Zoom: Hiding

Preparation

Film track
Song track
Flashcards
Classroom Poster
Pupil’s Book
Puppets
Reward Stickers

Extras:

• Empty cardboard box or bag x 4
• Soft shapes
• Extra online resources cat image sheet (optional)

Easy Access Unit Theme Summary

In this unit, pupils explore hiding, boo!
The core language is hiding, hide, Boo! I am
The complete unit text is: I am hiding. Hiding, hide… Boo!
Repeated language:

The general learning activities explored in the unit:

• Seeing and being seen
• Actions and responses with others
• Responding with actions to signals
• Excitement of anticipation and fulfilled action

Multi‑sensory theme presentation

Creating context with physical interaction

This unit is about hiding and uncovering.
Note 1: There may be some children in your group that need to be able to see items to understand that they are there. This unit could help them but do not continue to include any children that are distressed by feeling that people or items are disappearing and reappearing.
Note 2: Other children may feel that hiding behind hands but still being visible is not hiding at all! If you have children in the group in that category, use simple ways of making them fully ‘disappear’ such as holding up a large towel or cloth and dropping it for the child to re‑join the group and be visible again.
Note 3: This animation shows the Baby Beetles not only hiding from each other but also hiding from the cat. The cat comes to find them at the end and they surprise it by appearing out of a large chest or box. In your activities, you can use this dual approach too. If pupils are uncomfortable hiding from and surprising each other, use the Baby Beetles puppets as ‘external’ visitors that they can happily hide from and then surprise.

Show the extra Online resources cat sheet
Explain that the Baby Beetles are playing hide and seek. Zoom is leading the game.
Ask the pupils to watch the film and see if they can tell you what happens.
Invite the pupils to sit down to watch the film.
Praise everyone.

Set the audio‑visual context

Watch and listen to the film Hiding

Together, watch the film animation Hiding. Watch the characters hide, and come out to say Boo!
Ask the pupils to tell you (in the home language) what happens in the film. What does the cat do?
Watch the film a second time and, where possible, encourage the pupils to join in and repeat the sound Shshsh! with the song.
Watch for a third time standing up, facing the screen and encourage the pupils to do the action of putting their hands over their faces for hiding and open their hands to shout Boo!
Praise everyone.

Audio activity with the song

Listen and respond

If you have soft shapes such as foam building blocks or beanbags, place these around the room to hide behind. Otherwise, you can use small chairs to crouch down behind if there are not too many children in the group.
Play the song and ask the pupils to move around the room slowly, as if creeping secretly along and to find an object to hide behind when they hear I am hiding.
Please watch the example training film to see how one preschool used this activity successfully.
Let them stand up and call out Boo! when that moment arrives in the song.
Play the song again and this time, add the action of hiding when they hear hiding! Let them look out and say Shshsh! when that moment arrives in the song.
Finally, play the song for a third time and ask them to join in with all the actions.
Praise everyone
Note: Children who cannot walk but who can gesture are invited to put their hands in front of their faces to hide, as above.

Training example

Interaction with the theme

A simple, group activity

Playing in pairs
Place the pupils in pairs but this time sitting one behind the other.
Explain that the child sitting behind can come out and creep around the other person while the music plays but much hide behind their partner when they hear hide.
Play the song and perhaps demonstrate walking and hiding for the children to copy. Play the song from the start again for the pupils to take their parts.
Play the song again and swop over the roles so that the other pupil hides.
Note: This encourages pupils to accept different roles and to cooperate simply by standing or moving. You may find that this is possible even for shy or troubled pupils because it involves limited interaction with the other child.

Praise everyone.

Movement with the song

Actions to music

Ask the children to sit on the floor. Adapt the actions to the pace at which your pupils can respond. Demonstrate how to react to the right text by leading the actions to the music if you are not confident in using the English words in the song.

a) Ask them to hide their faces for I am hiding and uncover their face for Boo Ask them to cover their faces with their hands again for Hiding…hide and uncover their faces. If they can manage to remember aother gesture, show them how to hold the index finger veritcally cross their lips to indicate be quiet as they hear the sound: Shshsh!
The gestures match the points in the text when the action changes from communication with themselves to communication with others. The first part of the phrase each time confirms to the child what he or she is doing.
In the second part of each section of lyrics (Boo! Shshsh!) the child is communicating with those around him or her.
Play the song and do the actions together.

Note: If you would like to add variety, you are welcome to hand out the giant paper hands made in the last unit to hold up in front of their faces for this activity!

b) Divide the class into two groups to emphasise the parts of the song that are about communicating with others.
One group is the Boo! group and the other is the Shshsh! group. Only the Boo! group shouts Boo! and only the Shshsh! group says Shshsh!
Play the song and help them to play the right part when they hear the matching word in the song.

c) Hand out the character flashcards. Invite the pupils to sit on the floor with all four cards and await instruction.
First ask them to hold up Zoom to say Boo! then ask them during the song to hold up Ring Ring to say Shshsh! When the words and music repeat, ask them to hold up Splish Splash to say Boo! and Tick Tock to say Shshsh!

