Stories About Vowels:
Baby Bentley Bee
(Short E and Long E)
Teacher's Guide Written by
Barri Golbus
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© 2003 Colman Communications
Table of Contents
Program Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Viewer Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Suggested Lesson Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Description of Blackline Masters . . . . . . . .8
Transcript of the Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
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BABY BENTLEY BEE
(SHORT E AND LONG E)
Running Time: 15 minutes
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Intended Audience and Uses
Baby Bentley Bee has been produced as a basic reading instruction program for youngsters in grades K-2. The
program interweaves four lessons on short e and long e
sounds within a story of a little bee who has been enlisted to become a circus ringmaster when his father, the real
ringmaster, comes down with a sore throat. Each lesson
covers the short e or long e sound patterns most commonly taught at the beginning reader level: c-v-c; c-vv; and c-v-v-c.
The program also teaches long and short diacritical
marks.
Stop points are strategically placed after each major concept is presented, allowing you to present review and
reinforcement activities, as well as to introduce activities
for upcoming lessons.
Several viewing strategies may be employed. You may
find is useful to show the program in its entirety, then play
it segment by segment, using individual sections for a
single lesson or multiple lessons, depending on the level
of student comprehension. A final review screening,
again showing the program without stopping, will
undoubtedly help reinforce student understandings.
Program Synopsis
Baby Bentley Bee's father, the ringmaster of the Barnum
and Bailey Bee Circus, has come down with a sore throat.
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Because Baby Bentley Bee has been born with a deep,
rich voice, it is decided that he will take his father's place
until the real ringmaster gets well. But there is a problem.
Baby Bentley Bee cannot read, and one of the duties of
the ringmaster is to read the words juggled by the
Juggling Beesters. So Teacher Bee is called to Bentley
Bee's trailer to teach him how to read words with short e
sounds and long e sounds - the words most favored by
the Juggling Beesters. Teacher Bee teaches Baby
Bentley Bee how to read words with short e sounds, and
is just about to move on to words with long e sounds,
when Barnum and Bailey Bee, the circus owners, come to
say it's time for Baby Bentley Bee to lead the parade.
Baby Bentley Bee leads the parade and the circus begins.
When the Juggling Beesters begin to perform, disaster
strikes. After juggling words with the short e sound - all of
which Baby Bentley Bee announces - they proceed to juggle words with long e sounds. Since Baby Bentley Bee
hasn't learned about those words yet, he is unable to
announce them. He feels terrible, but his parents comfort
him and Teacher Bee returns the next day to teach him all
about words with the long e sound. He learns the lessons
well, and is able to announce all the Juggling Beester's
words at the next performance. In fact, Baby Bentley Bee
does such an outstanding job, he and his father become
a team, and together, announce all the acts and march at
the head of the circus parade. A final stop point occurs,
giving teachers an opportunity to review and reinforce all
the concepts presented in the program.
VIEWER OBJECTIVES
After viewing this video and participating in the suggested activities, viewers should be able to do the following:
1. Recognize long and short diacritical marks.
2. Pronounce the long e sound.
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3. Pronounce the short e sound.
4. Read three-letter words with the short e sound (c-v-c
pattern).
5. Read many four-letter, long e words with the c-v-v-c
pattern.
The producers encourage you to make adaptations and
changes to the following lesson plan whenever you feel it
will enhance your students' learning experiences. Only by
tailoring the material to your unique classroom situation
will you be able to maximize the educational experience
afforded by these materials.
SUGGESTED LESSON PLAN
Introduce the Program
Ask the class if anyone has ever attended a circus. If so,
what acts did they see? What was their favorite act?
Bring in pictures of circuses and discuss the various acts
shown. Discuss with your students why they think circuses have been around for so long. Is it because the circus
performers are so skilled? That they are able to do things
most other people are unable to do? Is it because they
wear colorful and interesting costumes? Tell the class that
they will see a video about a very special kind of circus a bee circus. Has anyone ever heard of a bee circus?
Pre-Viewing Activities
Segment 1
Tell the class that the first part of the program discusses
two sounds that the letter e can make - one is called the
short e sound and the other is called the long e sound.
Explain that you will want everyone to know what those
two sounds are after they see the first part of the program.
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Now, view the first segment, which lasts approximately
three minutes. The conceptual material stressed in the
first segment: the short e and long e sounds and the long
and short diacritical marks.
