Little Red Hen- Breadmaking

Lesson One- Introduce Little Red Hen

Students wil be able to act out the story Little Red Hen by Jerry Pinkney

How is bread made?

What is wheat?

How’s does wheat get made into bread?

Survey student knowledge about wheat and bread making in the circle. Explain that we’re going to learn about where bread comes from and will work together over several class periods to make bread.
Read the book Little Red Hen by Jerry Pinkney.
Let students know that we will act out the story of Little Red Hen. Hand out cards with names of the characters from the story. Each character has one line, “not I”. The rest of the audience will use hand motions to act out each step of making bread.
- Re-read the story and use hand motions to act out each step in making bread. Call to each animal in their respective part of the story to say “not I”.

Students will be able to thresh wheat

Students will be able to draw a wheat seed

Where does bread come from?

Wheat stalks
Large tarp
Hand lenses
Plates
Science journals to draw wheat seeds
Colored pencils.
Note: If you don’t have access to wheat stalks, you can look at wheat seeds with hand lenses and draw pictures. If you have time ahead of time, you can sprout wheat seeds and observe that it grows just like grass.

Review the steps the Little Red Hen needs to take to make bread. Ask students what step we are on today. Ask them how we will get the seeds out of their coat (the hull). Accept all answers.
If you’re threshing, spread out the tarp. Explain to students that we will be stomping on the wheat. This will help to get the seed out of the hull.
After you’ve stomped on the grain, send students back to their desks with a plate with some of the wheat seeds on it and a hand lens. Have them try to get the hull off.
Have students make science drawings – Accurate, Big and Colorful to show the stalk, the hull and the wheat seed. Have them label what they’ve drawn.

Students will understand that when you grind a wheat seed, it turns into flour.

How is bread made?

What is wheat?

How’s does wheat get made into bread?

Wheat berries
Grain mill or mortar and pestle
Bowls
Little Red Hen coloring sheets
Note: If you don’t have access to a grain mill, you can purchase small, inexpensive stainless steel mortar and pestles to use to grind up wheat.

Review the steps the Little Red Hen takes to make bread. Ask students what step we are on today. Ask them how we will turn the seeds into flour. Ask them if it feels easy or hard to crush. Accept all answers.
Introduce the grain mill and mortar and pestles. Let students know that everyone will have a chance to grind grain, but while they wait for their turn they can color parts of the Little Red Hen story for our own coloring book!
Call students over to have turns grinding and using the mortar and pestle to make flour.

Students will be able to make bread.

How is bread made?

What is wheat?

How’s does wheat get made into bread?

Review the steps the Little Red Hen takes to make bread. Ask students what step we are on today. Ask them how we will make the bread. Accept all answers.
We need to wake up and feed the yeast so it can help us make bread. Place the yeast, sugar and water into the bag. Squeeze out all of the air and seal the bag. Mush the bag around until you see bubbles. The yeast eats the sugar and burps out so the bread is puffy instead of flat like a cracker.
While the yeast is activating for 10 minutes on the table, read Sun Bread. Talk about how bread warms our bodies and homes in the winter like the sun would do in the summertime.
Add the rest of the Bread in a Bag ingredients. Have students take turns squishing the bread. Have them count to 10 or sing a song for their turn.
Once thoroughly mixed, place a small amount of dough on a floured, plastic cutting board. Let students knead the bread. Explain that we want the bread to be stretchy.
Bake mini rolls!