4. The fat hen and the rat

The lesson, step by step

1. Warm up

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

   The man has a pen.

   Praise smooth reading and help with any word that sticks.

2. New words

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

   hen fat rat box big run from can

   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 fat hen is on the box.

   The rat ran from the box.

   Read it a second time, more smoothly.

4. Talk about it

   SayWhere is the fat hen?

   SayWhat did the rat do?

   SayCan the hen run? What do you think?

   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:

   A fat hen.

   A big rat.

   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: hen, fat, rat, box, big.

   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.