Post-Viewing Activities
Segment 1
Duplicate and pass out Activity 1. As a class activity,
have your students identify objects with long e and short
e sounds. Objects with the short e sound include the jet
and net. Objects with the long e sound include the cup of
tea, the bee, pea pod and tree. If your students are able,
you may want to have them write tea, jet, bee, pea, tree
and net next to the appropriate picture, then write in the
correct diacritical mark above each e. Have the class pronounce each word. You also may find it helpful to write
the words on the chalkboard.
Pre-Viewing Activities
Segment 2
Before showing the second part of the program, review
the short e and long e sounds. Also discuss the long and
short diacritical marks. Then list the following words on
the chalkboard: pet red, ten, met. Ask your students to
copy the words. Say the words aloud and ask your class
to repeat the words as you point to each word. Ask if the
words have the long e or short e sound. After the students
determine each has the short e sound, note that each
word has three letters and that the "e" is found in the middle of each one. Explain that words have letter patterns,
and the letter pattern of these words is consonant-vowelconsonant. (Discuss the distinction between vowels and
consonants if you haven't covered this concept in previous lessons). Point out that the letter patterns of words
help us find out how words are pronounced. Now place
let, fed and hen on the board. Ask the class if these words
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have the same letter patterns as the previous ones. Then
pronounce the words and ask whether they have the
short e sound. After it has been determined that they do,
tell the class that the next part of the video is about short
e words that have the consonant-vowel-consonant pattern. Now view the second segment, which lasts approximately 3-½ minutes.
Post-Viewing Activities
Segment 2
Duplicate and pass out Activity 2. The purpose of this
exercise is to reinforce recognition of short e words
formed by the c-v-c pattern. Explain to the class that
Teacher Bee needs some help to place some short e
words on her chalkboard. She has a choice of nine
words, seen below the picture, and knows that four of
them are what she's looking for. Either instruct your students to cut out the correct words and paste them on the
"chalkboard" with library paste, or tell them to copy the
correct words onto the board. Once the correct words
(get, Ted, Ben, and net) are glued or written down, have
the class say each word, and then place the short diacritical mark over each e. Before moving on to the third segment of the program, ask the children to name any other
short e, c-v-c words. You may have to give hints such as,
"What do you call an animal that lives with you?"
Pre-Viewing Activities
Segment 3
Before showing the third part of the program, briefly
review your lesson on short e c-v-c words. Then tell the
class that they will now turn their attention to words that
have the long e sound. On the chalkboard, write an e with
the long e diacritical mark over it and say the sound of the
long e. Ask the class if anyone can think of a word that
might have a long e sound in it. Introduce the next seg5
ment by asking the children if they've ever been embarrassed by not knowing something. Could that possibly
happen to Baby Bentley Bee? Show the next segment,
which lasts approximately 4-½ minutes.
Post-Viewing Activities
Segment 3
Duplicate and pass out Activity 3. Tell the class that they
are to pretend that they are the Juggling Beesters'
helpers. One of the jobs of the helpers is to gather the
words to be juggled before each performance. The
Beesters have instructed them, the helpers, to gather all
the long e, c-v-v words from the prop wagon - the place
where the words are stored. A list of the words in the prop
wagon is found beneath the picture of the Beesters.
Have your students select the proper words (bee, tea,
sea) and place them above the Beesters. They can write
the words or cut and paste them. Have your students
place long diacritical marks over each e. After you're
done, have the students say each word at least three
times. As an optional activity, you may have the students
color in the pictures with their crayons.
Pre-Viewing Activities
Segment 4
Begin by briefly reviewing short e words with the c-v-c
pattern and then long e words with the c-v-v pattern, making certain your students' comprehension levels meet
your expectations. Then tell the class that there is another way to make the long e sound in words. Write "sea" on
the chalkboard. Ask for a volunteer to say the word. Now,
write the word two more times and ask the class to add a
consonant at the end, so the word becomes an animal
that swims in the ocean and barks somewhat like a dog.
Tell the class that this animal is often found in circuses
and balances a ball on its nose. Add the letter "l" to the
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word. Next, add the letter "m" to the last "sea" listed.
Pronounce the word and have your class repeat the word
several times. What is a seam? Does anyone know? Tell
the class there are several meanings. One is a mark
made by a fold (you may demonstrate with paper) and
another is what is often found at the bottom of clothing
(you can show a seam at the bottom of someone's clothing). Now, can anyone tell a four-letter word pattern that
makes the long e sound? Tell the class that the next part
of the video tells about 4-letter words that have the long e
sound. The fourth segment lasts approximately two minutes.
