Introduction
You have been invited to a vacation to Assateague Island to see the horses that live there. You will be observing them in their natural habitat, which is the marshes right in the middle of the city itself! You will be there to take notes and learn about their behavior, what they eat, where they came from, and much more. Chincoteague ponies are smaller than normal horses, but bigger than novelty ponies! They are wild, but they can be friendly, since humans interact with them all day every day, so don't be afraid!
Task
To learn about the ponies, you will need to complete these five tasks so that you aren't totally lost when it comes time for you to go to Asssateague to watch the horses!
Activity 1: Reading
Activity 2: Math
Activity 3: Social Studies
Activity 4: Science
Activity 5: Art
Process
Activity 1: Reading
http://www.chincoteague.com/ponies.html
Click the link provided above, and then read the article that shows up. Once you are finished reading the article, answer these questions on a separate sheet of paper.
1. What do the horses eat on the island?
2. Approximately how many wild adult ponies are allowed to live on the island?
3. How did the horses arrive on the island?
4. How did the modern day Pony Penning come to be?
5. Write down five facts that you learned from the article.
Activity 2: Math
Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper. Refer to the article in Activity 1 as a guide.
1. How many years has it been since the first description of pony penning was published in 1735?
2. If 75% of the mares have a foal each year, then what percentage of the rest of the mares don't?
3. How many people were estimated to be at the 1937 Pony Penning carnival?
4. How many herds will be created if the group of 150 horses divided into 6 parts?
5. About how many horses will be in each herd before the penning event if 50 of the horses are mares? (keep in mind that about 75% of the mares have foals, but round the ABOUT 75% to just 75%)
Activity 3: Social Studies
Refer to the article in Activity 1 to answer the following questions. Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.
1. On which continent is Assateague Island?
2. What is the climate on Assateague Island?
3. Where may the shipwrecked ponies have come from?
4. How might people in other places on the planet keep herds of animals under control?
5. Which coastline might the horses have come from?
Activity 4: Science
http://www.chincoteague.com/articles/chincoteague-pony-faq.html
Use the websites from activity 1 and the one above to answer the following questions. Answer the following on a sheet of paper.
1. What do the Chincoteague Ponies eat?
2. Why do the ponies' bellies look bloated?
3. What do humans do to help them/take care of them in the wild?
4. Why are female foals chased away from the herd?
5. In what season are the foals usually born?
Activity 5: Art
Get a blank piece of printer paper and follow the instructions below.
1. Look at one of the pictures or articles and draw one of the horses from it.
2. Get out coloring materials. eg. colored pencils, crayons, etc.
3. Make a background.
4. Color the background and horse that you drew.
5. Give to your instructor or keep; whichever you can. Enjoy!