The Show step
follows the Think step. During the Show step, you use a picture or a real
object/model to demonstrate the word. For the word “habitat,” you could
bring in pictures of different types of habitats. For example, you would
say (while holding up the picture(s)), “Today, I brought a new picture
for us to look at.”
The Tell step comes next. By completing the Show and Tell steps, you are promoting the fast mapping process and avoiding confusion among children who may otherwise mislabel an object, description or action.
During the Tell step you give the children a label for the object/picture (e.g., “This is a habitat; say habitat.”). Make sure the children repeat the target word correctly. This is particularly important for children who may not have heard the word correctly.
The final step is Talk. During the Talk step, you give the children a definition for the target word (e.g., “Right, habitat; a habitat is a place where animals live.”). It is important to remember that children should not take guesses at the definition (but they may try), as some children will fast map that definition and that definition may be incorrect. This may require you to keep the children from shouting out so that all children may hear the appropriate definition. This way you can control the definition the children are hearing.
