Country
Spain

Tale typology
Intercultural traditions

Age Suitability
5

Tale summary
A red hen finds some seeds on the ground and decides to plant them so as to ultimately make bread. For each of the steps required to make the bread, she asks the other farm animals for assistance, but they all decline. Alone the hen finishes baking the bread and she eat it all by herself.

Educational potential / Learning Outcomes
- The story teaches the kids the value of working hard and the consequences of laziness.
-This story teach children literacy skills such as sequencing, comprehension, and retelling of the story to use with small and large groups, as well as those to give to independent learners.
Putting things in order is an important foundational skill. Understanding the sequence of a story helps preschoolers make sense of what they are reading. Hearing and following directions are skills based in sequence. Being able to compare and put quantities in order are important number skills, based on sequencing. And understanding the calendar and the clock (and other time concepts) are based on understanding sequence and ordering things. Developing sequence skills is important.

Full Plot
Little Red Hen found a grain of wheat.
“Who will plant this?” she asked.
“Not I,” said the cat.
“Not I,” said the goose.
“Not I,” said the rat.
“Then I will,” said Little Red Hen.
So she buried the wheat in the ground. After a while it grew up yellow and ripe.
“The wheat is ripe now,” said Little Red Hen. “Who will cut and thresh it?”
“Not I,” said the cat.
“Not I,” said the goose.
“Not I,” said the rat.
“Then I will,” said Little Red Hen.
So she cut it with her bill and threshed it with her wings. Then she asked, “Who will take this wheat to the mill?”
“Not I,” said the cat.
“Not I,” said the goose.
“Not I,” said the rat.
“Then I will,” said Little Red Hen.
So she took the wheat to the mill, where it was ground. Then she carried the flour home.
“Who will make me some bread with this flour?” she asked.
“Not I,” said the cat.
“Not I,” said the goose.
“Not I,” said the rat.
“Then I will,” said Little Red Hen.
So she made and baked the bread.
Then she said, “Now we shall see who will eat this bread.”
“We will,” said cat, goose, and rat.
“I am quite sure you would,” said Little Red Hen, “if you could get it.”
Then she called her chicks, and they ate up all the bread. There was none left at all for the cat, or the goose, or the rat.

One Lesson Plan
PROCEDURAL INSTRUCTIONS
Introduction Activity: Gather the participants in circle and play the video Red Little Hen. Afterwards, explore together with the children 2 different aspects of the story – the sequences of this story and the morality of the story.
Main Activity: After the video has been played, guide the participants to understand better the plot through story sequencing.
The first sequence is the order that the Little Red Hen did her chores. First she planted the seeds. Then she harvested the wheat. Next she brought back the flour made from the wheat in a sack. Finally she made bread. The other sequence is the order in which the characters appear in the story.
You can print out the Little Red Hen sequencing work space and picture cards onto thick card stock. Cut a slit in each of the boxes in the work space. I used a sharp craft knife to create my slit. Slide a small clothespin or paper clip into each of the slits.
Cut out the set of sequencing pictures you want to use for the activity. You have a set of chore (event) cards and a set of animal (character) cards.
Invite your children to clip the events in the order they happened in the story. You can decide if you want them to tell orally the events in the order they happened. They could just clip them onto the chart. Then you could visually check their work.
(Lesson Plan picture 1 and 2)
Debriefing: after they have better understood the story and its sequences, it is time to ask the questions that help them see the morality of the actions in the story.
Ask them the following questions and allow them to give their answers. Try to convince more children to answer, and not only the extroverts.
Should the animals have helped? Why or why not?
Should the other animals help her without expecting a reward?
Should the hen have shown mercy by giving the other animals bread?
Does it still count as sharing even if you have to do so? Or does sharing have to be generous?
What kinds of things can children and adults share?
Should the hen have been more forgiving?
Follow-up Activities: not needed
Additional Resources: print the 2 graphics included in the activity or create from 0 new ones.