Top 100 Vocabulary Words for Children | Connecting Fence Age 5

CHAPTER 1 OF 19

1. Start with the purpose

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Did you know? A message can be completely clear to a person watching your hand and unclear to someone who arrives later. This one goes there may work with shared pointing. The visitor who cannot see that gesture may need The train picture goes beside the station model. The new work in Age 5 is often making a relationship available to a listener who does not already share the whole scene.

Choose a small museum tour or another familiar example with the same communication job. Ask: What does the visitor need to identify the display? Let the learner show, say, draw or dictate the relevant relationship.

The word index offers one hundred selected models. Choose the word that serves the current purpose, then use its meaning question to inspect the example. Word meanings and short checking prompts recur across ages; the selected models and worked tasks carry the age-specific focus.

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CHAPTER 2 OF 19

2. How to use the information for a listener tasks

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Build a small display with two or three familiar objects. Ask what a visitor would need to recognise each one. A name, a place and one useful feature may be enough. The child can show the object while the adult offers a complete model.

Let a willing visitor try the information. If they ask which object is meant, name an identifying feature. Do not add several unrelated descriptions. The clarification succeeds when both people are discussing the intended object.

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CHAPTER 3 OF 19

3. Observe the contribution and the support

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For this guide, use the question: What does the visitor need to identify the display? Record the actual response, whether spoken, drawn, demonstrated or recorded with help. A supported answer and an independent written account are different observations.

Keep the materials from a small museum tour available when discussing the response. Note which reference, example or condition needed clarification. Do not turn one successful exchange into a claim of general mastery.

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CHAPTER 4 OF 19

4. Linking information, reasons, conditions and time

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Word	Meaning in these models
and	adds related information; addition alone does not establish a cause
but	marks a contrast between the connected statements
or	offers alternatives; the situation determines whether one or several options are possible
because	introduces a reason or cause that should be known or explicitly qualified
so	links a situation with a result or chosen response
if	introduces a condition or possibility rather than asserting that it has occurred
when	connects an event with its time or occasion, or asks about time
while	links overlapping events or contrasts information, according to the sentence
before	places an event earlier than another reference event
after	places an event later than another reference event

1. and

Selected model. The museum has pictures and models that help visitors understand the town.

Meaning check. What information is added? Does the sentence claim a cause, or only connect details?

Another context. We checked the map and chose our first stop.

Arrange a pretend museum shelf with a drawing of a street and a model of a bus. A visitor asks what they can see. The guide might say, “There are pictures and models.” That answer names two kinds of exhibit. To make the description more useful, add what belongs to each kind: “The pictures show the street, and the models show the vehicles.” The listener now knows where to look for a particular detail. Let the child decide whether showing the objects communicates the distinction more easily than speaking.

For a second attempt, remove the model bus and leave only the drawing. The earlier description no longer fits. Revise the sentence together instead of repeating it from memory. Notice that and adds information; it does not explain why the bus was removed. A reason would need another piece of information that the activity actually supplies.

2. but

Selected model. The bridge holds the toy van, but the wide bus cannot pass between its sides.

Meaning check. Which two facts or views are being contrasted? Can both remain true?

Another context. I like your ending, but I have another idea.

Make a bridge from a sturdy piece of card supported at both ends. Choose two toy vehicles with visibly different widths. Check that each can be handled comfortably before beginning. The narrower vehicle passes between the sides; the wider one does not. “The bridge is strong, but the bus is too wide for this opening” keeps two different findings in the description. A bridge can support a vehicle’s weight and still have an unsuitable entrance.

Ask a visitor which feature needs changing for the wider bus. They might widen the opening, choose another route or select a narrower vehicle. Do not accept “the bridge is bad” as the only conclusion when the actual finding concerns width. On another day, compare two books: one has the picture wanted, but its print is small. The contrast should explain a choice without turning every preference into a fault.

3. or

Selected model. We can repair the torn sign with tape or make a replacement from another sheet.

Meaning check. What alternatives are available? Is a choice between them actually necessary?

Another context. Would you like to be the visitor or the guide?

The museum sign has torn at one corner. Place tape and a spare sheet beside it. Explain that either repairing the sign or making another one is possible. “We can repair this sign or make a replacement” offers two practical routes towards the same purpose. Let the child inspect whether the torn part contains important information. A small tear outside the arrow may need little work; a missing destination may require rewriting.

If the child proposes repairing it now and replacing it later, consider that combined plan. Ordinary or does not always forbid both actions. Where a real limit exists, state it: perhaps there is time for only one task before the pretend visitors arrive. A useful response selects an available option or offers another workable one. Repeating the two alternatives without any opportunity to influence the outcome gives less information about meaningful use.

4. because

Selected model. The visitor stopped because the sign did not show which path led to the garden.

Meaning check. Which reason is stated? What would make it known rather than guessed?

Another context. We used a wider tray because the model needed more room.

Put a sign beside a fork in a drawn path, with the word garden but no arrow. Let a willing partner move a toy visitor and say where they become uncertain. If they stop at the fork, the guide can report, “The visitor stopped because the sign did not show which path to take.” Both the stopping place and the missing direction are available to inspect. Add an arrow and let the visitor try again.

Keep the explanation close to the evidence. The activity supports a claim about this visitor’s stated difficulty, not a guess that every visitor dislikes the sign. If the partner says they stopped to admire a picture, use that reason instead. A child may show the missing arrow before finding words for the explanation. An adult can connect that gesture with a sentence while leaving the child’s intended reason intact.

5. so

Selected model. The path is blocked by the toy lorry, so the visitors will walk around the garden.

Meaning check. Which result or response follows? Was that response the only possible choice?

Another context. The label was missing, so we asked the guide.

Place a toy delivery lorry across the direct route to an exhibit. The visitor needs a way to continue. “The path is blocked, so we will go around the garden” connects the obstacle with one chosen response. Move the visitor along the alternative route and check that it actually reaches the display. If it ends at a wall, the proposed response needs revising even though the sentence sounded complete.

Explore another possible response by moving the lorry or opening a different entrance. This shows why so can introduce a practical decision rather than an unavoidable physical result. The obstacle does not force everyone to choose the same route. When reviewing the activity, name what was observed and what was decided: a blocked path was the situation; walking around it was the plan. Accept a short explanation supported by the map rather than asking for a longer sentence solely to practise the connector.

6. if

Selected model. If the visitor cannot find the entrance, we can add an arrow to the sign.

Meaning check. What condition is proposed? Has it actually occurred in this account?

Another context. We can make another room if there is enough space.

Draw a museum entrance with two possible signs. Ask a visitor to try the first one before deciding whether to change it. The guide’s plan is, “If the visitor cannot find the entrance, we can add an arrow.” Keep a spare arrow available, but do not attach it automatically. The condition matters because the visitor’s experience determines whether this particular repair is useful.

Run two short versions if the child enjoys the activity. In one, the entrance is easy to recognise; in the other, a screen hides it. Discuss what changed without requiring a formal account of hypothetical reasoning. If the visitor finds both entrances, another task may be more useful than manufacturing failure. Later, use an optional room extension: “If we want a painting corner, we will need space for a table.” The child can decline the extension. The language should describe a genuine possibility, with help available whichever option is chosen.

7. when

Selected model. The guide explains the first display when the visitors gather beside the entrance.

Meaning check. Which event supplies the time reference? Would the message change if it happened later?

Another context. Tell me when the next picture is ready.

Agree on a visible starting event for the tour: the visitors gather beside the entrance. The guide begins speaking when the group is there. Move two toy visitors separately, so one arrives before the other. Ask what signal will make the start clear. The child might choose both visitors reaching the mat or a visitor asking to begin. Record that chosen event in the adult model.

Now change the story so the visitors pause at a picture before reaching the mat. The guide can wait or agree on another start. This helps keep when tied to an event rather than an unexplained command to wait. In a real shared activity, “Tell me when the next picture is ready” invites the child to signal readiness through speech, showing or another familiar response. Respond to the signal so the phrase has a dependable purpose beyond the example sentence.

8. while

Selected model. I will write the labels while you arrange the large models on the low table.

Meaning check. Are actions overlapping, or is information being contrasted in this particular model?

Another context. The visitor waited while the guide found the map.

Give the museum project two manageable jobs: arranging models and writing labels. The adult can write while the child arranges. Begin both actions, then describe their overlap: “I am writing the labels while you put the models on the table.” Neither person needs to do both jobs. The sentence helps coordinate shared work by explaining what is happening during the same period.

Compare this with finishing all the labels before arranging anything. Lay out two simple pictures if a visible record helps. While fits the overlapping version; then may fit the successive version. Do not make simultaneous activity an attention test by demanding that a child listen to an elaborate explanation during a difficult construction. Pause and review afterwards. A useful response may be pointing to the picture that shows both people working at once. On another occasion, describe a visitor waiting while the guide looks for a map.

9. before

Selected model. We check that the toy visitors can reach every display before opening the museum.

Meaning check. Which event comes earlier? Show the event order without relying only on sentence order.

Another context. The guide arrived before the first visitor.

The pretend museum is nearly ready to open. Give the inspection a practical purpose: check that a toy visitor can reach the displays. Walk the visitor along the route before bringing in the rest of the group. If a large model blocks the entrance, move it or change the path. “We check the route before opening the museum” now refers to an action that affects what happens next.

Retell the same order in two forms: “We checked the route before the visitors arrived” and “Before the visitors arrived, we checked the route.” Act out the order rather than relying on the first words heard. The event sequence stays the same even though the sentence begins differently. If that comparison is demanding, return to a simple two-picture record. It is the earlier relationship that matters here, not independent reading or the ability to hold several spoken instructions in memory.

10. after

Selected model. We changed the sign after the visitor asked which path led to the bridge.

Meaning check. Which event has already happened at the reference point? Is the interval specified?

Another context. The guide tidied the models after the tour.

Keep the original unclear sign after a visitor asks which way to go. Make the revised version on another small card. The two cards preserve the history: a question came first, and a change followed. “We added the arrow after the visitor asked” explains the order without claiming that the change happened immediately. The child can place a question picture beside the first card and an arrow picture beside the second.

Try a different sequence in pretend play: the guide changes the sign before anyone arrives. That version may also be sensible, but it reports a different history. Ask which version matches the event just played. If memory is uncertain, use the saved materials rather than press for a confident answer. In daily conversation, after should name a recognisable reference event. It does not by itself tell a listener how long an interval will be, so add practical timing information when the listener needs it.

Apply this group

Use “The museum has pictures and models that help visitors understand the town.” as one starting example for a small museum tour. What does the visitor need to identify the display?

Compare it with “We changed the sign after the visitor asked which path led to the bridge.”. Identify the different job of the connecting word, then select the model that serves your current message. The two sentences are examples to discuss, not a script to recite.

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CHAPTER 5 OF 19

5. Ordering events and locating them in the day

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Word	Meaning in these models
first	identifies the beginning item, event or step in a specified order
next	identifies what follows from the current point in an order
then	introduces a following event or stage; sequence alone does not prove cause
finally	marks the ending stage in the current account
now	refers to the current moment or the present state of understanding
later	refers to a time after the current reference point
yesterday	refers to the day immediately before the current day
today	refers to the current day
tomorrow	refers to the day immediately after the current day
soon	refers to a short but unspecified interval, best supported by a clear cue

11. first

Selected model. First we choose what to show, then we decide which information a visitor needs.

Meaning check. What sequence is being discussed? Identify its actual beginning.

Another context. The train display is first on our route.

Offer three possible opening exhibits and let the child choose the first stop for the tour. Explain the sequence being discussed: first means the beginning of this visit, not the oldest object or the favourite display. A visitor who starts at another door may encounter a different first exhibit. Put a starting marker on each route so the reference is visible.

Invite a short guide instruction such as, “First, look at the model beside the entrance.” Then follow it and ask what becomes possible next. If the child wants to begin with a story instead, that can be the first event in a revised plan. Keep a distinction between choosing an order and reporting one that already happened. A recording of the completed tour needs to match its actual beginning. The child can use a gesture or arrange pictures to supply that information while an adult records the sentence.

