E A R LY L I T E R A C Y A C T I V I T Y G U I D E

t t l e i L e h T e H n d e R

H el pi n g

THEME:

Table o f C on t en t s
Welcome to the World of BETWEEN THE LIONS ! How to Use This Guide
Stories to Watch and to Read Aloud Theme: Helping Literacy Skills

Learning Centers 1 2
2 3 3 Art Dramatic Play Cooking Library Writing

10
10 11 11 12 13

The Building Blocks of Preschool Literacy

Enjoying and Understanding Books Building Vocabulary Learning about Letters and Words Playing with the Sounds of Language Exploring Concepts of Print

Helping Hands 4
4 4 4 4 4 Job Chart Helping Hands Collage

14
14 14

Word Play
Clap the Syllables Rhymes with Hen Guess the Animal

15
15 15 15

Active Viewing and Listening

Learn to ReadWatch TV? Read Aloud Tips

5
5 5

Sing a Song
Introduce the Song Song Chart I Am a Pizza

16
16 16 17

Watch the Story

Before Watching As You Watch After Watching

6
6 7 7

Family Connections
Family Potluck Neighborhood Helpers Family Letter (English) Family Letter (Spanish)

18
18 18 19 20

Read Aloud
Before Reading As You Read After Reading

8
8 8 9

The Little Red Hen Activity Sheet 21 Resources Glossary Credits 22 24 25

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

Welcome to t he World o f B E T W E E N TH E L I O N S !

ETWEEN THE LIONS is named for a family of lionsTheo, Cleo, Lionel, and

Leonawho run a library like no other. The doors between the lions swing open to reveal a place where characters pop off the pages of books, vowels sing, and words come alive. From the beginning, BETWEEN THE LIONS has been much more than a kids television show. Since the series premiered on PBS in 2000, it has made an enormous difference in helping young children learn to read. Developed along with literacy experts, the series features live action, puppets, animation, songs, and humor to introduce the joys of reading and to teach the basic skills children need to learn to read. The series also has an extensive Web site (pbskids.org/lions) where youll nd more educational and fun activities. Specically designed for preschool and family child care settings, this BETWEEN

THE LIONS Early Literacy Activity Guide offers a wide variety of activities to help

make childrens rst steps towards literacy enjoyable, exciting, and rewarding.

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

How to Use This Guide

Stories to Watch and to Read Aloud
Children become active viewers as they watch a story on the BETWEEN THE LIONS Web site and practice active listening as they respond to a readaloud picture book.

Watch Together
The Little Red Hen
Who will help the little red hen make bread? Not her friends the little black dog, the big orange cat, and the little yellow goose! Children will enjoy chiming in with the animal characters as they watch this classic folktale with its timeless message about sharing, helping, and cooperation. Watch the story with your children on the BETWEEN THE LIONS Web site at pbskids.org/lions/ stories/littleredhen. html.

Read Aloud
The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philemon Sturges
When the Little Red Hen decides to make a pizza, her friends are too busy to help her. But they are not too busy to help her eat the delicious pizza pie! This humorous retelling of The Little Red Hen will inspire children to create their own version of the tale. Look for The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) at your local library or bookstore.

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

This guide provides a range of whole-group, smallgroup, and individual activities for teachers and child care providers. Select the activities that best suit your program, your schedule, and the developmental abilities of your children. Preview The Little Red Hen on the BETWEEN THE LIONS Web
site at pbskids.org/lions/stories/littleredhen.html. Read The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza). Mark the places you want to pause and ask children to predict what will happen next. The Watch the Show and Read Aloud sections provide activities and discussion questions for before, during, and after viewing and reading.

Literacy Skills
The activities help children develop and practice a wide range of early literacy skills, including:

active viewing and listening choosing books to look at alone and with a partner holding, handling, and caring for books understanding that we read English from left to right and from top to bottom making predictions retelling and acting out a story developing oral vocabulary comparing and contrasting playing with rhythm, repetition, and sequence associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds associating spoken and written words listening to and identifying sounds in words identifying rhyming words clapping and counting syllables blending sounds to make words writing a thank-you card developing coordination and ne motor skills forming letters with different materials

Encourage children to try activities in different Learning

CentersArt, Dramatic Play, Science, Library, and Writing throughout the week.

Extend the theme with the whole-group activities in Helping

Hands. Help children develop phonological awareness and concepts of print with activities in the Word Play and Sing a Song sections.

Gather theme-related books from the Resources section and

place them in the Learning Centers.

Make copies of the Family Letter (pages 1920) and The Little
Red Hen Activity Sheet (page 21) to send home to families.

