TV on a Rolling Cart

The Potato Custom

From The Electric Company (2009) · 2010

The Potato Custom
28 min2nd3rdReading & Writing (ELA)
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Summary

Jessica is named Junior Ambassador to the planet, Skelecki, but she shockingly insults the Skeleckians when Annie sabotaged Jessica's essay by scrambling her words. Will Annie become the Junior Ambassador, or can Jessica fix everything by offering them Potatoes on Sticks to make amends as their traditions demand. Villain: Annie Words: Ambassador, translate, culture, custom, and insult Like every Electric Company adventure, the story hangs on reading, decoding, and vocabulary under pressure.

Viewer safety

All ages
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Teaching resources

Discussion questions

Discussion

Every Electric Company episode builds its story around wordballs — words the team reads, decodes, and uses under pressure. Watch for the vocabulary the episode leans on and how the characters puzzle words out.

  1. Which words did the Electric Company have to read or decode to solve the problem?
  2. How did a character figure out a word they didn't know at first?
  3. Where could you use one of this episode's words this week?

Quick work-a-long

Vocabulary: decode, wordball, clue, solve.

Try it: Keep a wordball list while you watch — every word the show spotlights goes on the board, and each student picks one to use in a sentence afterward.