12. next

Selected model. The garden display is next, so the guide points towards the door beside it.

Meaning check. From which current point does the following step count as next?

Another context. Who would like the next turn as guide?

Pause a toy visitor halfway through a three-stop route. Ask which display comes next from that position. Moving the visitor back to the entrance changes the answer. This gives next a reference point that a listener can inspect. A card labelled next without any current position is less useful, because several answers might fit depending on where the tour has reached.

Write or dictate a short sequence of directions and try them one instruction at a time. If “Go to the next table” is unclear because two tables are nearby, add the missing reference: “After the bridge model, go to the table with the town pictures.” The longer version earns its length by resolving an actual ambiguity. On another day, next can concern a turn in a shared drawing activity rather than a physical route. Identify whose turn is happening now before naming the next contribution.

13. then

Selected model. The guide checked the visitor's ticket, then opened the gate to the model town.

Meaning check. What order is stated? Is a causal relationship separately supported?

Another context. We drew the route, then tried it with a toy.

Act out a tiny museum visit with two events: the visitor studies a model, then asks the guide a question. Make a two-picture record. The account “She looked at the bridge, then asked how it was made” supplies an order that can be checked against the play. It need not establish that looking at the bridge was the only cause of the question.

Reverse the pictures and invent a different visit in which the question comes before the inspection. Discuss what the listener would imagine in each version. The words may be familiar while the relationship changes. If the child uses and for both events, an adult can offer then when their intended order is useful to the listener. Keep the choice connected to that communication purpose. A short spoken account accompanied by the ordered pictures may be clearer than an expanded sentence with an uncertain sequence.

14. finally

Selected model. Finally the visitors return to the entrance and choose their favourite display.

Meaning check. What ends here? Is this the end of the account or of the entire activity?

Another context. Finally we read the labels back together.

Choose an endpoint for one short tour, such as returning the map to the entrance basket. “Finally, we put the map back” closes the account of that visit. It does not mean the museum closes, every visitor leaves or no one will ever use the map again. Naming the particular sequence prevents the ending word from claiming more than the story supplies.

Make a second account that ends with choosing a favourite display. Both can use finally if they concern different planned sequences. Ask what the listener needs to know has finished. For a making activity, the final described step might be displaying the sign even though tidying follows later. An adult can model, “Finally, the sign was ready to use. After that, we put the spare paper away.” This separates the completion of the project from the end of every related action.

15. now

Selected model. We are checking the labels now; the visitors can start their tour afterwards.

Meaning check. Which present moment or current understanding supplies the reference?

Another context. I can hear your explanation now.

Take a quick picture or draw a simple record of the display before changing it. Move the model bus to another shelf. “The bus is on the low shelf now” tells a visitor which arrangement is current. The old picture gives the contrast a purpose: a visitor using it might look in the wrong place. Add a note or update the drawing so the guide remains useful.

Now can also introduce a revised understanding: “Now I see which model you mean.” Use that model when clarification has actually occurred. It should not announce agreement merely because the adult has finished speaking. Ask the listener to identify the intended exhibit or show where they will go. Their response can reveal whether the reference became clearer. Later, revisit the display and describe its new current state; the word’s reference moves with the speaking moment.

16. later

Selected model. We can add the second room later, after we have tried the first short tour.

Meaning check. What familiar event or record helps identify the later time?

Another context. I will ask about that picture later, when you finish drawing.

The child wants to add a second gallery, but the current activity is labelling the first one. If returning to the extension is possible, connect later with an observable event: “We can look at the second gallery after these two labels are ready.” The event helps the child and adult share the intended timing. If there is no plan to return, do not use later as an indefinite substitute for explaining that limit.

In a pretend visitor diary, later can distinguish the afternoon visit from the morning one without specifying an exact time. Place the two scenes in order and identify what changed between them. The child does not need clock knowledge to contribute that relationship. Compare a useful record, “Later, the visitor returned to see the paintings,” with an unclear one that never names who returned or what they did. Timing words help organise information; they do not replace the information itself.

17. yesterday

Selected model. Yesterday we made the model bridge; today we are writing a label about its route.

Meaning check. Does this refer to the preceding day, or is another past reference needed?

Another context. The visitor chose a different display yesterday.

Use yesterday only with a real reference to the day before the conversation, or within a clearly dated story. If the museum was made several days ago, call it an earlier visit instead. An adult can point to a simple calendar record or photograph and say, “Yesterday we made the entrance sign; today we are adding labels.” The contrast connects two known events without turning the activity into a calendar quiz.

Imagine reading that sentence aloud again on another day. It no longer refers to the same date unless it remains part of a quoted diary entry. Explain this practically by adding a date to the saved page. A listener who was absent can then understand when the event occurred. If the child remembers a different day, check the record together. Correcting the time reference is a shared information task, not a reason to dismiss their memory of the activity.

18. today

Selected model. Today we are making a visitor guide for the model town we built earlier.

Meaning check. Which current day or dated record is meant?

Another context. Which display would you like to explain today?

Start a brief project note with what the group is actually doing today. “Today we are showing the street pictures” is useful when yesterday’s display had only vehicle models. Let the child choose a picture or dictate the event while the adult records the date. The sentence reports this day’s activity; it does not create a requirement to complete a fixed amount before the day ends.

Compare a current plan with the completed event. In the morning, “Today we will add a garden” describes an intention. At the end of the activity, “Today we added a garden path” reports what happened, if it did happen. If the plan changed, the record should change too. Keep both versions when discussing the difference helps. A child can show the finished arrangement instead of producing a complete tense contrast. The adult supplies a clear model grounded in what is available to see.

19. tomorrow

Selected model. Tomorrow we may try another tour if the model is still available and we want to continue.

Meaning check. Is the next-day plan certain, conditional or only hoped for?

Another context. We plan to show the pictures tomorrow.

Suppose a willing family member is expected to visit the pretend museum the next day. Make a small invitation that gives the relevant information. “Tomorrow you can see our model town” refers to the day following the writing or speaking moment. Add the actual date when the invitation may be read later. The date prevents tomorrow from shifting each time someone picks up the card.

Separate the expected visit from the child’s wishes. “I want to show the town tomorrow” remains true as a preference even if the visitor cannot come. “The visitor will come tomorrow” needs a dependable arrangement before an adult presents it as settled. If plans change, explain the change rather than asking the child to maintain yesterday’s sentence. A picture of the intended visitor and a simple dated note can support understanding without requiring the child to read the invitation independently.

20. soon

Selected model. The tour will finish soon, after the visitors see this last display.

Meaning check. What observable endpoint makes the imprecise interval easier to anticipate?

Another context. We will put the models away soon, after this turn.

A guide says the tour will begin soon while the last label is being attached. The waiting visitor needs more than an open-ended word if the delay matters to them. Add a visible endpoint: “We will start when this label is on the table.” Let the visitor watch, choose another small activity or decide not to wait. Soon becomes part of a helpful message rather than an instruction to tolerate an unexplained interval.

Try a pretend scene in which the preparation takes longer than expected. The guide can update the message: “The label needs another piece of tape; we are not ready yet.” This models honest repair when an earlier expectation changes. Do not attach an exact number of minutes unless it is known and useful. The teaching point is that soon is approximate, and the listener may need a clearer reference. Another successful response may be asking, “After which job?”

Apply this group

Use “First we choose what to show, then we decide which information a visitor needs.” as one starting example for a small museum tour. What does the visitor need to identify the display?

Compare it with “The tour will finish soon, after the visitors see this last display.”. Identify the different job of the connecting word, then select the model that serves your current message. The two sentences are examples to discuss, not a script to recite.

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CHAPTER 6 OF 19

6. Questions, ownership questions and checking uncertainty

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Word	Meaning in these models
who	asks about a person or introduces identifying information about a person
what	asks for or identifies information about a thing, action, event or idea
where	asks about or identifies a place, position or area of application
which	selects or identifies an option from a recoverable set
why	asks for a reason or cause; an answer may remain uncertain
how	asks about method, manner, degree or the way information connects
whose	asks about or identifies ownership, association or authorship
whether	introduces uncertainty or alternatives about a possibility
question	an inquiry that requests information, clarification or consideration
answer	a response that addresses an inquiry; it can be limited or uncertain

21. who

Selected model. Who made this display, and what would they like the visitor to notice?

Meaning check. Which participant needs identifying before the rest of the message can be followed?

Another context. The child who made the map can tell us about its path.

Prepare two roles for a pretend visit: a person who made the model and a person who guides visitors. They need not be the same person. When a visitor asks, “Who built this bridge?” the answer should identify the maker, not automatically name whoever is speaking. Use familiar character pictures or participants who have agreed to take part, so the identity question has an answer the group can know.

Now ask, “Who can show us the entrance?” A different person may be suitable. The two questions request different relationships even though both begin with who. Let the child indicate the person, pass them a role card or dictate a name. If the maker is unknown, “We do not know who made it” is an accurate answer. Do not invent an attribution to keep the exchange flowing. Later, include the known maker’s name on a label so another visitor can find it without asking.

22. what

Selected model. What does this model show that a visitor might not notice at first?

Meaning check. What kind of information does the question request: an event, object, idea or change?

Another context. What changed after we tried the route?

A visitor faces a covered exhibit and asks, “What is under the cloth?” Once the cloth is lifted, naming the object answers that question. A second question, “What happened to the sign?” asks about an event rather than an object. Show the torn corner and any record of the repair. The listener needs information of a different kind, so repeating the sign’s name would not be enough.

Offer the child an opportunity to ask a useful what question about something they have not yet seen. Answer it plainly instead of turning every question back into a test. If the question is broad, clarify the information wanted: “Do you mean what it is called or what we used it for?” This gives a practical model of repairing uncertainty. A gesture towards the exhibit can support the question while the adult supplies any words the listener needs.

23. where

Selected model. Where should the visitor begin so the arrows make sense?

Meaning check. Is this a physical place, a textual position or the scope of a statement?

Another context. Where did the guide put the spare map?

Hide a familiar model within the pretend gallery, with the child’s agreement, and ask a visitor to find it using a spoken description. “It is beside the garden picture” may be sufficient if there is only one such picture. If two pictures fit, the guide needs another reference. Where asks for a location the listener can use, not merely any sentence containing a place word.

Extend the idea gently to a printed guide. “Where does the map show the entrance?” concerns a position on a representation. Let the child point to that position and compare it with the physical entrance. The map and the room need not share the same viewpoint, so rotate or label the map when helpful. A wrong turn may reveal an unclear representation rather than a missing word meaning. Revise the guide so its references work for the intended visitor.

24. which

Selected model. Which label explains the bridge rather than the station beside it?

Meaning check. What set of options and selection criterion does the listener need?

Another context. Which route would you choose for a shorter visit?

Place two model buses on a shelf and ask, “Which bus goes with this street picture?” Both objects are buses, so their shared name does not identify the intended one. Add a visible selection feature, such as the number shown in the picture or a matching sign. The question asks the listener to select from a known set using relevant information.

Keep the criterion open when the question concerns preference: “Which bus would you like to include?” Here either choice can be valid. Do not quietly replace a preference question with a hidden matching test. If the child chooses an unexpected bus, ask about the connection they intend before assuming an error. They may be inventing a different town scene. A successful guide helps the visitor understand that chosen connection. On a later occasion, use which for two possible tour routes and state whether the purpose is shortest distance, a particular exhibit or personal choice.

25. why

Selected model. Why did the visitor turn back after reaching the blocked path?

Meaning check. Can the reason be checked, or should the account explicitly remain uncertain?

Another context. Why did you choose this display for the entrance?

Ask why a sign was moved only when the person who moved it can contribute or the activity provides another reliable explanation. The child might say that a tall model covered the arrow. Inspect the visitor’s view and see whether the new position resolves that problem. “We moved it so the arrow could be seen” is then a practical account grounded in the arrangement.

If no one knows why an earlier maker chose a colour, keep the uncertainty: “We do not know; perhaps they liked it.” Clearly mark perhaps as a possibility. A why question can invite a reason, but it does not create evidence about another person’s intentions. For a preference such as a favourite picture, accept a brief personal answer without demanding an elaborate justification. The exchange should make the guide more informative while leaving room for uncertainty and ordinary taste.