Post-Viewing Activities
Segment 4
Write on the chalkboard and discuss the six c-v-v-c words
that appeared in the program. They are peel, feel, heel,
heat, meat, neat. Duplicate and pass out Activity 4.
Instruct your class to find the four lines at the bottom right.
Tell them that all the objects pictured are things that have
the long e sound with the c-v-v-c pattern, except one. Ask
the children to identify the one picture that does not have
the long e sound (the star). Now, have the children write
on the lines the words for the objects that have the long e
sound. Ask them to place the long diacritical mark over
each e. When done, have the children say the words in
unison at least three times. This written portion of this
activity may be done in an individual or group setting.
Pre-Viewing Activities
Segment 5
Redirect the discussion to Baby Bentley Bee's new job.
Now that Baby Bentley knows how to read both short e
and long e words, will he be able to read the words juggled by the Juggling Beesters? Will the audience come
back to see the circus again? Show the final portion of
the video, which lasts approximately three minutes.
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Post-Viewing Activities
Segment 5
Ask the class what they liked best about the story. After
the story has been discussed, pass out Activity 5. Tell the
class that Bentley Sr. and Baby Bentley often practice
reading the Juggling Beesters' words. In this exercise,
the children can help them by separating the short e and
long e words found below the picture. Tell the class that
the four words with the short e sound in them should be
written on the first four lines and those with the long e
sound should be written on the last four lines. Instruct
everyone to place long and short diacritical marks over
the each e. Give the children time to do this activity, or do
it as a class exercise. Discuss the results, emphasizing
the letter patterns found in each word. Have the children
repeat the words in unison at least three times.
DESCRIPTION OF BLACKLINE MASTERS
ACTIVITY 1 - Reinforces an understanding of the long e
and short e sounds, and gives students an opportunity to
review the short and long diacritical marks.
ACTIVITY 2 - Gives students an opportunity to practice
speaking and forming short e words with the c-v-c pattern.
ACTIVITY 3 - Reviews and reinforces student understanding of long e words with the c-v-v pattern.
ACTIVITY 4 - Reinforces student comprehension of long
e words with the c-v-v-c pattern.
ACTIVITY 5 - Reviews and reinforces long e and short e
sounds formed by the patterns discussed in the program.
TRANSCRIPT OF THE VIDEO
The bee circus was coming to the forest, and everyone
was excited!
As the animals gathered around the poster that
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announced its arrival, each breathlessly exclaimed how
wonderful it would be to once again see the bees perform
their daring feats.
Beeman the Great was the favorite of many. How that
tiny insect could make huge, ferocious beasts jump
through burning hoops was a marvel to behold.
Others thought the Flying Beelenderos, whose wings
were tied behind their backs, was the most exciting act in
the circus. Imagine! One slip, and a Beelendero would
tumble downward, more than a hundred feet!
Still others considered the Juggling Beesters the best act
ever! They juggled letters that made words in the air, a
trick that brought cheering crowds to their feet.
But to the bees of the forest, the circus wouldn't be worth
a drop of honey without its handsome and dashing
Ringmaster, Bentley Bee, Sr.
Some bees even fainted at the mere thought of his deep,
mellow voice.
However, at that very moment, Bentley Bee, Sr. was not
at all handsome and dashing. And his voice was far from
deep and mellow.
"Oh, no, I've got a very sore throat!" he said in a raspy
whisper. "How will I ever announce the acts?"
"Oh, my poor, poor Bentley," said his wife, "I don't think
you will -- not with that voice!
"The only thing to be done is to let little Bentley, Jr. take
your place while you're sick."
Well, you probably think that having such a young bee as
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a ringmaster was a very silly idea. But Bentley Bee, Jr.
was no ordinary baby bee.
You see, he was born with his father's deep and mellow
voice. So he could announce circus acts. However, there
was one problem: Baby Bentley Bee could not read, yet.
And Bentley Bee, Sr. always announced the Juggling
Beester's words as they juggled them high above their
heads. Their favorites were words with the "short E"
sound - eh - and the "long E" sound - eee.
FIRST STOP POINT
Well, there was no other choice. Baby Bentley Bee would
have to learn to read, especially words with "short E" and
"long E" sounds so he could announce words for the
Juggling Beesters. And he needed to learn those words
quickly!
So Teacher Bee came to the Bentley Bees' trailer the very
next day, early in the morning. There, she began Baby
Bentley Bee's lessons.
"Now, Baby Bentley Bee," she said, "we'll start with the
'short E' sound. "The 'short E' sounds like this: eh. Eh.
