54. Willie's rabbits

The lesson, step by step

1. Warm up

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

   Mary and Lucy have come down to the beach with their grandpa.

   Praise smooth reading and help with any word that sticks.

2. New words

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

   asked wanted four Willie's night rabbits lad carried cents telling fifty master

   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:

   One day, Willie's father saw a boy at the market with four little white rabbits in a basket.

   Willie's father bought them, and carried them home.

   Read it a second time, more smoothly.

4. Talk about it

   SayWhat did Willie's father see at the market?

   SayWhat did he do?

   SayHow does Willie take care of his rabbits?

   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:

   Some rabbits are as white as snow, some are black, and others have white and black spots.

6. Spelling

   Say each word, use it in a short sentence, and have your child spell it aloud, then write it on the slate: four, lad, asked, cents.

   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.