K2 Drama – Term 1
Dramarama!
Lesson 5 – Henny Penny
Learning Aim:
 Students will make relevant suggestions and recall events from stories to re-enact
storylines.
Introduction to Topic:
 Warm-up game: 8 Count Shake! See attached Resource 1.
 Read the story of Henny Penny once through. The animal names sound silly. Ask
students if anyone can say what is special about each of them? They rhyme.
 Ask students to think of a rhyming word that goes with the name of each person in the
class. Some students will hear the rhymes easily. Other students will have some
difficulty hearing what words go together. You may want to practice with a few simple
names first. Say the name with and without a rhyming word and see if the students can
hear which ones rhyme. For example: Which two rhyme? Billy-Chilly or Billy-frog.
Jason-Chasin’ or Jason Jumps. The rhymes may have to be silly “words” that aren’t
actual words. You may even have to use the child’s last name. Here are some
examples: Michael Motorcycle, Sue Blue, Amy Blamey, Jan Ran, Eric Hysteric, Justin
Bustin', Dylan Chillin’, Ava Brava, Emma Gemma, Joshua Goshua.

There are extra activities at the end of this plan for 2 hour classes. See Supplementary
Resource – Lesson 5 – Henny Penny activities for the flashcards.
Main Activity: Mime and Movement
 Resource 2 – Animal actions song. See if students can come up with their own
actions/sounds too. If you have a big class, put students in groups so there are a few of
each animal and compete with sounds.
 You can make masks or character hats (Supplementary Resources – Lesson 5)
before singing the song or make the puppets (Resource 3) on lolly sticks.
Key Vocabulary:
Additional Activities:
 Hen, cockerel/rooster, duck,
 See resource book for more warm up games.
goose, turkey, fox, king
Reflection/Story:
 Before reading the story again (if you have time), see if students can remember the
sequence of characters, their names, what animals they are, what happens in the story
etc.
 Act out the story – remember that each character can have 2 or 3 students playing that
part.
Closing:
 Carpet time: ask children what they have learnt today.
 Sing the song
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Kindergarten Curriculum – K2 Drama
Term 1
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K2 Drama – Term 1
Dramarama!
Resources:
 Resource 1: Warm-up game
 Resource 2: Song
 Resource 3: Pictures for puppets
 Resource 4 – Henny Penny extra activities
 Supplementary Resource – Lesson 5 – Henny Penny masks
 Supplementary Resource - Lesson 5 – Henny Penny activities
 Resource 5 – Pictures for Speaking / Logic and Reasoning activity
 Resource 6 – Sequencing/Prediction worksheet (Chick Hatching) (Separate
Attachment)
 Resource 7 – Lyrics and actions for Sticks Song
 Resource 8 – Lyrics and actions for Henny Penny Sticks Song
Websites:
http://supersimplelearning.com/songs/themes-series/animals/wag-your-tail/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiSf_K5PeFw
Story
Further Extension Activities for 2-hour Drama Class:
1. Interview Skills (Speaking / Logic and Reasoning):
Henny Penny wanted to tell the king that the sky was falling. Ask the students why they think
Henny Penny chose to tell the king her news? (This may be difficult for K2 students to answer.
You could suggest the following reasons: (1) the king was the ruler of the land and Henny
Penny thought he would know what to do or (2) the king has many people working for him; he
could send his men to warn everyone that the sky was falling.)
Tell the students that you are going to show them some pictures (Resource 5). Ask them to
tell you what they see in the picture.* Then ask them to pretend that they are the ones who
saw this happening. Ask them who they would choose to tell and why they would tell this
person.
*Note: Very often children this age know what is happening in the picture but do not have the
necessary vocabulary to describe the picture accurately or in greater detail. For example, if
shown a picture of an egg about to hatch, they may not know the word ‘hatch’ and they may
instead say something to the effect ‘The egg is breaking’ or ‘The egg is broken’. You can help
them to develop their vocabulary by suggesting words to help them along.
2. Interviewing Skills (Sequencing / Prediction): Show the students the sequencing
worksheet (Resource 6) and explain that they are going to do a sequencing activity about a
hen like Henny Penny. (If they did a sequencing activity earlier in the class, this will be easier
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Kindergarten Curriculum – K2 Drama
Term 1
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K2 Drama – Term 1
Dramarama!
for them. If they did not do a sequencing activity, then you will have to take a little bit of time
explaining what a sequencing activity is (i.e., putting pictures in the right order).
Ask the students to describe the first 2 pictures of the sequence. (Answer: The first picture is a
hen. The second picture shows the hen looking at an egg about to hatch.) Explain that the 3rd
picture is missing and it is up to them to draw* what they think happens in the next picture.
Many children will not be able to say what comes next, but I find if you just ask them ‘What
comes out of this egg?’, most will say ‘chick’ or something close.
*Note: When I have done this activity, most children needed help drawing a chick. I draw a
simple chick using shapes on the board for them to copy. (Head and eye = circle / body = oval
/ beak = triangle / Add feet)
3. Rhythm: The students will sing two songs (Sticks Song & Henny Penny Sticks Song) while
using rhythm sticks* to tap out the songs. It is best to sing the ‘Sticks Song’ first before
attempting the ‘Henny Penny Sticks Song’. Remind students to be careful with their sticks;
they should not wave their sticks around as they may accidentally strike someone. Song lyrics
and suggested actions can be found in Resources 7 and 8).
*Note: If you do not have rhythm sticks, you can use chopsticks or even long coloring pencils.
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Kindergarten Curriculum – K2 Drama
Term 1
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Resource 1: Warm-up game
8 Count Shake
An energetic, physical warm-up that helps to generate energy.
How Do I Play It?
Students are in a circle and you all count 1-8 whilst shaking your left
hand then right hand then left foot, then right foot.
e.g.