Theme: Helping
Children feel good about themselves when they help others and when others help them. The activities in this guide encourage children to explore the many ways they can be helpers at home, at school or family child care, and in their communities. As children practice helping others, they develop oral language skills. Recipes, charts, role-playing, and writing help them learn about letters, words, and concepts of print. You can also use this Early Literacy Activity Guide to explore the other themes, such as:

community and community helpers cooking folktales work and teamwork

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

Th e B uil d i n g B loc k s o f P r e s c h oo l L i t e r a c y
As preschool teachers and child care providers, everything you do to give children engaging and meaningful literacy experiences helps prepare them to enter kindergarten ready to learn to read and to write.

Enjoying and Understanding Books

Read to children every day. Share many different kinds of books that spark childrens imagination and curiosity. Talk about what authors and illustrators do, and help children create their own books. During story time, guide children as they make predictions, ask questions, recall and retell stories in their own words, and relate stories to their own lives.

Playing with the Sounds of Language

Give children the opportunity to hear and play with the different sounds of spoken language with songs, poems, and rhymes. Word play helps children understand that language is made up of words, that words are made up of beats or syllables, and that syllables are made up of separate sounds. This builds phonological awareness, which helps children become successful readers and writers.

Building Vocabulary
Encourage children to learn new words by reading aloud and discussing books, explaining unfamiliar words, singing and acting out songs, poems, and nursery rhymes, and talking about daily activities.

Exploring Concepts of Print

Create a print-rich environment for children with books, charts, labels, and signs. As you read books aloud and teach children poems and songs, show them how we read from left to right and from top to bottom. Encourage children to recognize familiar labels and signs in their environment.

Learning about Letters and Words

Help children recognize letters and the sounds letters make. Encourage children to shape letters with a variety of materials. Play games and sing songs with the letters in childrens names.

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

Active Viewing a n d Lis t ening

Learn to Read Watch TV?
Can a television show help teach children to read? Yes! BETWEEN THE LIONS, developed to help teach reading skills, is an educational tool that encourages oral language development, phonological awareness, and a love of reading. Help children think and talk about what they are watching and learning by encouraging active viewing.

Before viewing, tell children something

about the story to capture their interest and to introduce unfamiliar words and ideas.

Read Aloud Tips

Reading books aloud is the foundation of early literacy. While listening to stories, children learn book language and structure, new concepts, and new words.

While viewing, show children that you

are engaged by laughing, singing, and reading the words on the screen aloud. Encourage children to sing along, sway, and clap to the music.

Read the book several times before sharing

it with children. Mark the places where you would like to pause to ask questions or explain unfamiliar words.

Pause occasionally and ask children to

talk about what they just watched and to guess what will happen next.

Ask open-ended questions, such as,

What did you think of the show? What part did you like best?

Talk about the cover. Point out the title, author,

and illustrator. Look at and talk about the art.

Create a context. Share a related personal

experience, look at the pictures together, or ask children to predict what might happen in the story.

After viewing, read aloud the featured book or another book with similar themes. Watch the story more than once.
Children enjoy the repetition and often learn something new at each viewing.

Read slowly so children can understand and

enjoy the rhythm of the words and explore the pictures. Hold the book so that everyone can see it.

Add drama to your reading by using different

voices and simple props. Dont be afraid to be silly or dramatic!

Ask open-ended questions after reading

to help children think about, remember, and discuss the story.

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

Watch t he Show
Before Watching
You will need
Computer with Internet connection The Little Red Hen pbskids.org/stories/ littleredhen.html package of our stalks or grains of wheat metal bowl and spoon, or mortar and pestle annel board and felt characters; stuffed animals or cutout stick gures

Children will
practice active viewing and listening skills make predictions express ideas and opinions read environmental print relate book experiences to own lives retell a story in the correct sequence build oral vocabulary

Before viewing The Little Red Hen, tell children something about the show to capture their interest. Make connections between the show and childrens lives. Introduce new words, ideas, or concepts.

Introduce BETWEEN THE LIONS

Tell children that they will be watching a show from a TV series called BETWEEN THE LIONS. Ask children if they have ever seen the show, and invite them to share what they know about it. Explain that the show is about a family of lions who lives in a library and loves to read and to talk about books.

Preview the Story Explain that the

story is called The Little Red Hen. Its about a little red hen who asks her animal friends to help her make bread. Ask,

Have you ever helped to cook or bake

something?

Who did you help? What did you cook

or bake?

What did you do to help? What are some other things that you do
to help?

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

Retell the Story Retelling a story

helps children develop storytelling skills and recognize basic story structure and sequence. Model how to retell the story with props such as a annel board and felt characters, stuffed animals, or cutout stick gures. Then encourage children to retell the story on their own. To help children recall the correct sequence, review the four steps that the little red hen takes to make the bread: 1) plant the grains, 2) cut the wheat, 3) grind the wheat into our, and 4) bake the bread. Use hand motions to demonstrate each action. Encourage children to act out and say the steps with you.

