Image of three different horses running in a grassy field
Shutterstock (Sizes, Field); © Wakr10 | Dreamstime.com (Ranch); iStockPhoto/Getty Images (Training, Mini Horse); Shutterstock.com (Herd)
Background Builder,

Giddyup! Get 4 Horse Facts

You are about to read a true story about a little horse that needed a friend. First, learn four facts about horses.

From the September 2024 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will build background information about horses to prepare for the Big Read-Aloud. 

Featured Skill: Vocabulary, Main Idea,
TEKS Standards
  • Science
    (9) Organisms and environments. The student knows that the living environment is composed of relationships between organisms and the life cycles that occur. The student is expected to: (A) sort and classify living and nonliving things based upon whether they have basic needs and produce offspring. (10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms resemble their parents and have structures and processes that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to: (A) investigate how the external characteristics of an animal are related to where it lives, how it moves, and what it eats.

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1. They come in different sizes.

Some horses are much taller than a person. A mini horse is a very small horse. 

2. Some live on a ranch.

A horse ranch is a place for horses. They run, eat, and sleep there.

3. They are smart.

Horses can be trained for riding. They can understand what you tell them to do. 

Giddyup, horses!

4. Horses need friends.

Horses like to be with other horses. They stay in a herd. That is a group of animals.

Slideshows (1)
Activities (2)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Slideshows (1)
Activities (2) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)

More About the Article

English Language Arts Focus

Key details

Science Focus

Animal behavior

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Implementation

  • Whole group

Pairings and Text Connections

  • In this issue: “Big Read-Aloud: The Lonely Little Horse”
  • From the Storyworks archive: “Picture This!: Giddyup, Horse and Pup!” (February 2024) 
  • Suggested books: The Great Adventures of Dally and Spanky by Francesca Carsen 

Before-Reading Resources

  • Vocabulary slideshow (5 minutes) mini horse, ranch, trained, herd

Suggested Reading Focus

Build background knowledge (20 minutes)

  • Activate children’s background knowledge by asking them where they have seen horses before and what they know about them.
  • Preview the article by pointing out the nonfiction text features. Look at each picture and ask children what they notice.
  • Read the article. Stop to check for comprehension with each of the bolded vocabulary words.
  • Ask students to recall something they learned from the words or pictures in the article. Summarize their learning through discussion or on chart paper.

After-Reading Skills Practice

Skills: Letter recognition; main idea

Text-to-Speech