Materials
Plastic model of a horse
Velcro strips, cut into 1/4 " (6 mm) square pieces
Piece of poster board approximately as wide and long as the horse model
Smaller pieces of poster board for one-word labels
Small container for the labels
Instructions
1. Before introducing this activity to the children, select the vocabulary you wish to introduce, such as mane, tail, back, neck, foreleg, hoof, etc.
2. Make a small printed label with each vocabulary word and laminate it for long wear. Attach Velcro pieces to the back of the label cards and to the corresponding point on the model horse's body.
3. Make a chart with an outline drawing of a horse and the vocabulary words written on or near the correct body part, mounted on poster board and laminated for long wear.
4. Introduce the model horse and explain that here is a name for each part of a horse's body. Remove the labels from their container and point out that each label word matches a word on the chart. Note that it is not necessary for the child to be able to read the words, only to match them.
5. Using the Velcro patches, attach each label to the point on the horse's body corresponding to the point where the word occurs on the chart, reading each word aloud as you go.
6. Check your work by looking at the chart to see that the words on the horse's body are in the same positions on the chart.
7. Return the labels to their container and invite the children to choose this activity during free-choice time.More to doMore science: After a child has practiced with the chart, ask her if she would like to try to label the model correctly by reading the label words and attaching them without help from the chart. Let the child then use the chart the check her work. * Use models of different animals and introduce different vocabulary. There are excellent models of other farm animals, dinosaurs and human bodies commercially available. * Make copies of your outline drawing with blank lines where the labels should go and let older children write the name of each body part in the correct space after matching the labels to the model.
