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

7. Ned and the black hen

Goal: Your child reads nine new words and a five-line story about Ned and the hen.

⏱ About 15 minutes · 7 steps

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You'll need

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

What's in the book

Starts at the bottom of the page after Lesson VI and runs onto the next page: nine new words, a picture of a boy feeding a hen, and five lines about Ned and the black hen.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

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

    Ann can catch Rab.

    Praise smooth reading and help with any word that sticks.

  2. New words

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

    Ned eggs black left fed nest them get will

    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:

    Ned has fed the hen.

    She has left the nest.

    Read it a second time, more smoothly.

  4. Talk about it

    SayWhat did Ned do for the hen?

    SayWhat is in the nest?

    SayDo you think the hen will let Ned get the eggs?

    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 the eggs in the nest!

    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: Ned, nest, fed, get, left.

    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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