As You Watch
Gather children around the screen. Encourage active viewing to keep children focused and engaged.

Pause the story when the little red hen

asks who will help her plant the wheat and who will help her bake the bread. Ask children to predict what the little red hens friends will say.

Take It Further Show children a

package of our and ask them if they know what it is. Point to and read the label. Explain that in the story the little red hen takes the wheat to a mill where a machine grinds it into our. Tell children that you can also grind wheat into our by hand. If possible, demonstrate by using a metal bowl and spoon or mortar and pestle. Invite children to help.

Pause the story when the little red hen

asks her friends if they will help her eat the bread. Ask, What do you think the friends will say? What do you think the little red hen will do?

After Watching
Talk about the Story Ask open-ended
questions that invite children to share their thoughts and opinions.

What did you think of the story? What

part did you like best?

Why do you think the little black dog,

the big orange cat, and the little yellow goose didnt want to help the little red hen? What were they doing while the little red hen was working?

What do you think the friends will do the

next time the little red hen asks them to help? Why do you think that?

What would you do if your friend asked

you to help make something?

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

Re a d A l o u d
You will need
The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philemon Sturges apron and/or chefs hat (optional) chart paper, markers large, precut circle

Before Reading
Prereading activities build background knowledge, spark childrens interest, and prepare them for listening.

Children will
listen to, enjoy, and discuss a modern version of a folktale talk about what authors and illustrators do make predictions express ideas and opinions use a graphic organizer to compare two stories build oral vocabulary

Introduce the Book Show the cover.

Point to the words as you read the title and the names of the author and illustrator aloud. Talk about what an author and an illustrator do. Point to each character and ask, What is (s)he doing? Ask children to guess what the story will be about. Ask, Who has eaten pizza? What does it taste like?

Take a Picture Walk Explain the meaning of the word ingredients. Ask, If we were going to make pizza, what ingredients do you think we might use? Point to some of the different ingredients featured in the illustrations and ask children which ones they think the little red hen will use to make her pizza.

As You Read
To set the mood, you may want to wear an apron and a chefs hat. Use a different voice for each character. Encourage children to make predictions and to repeat the recurring phrases.

Encourage children to chime in when the

dog, the cat, and the duck say, Not I and when the little red hen responds.

Use the pictures to explain the meaning

of food words such as mozzarella, pepperoni, anchovies, and pickled eggplant. Use the pictures and hand motions to demonstrate the meaning of cooking words such as stirred, mixed, kneaded, chopped, grated, and sliced.

When the little red hen asks her friends

if they would like some pizza and if they will help do the dishes, ask children to predict what they will say.

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

After Reading
Talk about the Book Ask open-ended
questions that encourage children to think about what happened in the story. Ask follow-up questions that invite children to expand and explain their answers.

Explore Words and Their Meanings

Ask, What are some of the toppings that

the little red hen put on her pizza? Show children the illustrations to help them remember and to clarify meanings. Talk about what these foods look and taste like.

What did you think of the story? What

did you like best about it?

Do you think the little red hen should

have shared her pizza with her friends, even though they didnt help her make it? Why or why not?

Create a pizza toppings chart. On a

large, precut circle, write the question What pizza topping do you like best? Begin the chart with a sentence about your favorite topping (for example, Marilyn likes pepperoni.) Invite children to name their favorite pizza toppingor one theyd like to tryand add those sentences to the chart. Illustrate each topping with a simple picture.

What would you have done if you were

the little red hen?

Venn Diagram Ask children to compare the two different versions of the story. In what ways are the stories alike? In what ways are they different? Record their responses on a Venn diagram.

Read aloud the completed chart.

Invite children to read their sentences with you. Does the class have a favorite pizza topping?

Draw two overlapping circles. Put characteristics of each story in the

corresponding circles. Put common characteristics in the middle section.

Take It Further

Invite children to nd their names

on the chart.

The Little Red Hen makes bread little red hen eats alone

hen dog cat friends dont help

The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) makes pizza everyone eats

Invite children to point to and

say any letters or words that they recognize.

Point to the word pizza and say, The

word pizza begins with the letter p, which makes the /p/ sound. Can you nd another letter p?

Use a Venn Diagram to show what is the same and what is different about the two stories.

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

L ea r n i n g C e n t e r s
Children can do these activities in small groups, with partners, or independently. Invite children to explore the materials at each center. Name, explain, and think aloud as you model activities for children. Then encourage children to join in and interact with other children as they work and play.
Children will

Art
You will need
drawing and coloring supplies construction paper, scissors, glue clay or play dough

Art inspires children to express their thoughts and feelings and expands their vocabulary with words that describe color, line, shape, and texture. Children learn about concepts of print and letters when they sign their name to their artwork.

develop ne motor skills use their imaginations to draw story characters use different art materials develop oral vocabulary

Character Art Invite children to draw

and color pictures of their favorite story character(s). This will help them recall and retell the story. Talk to the children about their drawings. Help children label the characters.

