head Start Outcomes:
Language Development/Receptive Language: Attends to language during conversations, songs, stories, or other learning experiences.
Language Development/Expressive Language: Engages in storytelling.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 12: Listen to, recite, sing, and dramatize a variety of age-appropriate literature.
English Language Arts/Composition 16: Use their own words or illustrations to describe their experiences, tell imaginative stories, or communicate information about a topic of interest.
Watch Together: “The Whatchamacallit” #1 (PEEP show)
STEM Key Concepts: Understand that a ramp, or inclined plane, is a surface with one end higher than the other; Recognize that an object placed on an inclined plane will roll, slide, or stay put; Describe the way objects move when they are placed on ramps; Compare the attributes of length and weight for two objects, including longer/shorter, same length; heavier/lighter, same weight
ELA Focus Skills: Active Viewing, Speaking and Listening, Story Comprehension, Vocabulary
Tell children that they are going to watch the video PEEP and the Big Wide World “The Whatchamacallit.” Explain that sometimes people see something and they don’t know what it’s called, so they call it a whatchamacallit. Say, It’s a funny way of saying “whatever you call it.” Have children point to something they don’t know the name of and say, It’s a whatchamacallit!
Before You Watch
Tell children that in the video one of Peep’s friends, Raccoon, has found a whatchamacallit, and Peep, Chirp, and Quack go to find out what it is. Set a viewing focus by having children notice how the characters discover a way to use the whatchamacallit.
As You Watch
Model active viewing—name the characters, describe the action, and repeat any featured words.
- Pause as Raccoon sends things down the ramp and have children describe how each thing moves down the ramp.
- Pause and ask children what Raccoon might do to help Peep slide down the ramp (make one end higher). Ask, What happened to Peep when Raccoon made one end of the pipe higher than the other end?
- Pause for words or phrases that are unfamiliar to children, such as gutter pipe or thingamabob, and help children elicit meaning through the visuals or context.
After You Watch
Talk about the video with children. Ask questions such as,
- How did the long straight gutter pipe in the story become a slide?
- Have you ever tried walking up a slide like Peep, Chirp, and Quack did? What did it feel like?
- Why do you think it is easier to go down a slide rather than up a slide?
- What new ideas did you see in the video that you would like to try the next time you are exploring ramps?
Adaptation: If younger children have trouble concentrating during the video, show one part and return later to view the rest. Discuss what has happened thus far to refresh memories.
English Language Learners: During the video, you may wish to help children grasp the meaning of key vocabulary words by acting out the motions of "roll," "slide," and "stay put" when an object goes down the gutter pipe. You can have them make a fist with each hand and roll them around each other to act out "roll"; have them point their palm straight and act out sliding it down the ramp for "slide"; have them tuck their hands and legs in tight to act out "stay put."
Educator Tip: Watching and discussing the selected PEEP stories and live-action video clips can spark and extend children’s interest and understanding of ramps. We suggest that children watch the video after they have had an opportunity to do their own initial exploration of ramps. That way your children can compare their experiences and discoveries with those shown on the clip and think about what additional ramp explorations they might like to try.