Can you say that?"
In his deep voice, the little bee said, "Eh. Ha ha! That's
easy! Eh," said Baby Bentley Bee once again in his deepest, most beautiful voice.
"Excellent," replied Teacher Bee. Although she was quite
startled at his deep, rich voice, she continued.
"Now, here's the sign we use to show that the 'E sound' is
short.
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"Can you think of any words that have the 'short E' sound
in them?"
"Why, yes! Yes, I can," he answered. "Two of my very
best friends Ned and Ted, have that sound in their name."
It was true. Ned and Ted, two circus musicians who spent
their spare time singing for the circus children, did have
the 'short E' sound in their names. Ned...Ted.
"Wonderful!" exclaimed Teacher Bee.
"The 'E sound' is short - eh - because whenever a threeletter word starts with a consonant (here, 'N' and 'T'), then
has an 'e,' and then ends with a consonant ('d,' here), that
'E' has the short e sound - eh. Ned...Ted.
"What's a consonant?"
"A consonant is every letter of the alphabet except "a,"
"e," "i," "o" and "u," which are vowels.
"Now, here are some other three-letter words that begin
with a consonant... then have an 'E'...and then end in a
consonant. Ten...pen...hen."
"Ten...pen...hen," Baby Bentley Bee repeated, just to
make certain that he knew how to say the words.
After all, he would soon be in the center ring, and he didn't want to make a mistake announcing the Juggling
Beester's words.
Teacher Bee didn't, either, so she continued. "Let's try a
few more.
"Can you read these 'short E' words?"
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"Jet...pet...net."
"That's right!"
"Again, they have the 'short E' sound - eh - because they
start with a consonant, have an 'e' in the middle, and then
end with a consonant."
SECOND STOP POINT
Just as Teacher Bee was about to tell Baby Bentley Bee
about words with the 'long E' sound, the circus owners,
Barnum and Bailey Bee, came to the trailer.
They didn't mean to interrupt, but it was time for the circus parade. And as the temporary ringmaster, Baby
Bentley Bee would have to lead it.
Well, the little Bee felt quite grown up as he led the procession through the forest.
And he loved waving to everyone who had come to see
the performers as they marched toward the circus
grounds.
He wasn't a bit nervous announcing the acts, either, for he
had seen his father do it many times before.
Even though he was a very good performer, and didn't
show it, he did start to worry as it came time for the
Juggling Beesters.
He tried very hard to remember everything Teacher Bee
had taught him about words with the 'short E' sound.
"Watch," he said, "as the amazing Juggling Beesters thrill
you with their world-renowned ability to form, before your
very eyes, the words LET...PET...NET!"
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And it was thrilling - not only to see the letters line up to
form words in mid-air, but also to hear Baby Bentley Bee's
deep, mellow voice tell what they spelled!
But then, something terrible happened! Nobody told the
Juggling Beesters that Baby Bentley Bee knew only 'short
E' words!
So when their letters lined up to form some 'long E' words,
the little ringmaster didn't know what to say. He simply
could not read the words.
Poor Baby Bentley Bee! He was so embarrassed, he just
could not continue. All he wanted to do was find a place
where he could be alone!
Then he felt a warm, soft hand on his shoulder.
"There, there," said Mother Bee. "It's not your fault.
Nobody taught you how 'long E' sounds are made. You
couldn't be expected to know those words."
"Everybody understands," said his father, still quite
hoarse from his sore throat. "Barnum and Bailey Bee
gave out new, free tickets for the next performance.
Everyone will come back, and by then you'll know all
about 'long E' words."
Well, that did make Baby Bentley Bee feel ever so much
better!
So he had a nice bowl of honey for dinner and got a good
night's sleep so he'd be bright and fresh the next morning,
ready to learn about 'long E' words.
"The 'long E' sound is very easy for us bees because it's
the sound in the word 'bee.' Eee.
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"The 'long E' sound says itself - eee - and we can put a
straight line over the long-sounding 'Es' to show that that's
the way they sound: Eee.
"Now, Baby Bentley Bee, the long E sound is found whenever the word starts with consonant, then is followed by
the vowel 'e,' and finally ends with a vowel - in these
words, another 'e': bee...fee. (A 'fee' is what you pay for
something.)
"Now, let's try two more - words that have the vowel e
after the consonant, but end with another vowel, besides
an 'e'."
"Oh, I know what they are!" said Baby Bentley Bee.