Praise everyone.

Pupil's Book Craft

Activities with the Pupil’s Book page and linked craft ideas

Physical activities with the Pupil’s Book sheet and using general craft ideas. Invite the pupils to sit at tables and hand out colouring pencils or crayons. Have scissors and a pen ready for the teacher to use.

Complete the Baby Beetles Pupil’s Book activity sheet.
Invite the pupils to colour the background and the Baby Beetles in the chest with their arms up.
Help them to fold the ‘lid’ along the dotted line so that they can hide or uncover the Baby Beetles.

Use the sheet. Ask the pupils to fold down the lid so that the Baby Beetles are hiding. Play the song and ask the pupils to lift their ‘lid’ and shout Boo! to show the characters and to match the word that they hear in the song.
Where possible, encourage the pupils to repeat the phrase I am hiding and Boo! during the activity.
Keep the sheet in the pupil’s record folder or choose to allow them to take it home and continue to play with it as they listen to the song.

Praise everyone.

Note: You can play the song in the background if that will help the pupils to focus and remember. Do not play the song if it will distract the pupils from the craft.

Games

Physical play that reinforces the theme

Note: The level of physical involvement in the games will depend on the pupils’ abilities so should be chosen and adapted by the carer to suit.

a) Explore hiding with the character flashcards.
Show the character flashcards and then hide them around the room, but leave part of the card showing, as if by mistake.
Invite volunteers to find the card one card each.
If you feel able to use English, use the format for the second person, he/she, instead of ‘I’:
(Name), Tick Tock is hiding!
As each card is found, all shout Boo!
Repeat until every child has had a chance to volunteer.

**b) Shshsh! ** Set a challenge for which the children need to be very quiet.
Everyone starts the activity by saying Shshsh! If they hear a sound made by the child doing the challenge, they have to say Shshsh! again.
Adapt the choice of activity to the skills of your group. Challenges could include: Move some pencils one by one from the left to the right of the table without making a sound; Move a chair to the corner of the room silently; take a book and put it on a shelf silently or other idea.
Perhaps ask the other children to close their eyes during each challenge, so that they focus on listening.
This activity develops motor skills and listening skills.

Praise everyone.

Puppets and toys

Reinforcing and extending the theme with the help of character puppets

Hand out the character flashcards, puppets, toys or the Online Resource sheet images from unit 1 so that each pupil is a Baby Beetle.
Ask the pupils to remind you what the Baby Beetles sing in the film and try to elicit I am hiding!
Hold up the Zoom puppet then hide him behind your back. Ask what Zoom says he is doing and try to elicit I am hiding again.
Hold up the Zoom puppet with the running card and run on the spot.
Ask what Zoom is doing. This activity aims to try to encourage children’s natural ability to apply grammar and so to say here I am running.
See if you can elicit that from any of the children. Of course, if you can speak to them using some English, say this phrase for them to show them the pattern.
Extend the activity using the flashcards for the actions already covered, so I am running, I am walking, I am hiding, I am jumping, I am clapping.
Use the puppets to help the children to link the English action phrases to themselves. For example, let a pupil hold the Zoom puppet and hide with it when it says I am hiding.

Praise everyone.

Play!

Linking the theme with other interactions

Hiding something.
Note: This activity shows that you can use the word hiding to describe what you are doing with something else, not just with yourself. This activity works better if you can use simple English phrases yourself, but if not, it simply suggests the idea of actions with objects to the pupils.
Place the four puppets in a row and four empty boxes or bags in a row too.
Pick up Zoom and slowly put him in an empty box and close it. If you can, say Shshsh! I am hiding Zoom!
Repeat for the other three puppets.
Now let one puppet peep out of the box or bag and say Boo!
Invite a pupil to do the same for one of the other puppets.
Repeat both the hiding and revealing actions with volunteers.

Alternatively, place the chairs or foam bricks around the room.
Hold up the Zoom puppet and explain that you will play hide and seek.
Play the song and give the children time to hide or help them to hide, even if it is behind their own hands.
Stop the music and let Zoom ‘look’ for the pupils.
Invite each pupil to say Boo! when he or she is found.

Praise everyone.

Play!

Linking the theme with other interactions

Lay a few sheets of plan paper on the floor or a table.
Invite a volunteer to hide the character flashcards and the cards for car and ball, one card under each sheet, while the other pupils close their eyes.
Invite new volunteers to look and see what is under each sheet. All shout Boo! when a card is found and ask the finder to name the item or character on the card.

Praise everyone.