The Little Red Hen Worksheets
About Our The Little Red Hen Worksheets
These worksheets are thoughtfully designed, printable educational resources that support the development of core English Language Arts skills in early and developing readers. Each worksheet is centered around the classic folk tale The Little Red Hen, a story known for its strong moral lesson and clear narrative structure. These worksheets feature a grade-appropriate reading passage-either a retelling of the story or a shortened version adapted for instructional use-followed by a mix of multiple-choice, short-answer, and open-response questions.
Teachers can expect a print-and-teach format-no prep necessary. The worksheets are aligned with key language arts objectives such as critical thinking, theme exploration, character analysis, and vocabulary development. In addition to comprehension questions, many worksheets include vocabulary tasks that encourage students to use context clues and make educated guesses about unfamiliar words. Others prompt students to dig deeper into literary elements such as setting, tone, dialogue, conflict, and resolution.
Whether you're looking for a focused activity to support a story unit or need a high-quality resource for substitute plans, these worksheets provide reliable structure and meaningful content that aligns with classroom goals.
Encouraging Thoughtful Reflection and Thematic Understanding
While The Little Red Hen is a relatively simple story in structure, its themes are profound and enduring. These worksheets guide students to explore those themes-hard work, fairness, cooperation, and consequences-in ways that promote real-world reflection and classroom discussion.
Through open-ended questions, students might be asked: Is it fair for the Little Red Hen to eat the bread alone? Should she have shared it anyway? What would you have done in her place? These are not just academic questions; they prompt students to consider personal values, community responsibility, and ethical decision-making.
This thematic richness makes the worksheets ideal for cross-curricular learning. A discussion on fairness might tie into social-emotional learning; a focus on effort and reward might align with character education. These connections help students see that literature is not just about reading stories-it's about learning to navigate the world.
Summary of The Little Red Hen
The Little Red Hen is a traditional folk tale about a hardworking hen who finds a grain of wheat and decides to plant it. As she goes through each step of turning the wheat into bread-planting, harvesting, grinding the wheat, and baking-she asks for help from her friends: a dog, a cat, and a duck. Each time, they all refuse and say, "Not I." So, the Little Red Hen does all the work by herself.
When the bread is finally ready and smells delicious, the other animals want to eat it. But the Little Red Hen says no-since they didn't help with the work, they won't share the reward. She eats the bread herself.
What's the Message of the Story?
This story teaches an important lesson about responsibility, hard work, and fairness. The Little Red Hen shows us that if you want to enjoy a reward, you need to be willing to help and work for it. Her friends had plenty of chances to lend a hand, but they chose not to-so they missed out.
It's also a story about making good choices. The hen didn't get angry or punish her friends-she just made a fair decision based on their actions. It reminds us that effort and teamwork matter, and that it's not fair to expect benefits if you haven't been part of the work.