63. We Are Seven

The lesson, step by step

1. Warm up

   SayHow many people are in our family? Who do you count?

2. Words and meanings

   This lesson's definitions are printed at the end, after the reading. Read a few of them together before you start:

   Clustered, hung in bunches.

   Rustic, country-like.

   Kerchief, handkerchief.

   Porringer, a small dish for soup or porridge.

   Then find each word in the lesson.

   SayCan you use one of these words in a sentence of your own?

3. Read it aloud

   Read the first two stanzas yourself, then take turns: you read the man's questions and your child reads the girl's answers.

   Here are two of its lines:

   I met a little cottage girl:

   She was eight years old, she said;

   Then let your child reread a favorite part, more smoothly.

4. Talk about it

   SayHow many brothers and sisters does the girl say she has?

   SayWhy does the man say there are only five?

   SayWhy do you think the girl still says "we are seven"?

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

5. Tell it back or write it

   Close the book.

   SayTell me about the little girl and her brothers and sisters.

   An older child can write two or three sentences instead.

6. Copywork

   Your child copies this from the book in their best handwriting:

   I met a little cottage girl:

   She was eight years old, she said;

   Check capitals and marks together.

7. Spelling

   Say each word, use it in a sentence, and have your child spell it aloud, then write it: cottage, rustic, kerchief, clustered.

   Check together and fix any mistakes right away. Keep missed words for tomorrow's warm-up.