Play Pizza Invite children to make pizza

with colored clay or play dough. Model how to roll a ball of clay between your

hands and atten it to make a round pie shape. Children can form toppings with small balls or strips of clay. Talk to children about the different shapes and pizza toppings they are making. You can also help children cut paper circles for pizzas and top them with an assortment of cutout construction paper shapes. Children can use their pizzas in the Pizza Restaurant (see page 11).

10

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

Children will

You will need

Pizza Restaurant: chefs hat, apron, pans, pizza boxes (you may want to ask a local pizza shop to donate these)

Dramatic Play

In dramatic play, children deepen their understanding of the world around them and use language to negotiate roles, describe what they are doing, and ask and answer questions. Literacy props such as labels and signs engage childrens early reading and writing skills.

use imagination develop awareness of jobs develop understanding of functions of print develop oral vocabulary develop coordination and ne motor skills

Pizza Restaurant Help children name

their restaurant and make a sign for it. Create menus out of construction paper. Print labels for the pizza toppings (cheese, pepperoni, onions, etc.) and drinks (milk, juice, etc.) the restaurant will offer. Attach the labels to the menus and draw a simple picture of each item. If possible, laminate the menus. Model how to order by telling the waiter what you want and pointing to the items on the menus. Invite children to take turns role-playing a waiter, a customer, and a chef.

poster board, markers, construction paper, labels clear, self-adhesive paper for laminating (optional) books about pizza and pizza restaurants (see Resources)

Community Helpers Display books and

photographs of community helpers. Invite children to role-play reghters, police ofcers, nurses, doctors, teachers, and other helpers. Attach labels to the uniforms and equipment that the community helpers use. Talk to children about the helper they are role-playingwhat they do, how they dress, what tools they use, etc.

Community Helpers: dress-up clothes and props (reghters, nurses, mail carriers, etc.)

books and photographs about community helpers

Children will

Cooking

Children learn new vocabulary words when they cook, as well as concepts of print and sequence when they match pictures to written words in recipes.

use kitchen tools and simple measuring devices develop oral vocabulary read environmental print follow directions work cooperatively develop ne motor skills and coordination

Make Pizza! Use the rebus recipe chart

(see page 10) or your own favorite pizza recipe. Be aware of any food allergies.

You will need

ingredients and equipment for making pizza pizza recipe chart

Read the recipe chart with children.

Encourage children to identify any words or letters that they know.

Adapt the refrain from the story and

recite it as you invite children to help you mix in the ingredients. Ask, Who will add the salt? Signal a volunteer helper to respond, I will add the salt. When the pizza is ready ask, Who will help me eat the pizza?

Emphasize the cooking action words

from The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) as you make the pizza.

Encourage children to identify and

read the labels on food cans, packages, and containers.

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

11

L ea r n i n g Centers (continued)
Children will

Library
You will need
variety of nonction and ction books about helping, work, and teamwork; other versions of The Little Red Hen story annel board and felt characters or stuffed animals (red hen, black dog, orange cat, yellow goose) childrens Character Art pictures from the Art Center

Setting up an inviting and cozy place where children can look at books helps foster a love of reading. Include many different kinds of reading materials that relate to childrens interests and reect their cultural diversity. Add props such as puppets, stuffed animals, and annel boards. Encourage children to tell their own stories and act out stories they have heard.

choose and look at books alone and with a partner learn how to hold, handle, and care for books learn that we read from left to right and from top to bottom develop oral vocabulary retell and act out a story through play act out a new story ending or sequel

Independent and Partner Reading

When young children imitate adults and play at reading, they are engaging in book handling behaviors that are important rst steps in learning to read.

Include a variety of ction and

nonction books about helping, working, and teamwork (see Resources). Encourage children to select books that interest them.

Retell the Story Decorate the area with childrens Character Art pictures (see page 10). Encourage children to use a annel board and felt characters, stuffed animals, puppets, or other props to retell or act out the story of The Little Red Hen. Children may also want to act out The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza). Change the Story Invite children to change the ending, act out a sequel, or make up their own version of the story featuring themselves as the characters. Read other versions of The Little Red Hen (see Resources) and talk about how they are alike and different.

Demonstrate how to hold, handle, and

care for books. Talk about the front, back, top, and bottom of a book. Show children where to begin reading and how to turn the pages. Encourage children to look at the words and the pictures.

Read books that children select to a small

group. Track print as you read to show children that in English we read from left to right and from top to bottom.

Organize children into pairs. Have each

pair select a theme-related book to look at and read together. Encourage children to take turns looking at the pages. Talk to children about their book. What did you think of the book? Tell me some things about the story.

