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Level 0Week 28ListeningSpeakingVocabulary

The Giant Carrot: tell it with props

A giant carrot, a growing line of helpers and a very small mouse. Children hear the story twice, join in the repeated line, act it with props and then retell it in order.

Ages 4 to 6Pre-CEFR30 minutesChecked 7 November 2026

At a glance

From
Level 0, Little Steps English: Week 28, Growing
Grammar
Plant the seed. It's growing.
Key language
carrot, pull, helper / Heave, ho! / It would not move. / Grandma Ruth, Kofi, Thiri, the dog, the cat, the mouse
Children make
A class retelling with props and a worksheet counting the helpers.
Class size
Works with 10 to 50 children; pair and group steps say how to scale.

Objective

By the end of the lesson children can join in the repeated line of a story, put the helpers in order with props, and say "I pull" in the retelling.

Success criteria for children

  • I can listen to a story.
  • I can say "Heave, ho!" with my friends.
  • I can say who pulled the carrot.

Timing: 30 minutes

MinutesStageWhat happens
0 to 3The seedShow a carrot seed and a toy carrot; talk about growing.
3 to 8Tell the story, first timeTeacher tells the story with the carrot prop; children listen.
8 to 14Tell it again: join inChildren join in the repeated line and name the next helper.
14 to 22Act it with propsSix children are the helpers, the others are the chorus; act the story.
22 to 28Worksheet: the helpersTrace pull, count the helpers and draw the giant carrot.
28 to 30Carrot soup goodbyePretend to eat carrot soup and wave goodbye.

Materials

  • A big orange paper or felt carrot, with a green top
  • Six headbands or name cards: Grandma Ruth, Kofi, Thiri, dog, cat, mouse
  • A rope or long scarf to be the line of pullers
  • One worksheet per child, crayons and pencils
  • Nature flashcards (free, linked from Week 28)
  • Song: The leaves on the trees (free, linked from Week 28)
  • Story: The lucky seed (free, linked from Week 28)

Before the lesson: Make the carrot and prop cards. Practise telling the story without the page, so you can look at the children. The story is our own telling of a traditional cumulative tale about a huge vegetable that a whole line of helpers pulls up (the best-known version is Russian).

Step by step, with teacher talk

0 to 3 minThe seed

  1. Show a seed or a picture of a seed. "A small seed. Plant it. Water it. Wait. It grows."
  2. Children mime planting and growing from a small curl to a big stretch.

3 to 8 minTell the story, first time

  1. Tell the story once with the carrot in your hands. Use big gestures and different voices for each helper.
  2. Say the line "Heave, ho! The carrot would not move" with a big pull, and pause so children can see the repeat.
Teacher talk

"Grandma Ruth pulled. Heave, ho! The carrot would not move."

Concept-check questions
  • Can Grandma Ruth pull it out on her own? (No.) Who comes to help? (Kofi.)

8 to 14 minTell it again: join in

  1. Tell it a second time. Pause before each new helper and let children guess who comes next.
  2. Teach the repeated line and the pull action. Children say "Heave, ho!" every time.
Teacher talk

"Who comes next? Yes! Kofi comes. They pull, pull, pull. Heave, ho!"

14 to 22 minAct it with props

  1. Give out the headbands. Grandma Ruth holds the carrot at the front. Each helper holds the one in front, in order: Grandma Ruth, Kofi, Thiri, dog, cat, mouse.
  2. Everyone says "Heave, ho!" and on the last pull the carrot flies out and everyone falls softly onto mats.
  3. Swap roles and act it again so more children can be the helpers.
Concept-check questions
  • Who is the last helper? (The mouse.) Is the mouse big or small? (Small.)

22 to 28 minWorksheet: the helpers

  1. Count the helpers together on your fingers: six. Children colour six circles.
  2. Children draw the giant carrot and the line of helpers pulling it.

28 to 30 minCarrot soup goodbye

  1. Mime stirring soup, tasting it ("Yum!") and waving goodbye to the helpers.

Differentiation

Support

  • Let children join in only with "Heave, ho!" and the pulling action.
  • Show the helper cards one at a time as each joins the story.
  • Give a shy child the mouse, which has only one action: a small tug.

Stretch

  • Ask "Who is first? Who is last?" and put the cards in order.
  • Add a new helper, such as a bird, and say the line again.
  • Children retell the story to a partner using the prop cards.

Story

An original telling of a traditional cumulative tale. Read aloud with the carrot prop and pull action. Children join in the repeated line.

Story: The Giant Carrot

Grandma Ruth planted a little carrot seed. She watered it. She waited. The carrot grew and grew. It was GIANT.

Grandma Ruth pulled. Heave, ho! The carrot would not move.

Kofi came to help. Kofi pulled Grandma Ruth, and Grandma Ruth pulled the carrot. Heave, ho! The carrot would not move.

Thiri came to help. Thiri pulled Kofi, Kofi pulled Grandma Ruth, and Grandma Ruth pulled the carrot. Heave, ho! The carrot would not move.

The dog came to help, then the cat. Heave, ho! The carrot would not move.

Then a very small mouse came to help. The mouse pulled the cat, the cat pulled the dog, the dog pulled Thiri, Thiri pulled Kofi, Kofi pulled Grandma Ruth, and Grandma Ruth pulled the carrot.

Heave, ho! POP! Out came the giant carrot. Everyone fell down. Then they all had carrot soup.

Questions

  1. What did Grandma Ruth plant?
  2. What happened to the carrot?
  3. Who came to help first?
  4. Who was the last helper?
  5. What did they eat at the end?

Printable worksheet

Prints on its own A4 page. Use Print the worksheet above, or print the whole plan and the worksheet starts on a new page. One copy per child, or one per pair to save paper.

Litlings Free English · Level 0 · Week 28NameDate

The Giant Carrot

A grown-up reads each heading. Trace, count and draw.

1. Trace the word.

pull   carrot

2. How many helpers pulled? Grandma Ruth, Kofi, Thiri, the dog, the cat and the mouse. Colour one circle for each.

3. Draw the giant carrot.

The giant carrot
Free to copy for classroom use.english.litlings.com/lesson-plans/giant-carrot-story-retell-lesson/

Answer key

Story questions

  1. A carrot seed.
  2. It grew and grew and became giant.
  3. Kofi.
  4. The mouse.
  5. Carrot soup.

Worksheet

  • 1: children trace the grey letters.
  • 2: six circles coloured (Grandma Ruth, Kofi, Thiri, dog, cat, mouse). Two circles stay empty.
  • 3: any drawing of a large carrot. Ask "Who is pulling?"

Exit ticket

At the door ask "Who pulled the carrot?" Each child names one helper from the story. Tick: named a helper, copied a friend, not yet.

Homework

Tell the story of the giant carrot to a family member with toys. Say "Heave, ho!" every time.

Teaching this to a whole class?

Litlings lets you plan lessons like this one, set photo and voice homework, and see who needs help. Free for up to 40 pupils.

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