Systematic & Engaging Early Literacy
Hen Pen (Sound Blending & Manipulating)
Goal: Students will blend beginning sounds and the –en ending to make words (e.g., /p/ --en).
Target Words: hen, pen, den, ten, men
Materials and Preparation:
 Hen headbands—1 for each student
 –en name cards (e.g., Jen, Ken, Glen)—1 for each student
 Laminated eggs with –en written on them
 Hen Pen sign
 Pencils and paper—1 for each student
 Whiteboard marker
Introduce:
Say, “Have you ever seen a hen? Did you know that a hen lives in a pen? What do you notice about the
words hen and pen? They both end with –en. A hen is really a girl, but today we’ll pretend that hens are girls
or boys. We are going to think of more words that end with –en while we look for –en words in the hen pen.
Playful Practice:
 Give each student a hen headband and an –en name card.
 Have students write the –en name from their name card on their hen headbands. Use the –en names during
the game.
 Play the game, “What Can You Find in the Hen Pen?”
o Put the laminated -en eggs in a pile.
o Have each student take an egg and write a letter before the -en that would make a word.
o When each student has an –en word written on their egg, have students individually take their eggs to
the imaginary hen pen while all students quietly say the chant:
Go to the hen pen!
What’s in the hen pen?
o As students place their eggs in the hen pen, have them say “__en is in the hen pen.”
Ways to Emphasize and Repeat the Target Throughout the Activity:
Comment on Actions and Objects
I’m using a pen to write Jen on my hen.
Ben Hen is counting to ten.
Offer Choices and Turns
Would you prefer to be Jen Hen or Ken Hen?
It’s your turn to find an egg in the hen pen.
Ask Questions
Do you want to be a hen named Ken who lives in a
pen?
Make Playful Statements
Do you want to hear me make a really cool hen
sound? “En, en, en, en, en!”
Wow! Glen the hen can count to ten!
Acknowledge Students’ Responses
Yes, Jen the hen put men in the hen pen.
You did put a ten in the hen pen!
Request Actions
Pretend to be a hen and go to the hen pen.
Review (Read and/or Write About) the Playful Experience:
 Gather the eggs and altogether read the –en words the students wrote on them.
 Write different letters for the students to see. Have the students combine the letter you wrote with the –en
ending to make an –en word. Say each –en word together out loud (e.g., Write the letter Pp on the board
and say pen altogether).
1
BYU David O. McKay School of Education
© 2011 Project SEEL, McKay School of Education, Brigham Young University
Systematic & Engaging Early Literacy
Hen Pen (Sound Blending & Manipulating)
–en Word Eggs: Class Activity
2
BYU David O. McKay School of Education
© 2011 Project SEEL, McKay School of Education, Brigham Young University
Systematic & Engaging Early Literacy
Hen Pen (Sound Blending & Manipulating)
Headbands: Class Activity
Cut out the hen heads and paste each one onto a headband for each student to wear.
3
BYU David O. McKay School of Education
© 2011 Project SEEL, McKay School of Education, Brigham Young University
Systematic & Engaging Early Literacy
Hen Pen (Sound Blending & Manipulating)
Name Cards: Class Activity
Jen
Gwen
Len
Ren
Glen
4
Ben
Ken
Den
Sen
Pren
BYU David O. McKay School of Education
© 2011 Project SEEL, McKay School of Education, Brigham Young University
Systematic & Engaging Early Literacy
Hen Pen (Sound Blending & Manipulating)
Hen Pen Sign: Class Activity
5
BYU David O. McKay School of Education
© 2011 Project SEEL, McKay School of Education, Brigham Young University
Systematic & Engaging Early Literacy
Hen Pen (Sound Blending & Manipulating)
SEEL AT HOME
Playing to Learn
Goal: Blend beginning sounds and the –en ending to make words
(e.g., /p/ --en).
You will need:
Items in folder: hen headband
Items from home: paper, pencil, scissors
Activity: Hen Pen
1. Ask your child if he or she remembers any words from class that end with –en.
2. Have your child wear the hen headband and pretend to be a hen making eggs as you help him or her draw
and cut out ten hen eggs.
3. On five of the eggs write the –en word ending and on the other five write a beginning letter for an –en word
(e.g., pen, den, hen, ten, men).
4. Give the eggs to your child and have him or her finish either the beginning letter on each –en word or the –
en ending on each word.
5. Together read all the –en words that were written on the eggs. Have your child underline the –en ending in
each word.
Remember to be playful and have fun!
The activity can be repeated several times.
© 2012 Project SEEL, McKay School of Education, Brigham Young University
SEEL AT HOME
Playing to Learn
Goal: Blend beginning sounds and the –en ending to make words
(e.g., /p/ --en).
You will need:
Items in folder: hen headband
Items from home: paper, pencil, scissors
Activity: Hen Pen
1. Ask your child if he or she remembers any words from class that end with –en.
2. Have your child wear the hen headband and pretend to be a hen making eggs as you help him or her draw
and cut out ten hen eggs.
3. On five of the eggs write the –en word ending and on the other five write a beginning letter for an –en word
(e.g., pen, den, hen, ten, men).
4. Give the eggs to your child and have him or her finish either the beginning letter on each –en word or the –
en ending on each word.
5. Together read all the –en words that were written on the eggs. Have your child underline the –en ending in
each word.
Remember to be playful and have fun!
The activity can be repeated several times.
© 2012 Project SEEL, McKay School of Education, Brigham Young University
6
BYU David O. McKay School of Education
© 2011 Project SEEL, McKay School of Education, Brigham Young University