26. how

Selected model. How does this model show the train going across the river?

Meaning check. Would showing the method answer the question more clearly than adding another sentence?

Another context. How could we make the entrance easier to find?

A visitor asks how the bridge model stays upright. The guide can show its supports rather than describe every material used. Place one support at each end and demonstrate the arrangement with a suitable lightweight model. An adult might say, “The two supports hold up the card.” The answer concerns a method or arrangement, so a list of colours would miss the question.

Use a second how question about communication: “How could we help the visitor find this model?” Possible responses include a clearer sign, a map or walking with the visitor. Try one and observe what it contributes. Keep these uses connected to their actual questions; how does not always request the same kind of answer. A child who demonstrates a route has answered through action even if the adult records the accompanying sentence. Later, let the child ask how an unfamiliar but manageable part of the display was made.

27. whose

Selected model. Whose explanation is on this card beside the model bridge?

Meaning check. Who owns or contributed the material? Is attribution known or merely assumed?

Another context. Whose map should we ask permission to display?

Two participants contribute drawings to the museum, and the pictures are displayed together. A visitor asks, “Whose drawing is this?” Use the known contribution to answer, with the maker’s preferred name if appropriate. The question concerns attribution. It should not be answered by whoever happens to hold the picture or stand nearest to it at the time.

Now borrow a picture book for the display. Its owner and the person who drew its illustrations may be different people. An adult can explain that distinction in ordinary language: “This book belongs to us, but the pictures were made by the illustrator named here.” There is no need to introduce a formal publishing lesson. The useful point is to check which relationship the question concerns. When ownership or authorship is uncertain, ask rather than guess. A label can record a known contribution without turning a shared activity into a competition over credit.

28. whether

Selected model. We can check whether the arrows help a visitor find the garden without extra pointing.

Meaning check. Which possibility is unresolved? What information could help settle it?

Another context. I have not decided whether to draw or use the model.

The group has not decided whether to put the garden model inside the main gallery or beside it. Make both options visible and leave the decision open while checking space. “We are finding out whether the model fits here” signals an unresolved question. Try the actual arrangement with suitable materials; do not announce a result before the check supplies it.

Compare “We know that it fits” with “We are checking whether it fits.” The sentences differ in what is settled, even if the objects are unchanged. A child can show this by placing a question card beside the untested space and removing it after the fit has been checked. Avoid using the card as a compulsory symbol exercise; plain conversation can do the same job. Later, use whether when a visitor has not yet chosen a route. Record the eventual choice only after the person makes it.

29. question

Selected model. The visitor has a question about how the train reaches the other side.

Meaning check. What information gap gives the inquiry its purpose?

Another context. Your question helped us notice the missing label.

Give a visitor a guide with one deliberately omitted detail, such as the model’s location. Ask what they still need to know to use it. “Where is the bridge?” is a question with a practical information gap. Adding a question mark to an unrelated sentence would not serve the same purpose. Let the child choose whether to answer verbally, point to the map or lead the visitor there.

Keep genuine curiosity available too. A child may ask how the real bridge in a picture was built, and the adult may not know. Say so and agree on a suitable way to find out later if the question remains interesting. Not every question needs an immediate answer or a worksheet response. Save one useful inquiry on a small project note. On returning to it, check whether the information found actually addresses that inquiry instead of treating any new fact as its completion.

30. answer

Selected model. The guide can answer the visitor's question by moving the train along the track.

Meaning check. Which part of the inquiry does the response address, and what does it leave open?

Another context. We changed our answer after trying the wider bridge.

Start with a visitor’s clear question: “Which path reaches the garden?” Offer two possible responses, “The garden is lovely” and “Take the path beside the blue house.” Both say something about the visit, but only the second supplies a usable route. Let the visitor follow the proposed answer to check whether it reaches the intended place.

If the visitor asks a different question, a different answer may be useful. “What do you like about the garden?” invites a personal response, not directions. This helps distinguish an answer from a sentence that merely shares a topic word. The child can ask for the question to be repeated or clarified before responding. An adult can model, “Are you asking where it is or what is inside it?” A useful exchange ends with the listener’s information need better addressed, not necessarily with the longest or most polished possible sentence.

Apply this group

Use “Who made this display, and what would they like the visitor to notice?” as one starting example for a small museum tour. What does the visitor need to identify the display?

Compare it with “The guide can answer the visitor's question by moving the train along the track.”. Identify the different job of the connecting word, then select the model that serves your current message. The two sentences are examples to discuss, not a script to recite.

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CHAPTER 7 OF 19

7. Keeping objects, ideas and groups identifiable

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Word	Meaning in these models
this	identifies one currently focused item or idea
that	identifies an item or idea, or introduces a clause in a larger statement
these	identifies more than one currently focused item or idea
those	identifies a recoverable set through distance, contrast or earlier reference
it	refers to a recoverable singular item or idea, or forms an impersonal expression
they	refers to an identified group or to a person using they
them	refers to an identified group or person using they as an object or recipient
one	a single member, or a substitute for an understood countable noun
another	an additional or different member, example or possibility of a known kind
both	the two members of an identified pair

31. this

Selected model. This model shows the river flowing between the two pretend villages.

Meaning check. Could another nearby item or idea fit this reference? Add a noun if needed.

Another context. This is the detail I want the visitor to notice.

Stand beside two displays and point while saying, “This model shows the old bridge.” A nearby visitor can see the gesture and may understand immediately. Record the sentence as an audio message for someone who cannot see the display. Without the gesture, this model may no longer identify anything. Add a name or description: “The bridge model on the low shelf shows the old crossing.”

Compare the two audiences rather than declaring the shorter sentence wrong. In the shared setting, pointing may supply exactly the information needed. In the recorded setting, the reference needs another form. Let the child decide what an absent listener requires and try a revised message with a willing partner. A photograph can also preserve the reference if sharing one is appropriate. The teaching task concerns recoverable meaning; it does not require eliminating gestures or making every ordinary conversation sound like a written report.

32. that

Selected model. That arrow points towards the garden, but this arrow points back to the entrance.

Meaning check. Is the word pointing to something or introducing a clause?

Another context. The guide explained that the bridge was made from blocks.

Put a model close to the guide and another farther away. Point towards the distant one and say, “That bridge has a red sign.” The visitor can use the gesture and description together. Move the objects later and notice that the intended reference must still be made clear; distance words alone are not permanent names for exhibits.

In another sentence, “The guide said that the entrance had moved,” that introduces the content of a statement rather than pointing to a faraway object. An adult can read the model naturally without asking a five-year-old to name the grammatical difference. Keep the situations visible: one person points at a model; another reports a message. If the listener misunderstands, return to the intended meaning. A useful repair might name the bridge directly or repeat exactly what the guide said. One pointing gesture should not be treated as proof of understanding every use of the word.

33. these

Selected model. These pictures show the stages from the first road to the finished station.

Meaning check. Which set of items or ideas is being referred to? Name its boundary.

Another context. These are the labels we want to revise.

Gather three drawings intended for one wall and leave two unrelated pictures on the table. “These drawings go beside the entrance” works when the guide makes the selected set visible. Circle the group with a piece of string laid safely on the table or move the drawings together. The visitor should be able to identify which items belong to the instruction.

Change the set by adding another picture. The reference these drawings now includes it only if the speaker intends that enlarged group. Ask the guide to show the boundary again before the visitor moves anything. This prevents an adult from assuming that every nearby item belongs. In a spoken message without the objects present, name the set: “The three street drawings go beside the entrance.” Counting can be supplied by the adult when needed. The central task is a clear group reference, with number information supporting it rather than becoming the sole assessment.

34. those

Selected model. Those models across the table belong to the same display about travel.

Meaning check. Can a new listener recover the intended set without the original pointing gesture?

Another context. Those are the pictures we selected earlier.

Show a visitor two separated groups of models. From the guide’s position, “Those models belong in the town display” can point to the farther group. Let the visitor approach the display and ask whether the same wording still identifies the intended set. The objects did not change ownership or purpose when the visitor moved; the pointing expression depends on the current shared situation.

For a guide that will be read elsewhere, replace the uncertain pointing reference with a useful description such as “the vehicles with route numbers.” Try the description with someone who has not watched the original gesture. If they select another set, inspect which feature was missing or ambiguous. Do not ask the child to repeat the same phrase more loudly when the problem is an unidentified group. A label, a photograph or an additional noun can provide a better repair while preserving the original choice of exhibits.

35. it

Selected model. The map is beside the model. It shows where the bridge begins.

Meaning check. Name the referent. Would another singular noun create an ambiguity?

Another context. It is time to choose the final stop.

Tell a tiny story: “The visitor put the map beside the ticket. It was folded.” Ask what was folded. Both nouns might fit, so the listener may need clarification. Show two versions of the scene, one with a folded map and one with a folded ticket. “The map was folded” resolves the uncertainty when that is what the storyteller intends.

Now use it in a context with one clear reference: “The map is on the table. It shows the entrance.” The shorter form is useful because the listener can recover the map easily. There is no need to replace every it with a repeated noun. The purpose is to notice when more than one plausible reference interferes with understanding. Let the child ask, “Do you mean the map?” and respond directly. That clarification is a successful communication move, not a failure to follow the story without assistance.

36. they

Selected model. The two toy visitors have tickets. They want to see the garden first.

Meaning check. Identify the group or person referred to before continuing the account.

Another context. They changed their plan after reading the sign.

Introduce two toy visitors by name before using they: “Mei and Arun reached the museum. They looked for the entrance.” Move both characters together so the reference is visible. Add a guide to the next sentence and check whether they still clearly refers to the visitors. If more than one group is possible, name the intended people again.

They can also refer to one person, including someone whose pronouns are they/them or whose identity is not specified. An adult can use the person’s actual pronouns naturally: “The new visitor has arrived; they are waiting by the door.” Do not teach a rigid rule that the word always means several people. The practical task is identifying who the sentence concerns. A child can point to the character or name them, and the adult can keep the next sentence consistent with that intended reference.

37. them

Selected model. The visitors are beside the gate. We can show them the route to the garden.

Meaning check. Who receives or is affected by the action? Is the group already identified?

Another context. I put the large maps beside them.

Place two visitor figures near the entrance and let a guide offer them a map. “Give them the map” refers to the recipients, while the map is what changes hands. If there are several possible groups, identify the people first: “The two visitors by the door need directions. Give them the map.” Act out the exchange so the sentence has a clear practical result.

Switch the scene so the guide receives the map back. The same object moves, but them must now refer to the intended recipient or recipients in the new account. Keep known singular they/them usage appropriate as well. The listener should be able to show who receives the item without learning a formal label for a pronoun’s role. For a later variation, “Show them the entrance” can be answered by a gesture or shared movement. The successful response makes the requested information available to the intended people.

38. one

Selected model. This one shows the station, while the other picture shows the bridge.

Meaning check. Which understood noun does this substitute for, or is an exact single member intended?

Another context. One visitor still needs a map.

Set out three blank label cards and ask for one. Here one names an exact single card. After choosing a card, show two pens and say, “Use the blue one.” In the second sentence, one stands in for pen, which the shared situation makes clear. Both uses can be modelled naturally without treating them as identical tasks.

If the child hands over a blue card instead, inspect the context. Perhaps several blue objects were visible and the intended noun was unclear. “Use the blue pen” is a practical repair. Later, let a visitor select one exhibit to describe. The selection can be represented by pointing or moving a marker, with the adult supplying the count if needed. Keep separate the exact amount requested, the object being referred to and a personal choice among alternatives. A clear sentence helps the visitor understand which of those jobs matters in the moment.

39. another

Selected model. The visitor needs another explanation because the first one did not identify the entrance.

Meaning check. Is this an additional member or a replacement? Show the difference.

Another context. We can try another route through the display.

A visitor has seen the bridge display and asks to see another model. Another means an additional or different member of the relevant set; it does not identify that model by itself. The guide can offer the bus or the garden. Ask what counts as a model in this activity so that offering a drawing is either an intentional alternative or a reference needing repair.

