Presentation

  1. 1

    Place a black cow, a brown cow, and a white cow on the farm.

  2. 2

    Write "the cow" and ask the child to bring it. The child is not sure which one.

  3. 3

    Write "the black cow." The child reads it and brings the black cow.

  4. 4

    Say, "The word black tells us which cow. It describes the cow. A word that describes is called an adjective."

  5. 5

    Write more phrases ("the big pig," "the little horse") for the child to read and act on.

  6. 6

    Invite the child to write a phrase for you, and you bring the object.

Extensions, easiest to hardest

  1. Two adjectives in one phrase ("the big brown horse")
  2. Adjectives in the environment (the tall chair, the round table)
  3. Detective Adjective Game: paper triangles in three colors, three sizes, and three types; the child reads a phrase ("the large red right-angled triangle") and finds the one it describes

Control of error

The objects: only one object fits the full phrase; the adult or partner checks.

Ready to move on when the child…

  • Reads adjective phrases and selects the exact object
  • Writes an adjective phrase to describe an object

Try “pink tower”, “tummy”, “diaper”, “grace and courtesy”, or “October”.