1. The dog ran

The lesson, step by step

1. Get ready

   Sit side by side with the book open to Lesson I. Show your child the picture and the words at the top of the page.

   SayToday you will read your very first story. It is only three words long!

2. New words

   Point to the new words at the top of the page:

   dog the ran

   Say each word and have your child say it after you. Sound out the short ones together, then point to words in any order and let your child read them.

   The letters printed beside the words show their sounds. Point to each one and say its sound together.

3. Read the lesson aloud

   Look at the picture together first, and ask what your child sees. Then your child reads the lesson aloud, one sentence at a time. Help with any word by pointing to it in the word list.

   Here are two lines from it:

   The dog.

   The dog ran.

   Read it a second time, more smoothly.

4. Talk about it

   SayWhat is the dog doing?

   SayWhere do you think the dog is running?

   Let your child look back at the page to find answers.

5. Copywork

   Write this line from the lesson for your child to copy, or let them copy it straight from the book:

   The dog ran.

   Check for a capital letter at the start and the mark at the end.

6. Spelling

   Say each word, use it in a short sentence, and have your child spell it aloud, then write it on the slate: dog, ran, the.

   Check together and fix any mistakes right away.

7. Tell it back

   Close the book.

   SayTell me the story in your own words.

   Help with "What happened first? Then what?" if your child gets stuck.