Use a damaged label to show the replacement sense: “We need another card because this one is torn.” The new card takes the torn card’s place rather than necessarily increasing the number of labels on display. Compare that with adding another card for a newly built exhibit. Let the child demonstrate which situation is intended. The same word supports two practical actions, so count changes alone do not tell the whole story. Record the purpose in the accompanying sentence when a listener could otherwise misunderstand.

40. both

Selected model. Both maps show the river, but only this map includes the footbridge.

Meaning check. Identify the pair and the property shared by its two members.

Another context. We can both contribute a question for the guide.

Choose two guide cards and inspect whether each shows the same garden entrance. If they do, “Both cards show the garden entrance” makes a claim about the identified pair. Keep that pair visible. A third card elsewhere in the room is outside this particular statement; it need not match. Avoid quietly expanding the set after the claim has been made.

Now turn one card over or replace it with a map showing only the bus stop. The earlier both statement needs revising. “One card shows the entrance, and the other shows the bus stop” gives the visitor more accurate information. Let the child check the cards rather than guess which sentence the adult expects. In a preference activity, “Both routes are possible” does not require walking them at the same time. It can describe the availability of two choices, with the eventual selection left to the visitor.

Apply this group

Use “This model shows the river flowing between the two pretend villages.” as one starting example for a small museum tour. What does the visitor need to identify the display?

Compare it with “Both maps show the river, but only this map includes the footbridge.”. Identify the different job of the connecting word, then select the model that serves your current message. The two sentences are examples to discuss, not a script to recite.

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CHAPTER 8 OF 19

8. Ownership, contributions and members of a set

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Word	Meaning in these models
my	the speaker's possession, association or contribution before a noun
your	the listener's possession, association or contribution before a noun
our	possession, association or contribution of a group including the speaker
their	possession or association of an identified group or person using they
his	possession or association of an identified male person
her	possession before a noun, or an identified female person as an object
mine	the speaker's possession or contribution without a following noun
yours	the listener's possession or contribution without a following noun
each	every member considered individually within a defined set
every	all members of a stated set; the claim must allow no exception within that set

41. my

Selected model. My label explains why the toy bus uses the wide bridge.

Meaning check. Who is speaking, and what contribution or association is genuinely theirs?

Another context. My idea is to start with the garden display.

Let the child introduce a contribution they actually made: “My picture shows the garden.” The guide can point to their work while a visitor looks for it among the exhibits. If an adult helped with drawing or writing, describe the contribution accurately: “I chose the garden, and my aunt wrote the label.” My can express a personal connection without claiming that every part was produced independently.

Change speakers and notice the reference move. When the adult says my picture, they mean their own picture, not the child’s. Take turns speaking for two toy characters if that makes the change easier to see. Avoid making the pronoun a permanent label attached to one object. In a shared project, the child may also say my idea about a contribution that several people helped realise. Ask what they mean before deciding that a shared product cannot have a personal contribution.

42. your

Selected model. Your map helped me find the entrance because the arrow pointed towards the gate.

Meaning check. Who is being addressed? Would changing the listener change the reference?

Another context. I want to check that I understood your plan.

A visitor asks the guide about a drawing. “Your picture has a bridge” concerns the person being addressed, so first establish who made it. The visitor should not attribute the picture to the nearest child merely because the sentence needs a convenient owner. A name on the label or a direct answer can supply the relationship.

Use your in a genuine invitation: “Would you like your map folded or flat?” Honour either available choice. Then change who is being addressed and let another participant make their own decision. The word follows the listener rather than staying attached to a fixed prop. If a guide records instructions for an unknown future visitor, “Mark your starting point” can refer to that reader’s chosen beginning. Show how the instruction applies to each visitor’s map separately, with adult help available for making the mark.

43. our

Selected model. Our display tells a short story about a train visiting two villages.

Meaning check. Which people are included? Was the activity or judgement actually shared?

Another context. We can change our route if the table becomes crowded.

Two people make a pretend museum together. Before calling it our museum, talk briefly about the actual shared contribution: one selected the models and another arranged the labels. “Our display has two entrances” can describe something they built jointly without implying that their ideas were identical. Let each person name a contribution or simply show what they did.

Watch the boundary of our when talking to a new visitor. “Our favourite picture is the garden” claims a shared preference that may not exist. Ask the participants rather than assuming agreement. “We both worked on the display, but we chose different favourite pictures” can preserve the shared project and the individual views. In another setting, our class or our family refers to an identified group. A listener needs enough context to know who is included, especially when several groups share the same room or project materials.

44. their

Selected model. The visitors left their tickets beside the map while they looked at the garden.

Meaning check. Which identified group or person supplies the possessive reference?

Another context. The guides changed their explanation after the question.

Give two visitors a guide card that belongs to them for the activity. “Their map is beside the entrance” helps someone locate that group’s copy. Put another map near the guide so the possessive reference serves a practical distinction. Ask which visitors are meant if more than one group has been introduced.

Their can also refer to a single person who uses they/them pronouns or whose identity is not specified. Keep the person’s own usage intact rather than treating number as the only clue. For a contribution, “Their drawing shows the old bridge” should identify the actual maker. Possession, authorship and current location remain different relationships: a visitor might hold someone else’s drawing. If the intended meaning is unclear, ask whether the speaker means the person who made the picture or the person carrying it. The response can guide a short, accurate revision.

45. his

Selected model. The boy has made a town. His model includes a station beside the river.

Meaning check. Is the person identified, and is the claimed possession or contribution known?

Another context. The visitor said the blue notebook was his.

Introduce a named toy character who uses he/him pronouns and let him contribute a map to the story. “His map shows a path beside the river” refers to that identified character. Bring in a second character and check whether the listener can still recover the reference. If not, repeat the name before using his again.

The word does not establish ownership by itself. In a real display, check who made or owns the map rather than guessing from appearance. A character may be carrying a borrowed map, so “the map he is holding” could be more accurate than “his map.” Let the child explain the intended relationship through the story. Later, change the arrangement while keeping the ownership the same. The location changes, but the known contribution does not. This gives the visitor a reason to distinguish who the map belongs to from where it happens to be.

46. her

Selected model. Grandma chose a picture. Her label describes the garden beside the house.

Meaning check. Is this possession before a noun or a reference to a recipient or object?

Another context. The guide showed the map to her.

Use a known character who uses she/her pronouns and introduce a contribution she made. “Her drawing shows the museum garden” puts her before a noun to identify that relationship. A second sentence, “Give her the guide card,” concerns a recipient. Act out both situations so the meaning is available without a formal grammar lesson.

If several characters could be meant, use a name or point to the intended person before continuing. Do not expect the listener to infer identity from a pronoun that has no clear introduction. For a real person, use their actual pronouns and check the ownership claim independently. A borrowed picture can be near her without being her drawing. The child can supply the correct name, demonstrate who receives the card or explain the borrowing arrangement. The adult model should preserve that information rather than force every example into an ownership sentence.

47. mine

Selected model. This short explanation is mine, and that explanation gives your different idea.

Meaning check. Would the ownership reference change if another person said the sentence?

Another context. The picture beside the station is mine.

Two participants finish separate drawings and place them together. One can say, “The garden picture is mine,” when the contribution is known. Mine stands on its own because picture is already understood. A visitor might ask for the maker’s name to make the label useful after the speaker leaves; the spoken possessive will not retain a stable reference in an anonymous recording.

Try the sentence with a different speaker. The intended picture changes when the other person says mine. If both people helped with the same drawing, they can describe their contributions instead of arguing that only one person may claim a connection to it. Keep genuine personal belongings separate from shared project resources. A child may reasonably protect a personal drawing while agreeing to share the display space. The vocabulary activity should clarify those relationships, not require surrendering a possession to produce a supposedly correct response.

48. yours

Selected model. This part of the display is yours, so you can choose whether to show it.

Meaning check. Does the listener have a genuine choice about this personal contribution?

Another context. I put my explanation beside yours.

Offer a visitor two guide cards, one already assigned to them and another belonging to the guide. “This one is yours” can help them identify which copy they may take. Establish the arrangement explicitly rather than using yours to transfer an item without the owner’s agreement. If the cards are shared resources, say that instead.

Turn the exchange around: the visitor hands back the guide’s copy and says, “This is yours.” The reference follows the person being addressed. A child can act out the two directions of the exchange while an adult models the sentence. In discussion of artwork, “Which idea was yours?” asks about a contribution, not necessarily exclusive ownership of the final picture. Allow the maker to explain that someone suggested the bridge and another person chose the colour. A concise account of those contributions is more informative than assigning the whole shared product to one person.

49. each

Selected model. Each display has a label that names what the visitor is looking at.

Meaning check. What defined set is considered one member at a time?

Another context. We gave each toy visitor a map.

There are three exhibits, and a visitor needs a label for each. Move a large label card beside every exhibit one at a time. “Each model has a label” makes the individual coverage visible. If one model is left without a card, the statement needs changing even if the total pile of spare labels is large.

Compare a different arrangement in which one shared sign describes the whole shelf. That may work well, but it is not the same as giving each model its own label. Decide which arrangement suits this display instead of treating separate labels as universally better. The child can check coverage by moving a marker from exhibit to exhibit, with counting help supplied when useful. Later, each visitor can choose a favourite display. The choices need not be different; considering people individually does not require assigning every person a unique answer.

50. every

Selected model. Every arrow on this map points to a named place in our town.

Meaning check. Could a member of the stated set be an exception? Check before keeping the claim.

Another context. We checked every display on this low table.

Walk the complete agreed route and ask whether every entrance shown on the map is actually open in the pretend museum. The claim concerns the defined set of mapped entrances. If one is blocked by a model, “Every entrance is clear” is inaccurate. Mark the closed entrance or change the arrangement so the guide matches the display.

Keep the set manageable and visible. A child cannot check every museum in the world from a small model, so avoid letting a local observation expand into a universal statement. “Every entrance on this map is clear” supplies the needed boundary. Compare it with “The entrance we tried is clear,” which makes a narrower claim. The purpose is careful reporting, not testing formal logic. A useful response may identify one exception and help revise the sentence. This makes the guide more trustworthy for the visitor who will use it.

Apply this group

Use “My label explains why the toy bus uses the wide bridge.” as one starting example for a small museum tour. What does the visitor need to identify the display?

Compare it with “Every arrow on this map points to a named place in our town.”. Identify the different job of the connecting word, then select the model that serves your current message. The two sentences are examples to discuss, not a script to recite.

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CHAPTER 9 OF 19

9. Locating a scene and showing a crossing

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Word	Meaning in these models
in	location within a place, text, account or other identified frame
on	location on a surface, or dependence and support in an abstract relation
under	a lower position or the conditions within which a statement applies
above	a higher position or an earlier visible position in a layout
below	a lower position or a later visible position in a layout
beside	a position at the side of another identified item
behind	a position at the back, or reasoning and circumstances underlying something
between	a relation or space involving identified reference points or alternatives
across	movement or comparison extending over an identified space or set
through	movement within a passage or progression through a process or explanation

51. in

Selected model. The instructions are in the folder beside the entrance sign.

Meaning check. What place, text or conceptual frame contains the relevant information?

Another context. We keep the spare labels in this box.

Place a model inside an open display box and describe it as in the box. The edges make the containment relationship easy to inspect. Move it beside the box and update the description. A listener should be able to act on the words rather than rely on where the model was in an earlier version of the activity.

Then show the same model drawn in a guidebook picture. “The bridge is in this picture” concerns a representation, not a real bridge squeezed inside paper. Compare the model, its photograph and its place in the pretend town. Each can be referred to accurately when the context is clear. If a child says the bridge is in the book, ask which picture they mean rather than correcting the phrase into a physical-only rule. A short pointing response may establish the intended reference, and the adult can add the noun that an absent listener would need.

52. on

Selected model. The explanation is on the card below the drawing of the bridge.

Meaning check. Does this model describe a surface location or an abstract basis for a statement?

Another context. Your route is on the large sheet.

