McGuffey's First Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XXVI · Part 3: Kate, John and friends

26. By the brook

Goal: Your child reads a longer story that continues the last one, and connects the two.

⏱ About 15 minutes · 7 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗

You'll need

  • The book, open to this lesson
  • A slate, small whiteboard or lined paper and a pencil

What's in the book

Ten new words, a picture of children in the woods, and a story that follows on from Lesson XXV.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    Have your child reread a few lines of Lesson XXV, for example:

    We will dig in the sand with this little spade.

    Praise smooth reading and help with any word that sticks.

  2. New words

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

    its shade brook picks all by help stones glad soft

    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.

    For longer words, clap the parts together, then say the whole word.

  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:

    They are all in the shade, now, by the brook.

    James digs in the soft sand with his spade, and Mary picks up little stones and puts them in her lap.

    Read it a second time, more smoothly.

  4. Talk about it

    SayWhere did Kate leave her doll?

    SayWhat are James and Mary doing by the brook?

    SayHow will Kate help them?

    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:

    They are all in the shade, now, by the brook.

    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: shade, help, glad, soft, stones.

    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.

Afterwards

Reread this lesson aloud on the next day before starting a new one. Read the new words from the list in any order until they come quickly.

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