Baby Beetles Expert Teacher's Lesson Notes
Book 2 Car
Preparation
Items to prepare
Lesson notes
Car storybook
Word and phrase picture cards
Expert Pupil's Page
Baby Beetles puppets
Baby Beetles toys, reward stickers (optional)
Optional Extras: chalk, Expert Online resource sheet
Key vocabulary
Phrases: My car goes fast! Don’t go too fast! The worm is safe. That’s better! Look out
Nouns: car, worm
Verbs: ride, drive, go, slow down
Other core words: fast, what, ready
Present the new key words with the flashcards: worm
Use a 'hide and uncover' method to present the new words. Sit in a circle and place the new word card face down amongst cards they know such as the roundabout, frog, pond and seesaw from story 1.
Invite volunteers to turn a card over each and to find the new card, worm.
Say the new word and ask the class to repeat it with you. Do an action such as wiggling your body to represent how a worm moves and invite the class to copy you as you all repeat the word.
Ask the class to sit in a circle or where they can all see you and the story on the screen easily.
Lay the picture cards for the key words car and worm out on the floor as a visual prompt.
Set the context, revise the film
Invite the pupils to sit where they can see the screen easily.
Ask the pupils to look for the worms. How many are there? What happens to them?
Show the Car film.
Elicit the names of the four characters, after watching the film.
Show the worm flashcard and elicit the name for it and the answers to your questions above.
Praise everyone
Story time
Click here to go to Storybook 2
Create an atmosphere of excitement and focus around the story with a new phrase that you will repeat in every new story session, so that it becomes a chant and establishes a routine.
Baby Beetles storybook,
It is time to take a look!
Start by showing the first image and allow the pupils a couple of seconds to scan the image and understand the scene from the picture before you start to read.
Note: Consider using the tips outlined in story 1. These are repeated here, adapted for story 2 so that you can see how they will apply to each new story context.
It can be useful to read the story to the pupils in English yourself, so that you can use a slow pace the first reading, pausing whenever you see that you need to in order for the class to follow. If you are not comfortable reading the text yourself, then you can play the narration tracks straight away. However, be prepared to stop and start to keep the pace right for the group.
Point to the images of the characters as you read their names too, so that the pupils start to become aware of the link between the names they hear, the images they see and the symbols that form words in a storybook.
Prepare the monitor screen for showing the story pages. If you have a white board, you can also display the noun flashcards.
Point to the new word flashcards on the board together and repeat their names.
Invite the class to sit where they can see you and the screen easily.
First reading – understanding to engage (key words and story steps)
Read the story highlighting new key words in the following ways:
First read the text for the page/image slowly, clearly and with expression. Allow the pupils to look at the screen picture so that they match the words of the text with the context of the image. Point to the noun images as you read their names in the story to link the sound to the image. Point to the images of the characters as you read their names too, so that the pupils start to become aware of the link between the names they hear, the images they see and the symbols that form words in a storybook.
Read the text on that page again, this time inviting the pupils to join you by pointing to the characters or nouns that are named in the text and appear in the picture. Do gestures to match the words where appropriate.
Move on to the next image and text and repeat the process.
Storytime Tips
Highlight the problem and solution in the story by pointing to the page illustrations where the problem and solution occur or doing a gesture to represent those steps. Here, a problem arises when Zoom is driving too fast and nearly runs over the worm. He slows down and misses the worm, so the Baby Beetles can enjoy their ride in the car again. Pause when the problem arises in the story, so that the children have time to think about it and wonder what will happen. This will make the relief stronger when the worm is safe and the Baby Beetles can drive on. Show the emotions of the scenes in your voice and on your face to help the pupils follow the emotional thread of the storyline. In this story, that is mainly excitement, doubt and relaxed fun.
Second reading – focus to engage
Before you start, give the class a task to do to keep them interested in the story by focusing on one aspect of it. Invite the class to join in with simple but key phrases in the text: My car goes fast! Don’t go too fast! That’s better!
Read the whole story again, this time reading the text on each page only once, so that the progress of the action steps is clear.
Third reading – action to engage
Invite the class to wiggle like worms. Perhaps invite four pupils to hold a puppet each and play the recorded narrator reading the story. Ask the pupils to point to each character as they hear its name read out in the story.
