McGuffey's First Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XXX · Part 4: Chicks, kites, boats and Ponto

30. A boat for the dolls

Goal: Your child reads a two-page story and the script sentences that continue it.

⏱ About 20 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

Sixteen new words, a picture, a two-page story about making a boat for the dolls out of a tub, and Slate Work in script that tells what happened next.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

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

    This is a fine day.

    Praise smooth reading and help with any word that sticks.

  2. New words

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

    wish float tie know rope boat try shore give pole don't push drag won't oar funny

    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:

    Kate, I wish we had a boat to put the dolls in.

    We can get the little tub, and tie a rope to it, and drag it to the pond.

    Read it a second time, more smoothly.

  4. Talk about it

    SayWhat do the girls wish they had?

    SayWhat do they use for a boat?

    SayRead the slate work. What happened to the tub?

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

  5. Copywork

    Read the Slate Work at the end of the lesson together first. The book gives this Slate Work in script. Your child copies it on the slate or paper, slowly and neatly:

    The dolls had a nice ride to the pond.

    A soft wind made the tub float out.

  6. Spelling

    Say each word, use it in a short sentence, and have your child spell it aloud, then write it on the slate: boat, rope, pole, tie, wish.

    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.

Tip

The slate work leaves the dolls in trouble. Lesson XXXI tells what happens. Let your child guess first.

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