McGuffey's First Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson V · Part 1: First words: the dog, the cat and the hen

5. Rab has the hat

Goal: Your child reads the names Rab and Ann, notices capital letters on names, and reads the short story.

⏱ 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

Five new words, including the names Rab and Ann, a picture of a girl chasing a dog with a hat, and a few short lines.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

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

    The fat hen is on the box.

    Praise smooth reading and help with any word that sticks.

  2. New words

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

    Rab Ann hat catch see

    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:

    See Rab!

    See! Rab has the hat.

    Read it a second time, more smoothly.

  4. Talk about it

    SayLook at the picture together. Who has the hat?

    SayWho do you think Rab is?

    SayCan Ann catch Rab? 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:

    See! Rab has the hat.

    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: hat, Rab, Ann, see.

    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

Show that names begin with a capital letter: Rab, Ann. Ask your child to find all the capitals on the page.

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