Praise everyone
Song time
Invite the pupils to stand up.
Play the song and invite each pupil to mime driving a car to the music. Perhaps use the actions described in the unit presentation lesson plans and drive around in a circle, miming steering using s steering wheel. If you still have steering wheels made in the film unit, it would be helpful to use them again.
Play the song and allow the pupils to choose how to drive around.
Praise everyone
Expert Pupil's Pages
Item: car, worm, bird
Instructions: cut, stick, say
Invite the pupils to move to the tables, driving like Zoom in his car. Hand out the pupil's page print out for the unit and glue.
Help them to cut off the car, worm and bird picture squares. Demonstrate sticking them on so that the worm is on the grass, the car is on the road and the bird is in the air. Keep the completed sheets ready to use.
Note: If you have a Baby Beetles rug, this unit links the course with the activity of placing the picture mats onto the right environment on the rug (fish in the pond, bird in the sky or on a tree and so on).
Show the pupils how to make the worm appear in the holes revising the words up and down (learnt in Zoom’s Dance song in the film unit).
Praise everyone
Using the page with the story
Each story page is a prop to be used in the classroom to support more play with English. Use the pupil's page for a response activity.
Re‑read the story and invite the pupils to point to their car, bird or worm when they hear its name in the story.
Finish by showing the worm safe and happy on the grass, because the car did not go too fast.
Revise the key words and phrases and say together, That’s better!
Praise everyone.
Game
Invite the class to stand in a circle for an activity.
Invite three volunteers to hold the Zoom puppet, the car flashcard and the worm flashcard.
Revise the phrases from the story My car goes fast! Slow down!
Ask the 'Zoom' and car holder to mime driving around the inside of the circle and lead the class in saying My car goes fast.
Call out the name of the volunteer with the worm card, who then holds up the worm. When this happens, encourage all the pupils in the circle to call out Slow down! If Zoom and the car holder slow down, then the pupil is praised with the phrase from the class That’s better!
Choose new volunteers and the action starts again...
Praise the class.
Note: Invite the class to repeat the full phrase as best they can (just as you would encourage a child to repeat back in the first language). Many children will develop a habit of repeating corrected or completed phrases back after just a few lessons. This will help them to learn and retain whole phrases and new, longer words faster.
Repeat and Extend
Repeat and extend the game played in the previous unit and include the new item, the car. Place the ball, seesaw, roundabout car, frog, bird and garden cards face up on the floor. Invite a pupil to fetch a particular card using the phrase Let’s play and the correct matching preposition:
Say
Let’s play with the … ball/bird/frog/car;
Let’s play on the …seesaw/roundabout;
Let’s play in the ...garden.
After a few actions, use a new stop‑start signal that links the activity to the story. Suddenly say the word pond as a trigger for the class to stand still and mime splashing both hands on the water while saying Splash! This stops play because, as in the story, the ball is 'out of play' when it is in the pond. It has to come back out of the pond for the game to start again.
Re‑start the game by saying Let’s play and then beginning the process again: Let’s play with the … ball/bird/frog and so on.
Variation For a change, make the stop‑start signal word worm instead of pond and mime doing the worm action instead.
Praise everyone.
Catchphrases
Story highlights
Invite the class to join in with some story catch‑phrases.
Ask half the class to be Baby Beetles in cars. Draw a road with the chalk on the floor.
Draw a circular hole with chalk in the middle of the floor and ask the other half of the class to be ‘worms’ and to sit like worms in the circle.
Hold up the Zoom puppet and lead the ‘Zooms’ around the road in saying very slowly My car goes fast!.
Invite the first worm to sit up and say Don’t go too fast! or Slow down! if that is easier for the pupil.
Encourage the Baby Beetles to say to the Zoom puppet That’s better! Continue until all the worms have popped up and perhaps managed to speak.
Praise everyone and swap over the roles so that each pupil gets a chance to be a worm and a Baby Beetle.
Praise everyone at the end too!
Game activity with the new flashcards
Pin five flashcards on the wall or board: worm, car, seesaw, roundabout, frog.
Name them together.
