244. Names of the states

The lesson, step by step

1. Look at the pattern

   The names of the states, with the old abbreviations and how to say each name.

2. Read the list aloud together

   Open the book to the lesson. Read the words aloud together, one column at a time. Some of them:

   Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia

   Then your child reads a column alone, pointing to each word.

   Read each name the way the book's respelling shows. Find a few of the places on a map if you have one.

3. Spell aloud by syllables

   Spell the old way: say the word, spell each syllable and say it, then say the whole word again. Use the spaces in the book to find the syllables.

   Your child spells eight or ten words from the list this way, looking first, then with the book closed.

4. Write from dictation

   Close the book. Say six to eight names. Your child writes each with capital letters where they belong.

5. Check and correct

   Open the book and check each word together, letter by letter. For each mistake, your child looks at the right spelling, says it, spells it aloud, and writes it correctly three times.

   Add any word that was missed to a hard-words list.