McGuffey's Eclectic Primer, Revised Edition · Lesson IV · Part 1: First words: a cat, a rat
4. A man and a lad
Goal: Your child reads man, cap and lad, and reads the sentences about the man and the lad.
You'll need
- The book, open to the lesson
- A slate, small whiteboard or paper and pencil
What's in the book
New words man, cap and lad (with the letters p and s shown), and four short sentences.
The lesson, step by step
Warm up
Turn back to Lesson III. Point to the new words at the top and have your child read them:
Nat hat can fan
Any that are slow go in tomorrow's warm-up too.
Meet the new words
Point to each new word at the top of the page. Say it clearly, then your child says it back.
man a cap the lad
For short words, sound them out together, slowly, then fast. Mix up the order and ask your child to point to each word as you say it.
Two kinds of stop
Read this line from the page together:
The man sat; the lad ran.
Show the mark in the middle (;) and the dot at the end. Your child takes a little rest at each one.
Read the sentences
Your child reads the sentences aloud, pointing to each word. Help by sounding out, not by telling, when you can. For example:
A man and a lad.
The man has a hat.
Then read the whole page once more, a little smoother.
Talk about the picture
SayLook at the picture together. What do you see?
SayWhat is a lad? (A boy.) What is the lad doing?
Slate work
Your child copies a few of the new words onto the slate: man, cap, lad. If there is a line in script (handwriting) on the page, read it aloud together and copy it instead.
Spell aloud
Close the book. Say each word and your child spells it aloud: man, cap, lad. Then open the book and check.
Wrap up
Your child reads the whole lesson one last time, or just the favorite sentence. Stop while it is still fun.
Afterwards
Reread this lesson for a day or two, until the new words come without help. Then go on.