Put a model on a stable table and let a visitor follow the description. Then show a photograph of the model on a guide card. Both uses of on are ordinary, but the card contains an image rather than the physical model. Name that distinction when it affects the visitor’s search: the model is on the table; its photograph is on the card.

Try an abstract use in a clear context: “This guide gives information on the garden display.” Here on means about a subject. Read the relevant sentence and inspect whether it really supplies garden information. The child does not need a grammatical definition of the change in sense. The useful task is choosing the right source for a question. A physical-only explanation of on would leave this example unexplained, so keep the adult model broad enough to match the meaning actually used.

53. under

Selected model. The spare map is under the notebook that the guide used for the tour.

Meaning check. Is the word about position or about the conditions limiting a claim?

Another context. The toy boat waits under the bridge.

Place a spare map under a large flat card, leaving the edge visible and avoiding anything that could fall. A visitor can follow “The map is under the sign” to find it. Change the positions and ask the guide to update the description. The relationship depends on the actual arrangement, not on a fixed association between map and sign.

In a printed index, a model may appear under a heading such as vehicles. Show the heading and the entries grouped beneath it. This use organises information rather than describing a map physically hidden below another object. Let the child find the bus entry while an adult reads the words aloud. Compare the physical search with the information search, keeping both references available. If the grouping does not match the exhibit, revise the guide. The heading should help a visitor locate information rather than merely decorate the page.

54. above

Selected model. The title is above the picture so a visitor can see what the display is about.

Meaning check. Which layout or physical reference point makes the higher position meaningful?

Another context. The sign is above the toy doorway.

Draw a simple map with a clear top edge and put the garden symbol above the museum symbol. Ask a visitor to locate the garden on this particular map. Above describes the page position here; it does not automatically mean that the real garden is uphill or on a higher floor. Add a separate explanation if the map is intended to represent either of those relationships.

Now compare a label physically mounted above a shelf. The adult can point out that the word fits both arrangements while the reference frame differs. Avoid rotating the map without explaining how its orientation is being used. A child who moves the paper may still have a sensible perspective on the picture. Clarify the agreed top before judging the description. For an absent listener, “above the museum symbol on the map” is more recoverable than a bare “above it” when several items have been mentioned.

55. below

Selected model. The explanation is below the picture, while the title is above it.

Meaning check. Which reference point makes the lower position meaningful? Does position imply importance here?

Another context. The garden is below the hill in this drawing.

Make a guide page with an exhibit title and a picture below it. A visitor who asks where to find the picture can use that description. Add another picture farther down the page and see whether below the title still identifies only one item. If it does not, add a feature such as the bridge picture or the picture nearest the title.

Compare this page position with a lower shelf in the model museum. “The spare maps are below the ticket basket” can guide a physical search when the basket’s location is clear. Below does not tell the listener the exact distance or whether the objects touch. Let the child show the arrangement and decide what additional information a visitor needs. In a later drawing, leave several possible spaces below a symbol and invite the child to choose one. The relationship can be accurate without requiring an exact copy of the adult’s layout.

56. beside

Selected model. The key is beside the model so visitors can match each symbol with its meaning.

Meaning check. What two items are placed together, and how does that help the listener?

Another context. The quiet reading place is beside the display.

Put a guide card beside the entrance so a visitor can collect it on arrival. Describe the arrangement and let the visitor try it. If two doors could count as the entrance, beside the entrance leaves an unresolved reference even though the spatial word is used correctly. Name the door or add a recognisable marker before giving the direction again.

Move the guide card to the opposite side of the same doorway. It may still be beside the entrance. This helps distinguish a broad relation from an exact fixed position. If the visitor needs to know which side, add that information using a shared viewpoint or a visible landmark rather than assuming everyone faces the same way. For another context, place a label beside a picture without covering the image. Ask whether the new location makes the maker’s information easier to find, so the positioning decision has a reader’s purpose.

57. behind

Selected model. The storage box is behind the station when we look from the visitor's side.

Meaning check. Is the model about physical position or underlying reasoning? Keep the senses distinct.

Another context. The second guide stands behind the first in the toy queue.

Hide a large model partly behind a display screen with the child’s agreement. From the visitor’s starting position, the guide says, “The bus model is behind the screen.” Let the visitor move around and find it. Discuss whether the description still makes sense from the new viewpoint. Some objects have a recognisable front and back; a plain screen may need a shared viewing position.

Use a photograph taken from the entrance to preserve that viewpoint for an absent listener. The guide can say, “In this picture, the bus is behind the screen.” A live room description and a description of a photograph need not use the same reference point. If the child chooses another sensible viewpoint, ask them to show it before correcting the word. The goal is a direction a listener can follow. Moving together, naming the screen’s far side or adding a picture can repair the message.

58. between

Selected model. The information desk is between the travel display and the garden display.

Meaning check. Which reference points or alternatives are necessary for the comparison?

Another context. The blank label is between the two notebooks.

Place the garden model between the bridge and the bus stop. All three landmarks help define the relationship, so introduce them before asking a visitor to follow the direction. “The garden is between those two things” may work with a gesture but become unclear in a recorded guide. Name the bridge and bus stop when the listener cannot see what the guide is pointing at.

Try another arrangement in which the garden is nearer the bridge than the bus stop. It can still be between them; the word does not always mean exactly halfway. Avoid teaching equal distance as an automatic rule. The child can place a marker along a simple route and describe where it lies relative to the two endpoints. For a more complicated layout, draw the intended path rather than expecting the listener to infer one. A clear visual reference supports the relationship without requiring a measurement task.

59. across

Selected model. The path goes across the river on the bridge shown in our model.

Meaning check. What space or set does the movement or comparison extend over?

Another context. We drew a guide line across the paper.

Draw a wide path through the pretend town and mark a start on one side and a destination on the other. Move a toy visitor across the path at an agreed crossing in the story. The word concerns movement from one side to the other. A visitor travelling along the path has a different relationship to it, even if the journey covers a longer distance.

Keep the activity as model play; it is not a replacement for adult supervision and real road guidance. Use the physical scene to compare the two routes, with an adult modelling the language. Across can also describe where something is located: “The garden is across the path from the museum.” Here no movement needs to be happening. Let the child choose whether to show the position or act out the journey. The listener’s question determines which form of information will be useful.

60. through

Selected model. The route goes through the garden before it reaches the final display.

Meaning check. Does the model trace a passage, a process or a line of explanation?

Another context. We looked through the open doorway.

Make a simple arch large enough for a toy visitor and describe the movement through its opening. The visitor begins on one side, enters the passage and emerges on the other. Moving beside the arch does not show the same route. Keep the materials stable and the scale comfortable so the relationship is easy to see.

An adult may also say, “We found the answer through checking the guide.” Here through describes a means of finding out, not a tunnel. Use a real information problem: a visitor needs the maker’s name, and the label supplies it. Name the source that helped. Avoid using the broader sentence when someone merely guessed. The two examples show why a useful definition must fit the intended sense. A child can demonstrate the physical passage and separately show which source answered the question, with the adult offering the corresponding sentences.

Apply this group

Use “The instructions are in the folder beside the entrance sign.” as one starting example for a small museum tour. What does the visitor need to identify the display?

Compare it with “The route goes through the garden before it reaches the final display.”. Identify the different job of the connecting word, then select the model that serves your current message. The two sentences are examples to discuss, not a script to recite.

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CHAPTER 10 OF 19

10. Routes, origins, accompaniment and absence

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Word	Meaning in these models
to	a destination, recipient, relevance relation or other link selected by the sentence
from	a source, starting point or basis for information
into	movement inside, or transformation into another arrangement or form
onto	movement to a supported surface or location
towards	direction or support for a possibility without guaranteeing arrival or proof
around	a surrounding route or an organising focus for a discussion
along	following a course, route or developing line of reasoning
past	movement beyond a reference point or continuation beyond an earlier stage
with	accompaniment, a tool, comparison or another relation supplied by context
without	absence of an item, action or condition, including an avoided change in meaning

61. to

Selected model. The arrow points to the station where the visitors begin their toy journey.

Meaning check. Which destination, recipient or relevance relationship does the sentence establish?

Another context. We gave the guide to a familiar visitor.

Give a visitor a clear destination: “Go to the garden display.” Place a marker there and let the visitor choose an available path. To names the endpoint in this instruction, but it does not specify the route or guarantee that every route is open. If the visitor reaches a blocked path, the guide can add directions or offer another way.

Use to in an exchange as well: “Give the map to the guide.” The intended recipient is the endpoint of the handover. The visitor should know which person is the guide before acting. Compare the destination and recipient uses through the two visible actions rather than treating the word as a label for physical movement only. A successful response reaches the intended place or person. If the child needs a reminder of the role or destination, supply it and record that support separately from the meaning they contribute.

62. from

Selected model. The visitors travel from the village to the station beside the river.

Meaning check. What is the actual source or starting point, and how reliably is it known?

Another context. This explanation is from the child who made the model.

Put a visitor at the museum entrance and ask them to describe a journey from there to the garden. From marks the starting point. Move the visitor to the bus stop and try again. The destination stays the same, but the useful directions may change because the beginning has changed. A map that omits the starting point can therefore confuse someone who otherwise understands the landmarks.

In a second exchange, “This picture came from the guide” identifies a source, not necessarily the maker. Perhaps the guide borrowed it from another person. If attribution matters, ask who created it as a separate question. The child can follow an item’s path by moving it between familiar characters while an adult records who passed it on. This keeps origin, current holder and authorship distinguishable without needing an elaborate chain of invented events.

63. into

Selected model. The visitors move into the hall when the guide opens the pretend entrance.

Meaning check. Is something crossing a boundary or being transformed into another form?

Another context. We put the revised cards into the folder.

Start a toy visitor outside an open gallery box and move them into it. Show both the starting and finishing positions, because the movement involves a change from outside to inside. A visitor already standing inside is in the gallery, but the scene alone does not show that they have just entered. A two-picture record can preserve that difference.

Invite the child to guide a second visitor with a short instruction and observe whether the movement fits. If the box is closed or too small for the figure, change the materials instead of treating the impossible action as a listening failure. For another context, put loose guide cards into a folder. Describe the actual transition, then use in for their resulting location. The adult can model the contrast while the child contributes through arranging, pointing or speaking.

64. onto

Selected model. We put the model onto the low tray so it can be displayed together with its label.

Meaning check. Which surface or displayed location is reached by the movement?

Another context. The toy driver climbs onto the platform.

Place a lightweight model on the floor of the pretend gallery, then move it onto a stable low display surface. The action changes its position so it ends up supported by the surface. Compare “The model moved onto the platform” with “The model is on the platform.” One describes the transition; the other describes a state that may continue afterwards.

Ask a guide to tell a visitor where to put another model. If the intended surface is unclear, name it rather than increasing the length of the instruction with unrelated details. Avoid demonstrating movement onto unstable furniture or asking a child to climb for a language activity. Toy-scale actions are sufficient. Later, a picture of an arrow going onto a marked area can represent the same transition, but keep the physical example available if the symbol adds unnecessary difficulty.

65. towards

Selected model. The arrow points towards the gate, but it does not show the whole route.

Meaning check. What direction or possibility is indicated without guaranteeing arrival or proof?

Another context. The visitors walked towards the station.

Put the museum at one end of a drawn route and a visitor near the middle. Move the visitor towards the museum, then stop before the entrance. The direction is accurate even though the journey is unfinished. Compare that with arriving at the museum. Towards concerns orientation or movement in that direction; it does not by itself establish arrival.

Let the child choose an intermediate stopping point and give a matching guide instruction. A listener can demonstrate understanding without travelling all the way to the destination. If there are two possible museums in the scene, identify the intended one before discussing direction. On another day, turn an arrow towards a display while leaving the arrow in place. The orientation can help a visitor decide where to look, provided its destination is clear. Check the effect from the visitor’s position rather than only the maker’s view.

66. around

Selected model. The visitors go around the display because the central path is blocked.

Meaning check. Does the sentence describe a route or an organising focus for ideas?

Another context. We arranged the pictures around the model.

