25. The Clouds

The lesson, step by step

1. Warm up

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

   Sheep are washed and sheared some time in the month of June.

   Praise smooth reading and help with any word that sticks.

2. New words

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

   bearers earth warm sultry wander rays grain clouds o'er we're

   Say each word and have your child say it after you. Clap the parts of long words. Then point to words in any order and let your child read them.

3. Read it aloud

   Look at the page together first. Then your child reads the poem aloud, a line at a time. Pause a little at the end of each line.

   Here are a few lines from it:

   Clouds that wander through the sky,

   Sometimes low and sometimes high;

   Read it a second time, more smoothly.

4. Talk about it

   SayWhat does the speaker ask the clouds?

   SayWhat do the clouds bring to the grass, flowers and grain?

   SayHow do the clouds help on hot summer days?

   SayListen for rhymes: sky and high, night and bright. Can you find more?

   Let your child look back at the page to find answers.

5. Tell it back

   Close the book.

   SayTell me what the clouds said about their work.

   Let your child talk without stopping them. Afterward, help with anything left out by asking "What happened next?"

6. Copywork

   Write this lines from the lesson for your child to copy, or let them copy it straight from the book:

   In the darkness of the night,

   In the sunshine warm and bright.

   Check capital letters, commas and the mark at the end.

7. Spelling

   Say each word, use it in a short sentence, and have your child spell it aloud, then write it: warm, clouds, earth, grain.

   Check together and fix any mistakes right away.