46. Ralph Wick

The lesson, step by step

1. Warm up

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

   Father, and Charles, and Lucy, and I went to the beach yesterday.

   Praise smooth reading and help with any word that sticks.

2. New words

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

   bid sore smile Ralph forget hay stem shone Wick scream tore point pluck thorns snatched

   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:

   Ralph Wick was seven years old.

   In most things he was a fine boy, but he was too apt to cry.

   If it is long, stop at a good place and finish tomorrow.

4. Talk about it

   SayWhat was Ralph's bad habit?

   SayWhat did Ralph want in the field? Why did his mother say no?

   SayWhat happened when he snatched it?

   SayWhat did Ralph promise at the end?

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

5. Tell it back

   Close the book.

   SayTell me the story of Ralph and the rose.

   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:

   Mother, I will be good now. I will do as you bid me.

   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: bid, sore, hay, stem, smile.

   Check together and fix any mistakes right away.