A large model blocks the centre of the gallery. Move the visitor around it to reach the garden display. Draw the chosen route if the listener needs a lasting record. Around can describe several possible paths, so the word alone may not specify which side the visitor should use. Add a recognisable landmark when that distinction matters.

Try arranging visitors around a table. This use concerns positions distributed about the table rather than a single journey past an obstacle. Let the child choose places and describe the resulting arrangement. The visitors need not form a perfect circle for an ordinary description to be useful. If a message says, “Look around the gallery,” the purpose is broader exploration. Keep that invitation separate from an exact route instruction. The guide should supply precision when needed without pretending that the word always encodes one fixed geometric pattern.

67. along

Selected model. The visitors walk along the path beside the river until they reach the bridge.

Meaning check. Which course or line of reasoning can the listener follow?

Another context. We placed arrows along the drawn route.

Draw a river or a straight gallery wall and let a visitor travel along it. The named feature provides a route to follow. Compare moving along the riverbank with crossing the river on a bridge. Both may reach the same exhibit, but they describe different movements relative to the river. Use a finger or toy figure to make the contrast visible.

For a display arrangement, place several labels along a shelf edge. No movement is required; the positions extend in the direction of the shelf. Ask whether a visitor can match each label with its exhibit. If labels are too far from the relevant models, the arrangement may be spatially accurate but practically confusing. Revise their placement while preserving the intended order. The word serves a clearer tour when its reference feature is named and the actual layout supports the instruction.

68. past

Selected model. The route goes past the shop without stopping there before reaching the garden.

Meaning check. Which reference point is passed, and what information is added beyond it?

Another context. We moved the train past the first platform.

Place a bus stop before the museum on a short route. A visitor travelling to the museum goes past the stop without ending the journey there. Move the figure beyond the landmark, then pause. “Go past the bus stop” differs from “Go to the bus stop,” because the stopping point is not the same.

Try the instruction with a listener who did not arrange the map. If they stop at the bus stop, show the endpoint of the intended movement and revise the guide if useful. Perhaps an arrow ending just beyond the stop would make the message clearer. Do not add several new landmarks at once. In a later story, past can refer to earlier time rather than this movement. Keep the current activity focused on passing a visible reference, and introduce another sense only with its own meaningful context.

69. with

Selected model. The visitor reads the map with the guide before choosing a route.

Meaning check. Is this accompaniment, tool use, comparison or another context-dependent relationship?

Another context. We made the title with a wide marker.

Offer the visitor a choice of a guide card with a map or a guide card with only a written description. With identifies something included or accompanying the card. Let the visitor inspect both and choose the version that helps them. A map is useful only if it corresponds clearly to the gallery; its presence alone does not guarantee better directions.

Use another ordinary sense when the child visits with a friend. The friend accompanies the visitor rather than being a component of the card. An adult can model both expressions naturally while keeping their relationships clear. If a sentence says the guide made the sign with a pen, with introduces a tool. Show the action when that is the intended meaning. The listener should be able to identify what accompanies, belongs in or helps produce something from the actual context.

70. without

Selected model. The visitor found the garden without extra pointing because the label named both landmarks.

Meaning check. What is absent or avoided? Does removing it affect the intended meaning?

Another context. We can make a guide without using a computer.

Remove the map from one guide card and compare it with the complete version. “This guide is without a map” describes the absence, but the important question is whether the remaining directions still help the visitor. A familiar route may be easy to follow from words alone; a complicated layout may need another kind of support. Try the guide instead of assuming that absence always means failure.

Keep without away from unnecessary restrictions on help. “Tell me without pointing” changes the task and may hide an otherwise clear message. If an audio-only guide is genuinely the goal, explain why the listener cannot see the gesture and help the child supply another reference. The purpose is adapting to an audience, not proving that spoken language is superior to other communication. Record the support and the audience conditions honestly when describing the response.

Apply this group

Use “The arrow points to the station where the visitors begin their toy journey.” as one starting example for a small museum tour. What does the visitor need to identify the display?

Compare it with “The visitor found the garden without extra pointing because the label named both landmarks.”. Identify the different job of the connecting word, then select the model that serves your current message. The two sentences are examples to discuss, not a script to recite.

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CHAPTER 11 OF 19

11. Present, past, possession and possible next actions

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Word	Meaning in these models
is	a present form of be used with a singular subject in these models
are	a present form of be used with plural subjects or you in these models
was	a past form of be used with I or a singular third-person subject in these models
were	a past form of be used with plural subjects or you in these models
has	a form of have used with a singular third-person subject; its job depends on the sentence
have	possession, availability or another have construction selected by the sentence
had	a past form of have; the example determines its possession or helping-verb role
can	ability, possibility or permission according to context
could	a possibility, suggestion, polite request or past ability according to context
will	a future action, prediction or commitment, whose certainty depends on context

71. is

Selected model. The explanation is clear to this listener because it identifies both the object and its place.

Meaning check. What subject and present state or action are linked in this model?

Another context. The visitor is asking about the route.

Use is to give a visitor a current fact: “The entrance is beside the garden.” Check that the arrangement supports the statement. Move the entrance marker and ask what needs updating in the guide. A smooth sentence can become inaccurate when the world it describes changes. Revising the place phrase keeps the message dependable.

In another model, “The visitor is waiting” describes an ongoing action, while “The bridge is narrow” describes a feature. Read the examples naturally without demanding formal verb categories. The child can show which picture matches each account. If the adult expands a short contribution, preserve its meaning: “bridge narrow” may become “The bridge is narrow,” but it should not silently become “The bridge is too narrow for every vehicle.” The added grammar should not add an unsupported claim about fit.

72. are

Selected model. The visitors are comparing two routes before choosing how to reach the garden.

Meaning check. What subject controls this present form? Remember that you can address one listener.

Another context. You are describing the part I could not see.

Introduce two guide cards and say what they are for: “These cards are maps of the museum.” Let a visitor inspect whether both actually show that layout. If one is a ticket, the description needs revising. Are helps build the statement, but identifying the correct set remains part of making it true.

Use are with ongoing actions as well: “The visitors are looking at the garden.” Move the figures so the account matches their activity in the story. An adult can offer a complete model after a child points or gives a shorter phrase. Do not require repetition before responding to the meaning. In another natural sentence, “You are the guide today” addresses one person; are is not restricted to groups. Keep the roles and references clear rather than teaching a simplified rule that later examples would contradict.

73. was

Selected model. The first label was unclear to the visitor because it did not name the destination.

Meaning check. Which earlier state or action is described, and what establishes that past reference?

Another context. I was drawing when you asked about the bridge.

Keep a photograph of yesterday’s gallery beside today’s changed display. “The model was beside the entrance” can describe the earlier arrangement. Ask the guide which record supports the statement. The model need not still be there, and the past location should not be used as a current direction for a visitor.

Was does not automatically mean a state has ended in every possible sentence. The useful distinction here is that the description concerns a past reference point. If the model has remained in place, both “It was there yesterday” and “It is there now” can be true. Let the child compare the available records instead of treating a tense word as a clue to an invented change. For a short retelling, an adult can record the earlier state while the child supplies the location through pointing or a familiar phrase.

74. were

Selected model. The arrows were pointing different ways before we agreed on one route.

Meaning check. Which subject and earlier reference point make this form appropriate?

Another context. You were explaining while I tried the gate.

Arrange two visitors near the bridge and take a simple picture record. Move them to the garden, then describe the earlier scene: “The visitors were beside the bridge.” Use the saved picture when checking the account. Their current position does not make the earlier sentence false; it concerns another moment.

Compare that with “The visitors are beside the bridge” while they remain at the garden. That current statement would need correction. The activity gives tense a communication purpose by helping a listener distinguish two scenes. Keep the number of characters small enough to follow and let the child name them if pronouns become confusing. In an ordinary address such as “You were our guide,” were can concern one listener. Supply natural adult models without turning the activity into an abstract agreement test or assuming a missing ending means the whole event was misunderstood.

75. has

Selected model. The revised map has a key that explains the familiar picture symbols.

Meaning check. Is have expressing possession, inclusion or helping another verb here?

Another context. The visitor has a question about the second display.

Place a sign on one model and describe it: “The bridge has a red sign.” A visitor can use that feature to distinguish it from another bridge. Remove the sign and update the description. Has expresses a relationship relevant to this object; it should not remain in the guide after the identifying feature is gone.

Another sentence, “The visitor has found the entrance,” uses has as part of reporting a completed action. Show the visitor at the entrance and make the result clear. The object does not possess finding in the way the bridge includes a sign. An adult can read both models without requiring grammatical terminology. When a child gives a short message such as “found entrance,” expand it in a way that matches the story rather than adding a new event. The important check is what the listener understands has happened.

76. have

Selected model. We have two possible explanations, and we can check which one fits what we saw.

Meaning check. What is available, possessed or expressed through the larger verb construction?

Another context. I have another question for the guide.

Give two visitor figures a guide card apiece. “They have maps” describes a current arrangement that can be checked. If the maps are borrowed, that sentence can still concern what they hold or have available without establishing permanent ownership. Add the borrowing information if the listener needs to know whether the cards should be returned.

Compare “We have finished the labels,” where have helps report completion. Look at the actual labels before making the claim. A child may have chosen the wording while an adult did the writing; describe that shared work accurately. The full sentence need not imply independent handwriting. For another person, “I have a question” introduces an information need rather than an object to place on the table. Respond to the question itself so the expression remains a practical contribution to the activity.

77. had

Selected model. The first display had no label before the visitor asked what the model showed.

Meaning check. Which earlier reference is established, and is this possession or a helping-verb use?

Another context. The guide had a map but left it in the folder.

Begin with a guide holding two spare cards, then use them for new labels. “We had two spare cards before we made these labels” describes the earlier resources. Point to the before picture or the finished labels when recalling what changed. The statement does not establish that the guide has no spare cards now unless the activity supplies that information.

Use had naturally in a short account: “The visitor had a map, but the entrance had moved.” The map’s availability did not guarantee that its directions were current. Let the child decide what should be changed so the visitor can continue. Keep the different time references supported by pictures or the played sequence. There is no need to require an independent multi-clause retelling. A child can identify the outdated entrance while an adult records the relationship in a clear sentence.

78. can

Selected model. A clear description can help the listener find the model without seeing the pointing gesture.

Meaning check. Does the model express ability, permission or possibility?

Another context. Can you show me which step is missing?

Let a toy vehicle try the available opening in a bridge. If it passes, “The van can go through this opening” reports an observed possibility for that arrangement. It does not show that every van will fit or that the same toy can pass through a smaller opening. Keep the tested object and condition named when they matter.

Can may also express an available choice: “You can start with the garden.” That invitation is different from a claim about physical ability. Make sure the offered route is actually available. If it is closed, explain the limit and offer another option. In the activity, a child may choose to show an answer even when they can say it. Respect the selected communication form. The guide’s purpose is a useful exchange, not proving every possible ability through a single required response.

79. could

Selected model. We could add a symbol key if visitors do not recognise the marks on the map.

Meaning check. Is this a suggestion, tentative possibility, polite request or past ability?

Another context. Could you explain where the route begins?

The direct route is crowded with exhibits. “We could move the table” proposes one possible response without claiming that it has already happened. Put a second option beside it, such as using another entrance, and inspect what each would change. The child can demonstrate a proposal on the model before the group chooses a plan.

Could can also describe a past ability in a particular context: “Before we widened the opening, only the small van could pass.” A picture or earlier test can support that account. Keep a proposal and a report distinguishable through the scene, rather than asking the child to infer the meaning from the word alone. If the group rejects a suggestion, acknowledge it as a considered option. A successful vocabulary exchange can end with a different workable choice; the proposed action need not be carried out to have been understood.

80. will

Selected model. I will write the words you choose, then read them back so you can check the meaning.

Meaning check. Is this a commitment, plan or prediction? What uncertainty remains?

Another context. The guide will show the final display next.

Agree on a modest action the guide can carry out: “I will put the map beside the entrance.” Follow through, or explain plainly if the plan changes. The statement gives the visitor an expectation about what comes next. Use a visible record if several people are coordinating, so everyone knows who has undertaken the job.

