A favorite fall read-aloud becomes so much more when we bring learning across the curriculum!
The Scarecrow’s Hat by Ken Brown is a delightful story about a determined Chicken who has her eye on Scarecrow’s hat. There’s just one problem! Scarecrow wants a walking stick in exchange, and Chicken doesn’t have one. What follows is a wonderful adventure filled with trades, problem-solving, and a clever ending!
This charming story is the perfect springboard for meaningful literacy learning in Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade.
I’ve updated my Scarecrow’s Hat Book Companion with engaging, differentiated activities and two days of suggested lesson plans that bring reading, writing, vocabulary, math, and creative thinking together.
Let’s Read, Retell, and Sequence!
One of my favorite things about this story is how naturally it lends itself to sequencing and retelling.
Students follow Chicken’s journey as she visits different animals, discovering what each one wants and how every trade brings her closer to getting that special hat.
The resource includes colorful picture cards, character and object matching, story elements, problem and solution activities, beginning-middle-end organizers, and a Somebody–Wanted–But–So–Then retelling activity.
There’s even a mini reader with readers’ theater dialogue to encourage oral reading, fluency, and comprehension!
Vocabulary and Word Work With a Purpose
I love using vocabulary directly from a story to make word work meaningful!
Students explore story words through ABC order, making words, noun and adjective sorting, and descriptive language activities.
What words describe Scarecrow’s hat? How about the soft wool, strong stick, or colorful ribbon?
These simple connections help young learners build vocabulary while strengthening their understanding of the story.
Writing That Connects to Reading
Writing becomes more meaningful when students have something interesting to write about!
Students can retell Chicken’s adventure, share their opinion about whether Scarecrow’s hat made a good nest, or imagine what Scarecrow might see, hear, and feel standing in the field.
Differentiated organizers and writing pages provide support for developing writers while offering opportunities for more independent writing.
A Little Math Along the Way!
Of course, I couldn’t resist adding some math!
Students begin with a fun class poll about whether scarecrows are scary. Sticky-note voting, individual data collection, and differentiated graphing pages make collecting, comparing, and discussing data meaningful.
There’s also a partner subtraction game for additional math practice.
And Just for Fun… Let’s Make a Trade!
What better way to bring the story to life than to let students experience trading?
I’ve included two optional trading games. Students can recreate Chicken’s trading adventure using story-related objects or exchange small classroom treasures.
Along the way, they practice communication, decision-making, cooperation, and understanding that something valuable to one person may not be as valuable to another.
And perhaps the most important lesson? A trade should always be a choice!
Two Days of Learning, So Many Possibilities!
I’ve included two days of suggested lesson plans to help teachers bring everything together without feeling they need to complete every activity.
As always, the lessons are flexible! Choose the activities that best fit your students, use others in literacy centers, or save them for another day.
After 38 years in education, I still believe some of the most meaningful learning happens when we take one wonderful story and connect it to so many areas of the curriculum.
The Scarecrow’s Hat is a perfect example!
Happy Teaching!
Michele
First Grade Hip Hip Hooray
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