Left hand shake - "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8"

Right hand shake - "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8"

...then left foot and right foot
You do the sequence again but this time count down from 7.
You repeat this decreasing every time and on the last set of 1 you jump
up and shout something like ‘shake down.’
It’s good to keep up the pace with this - so set a nice pacey count.
You could change the action, or make the final 'shout out' something
meaningful to the context of the lesson.
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Kindergarten Curriculum – K2 Drama
Term 1
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Resource 2: Animal actions/sounds song
Clap Your Hands
(Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Clap
Clap
Clap
Clap
clap clap your hands.
your hands with me.
them fast. Clap them slow.
your hands with me.
Flap your wings like a hen.
Flap, flap, flap your wings.
Flap your wings with me.
Flap them fast. Flap them slow.
Flap your wings with me.
Quack/swim/dive like a duck.
Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack
Quack along with me
Quack quack fast. Quack quack slow
Quack along with me
Other verses;
Duck – quack, swim, dive
Goose – hiss, stretch, waddle
Turkey – gobble, run, shake head
Cockerel – strut, cock-a-doodle-doo
Hen – cluck, cluck
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Kindergarten Curriculum – K2 Drama
Term 1
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Resource 3: Pictures for puppets
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Kindergarten Curriculum – K2 Drama
Term 1
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Resource 4: Henny Penny extra activities
Sequencing Activities to Use While Teaching "Henny Penny"
written by: Pamela Rice-Linn • edited by: Amanda Grove • updated: 7/12/2012
Sequence of events is a basic but essential skill for all readers. Before teaching "Henny Penny" in
your classroom, peruse this selection of activities. Students will enjoy learning and demonstrating
how sequence of events works in a story.

Why is understanding sequence of events important? Every story has an order, a sequence of
events. If students don’t recognize the sequence of events in a story, they will jumble the events and
minimize the importance of the lesson the story shares. The following "Henny Penny" sequencing
activities will rely on listening skills, visual images, and clues from signal words. Students will also
participate in interactive activities to demonstrate their understanding, as well as have a little fun.

Materials You’ll Need for Teaching This Lesson
yarn
clothes pins
character and plot cards
animal sounds cards
sequence signal word cards
sticky notes or chalk
character hats for each student—a 2 inch strip of paper with a character card taped or stapled to the
front
Copies of the various cards can be obtained from Supplementary Resource – Lesson 5 – Henny
Penny activities.

Before You Read
Secure a piece of yarn at a level visible for students. Clip the cards in random order using the clothes
pins. Give students an opportunity to view the pictures of the characters, an activity which will serve
as an anticipation guide, and predict what the story will be about.

