Make a selection Math Science Social Studies Literacy Tips - Colleagues Tips - Activities Tips - Training Click here for a printer-friendly version of this activity. Go! Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader The Little Red Hen - A Tale of Cooperation Preparation Steps Credits Preparation Grade Levels: K-2 This activity would be most effective if delivered in four separate 30-45 minute periods, with groups of no more than 12 students. Prerequisite: Group leaders will need to have access to the video The Little Red Hen. To get a copy of the video, contact your local public television station to find out if they air this video or have it available online. If not, ask them for the program distributor's contact information. (New York state educators can access the video with a free password, available at Thirteen/WNET New York's Video On Demand site.) Folktales usually tell the adventures of animal or human characters. Some folktales, like The Little Red Hen, are called "beast tales." The animal characters in beast tales often talk and act quite like people. Children between the ages of 5-10 are particularly interested in folktales. Materials: Students will need: crayons/colored pencils construction paper, tissue paper and scraps of any interesting paper, e.g. wallpaper or wrapping paper scissors/glue For Group Leader: copies of The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone other versions to have on hand may include: The Little Red Hen by Byron Barton, The Little Red Hen by Margo Zemach, The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza by Philemon Sturges (a modern version and very appealing to young children), and La Gallinita illustrated by Lucinda McQueen (in Spanish) large sheet of mural paper easel size chart paper scotch tape Academic Goals: Children will: see how much pleasure reading can bring understand the concept of "story sequence" be able to "re-tell" a story through art want to read other folktales Social Goals: Children will: engage in open-ended discussions about the meaning of the story Steps Activity 1: Have group sit in a comfortable manner. If there is no "cozy" corner, a circle of chairs can work well. If any child has read this before, ask them to let the story's plot and ending remain a surprise. Show the children the cover of the book. Ask them what they see. Ask them what they know about hens. Read the story, gently reinforcing what is happening in each picture. Encourage the children through your gestures to join in on the refrain, "Not I." Stop the story right after the hen places the cake in the oven. Ask students what they think will happen. Remind students who know the ending to still keep it a surprise. Ask the children what they think this story is telling us (cooperation, helping friends). Ask them to brainstorm on ways we can "Help at Home" and "Help in our Room." Some examples may be: hold the door, help find a missing glove, make your bed, set the table, etc. Chart their responses. Transition: Show children the beginning of The Little Red Hen video. Let them do this with a buddy to generate more conversation. Explain to the children that everyone will have a chance to watch the video within the next few days. (If you have a mixed age group, this activity also presents an excellent opportunity for older children to help the younger ones.) Do this part of the activity gradually, not in an "assembly-line" style. (This can be done during your free-play part of the afternoon.) For second graders you may want to add this for a little bit of drama: After everyone has viewed the story, have each child "guesstimate" how many times the words Little Red Hen appear in the story. Limit the number to 1-12. When everyone has had a chance, chart the guesses and then review the book with the class, counting the actual number of times the words appear. Activity 2: Gather the children, with book in hand and ask them the following question: do you think the hen did the right thing Have a chart ready, similar to the one available online. Show them where the question is written. Then have each child come up and color in a bar. Have the boys use one color crayon and the girls another. (For second graders, you can pass out copies of the organizer and have the children complete the questions at the bottom in small groups after you have filled out the chart together.) Review the finished chart with the children. Which column had more votes, the yes or no? Which column had more boy votes? Which column had more girl votes? How can we tell? Record the results and hang in the room. (Important: If your group is larger than 12, incorporate this activity during "free play," calling children over one by one. Otherwise, children will become disinterested from waiting too long. Share the results at a meeting time before dismissal.) Transition: Try to have other versions of The Little Red Hen available, especially if you have second graders. Leave these on display and encourage the children to read together. They will be able to identify similarities and differences on their own. Activity 3: (two 45-minute sessions) Have art materials attractively displayed on each table to pique the children's interests. Gather the children and explain that they are going to make a story mural. Guide them through the story, letting them do most of the re-telling, listing all the things they say (hen, cat, mouse, dog, wheat, cake, stove, bowl, etc.) Then assign either individual students or pairs of students to work together to draw and create the specific item. Help children arrange, in sequence, the items on the mural (hang first with scotch tape, in case some are out of sequence) to create a visual timeline of the story. Transition: After all the items are posted, complete the mural with the children, using dictation to write down their version of the story. Admire their accomplishment. Re-tell the story before displaying it in your room. Credits This AFTERSCHOOL EXCHANGE activity was developed by Cathy Smith, Deputy Director of the Riverdale Neighborhood House, in connection with the video The Little Red Hen. To get a copy of the video, contact your local public television station to find out if they air this video or have it available online. If not, ask them for the program distributor's contact information. (New York state educators can access the video with a free password, available at Thirteen/WNET New York's Video On Demand site.) < Back to Afterschool Exchange Activities & Tips main © 2003-2006 Educational Broadcasting Corporation. All Rights Reserved.