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The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

Children will
associate names of letters with their shapes develop ne motor skills use a variety of writing tools to shape and write letters understand that writing has a purpose learn about the functions of print write their names

Writing

When children practice writing letters and words to express their ideas, they learn about concepts of print, the different functions of print, the alphabet, and phonics. Include a variety of writing materials and samples of different types of writing such as invitations, postcards, letters, lists, signs, and thank-you notes.

You will need

alphabet strip or poster alphabet stamps and stencils play dough, Wikki Stix, Unix Cubes, pipe cleaners, nger paints, clay (choose one or more) a large letter H stationery, envelopes, variety of paper and writing implements, including markers, pencils, colored pencils, crayons

Letter Shaping Choose a letter from the alphabet and encourage a child to nd it on an alphabet strip or poster. You may want to choose the letter h for hen and help or another letter that children are interested in learning. In the air and on paper, trace over the letter in both lowercase and uppercase. Review the sound the letter makes. Have children make both forms of the letter from a variety of materials. Children can also make the letters in their name. Take It Further Display a large letter
H. Show children the three straight lines that form the letter. Organize children into pairs. Have each pair work together to form the letter H with their bodies. Invite each pair to come to the front of the room and make the letter H.

Thank You! Explain that one way to

let someone know how you feel about their help is with a thank-you card.

Model the process by writing a thankyou card to someone who has helped you, preferably someone the children know. As you write, talk about the parts of a letter (greeting, message, and closing). Think aloud as you write your message. Write the helpers name and address on an envelope and show children how to put the card in the envelope.

Encourage children to think about

a friend or grownup who has helped them and whom they would like to thank. Children can draw and write or dictate their thank-you messages. Help them write their names at the end.

Help children place their letters in an

envelope and write their helpers name on it. Talk to children about how they can deliver their thank-you notes.

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

13

H el pi n g H a n d s
These theme-related wholegroup activities build childrens oral language skills and their understanding of concepts of print.
You will need
construction paper, chart paper, crayons, scissors, glue or tape name card for each child (you may want to attach a photograph of each child to his or her card)

Children will
appreciate the importance of helping develop self-esteem hear, clap, and count words in sentences recognize their names and the names of other children recognize familiar words and letters

Job Chart
Ask, What do we need to do to keep our space clean and neat? What do we need to do to keep our plants and animals happy and strong? What do we need to do to care for each other? List childrens job ideas on a chart, and illustrate each job with a photograph or simple drawing. (You may want to add jobs that children havent named.) Rotate childrens name cards on the job chart each week so that everyone gets a chance to try each job. Encourage children to nd their names on the job chart and gure out what job they have. Talk about the importance of teamwork.

Take It Further

Invite children to point to and say

any letters or words they recognize.

Read each sentence slowly and invite

children to clap the words with you. Invite the child whose sentence you are reading to count the number of claps or words in the sentence.

Helping Hands Collage

Create a collage that shows the different ways the children help one another.

Help children trace their handprints onto

construction paper.

Cut out the handprints and invite each

child to dictate a sentence about one way he or she helps during the day. Track print as you read the dictation aloud. Help children write their name on their handprint.

Use glue or tape to make a collage of

all the helping hands. Write the title, Helping Hands, in large letters.

Invite children to nd their hand on the

collage and read it to the group. Applaud after each reading. After the last reading, have the class give themselves a hand!

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The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

Word Play
Clapping syllables, rhyming, and blending sounds to make words help build phonological awareness.
Children will
identify and generate rhyming words listen for similarities and differences in sounds hear sounds in sequence and blend together to make a word clap and count syllables in words and names

Clap the Syllables

Clapping the parts or syllables in names and words helps children listen for and hear the different sounds in words.

Together, clap and count the beats or

syllables in the pizza toppings chart (see page 9).

Guess the Animal

Tell children that you are thinking of an animal. Ask them to listen carefully to the word parts and see if they can guess the animal. Say the beginning and the ending sounds in the following words and have children guess what animal it is. Display a picture of the animal after the children have guessed. /h/ /c/ /d/ /p/ /d/ /en/ /at/ /og/ /ig/ /uck/

You will need

pizza toppings chart (see page 9) pictures of a hen, cat, dog, pig, and duck

Clap and count the beats or syllables

in childrens names.

Rhymes with Hen

Have children sit in a circle to play a rhyming game.

Say, Im going to say some words. If a word

rhymes with the word hen, Id like you to cluck like hens.

Say the following words slowly: pen, cat,

men, ten, pizza.

After each word ask, Does this word rhyme

with the word hen? If it does, cluck like hens!

When you have nished ask, What other

words can you think of that rhyme with the word hen?