Take one card away and name the remaining cards. Ask what’s missing and elicit the missing image’s name. You can shuffle the images on the board if you need to make the class think harder!
Repeat the activity until only one card is left.
Reverse the game and add the cards back one by one.
Encourage everyone to join in.
Praise everyone.
Note: If you prefer, you can place the cards on the floor in the middle of the circle, but make sure all the pupils can see them equally so that they all feel included.
Re‑telling the story with key‑word focus
Re‑tell the story with the puppets and key‑word flashcards.
Invite four helpers to come to the front and to hold the character puppets.
Invite more helpers to come forward and hold their worms or the car flashcard.
Read the story even more slowly than before, allowing enough time for each pupil to hold up the matching card or character puppet. To keep the whole class engaged, you can pair the pupils so that they prompt each other to match the word they hear with a response.
Remind the character puppet holders that they are all Baby Beetles!
Page and text
What has Zoom got?
Zoom has a car. “Now it is ready!” says Zoom.
“We can all go for a ride in my car!
Zoom sees Ring Ring, “Hello, Ring Ring!” he says, “Let’s go for a ride!” ‘Yes please!” says Ring Ring.
“My car goes fast!” says Zoom. “Don’t go too fast,” says Ring Ring. “Don’t go too fast,” say the worms!
Tick Tock looks. He sees Zoom and Ring Ring in the car!
“Let’s go for a ride!” says Zoom. “Yes, please!” say Tick Tock and Splish Splash.
“My car goes fast!” says Zoom. “Don’t go too fast,” says Tick Tock.
Zoom’s car goes fast! Oh, no! “Look out!” calls Ring Ring. Zoom slows down. The worm is safe! “Phew!” say the Baby Beetles.
My car goes fast - but not too fast!” says Zoom. “That’s better!” say Splish Splash, Ring Ring and Tick Tock. Then they all go for a long ride in Zoom’s car.
Game activity/song
Use the song to help release energy after the craft or seated activities.
If you have rings or discs or the online resources sheet steering wheels, hand these out for pupils to hold as they mime driving to the music. If your class it tired, consider drawing roads with chalk on the floor so that they drive single file and do not bump into each other!
Praise everyone.
Rhyme time with the puppets
Set up all four character puppets or invite four pupils to hold them.
Hold up or point to the puppets and say
Let’s ride
Let’s go
Fast, fast,
Slow, slow.
Hold up or point to the Ring Ring puppet and say
Let’s ride
Let’s go
Fast, fast,
Slow, slow.
Hold up or point to Splish Splash puppet and say
Let’s ride
Let’s go
Fast, fast,
Slow, slow.
Hold up or point to the Tick Tock puppet and say Let’s ride
Let’s go
Fast, fast,
Slow, slow.
Hold up or point to all four puppets and say Let’s ride
Let’s go
Fast, fast,
Slow, slow.
Let’s ride
Let’s go
Fast, fast,
Slow, slow.
Repeat the rhyme with the pupils again. Praise everyone.
If you have time....
Extra resource sheet
Item: Worm holes
Instructions: Colour, cut, push and pull
Invite the pupils to move to the tables, driving like Zoom in his car. Hand out the pupil's page print out for the unit and pencils.
Invite the pupils to colour the worm and the grass.
Help them to cut the holes and cut out the worm, ready to use.
Show the pupils how to make the worm appear in the holes revising the words up and down (learnt in Zoom’s Dance song in the film unit).
Praise everyone
Using the extra resource sheet with the story
Re‑read the story and invite the pupils to lift up their worm when they hear it named in the story.
Finish by showing the worm happily going in and out of its holes because the car did not go too fast.
Revise the key words and phrases and say together, That’s better!
Extend the activity
Put on the Zoom puppet and show that Zoom is holding the car flashcard.
Invite the pupils to sit in a circle and to hold their sheet and worm. If this takes too long, you can let them stay at the tables.
Encourage the pupil to show the worm looking out of a hole.
Let Zoom say the phrase My car goes fast!
Encourage the class to reply Don’t go too fast!
Walk around the class with the puppet and car card and hold it in front of each pupil in turn. Explain to the pupils that the worm must go down into the ground/hole when the car comes past.
Move with Zoom around the class repeating the statement/response activity.
Praise everyone.