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What the sentence means

This sentence talks about a mother chicken and her babies. It means:

  • The hen (mother chicken) pecks — she pokes or taps the ground with her beak to find food.
  • The chicks (baby chickens) make tiny PEEPs — they make small, high sounds that we spell as "peep."

Words to know

  • Hen – a girl chicken, the mom.
  • Pecks – taps with her beak to get food.
  • Chicks – baby chickens.
  • Tiny – very small.
  • Peeps – little chirping sounds. This is an example of a sound word (onomatopoeia).

Look at the sentence

Write or say it like this: The hen pecks, and the chicks make tiny PEEPs.

Notice two short ideas joined by the word and. The comma makes a tiny pause.

Fun things to do (step by step)

  1. Say the sentence out loud. Try to make the word "PEEP" sound like a little bird: "peep!"
  2. Act it out: pretend your finger is a beak. "Peck" at a soft toy or the floor gently like a hen. Then clap softly for the chicks' "peeps."
  3. Draw a hen and some chicks. Label them "hen" and "chicks." Draw little lines near chicks to show peeping sounds.
  4. Count the words together: clap for each word in the sentence.
  5. Try changing one word: what if the chicks are "loud" instead of "tiny"? Say: "The hen pecks, and the chicks make loud PEEPs." How does that sound different?

Short practice game

Ask a grown-up to say either "hen" or "chicks." If they say "hen," you peck. If they say "chicks," you peep like a baby chick. Take turns!

Have fun reading, drawing, and making little peeps!


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