Engage Your Students in the Lesson with a Song
Get your students focused on today’s reading activity by modifying a common children’s song. Sing a
verse of B-I-N-G-O with your students. After reviewing the rhythm and set up of the song, change the
verse and sing along first alone and then with the class.
There was a chicken who would cry
Goodness, the sky is falling!
H-E-N-N-Y
H-E-N-N-Y
H-E-N-N-Y
Her name was Henny Penny!
Just as students had to know the order of the letters in Henny’s name to spell it correctly, they must
also pay attention to the sequence of a story. Sequence will help them tell the order of the story.
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Kindergarten Curriculum – K2 Drama
Term 1
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
Activities for Teaching Sequencing
Activity One
After reading the story, ask students to choose the card of the character who appeared first in the
story. Proceed through all the cards in this manner. Modify this activity by placing only Henny Penny’s
card on the line. Before proceeding with the story, ask students to predict what will happen next.
Activity Two
What sound did characters make after they appeared in the story? Place the collection of animal
noise cards in random order on the same line as the character cards. Prompt students with physical
gestures to coincide with each noise. Have students pair the bird with the appropriate noise.
Activity Three
In most stories and articles, the sequence of events is indicated using signal words. Clip the signal
cards on the yarn and read them for the class. Examples of signal words include:
first
next
after
finally
last
Review understanding sequence by clipping the character and plot cards beneath each signal card in
the order of the story. Try relocating one part of the story under another signal word. How does this
change the story? Reinforce the lesson by adding a sticky note with a number on each card to
demonstrate the order.
Activity Four
Have some fun with the story by asking students to volunteer to tell the story backwards. This would
make a good teaching opportunity for demonstrating cause and effect. For example, if Henny Penny
had never allowed all the other birds to follow her to notify the king that the sky was falling, none of
them would have been eaten by Foxy Loxy and his family.
Activity Five
Divide students into groups with six per group. Each student will wear a character hat. As teacher
reads the story, the appropriate character will stand, say their line (“May I go with you?”), and form a
line around the room with each set of birds following their group’s Henny Penny. As they walk, they
should also use their bird’s gestures. Devise a cave by hanging a bed sheet or a piece of butcher
paper in a corner of the room so Foxy Loxy has a place to take the birds. Teacher can play the role of
king. At the end of the story, students can flip their hats to become baby foxes as they step out of the
cave.
Activity Six
Students will demonstrate their understanding of sequence signal words by pretending to be Mrs.
Foxy Loxy and creating their own recipe for Henny Penny Pie. They may use the sequence cards or
draw their own pictures. Have students recite their recipes for the class and share their illustrations.

By helping students understand the relevance of sequence in storytelling, students will gain an
essential reading skill which will guide their concept of beginning and ending as well as all the steps
in between in all genres of reading. They will recognize the importance of order and how it adds to
meaning, a skill which will help them understand processes in all other subject areas and not just
possess knowledge of plot in a fictional story.
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Kindergarten Curriculum – K2 Drama
Term 1
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Resource 5: Pictures for Interviews Skills Activity (Speaking / Logic and Reasoning):
Choose among the 5 pictures to use with your class.
Picture 1
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Term 1
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Picture 2
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Term 1
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Picture 3
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Picture 4
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Picture 5
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Kindergarten Curriculum – K2 Drama
Term 1
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Resource 7: Song Lyrics and Actions
Note: Song lyrics are in black ink and actions are in red ink.
Sticks Song*
(Tune: Frere Jacques)
Walking, walking (Hold sticks as if you were playing the drums slowly; tap the sticks on the floor once for
each syllable (1 tap for ‘walk’ and 1 for ‘ing’)
Walking, walking (Hold sticks as if you were playing the drums slowly; tap the sticks on the floor once for
each syllable (1 tap for ‘walk’ and 1 for ‘ing’)
Jump, jump, jump (Hold sticks upright and move hands up and then down to the floor)
Jump, jump, jump (Hold sticks upright and move hands up and then down to the floor)
Running, running, running (Hold sticks and tap the sticks on the floor as if you were playing the
drums quickly)
Running, running, running (Hold sticks and tap the sticks on the floor as if you were playing the
drums quickly)
Now lay them down (Lay both sticks down on the floor)
Now lay them down
(Lay both sticks down on the floor)
*Note: It is better to do this song on a hard surface. If the floor in your classroom is carpeted, you may want to
have the children sit at the table and use the table surface instead.
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Kindergarten Curriculum – K2 Drama
Term 1
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Resource 8: Song Lyrics and Actions
Note: Song lyrics are in black ink and actions are in red ink.
Henny Penny Sticks Song*
(Tune: Frere Jacques)
Henny Penny (Hold sticks as if you were playing the drums slowly; tap the sticks on the floor once for each
syllable (1 tap for ‘hen and 1 for ‘ny’)
Henny Penny (Hold sticks as if you were playing the drums slowly; tap the sticks on the floor once for each
syllable (1 tap for ‘hen and 1 for ‘ny’)
Thinks the sky is falling (Point sticks to the sky and shake your hands as they move downwards
toward the floor)
Thinks the sky is falling (Point sticks to the sky and shake your hands as they move downwards
toward the floor)
Running, running, running (Hold sticks and tap the sticks on the floor as if you were playing the
drums quickly)
Running, running, running (Hold sticks and tap the sticks on the floor as if you were playing the
drums quickly)
To tell the king! (Lay both sticks down on the floor and cup your hands around your mouth as you would do
if you were about to shout something to someone far away)
To tell the king! (Keep hands cupped around your mouth)
*Note: It is better to do this song on a hard surface. If the floor in your classroom is carpeted, you may want to
have the children sit at the table and use the table surface instead.
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Kindergarten Curriculum – K2 Drama
Term 1
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