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

15

Sin g a Son g
Singing songs is a great way to build early reading skills. The song I Am a Pizza by Peter Alsop gives children the opportunity to play with rhythm, repetition, and sequencing. It also gives them an opportunity to use the new words they learned from The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza).
You will need
pizza box markers, pointer, chart paper

Children will
understand that the words in a song are read from left to right and from top to bottom associate sounds with written words develop coordination build oral vocabulary

Introduce the Song

Sing I Am a Pizza to children with joy and enthusiasm. Use hand motions to demonstrate the action in the song ordering by phone; getting pizza out of the oven, into the box and into the car; and dropping the pizza on the ground. Sing the song a few times to help children learn it. Then invite them to sing with you.

Take It Further

Encourage children to substitute

their favorite pizza toppings for the second and third verses of the song.

Ask children if they can nd the

word pizza on the song chart.

Invite children to point to any other

words or letters that they recognize.

Song Chart
Write the words to I Am a Pizza on chart paper or poster board. Draw or paste cutout pictures of some or all of the food items next to their names. As you read the song, use a pointer to point to each word. This helps children learn that print is read from left to right and from top to bottom and other concepts of print. Sing the song together and encourage children to move to the rhythm.

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The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

I Am a Pizza
I am a pizza With extra cheese From tomatoes Sauce is squeezed Garlic and mushroom s Oregano ! I am a pizza . . . read y to go ! I am a pizza Pepperoni No anchovies Or phony bologna Onions and sausage Order by phone! I am a pizza . . . take I am a pizza Peppers on top Out of the oven Into the box Into the car and, Upside-down! I am a pizza . . . drop ped on the ground ! I was a pizza. I was the best! I was a pizza . . . now Im a mess! me home!

Wr itten by Peter Alsop 1983 Moose School Music (BMI) from his Wanna Do? CD. Ch W hadya eck out more Peter Als op songs at ww w.pete ralsop.com.

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

17

Family Connections
Encourage parents to ask their children about what they are doing and learning each day. Send home letters regularly that offer suggestions about how parents can support their childrens learning. You can send home the letter on page 19 (English) and page 20 (Spanish), along with The Little Red Hen Activity Sheet (page 21). Try to host family get-togethers several times during the year to celebrate childrens accomplishments and to promote a sense of community.

Family Potluck
Invite family members to a potluck supper. Ask each family to bring a favorite family dish and recipe. Encourage families to have their children illustrate the different stages of the recipe, or draw a picture of the family enjoying the dish. Collect the recipes and bind them together to make a cookbook.

Neighborhood Helpers
Invite family members to lead children on a walk through the neighborhood. Visit the places where community helpers work, such as the post ofce, re station, health center, and library. If possible, ask one of the helpers to talk to the children about his or her job. Emphasize the importance of each job and why we are thankful for the people who help us.

18

The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

Date

Dear Family, This week we have been watching and talking about a story from BETWEEN THE LIONS, a PBS television show about a family of lions who lives in a library and loves to read. The story is a folktale about a little red hen who cant get her animal friends to help her bake bread. We also read a modern version of the folktaleThe Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) that gives the story a new twist. We have been exploring how families, friends, and communities help each other. Here are some ways to explore this theme at home. Bake bread, make pizza, or prepare some other food together. Your child can help measure and mix the ingredients. Write a shopping list together. Have your child check off each item as you put it in the cart. Thank your child for helping you! Write or draw a thank-you card for a friend or family member. Watch the story The Little Red Hen on the BETWEEN THE LIONS Web site at pbskids.org/lions/stories/littleredhen.html. You can watch BETWEEN THE LIONS at home with your child. Sing along with the songs and talk about the show. Visit the BETWEEN THE LIONS Web site (pbskids.org/lions) where youll nd lots of fun activities, songs, and recommended books.

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Fecha

Apreciada familia: Durante esta semana, estamos viendo y hablando sobre un cuento de BETWEEN THE LIONS, una serie de televisin en la cadena PBS que trata sobre una familia de leones que vive en la biblioteca y que tiene gran amor por la lectura. El cuento popular es sobre una gallinita roja que entre sus amigos animales no encuentra quin le ayude a hacer un pan. Tambin lemos una versin moderna del cuento: La gallinita roja (hace una pizza), en la que la trama cambia. Hace das que estamos explorando la manera como las familias, los amigos y las comunidades se ayudan entre s. He aqu algunas maneras de explorar este tema en casa con los nios. Juntos hagan un pan, una pizza o alguna otra comida. El nio puede ayudarle a medir o a mezclar los ingredientes. Juntos hagan una lista de compras. Pdale al nio que vaya marcando cada artculo cuando lo ponen en el carrito. Agradzcale al nio su ayuda. Escriba o dibuje una nota de agradecimiento para un amigo o pariente. Vean el cuento The Little Red Hen en la sede en Internet de BETWEEN THE LIONS en pbskids.org/lions/stories/littleredhen. html. Puede ver BETWEEN THE LIONS en casa con los nios. Canten cuando suenen las canciones y hablen sobre la trama del episodio. Visiten el sitio en ingls de BETWEEN THE LIONS en Internet (pbskids.org/lions). Encontrarn muchas actividades divertidas y una lista de libros que pueden disfrutar juntos.