"The first is the little round thing we eat, a 'pea.' The second word is what some people drink: tea. Pea...tea.
They have the long 'e' sound - eee…beeeee - because
they start with a consonant, have the vowel 'e' in the middle, and then end with another vowel,
THIRD STOP POINT
Now that Baby Bentley Bee knew how to read three-letter
words with the "long E" sound, Teacher Bee said he was
ready to learn about four-letter words that had the long E
sound.
"These words start with a consonant - 's'...'f'...and 'n' then have two vowels - 'e' and another 'e,' and then they
end in a consonant, 'd.' Seed…feed…need.
"Let's look at three more.
"Can you read them, Baby Bentley Bee?"
When Bentley saw the new words on the chalkboard, he
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became so excited that he rushed up and said, "Why, yes!
I can! Peel...feel...heel!
"They have the 'long E' sound because they start with a
consonant - 'p'…'f'… "h" - have the vowel 'e,' then another vowel, also an 'e.' And then they all end with the consonant, "l." Peel...feel...heel.
"Very good, Baby Bently Bee! Now, let's change the second vowel so the words still begin with a consonant, then
have an 'e', and another vowel (this time an 'a'), and finally end with a consonant. These words still have the 'long
E' sound. "Meat...heat...neat!
"And here are three more. Seal...meal...real. Again, they
have the 'long E' sound because they begin with a consonant, then have two vowels - 'e' and 'a' - and finally end
with a consonant." Seal...meal...real.
FOURTH STOP POINT
Now that he knew about 'long E' and 'short E' words, Baby
Bentley Bee happily readied himself for the show that
afternoon. He was certain that he would be able to read
every word tossed up by the Juggling Beesters.
And he did!
"Pet, seam, net." The words rolled off his tongue as if he
had been saying them for years and years.
This time, Baby Bentley Bee was a hit - a real star.
Everybody instantly forgot his last performance.
In fact, from that day onward, Baby Bentley Bee and his
father became a team. Both led the parade everywhere
the circus went.
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And they shared center ring at every performance.
Because now Baby Bentley Bee knew all about "long E"
and "short E" sounds.
He knew that "short E" sounds are made when a threeletter word begins with a consonant, then has an "e," and
then ends with a consonant. Ten... pen... hen.
He learned that "long E" sounds are made when a threeletter word starts with a consonant, then has an e and
then another vowel at the end. Bee...fee.
Finally, Baby Bentley Bee discovered that when a four-letter word starts and ends with a consonant, and has an "e"
and another vowel between them, the 'E' sound is long.
Meat... heat... neat.
And so for many years to come, the circus continued to
amaze and entertain all the animals of the forest.
FIFTH STOP POINT
Other Programs in the Stories About Vowels Series
Ann's Wonderful Sail
(Short A and Long A)
Iggy Pig's Lid
(Short I and Long I)
Ozzie and the O!Eaters
(Short O and Long O)
Uriah Useless
(Short U and Long U)
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Name ____________________
ACTIVITY 1
To the teacher: Have your students write the words that name the objects, then place the appropriate diacritical mark above each e. For complete instructions, please refer to the teacher's
guide.
Baby Bentley Bee
© 2003 Colman Communications Corp.
Name ____________________
ACTIVITY 2
To the teacher: Have your students write the short e words on Teacher Bee's chalkboard,
then place the short diacritical mark above each e. For complete instructions, please refer
to the teacher's guide.
get
Ben
net
Baby Bentley Bee
seem Ted
not
peel
meal Pete
© 2003 Colman Communications Corp.
Name ____________________
ACTIVITY 3
To the teacher: Have your students write the three long e c-v-v words above the Juggling
Beesters and then write in the long diacritical mark above each e. For complete instructions,
please consult the teacher's guide.
bee Ned Tad
tea
set
peel
red
sea let
Baby Bentley Beel
© 2003 Colman Communications Corp.
Name ____________________
ACTIVITY 4
To the teacher: On the lines provided, have your students write the four long e c-v-v-c words that
tell what is in the pictures. Have the children place a long diacritical mark above each e. For complete instructions, please consult the teacher's guide
Baby Bentley Beel
© 2003 Colman Communications Corp.
Name ____________________
ACTIVITY 5
To the teacher: Have your students separate the four short e and four long e words and then write
them on the provided lines. Have the children place the appropriate diacritical mark above each e.
For complete instructions, please consult the teacher's guide.
bee
team
let
Baby Bentley Bee
pet
den
Ned
meat
heel
© 2003 Colman Communications Corp.