39. The Bear and the Children

The lesson, step by step

1. Warm up

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

   "Herbert, will you please peel my orange?" said Lucy.

   Praise smooth reading and help with any word that sticks.

2. New words

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

   smelt hide crept laid floor inn bear fur youngest danced joyfully marched soldiers badly running eldest

   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 picture together first, if there is one. Then your child reads the lesson aloud, one paragraph at a time. Help with any word by pointing to it in the word list.

   Here are a few lines from it:

   Up in the attic, three little children were playing together.

   Stump! stump! stump! Some one was coming up the stairs.

   Read it a second time, more smoothly.

4. Talk about it

   SayWhere was the bear at the start of the story?

   SayWhat did the children think the bear was?

   SayWhat games did they play with the bear?

   SayShould you ever pat a wild bear? Why not?

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

5. Tell it back

   Close the book.

   SayTell me what happened in the attic.

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

6. Copywork

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

   Up in the attic, three little children were playing together.

   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: bear, fur, hide, floor, crept.

   Check together and fix any mistakes right away.