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T h e L i t t l e Re d H e n
Look at and talk about the picture with your child. Ask your child to name the different animals and tell you the story of The Little Red Hen. Then ask your child to draw a picture of how he or she helps at home.

Name

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Re s o u r c e s
Folktales, Fables, Legends, and Myths
The Little Red Hen by Byron Barton (HarperCollins, 1993) A retelling for young readers. See also The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone. The Little Red Hen and the Ear of Wheat by Mary Finch (Barefoot Books, 2001) In this retelling, the little red hens lazy friends pitch in to help her the next time she makes bread. Rockabye Crocodile: A Folktale from the Philippines by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey (Greenwillow, 1993) Two elderly boars take turns helping a mother crocodile care for her baby. Stone Soup by Heather Forest (August House, 2000) Two hungry travelers use a stone to make soup and demonstrate the benets of teamwork. Subway Sparrow by Leyla Torres (Farrar, 1997) Although they speak different languages, the passengers on a train work together to rescue a trapped sparrow. The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin (Charlesbridge, 2001) A girl and her mother grow Chinese vegetables, while their neighbors grow beautiful owers. The girl thinks the vegetables are ugly but discovers that they make a delicious soup that all the neighbors want to try. With Love, Little Red Hen by Alma Flor Ada (Atheneum, 2001) A series of letters describe how Goldilocks, Peter Rabbit and the Three Little Pigs help the Little Red Hen.

Concept Books
Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell (Clarion, 1995) A counting book shows a mother and her children shopping and preparing for dinner. Good Bread: A Book of Thanks by Brigitte Weninger (North-South Books, 2003) A girl bakes bread with her mother and describes the steps involved in baking bread.

Story Books
Kevin and His Dad by Irene Smalls (Little, Brown, 1999) While his mom is away, Kevin enjoys helping his father clean the house. Little Ninos Pizzeria by Karen Barbour (Voyager, 1990) Young Tony proudly tells how he helps his father at their family pizzeria. Mama Provi and the Pot of Rice by Sylvia Rosa-Casanova (Aladdin, 2001) Mama Provi exchanges her chicken and rice for delicious bread, black beans, tea, and more. Petes a Pizza by William Steig (HarperCollins, 1998) When Pete pouts because its raining, his father cheers him up by turning him into a pizza pie! Pizza: A Yummy Pop-Up by Jan Pienkowski (Candlewick, 2002) Pick tasty toppings from a rotating paper wheel that shows toppings t for a lion.

Nonction Books
Bread, Bread, Bread by Ann Morris (HarperTrophy, 1993) Photographs show the different kinds of bread around the world. Community Helpers from A to Z by Bobbie Kalman (Crabtree, 1997) An alphabet book introduces community service workers. Everybody Works by Shelly Rotner and Ken Kreisler (Millbrook, 2003) Photographs show how everybody, including children, works in different ways. Bread Comes to Life: A Garden of Wheat and a Loaf to Eat by George Levenson (Tricycle Press, 2008) Color photos and rhyming text give a step-bystep tour of bread making, from planting the wheat seeds through harvesting and baking.

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The Little Red Hen Activity Guide

Songs, Poems, and Rhyming Books

Bread Is for Eating by David and Phillis Gershator (Henry Holt, 1998) Mamita explains how bread is created in a song sung in both English and Spanish. Includes music and song lyrics. Preschool to the Rescue by Judy Sierra (Gulliver Books, 2001) A group of preschoolers save the day when a mud puddle traps a pizza van.

Literacy
The Complete Book of Rhymes, Songs, Poems, Fingerplays and Chants by Jackie Silberg and Pam Schiller (Gryphon House, 2002) Over 700 selections, arranged alphabetically by title. Creating Readers: Over 1000 Games, Activities, Tongue Twisters, Fingerplays, Songs, and Stories to Get Children Excited About Reading by Pam Schiller (Gryphon 2001) A compilation of resources for the preschool teacher and family day care provider. See also Do You Know the Mufn Man? and Where is Thumbkin? by the same author. Preschool Literacy Collection edited by Lesley Mandel Morrow (IRA, 2009) A series of six books on early literacy for preschoolers. Starting Out Right: A Guide to Promoting Childrens Reading Success by M. Susan Burns, Peg Grifn, and Catherine E. Snow, editors, the National Research Council (National Academy Press, 1999) Offers hands-on activities to encourage childrens interest in books and reading and to build oral language skills. Also available online at http://www.nap.edu.