Contrast an intention with an unsupported prediction. “The visitor will love every exhibit” claims a response that the guide cannot know in advance. “I hope the visitor enjoys the museum” may better express the intended feeling. Let the child make predictions in pretend play when they are clearly part of an invented story, but label real uncertainty when reporting actual plans. Later, compare the agreed action with what happened. The resulting account can show completion or a revised plan without treating every changed intention as a language error.

Apply this group

Use “The explanation is clear to this listener because it identifies both the object and its place.” as one starting example for a small museum tour. What does the visitor need to identify the display?

Compare it with “I will write the words you choose, then read them back so you can check the meaning.”. Identify the different job of the connecting word, then select the model that serves your current message. The two sentences are examples to discuss, not a script to recite.

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CHAPTER 12 OF 19

12. Intentions, joint decisions and making a message clearer

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Word	Meaning in these models
want	a desire, preference or intended effect
need	a requirement relative to a purpose or care situation
choose	select among available options
decide	settle on a choice or judgement, including a decision to leave a question open
plan	an intended arrangement or sequence, or the process of preparing one
try	make an attempt or test an option without guaranteeing success
change	alter an identified feature, arrangement, statement or interpretation
agree	share a stated view or acceptance; agreement may be limited to one point
explain	make a method, reason or relationship clearer
describe	state identifying features, events or relationships without necessarily establishing a cause

81. want

Selected model. I want the visitor to notice how the bridge connects the two sides.

Meaning check. Whose preference or intended effect is actually known?

Another context. You want a different ending for this version.

Let a visitor choose an exhibit they want to see first. Their preference supplies a reason for the route, and another visitor may choose differently. “I want to see the garden” reports the speaker’s wish; it does not claim that everyone wants the same thing or that the visit is already arranged. The guide can respond by checking which route is available.

Keep want distinct from a practical requirement. A child may want a decorative border on the sign, while the visitor needs the destination to be legible. Both contributions can be discussed without dismissing the preference. If the materials or time are limited, state that limit honestly and consider a smaller version. The adult can model a respectful response: “You want a border. We can add one after the arrow is clear.” Only offer that plan if it can actually be carried out.

82. need

Selected model. The listener needs a clearer reference because two different boxes could be this one.

Meaning check. What stated goal makes the item or information necessary?

Another context. We need one more label for the garden.

A visitor reaches two unlabelled models and cannot identify the intended exhibit. Ask what information they need to find it. The gap might be the model’s name, location or a distinguishing feature. “The visitor needs the bridge’s name” is more specific than “The visitor needs more words.” Add the missing information and let the visitor try again.

The need depends on the task and the audience. Someone who helped build the museum may recognise a model from a brief reference; a new visitor may require a description. Neither response proves that one listener is generally better at understanding. Keep a record of which information made this exchange work. In a materials activity, need can concern tape or space instead of information. State the purpose: enough tape to attach one label is a different requirement from enough tape to repair a large model.

83. choose

Selected model. I choose this picture as the beginning because it introduces the main character.

Meaning check. Are the options real, and what criterion or preference guides selection?

Another context. You can choose which explanation to show.

Offer two available starting displays and let the visitor choose one. The choice should affect the tour rather than be ignored after the sentence is produced. If the child selects the garden, begin there or explain a genuine obstacle before agreeing on another route. The action gives choose a consequence the participants can see.

Different choices can serve different purposes. Choosing a favourite picture concerns preference; choosing a card that matches a model concerns an identifying criterion. Say which task is intended so an unexpected selection is not automatically treated as wrong. A child can point, move a marker or name the option. If an adult narrows the choices or reads the labels, keep that support available and describe it honestly. Later, invite the child to offer choices to a visitor, checking that all the offered options are genuinely possible.

84. decide

Selected model. We can decide after trying both routes with the same toy bus.

Meaning check. What judgement is being settled? Could leaving a question open be a reasonable decision?

Another context. I decided to name the station in the first sentence.

The group has considered two places for a new exhibit. Before deciding, compare whether a visitor can reach each place and read its label. The information can help the choice, but it may not dictate a single answer. “We decided to use the low table” reports the agreed outcome after the discussion, rather than announcing agreement before people have contributed.

Keep a proposal separate from a decision. A card saying “perhaps beside the entrance” can remain available while the arrangement is tried. When the choice is settled, update the guide and state who agreed to it. If the child is not part of a real adult decision, explain the available contribution instead of pretending they control it. In the small museum activity, the layout can usually remain flexible. A later change can be described as a new decision prompted by new information, not evidence that deciding must mean never reconsidering.

85. plan

Selected model. Our plan includes a short visitor test before we finish the arrows.

Meaning check. Which actions are intended, and which outcomes remain unconfirmed?

Another context. We can plan a two-stop tour together.

Make a brief plan for a tour using two or three picture cards. Identify a beginning, a destination and any information the visitor will need. The plan is a representation of an intended sequence, not a record of events that have already happened. Let the child arrange the cards while an adult writes any words needed for another person to follow them.

Try the route and compare the experience with the plan. If a display blocks the path, revise the relevant step. The useful question is what the revision solves, not whether the first plan was perfect. Keep the earlier version if comparing it helps explain the change. A visitor may also depart from the plan because they develop another interest. Describe that choice accurately. Planning supports purposeful action while leaving space to respond to the actual scene, the learner’s ideas and the information a listener supplies.

86. try

Selected model. We can try the description with a partner who has not seen the picture.

Meaning check. What can the attempt show even if the expected result does not occur?

Another context. I will try a different way to identify the box.

The guide is unsure whether a new sign identifies the correct entrance. “Let us try the sign with a visitor” proposes a check that can produce useful feedback. Ask a willing partner to follow it, then observe where they go and what they ask. The result concerns this sign in this arrangement; it is not a judgement of the child’s overall language ability.

Choose a manageable attempt rather than deliberately frustrating the visitor. If the sign is confusing, identify one feature to adjust, such as an arrow or destination name, and try that version if participants remain interested. Several unsuccessful attempts do not create an obligation to continue until a full sentence is produced. The child can stop, ask for help or suggest another form of guide. A useful record notes what was tried, what happened and what information informed the next step.

87. change

Selected model. We can change the unclear part while keeping the child's original idea.

Meaning check. What changes, and which part of the intended meaning should remain?

Another context. The visitor changed the route after reading the new sign.

Keep an original guide card beside its revised version. The first says “Go to the model,” and the second says “Go to the bridge model beside the garden.” Ask what changed for the listener. The new version identifies the destination more clearly; it does not merely contain more words. Let a partner use both cards so the practical difference can be observed.

Not every change improves a message. Replacing the correct destination with another name may produce a fluent but inaccurate instruction. Compare meaning before judging style. The child can reject an adult’s proposed revision when it changes the intended story. An adult might say, “I added the garden, but you meant the bus stop. Let us put that back.” This gives change a truthful role in collaborative writing. Later, change a physical arrangement and update only the part of the guide that no longer matches it.

88. agree

Selected model. We agree on the route's starting point, but we still have different ideas about its ending.

Meaning check. What precise point is accepted? Does agreement extend to the entire account?

Another context. I agree that the wider piece fits better here.

Two participants choose where to begin the museum visit. Ask each person before reporting that they agree. A shared starting point may be possible even when their favourite displays differ. “We agree to start at the garden” concerns one practical plan; it need not imply the same preferences about the entire museum.

Let a participant say that they prefer another route. The adult can model a response that keeps the difference visible: “You would like the bridge first. Shall we make two short tours?” Consider whether that option is workable rather than presenting a false choice. Silence or repetition after a leading question does not by itself establish agreement. A child can show a chosen route, select a picture or state a preference in familiar language. Record the actual outcome as agreement, compromise or an unresolved choice, according to what the exchange supports.

89. explain

Selected model. I can explain why we changed the label: the visitor could not identify the garden.

Meaning check. What relationship becomes clearer: a method, reason or connection between information?

Another context. Can you show or explain how the model moves?

A visitor asks why the guide moved the entrance sign. An explanation should connect the change with relevant information: “The tall model covered the arrow, so we put the sign where visitors could see it.” Show the earlier and later positions if a picture record is available. The account tells the listener what problem the change addressed.

Compare that with a description such as “The sign is white and rectangular.” The description may be accurate, but it does not answer why the sign moved. Let the child decide which detail serves the visitor’s question. If the reason is unknown, say so instead of inventing an explanation. An adult can help arrange the known events or record a dictated account without claiming the child independently produced every clause. The useful result is a clearer relationship, not a requirement to justify every ordinary preference through a formal sentence.

90. describe

Selected model. I can describe the hidden picture so my partner can draw the same main arrangement.

Meaning check. What is reported directly, and where would a causal explanation require more support?

Another context. Please describe which entrance you mean.

Choose one exhibit from a pair and help a visitor identify it without giving its location immediately. A useful description might include its shape, a recognisable part or what it represents. “The bridge has two wide supports and a red sign” supplies features the visitor can inspect. A guess that it is the maker’s favourite would not be equally observable unless the maker had said so.

Ask the visitor which detail helped. If both models share all the named features, add one that distinguishes the intended exhibit or provide its location. The child may begin by pointing, and an adult can ask what the absent listener would need in place of that gesture. Keep the creator’s intended details separate from imagined additions. In a storytelling activity, invented features are welcome when their fictional status is clear. In a guide to the actual display, the description should match what visitors can find.

Apply this group

Use “I want the visitor to notice how the bridge connects the two sides.” as one starting example for a small museum tour. What does the visitor need to identify the display?

Compare it with “I can describe the hidden picture so my partner can draw the same main arrangement.”. Identify the different job of the connecting word, then select the model that serves your current message. The two sentences are examples to discuss, not a script to recite.

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CHAPTER 13 OF 19

13. Amounts, sufficiency and precise comparisons

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Word	Meaning in these models
more	an additional amount, degree or continuation of an identified thing
less	a smaller amount or degree relative to a stated comparison
fewer	a smaller number of countable items
many	a context-dependent large number of countable items
much	amount or degree, usually with uncountable information or material in these models
enough	sufficient for an explicitly identified purpose
same	matching in a specified respect, not necessarily identical in every respect
different	not matching in an identified respect; difference alone is not opposition
similar	alike in relevant respects while allowing differences
opposite	an opposing direction or meaning within a specified relation, not merely any difference

91. more

Selected model. The visitor needs more information about the destination, rather than more decorative words.

Meaning check. What specific addition would serve this purpose rather than merely increase length?

Another context. We need more paper for the second guide.

A visitor says, “I need more information,” but the guide already contains a long description of the model’s colours. Ask what remains unclear. If the destination is missing, one place phrase may help more than several decorative sentences. Add “beside the entrance” and let the visitor use the revised message. More has a practical purpose when the addition fills an actual gap.

Compare information with a material resource: the group may need more paper to label a new exhibit. Show what the extra sheet enables. The amount needed depends on the project, and the child can decide that no extension is wanted. Do not treat more as automatically better or continued participation as the only successful outcome. In a later review, identify the particular addition and its effect. A shorter guide with the necessary location can be more useful than a longer one that repeatedly omits it.

92. less

Selected model. This version uses less paper while keeping the same information visible.

Meaning check. Which amount or degree is reduced, and what is the comparison reference?

Another context. We can make less noise while recording the short story.

Make two versions of a guide page using different amounts of blank space and decoration. Ask which uses less paper while keeping the same essential information visible. Inspect the actual sheets rather than assuming a shorter-looking paragraph always uses less. Letter size, margins and the number of pages can affect the comparison.

Less concerns an amount or degree in these examples, such as paper, noise or time. A quieter recording area can have less background noise without being completely silent. Let the child compare two comfortable listening conditions; there is no need to create unpleasant noise to demonstrate the word. Smaller amounts are not always preferable. Less room may make a gallery harder to use, and less explanation may omit the destination. State what is being compared and whether the reduced amount still serves the visitor’s purpose before judging the revised arrangement.

93. fewer

Selected model. This route has fewer stops than the long route, but both reach the same entrance.

Meaning check. What countable members are compared? Is the numerical difference actually checked?

