52. The Owl

The lesson, step by step

1. Warm up

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

   One cold, bleak night, the snow fell fast, and the wind blew loud and shrill.

   Praise smooth reading and help with any word that sticks.

2. New words

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

   oak dusk fight squeak ruffled bag Fred whoo awake creeping

   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:

   "Where did you get that owl, Harry?"

   "Fred and I found him in the old, hollow oak."

   Read it a second time, more smoothly.

4. Talk about it

   SayWhat were the boys playing at dusk near the old barn?

   SayWhat did they hear and see?

   SayWhere did they find the owl the next day, and what was it doing?

   SayHow did Fred catch him?

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

5. Tell it back

   Close the book.

   SayPretend you are Harry. Tell me how you caught the owl.

   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:

   "Fred and I found him in the old, hollow oak."

   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: oak, dusk, bag, awake.

   Check together and fix any mistakes right away.