Resources for Teachers and Caregivers

Cooking
The Cooking Book by Jane Bull. (DK, 2002) Easy and colorful recipes for children. Kids First Cook Book by The American Cancer Society (The American Cancer Society, 2000) A collection of easy-to-make recipes and nutritious foods to eat. The Kids Multicultural Cookbook by Deanna Cook (Williamson Publishing, 1995) Includes 75 recipes from around the world, plus fun food facts, games, and cultural traditions. Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers & Up by Mollie Katzen (Tricycle Press, 1994) Recipes in this cookbook appear in words and in full-color pictures for young children.

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G los s a r y
alliteration: The repetition of the same sound at the beginning of words, as in Sally sells seashells by the seashore. book handling: Learning about the parts of a book, including the front and back covers, the text, and the illustrations, as well as how to hold, care for, and handle books. book language: Words that describe the features of books, such as author, illustrator, title, plot, character, setting, and dialogue. concepts of print: 1) The different ways we use written language, such as letters, recipes, labels, and stories; 2) the structure of written language, such as the space between words; and 3) the conventions of written language, such as the way we read from left to right and from top to bottom. environmental print: The print at home or in the community, including labels on food products, store and road signs, and advertisements. learning center: A small area in a classroom or family child care setting that is designed to allow children to explore materials as they play and learn by themselves or with others. Examples include art, dramatic play, library, and writing centers. making predictions: To use information that you already know to guess what a story will be about or what will happen next. modeling: An instructional approach in which the teacher thinks aloud and demonstrates a task before inviting children to perform it. phonological awareness: The ability to hear, understand, and play with the different sounds that make up spoken words; the realization that sentences are made up of words and that words are made up of separate syllables. rebus chart: Pictures replace key words in a song, poem, story, recipe, etc. Adults can then read the words as children read the pictures. recall and retell: To remember and tell a story in your own words and in the correct sequence. song or poem chart: A large chart with the words to a song or poem so teachers can point to each word as they read it to children. story structure: The way stories are organized into a beginning, a middle, and an end. track print: An instructional technique in which the teacher moves a nger or a pointer under the words from left to right and from top to bottom as she or he reads a book, song chart, or other text. word play: Playing with the beginning, middle, and ending sounds of words to explore how sounds and words work.

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C r ed i t s
This B ETWEEN THE LIONS Early Literacy Activity Guide was produced by the Educational Outreach department of the WGBH Educational Foundation. Karen Barss Director, Educational Outreach Sonja Latimore Manager, Editorial Content Cyrisse Jaffee Editorial Project Director Rhonda Berkower Writer Jill Mackay Production Coordinator Tyler Kemp-Benedict Doug Scott Designers Mark Hoffman Print Production Michelle Figlar Consultant National Head Start Association B ETWEEN THE LIONS Brigid Sullivan Executive-in-Charge Judith Stoia Executive Producer Christopher Cerf Executive Producer for Sirius Thinking, Ltd. Norman Stiles Executive Producer for Sirius Thinking, Ltd. Linda Rath Curriculum Director Beth Kirsch Coordinating Producer/Project Director Carol Klein Supervising Producer Mary Haggerty Outreach Manager Gay Mohrbacher Outreach Coordinator

BETWEEN THE L IONS is produced by WGBH Boston, Sirius Thinking, Ltd., and Mississippi Public Broadcasting. BETWEEN THE L IONS is funded in part by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Educations Ready To Learn grant, and by the Barksdale Reading Institute. National corporate sponsorship is provided by Chick l-A, Inc. The contents herein were originally developed with support from the Ready To Learn Television Program, P/R Award Number R295A0002, as administered by the Ofce of Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, and were developed in part under a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Education, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Public Broadcasting Service for the Ready To Learn Initiative, PR#s U295A050003 and U295B050003. However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. 2005, 2009 WGBH Educational Foundation and Sirius Thinking, Ltd. All rights reserved. BETWEEN THE L IONS , Get Wild About Reading, and the BTL characters and related indicia are trademarks or registered trademarks of WGBH Educational Foundation. All third party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Used with permission.

Barksdale Reading Institute

Illustrations by Steven Mach. BTL Photos on TOC and page 7 by Richard Termine/WGBH/Sirius Thinking; all other BTL photos by John E. Barrett/WGBH/Sirius Thinking. Photo, page 5: Geatano/CORBIS. Photos, page 15: pig Royalty-free/CORBIS, dog Dale C. Spartas/CORBIS, cat Gary Buss/CORBIS. The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) book cover, pages 2 and 8: Philemon Sturges, 1999 (text), Amy Walrod (illustrations), published by Penguin Putnam, 2002, used with permission. Drawing on page 13 by Willa Field.

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