Another context. We used fewer separate cards for this display.

Draw two routes that reach the same entrance. Count or match their marked stops with adult help if needed. “The garden route has fewer stops” makes a numerical comparison about countable places. It does not automatically show that the route is shorter in distance, quicker to follow or more interesting to this visitor.

Give the routes different lengths between stops to make that limit visible. A route with fewer stops can still cover more ground. Let the child choose according to the actual purpose: seeing particular exhibits, making a brief visit or following an easier path. In the display itself, compare the number of separate labels before and after combining two onto one card. Check whether the change keeps each exhibit’s information clear. The adult can model fewer naturally while accepting the child’s intended comparison, rather than turning the exchange into a correction of every informal quantity expression.

94. many

Selected model. Many pictures need identifying labels because the visitor does not know their intended subjects.

Meaning check. Is the model an approximate quantity statement or a question asking for an exact number?

Another context. How many stops are on this short route?

Look at a shelf with a manageable collection of pictures and say, “Many pictures need labels.” The word gives an approximate description in this context; it does not supply a universal numerical threshold. Ask which pictures need identifying information and show the relevant set. Some may already have clear labels, so the practical task is not necessarily labelling every visible item.

Compare the statement with “How many pictures need labels?” That question asks for an exact number and may require counting support. The child can understand which group is meant while making a counting mistake, so separate those observations. An adult can count aloud as the child points or moves a marker. If the exact number is unnecessary, an approximate description may be sufficient. Later, use many in a different scene and discuss the reference: many visitors for a small model museum may be a modest number compared with a real exhibition.

95. much

Selected model. There is not much room for another display unless we move this empty tray.

Meaning check. Which uncountable amount or degree is relevant to the task?

Another context. How much information does this listener need?

The group wants to add a large model, but the display area is nearly full. “There is not much room beside the garden” describes a limited amount of space. Try the actual model or a paper outline to see what fits. The child can demonstrate the comparison without calculating an area or stating a number.

Use the same word in a question about the guide: “How much information does this visitor need?” The answer depends on what the visitor already knows and what they are trying to do. Inspect their questions rather than assuming a fixed sentence length. Too much unrelated detail can obscure the destination, while too little can leave it unidentified. An adult can summarise the useful amount in plain language: “They know the model’s name; they still need its location.” The abstract information question earns meaning through a real exchange with an identifiable gap.

96. enough

Selected model. This explanation gives enough information for the visitor to find the right model.

Meaning check. What goal defines sufficiency, and would a different goal change the answer?

Another context. Do we have enough room to keep the entrance clear?

Define a small purpose before asking whether there is enough. For example, one label card is enough to identify one exhibit if the writing is clear and the card stays beside it. The same card may not be enough to guide a visitor through three separate rooms. The resource has not changed; the task has.

Test an explanation in the same way. Ask a willing visitor to find the bridge using the guide. If the name and location let them identify it, the message may contain enough information for that purpose even if it is brief. If two bridges fit, add a distinguishing feature and try again. Do not turn enough into an absolute judgement about the child’s language. Record the particular audience and task. Another listener, a changed layout or an audio-only message may require different information while the original exchange remains a genuine success.

97. same

Selected model. Both guides show the same destination, but they use different starting points.

Meaning check. Which feature or meaning matches? What other differences may remain?

Another context. These labels have the same title.

Give two visitors maps with different starting points but a shared garden destination. “Both maps show the same destination” names the feature that matches. The routes do not need to be identical. Ask the guide to point out the destination and one difference so the claim stays precise.

Try comparing labels with the same title but different pictures. If the visitor needs the maker’s name, a shared title may not be the relevant match. A useful comparison begins by asking what feature matters for the current task. When a child says two things are the same, invite them to show the resemblance before assuming they mean identical in every respect. Their criterion may be sensible but unstated. The adult can expand it into a clearer sentence such as “They have the same entrance symbol,” preserving the observed match and leaving other differences available.

98. different

Selected model. The two visitors chose different routes because they wanted to see different displays first.

Meaning check. Which relevant feature differs? Does that establish a contradiction or only another option?

Another context. I have a different explanation for that mark.

Let two visitors choose different routes through the museum. Both can reach the agreed destination while seeing exhibits in another order. “They chose different routes” reports a difference without claiming that either visitor made a mistake. Use coloured markers to preserve the two paths, then ask which feature differs: the first stop, the distance or the direction around a display.

Compare that preference difference with incompatible factual directions. If two guide cards name different locations for the same model at the same moment, at least one may need updating. Check the actual display rather than treating both descriptions as equally accurate simply because difference is acceptable in choices. The child can inspect, point and help revise the card. This keeps a valuable distinction: people can reasonably choose different experiences, while a guide to a particular arrangement still needs to represent that arrangement truthfully.

99. similar

Selected model. These explanations are similar because both name the model and tell where it is.

Meaning check. Which resemblance matters, and what differences limit the comparison?

Another context. Our maps have similar layouts.

Make two guide cards that both identify the model and give its location, but use different wording. “The bridge stands beside the garden” and “Look next to the garden for the bridge” are similar in the information they provide. A visitor can try each to see whether both lead to the same exhibit. They are not identical sentences, and either might be clearer in a particular layout.

Ask the child to name or show one shared feature and one difference. This prevents similar from becoming a vague replacement for same. For physical models, a pair may have similar shapes but different entrances. If the entrance matters to a route, that difference can outweigh a broad resemblance. Let the listener’s task determine which comparison is useful. An adult can record the child’s chosen criterion without insisting that everyone notice the same similarity first.

100. opposite

Selected model. The arrows point in opposite directions along the same straight path.

Meaning check. What specific opposing relationship is meant? Is this merely a difference instead?

Another context. In this comparison, open and closed have opposite meanings.

Draw a straight path with an arrow at each end pointing towards the other end. Show two toy visitors travelling in opposite directions along that path. Keep the shared line visible, because two unrelated journeys are not automatically opposites. The child can move the figures while the adult describes the relationship.

Use a separate concrete example for a meaning contrast: the gallery door can be open or closed in the story. Not every difference forms an opposing pair. Two favourite pictures, two colours or two sensible tour plans may simply be different. Avoid calling visitors opponents because they prefer another route. In a guide, “the opposite entrance” also needs a reference entrance or a visible arrangement across from it. Ask the speaker to show which one is meant before adding the instruction. Precision comes from the stated relationship, not from making the description sound stronger.

Apply this group

Use “The visitor needs more information about the destination, rather than more decorative words.” as one starting example for a small museum tour. What does the visitor need to identify the display?

Compare it with “The arrows point in opposite directions along the same straight path.”. Identify the different job of the connecting word, then select the model that serves your current message. The two sentences are examples to discuss, not a script to recite.

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CHAPTER 14 OF 19

14. Worked tasks for information for a listener

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A visitor identifies an exhibit

Let a willing visitor choose which display your sentence means. If two objects fit the description, name one useful distinguishing feature. Ask whether the clarification resolves the reference.

Change the audience: let a new listener hear the description without seeing the original point. Keep the object available to reveal whenever the activity stops being enjoyable.

A sign helps someone follow a route

Draw two landmarks and a starting point. The learner chooses where the toy visitor goes, and an adult can record the words. Let a partner try the route and ask one practical question.

Revise the missing place or direction rather than adding a long list of unrelated details. Keep the learner’s chosen destination unchanged unless they want to change it.

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CHAPTER 15 OF 19

15. Repair two common problems

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The visitor cannot identify the object

Replace a bare this one with a known noun or identifying feature. Ask the visitor whether that resolves the reference before adding unrelated information.

The child changes the story

Follow the invented version if that is the activity. If the task is recalling an actual event, use the available object or picture to clarify the difference.

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CHAPTER 16 OF 19

16. Parent and tutor handover

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Name the purpose of the information for a listener task and the format the learner used. Record one actual example, the help supplied and what became clearer to the listener. Avoid a broad label such as knows all the words.

Choose one useful next step within a small museum tour. A reading aid, a drawn representation or adult recording can stay available. Agree on the relationship to practise rather than a compulsory number of repetitions.

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CHAPTER 17 OF 19

17. Progression and useful return routes

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Age 5 extends the familiar bank through audience, purpose and revision. A location word can help someone find an exhibit. A reason can explain why a sign was changed. A sequence can guide a short tour. A comparison can establish whether two messages communicate the same destination. These are possible teaching uses, not uniform birthday expectations.

Look for a practical progression from shared context to slightly less shared context. First describe a model both people can see. Later describe a simple picture to a willing partner who has not seen it, with permission to reveal it at any time. Then help an absent listener follow a two-event account using props or a drawing. Change only the demand that is useful.

Keep supported writing distinct from independent writing. An adult can record the child’s chosen label, read it back and invite a correction. That is a meaningful authorship activity even when the child does not form letters or read the entire label. Do not use these activities as evidence of an independent literacy skill that was not observed.

Watch for flexible references and responsive clarification. A child may replace this one with the bridge picture when a listener asks which one. They may add a starting point to a route or change an explanation after testing a fit. Record the support and the outcome rather than claiming broad mastery from a single successful interaction.

Base Essential words establish useful meanings, Connecting Fence clarifies their relationships and Maximum Fence explores richer distinctions and ideas. These are related educational roles, not clinical stages or compulsory tests. Return to a simpler model whenever it better supports the present message.

Continue with the published Connecting Fence Age 6. Continue using the familiar bank across new experiences instead of replacing every earlier word simply to appear advanced. The purpose is language that helps another person understand, with room for different communication styles, home languages and adult support.

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CHAPTER 18 OF 19

18. Questions about this guide

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Must every five-year-old use all these models?

No. This is a flexible adult reference, not a developmental checklist or official syllabus. Repeated words support new communication jobs, and richer structures may remain listening models. Choose a meaningful exchange and recognise gestures, demonstrations, shorter phrases and home-language answers.

What changes from Connecting Fence Age 4?

The same 100 headwords are deliberately revisited with new sentence models and a distinct listener challenge on every card. Earlier guides remain available through the series hub. The new emphasis is identifying missing information, checking a message with another person and revising it while preserving the child’s intended meaning.

Must the response be independently written?

No. Spoken, drawn and adult-supported work can serve the task. Record the support honestly and do not infer an independent reading or handwriting skill from assisted production.

How should earlier guides be used?

Use the hub to choose an earlier experience when a word relationship is unclear. A familiar object, action or listener can reduce competing demands while a new connection is explored. Returning to an earlier example is a teaching choice, not a judgement about the learner.

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CHAPTER 19 OF 19

19. Scope and continuation

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The selected Age 5 models are educational examples. Age labels organise the series; they are not an official syllabus or a developmental test. The examples do not establish the truth of an imagined event or certify independent literacy skills.

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Continue exploring the series

Open the complete Children’s Vocabulary Ages 1–12 series hub · Vocabulary Learning System.

Age 1: Everyday Age 1 · Base Age 1 · Connecting Age 1 · Maximum Age 1

Age 2: Everyday Age 2 · Base Age 2 · Connecting Age 2 · Maximum Age 2

Age 3: Everyday Age 3 · Base Age 3 · Connecting Age 3 · Maximum Age 3

Age 4: Everyday Age 4 · Base Age 4 · Connecting Age 4 · Maximum Age 4

Age 5: Everyday Age 5 · Base Age 5 · Connecting Age 5 (this guide) · Maximum Age 5

Age 6: Everyday Age 6 · Base Age 6 · Connecting Age 6 · Maximum Age 6

Age 7: Everyday Age 7 · Base Age 7 · Connecting Age 7 · Maximum Age 7

Age 8: Base Age 8 · Connecting Age 8 · Maximum Age 8 · Everyday Age 8

Age 9: Base Age 9 · Connecting Age 9 · Maximum Age 9 · Everyday Age 9

Age 10: Base Age 10 · Connecting Age 10 · Maximum Age 10 · Everyday Age 10

Age 11: Base Age 11 · Connecting Age 11 · Everyday Age 11 · Maximum Age 11

Age 12: Base Age 12 · Connecting Age 12 · Maximum Age 12