9. Kittie and Mousie

The lesson, step by step

1. Warm up

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

   Puss, with her three kittens, had lived in the coal cellar; but one day she thought she would carry them to the attic.

   Praise smooth reading and help with any word that sticks.

2. New words

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

   nine mousie fro frolic bit slipped spied crow teeth pearl used

   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:

   Once there was a little kitty,

   White as the snow;

   Read it a second time, more smoothly.

4. Talk about it

   SayWhere did the kitty play?

   SayWhat did the kitty chase?

   SayWhat happened to the little mouse in the end?

   SayListen for rhymes: snow and ago. Can you find another pair?

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

5. Tell it back

   Close the book.

   SayTell me what happened in the barn, in your own words.

   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:

   Once there was a little kitty,

   White as the snow;

   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: nine, teeth, bit, used.

   Check together and fix any mistakes right away.