64. Mary's Dime

The lesson, step by step

1. Warm up

   SayIf you had money for a treat and saw someone who was hungry, what would you do?

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:

   Toast, to scorch until brown by the heat of a fire.

   Cheap, low in price.

   Stared, looked earnestly.

   Gingerbread, a kind of sweet cake flavored with ginger.

   Then find each word in the lesson.

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

3. Read it aloud

   Mary is telling her own story, so your child reads it as if they are Mary.

   Here is a line from it:

   There! I have drawn the chairs into the right corners, and dusted the room nicely.

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

4. Talk about it

   SayWhere did Mary's dime come from, and what did she want to buy?

   SayWho did she meet, and what did the girl say?

   SayHow did Mary feel afterward, and why?

   Then talk about the lesson of the reading:

   Giving up a treat to help someone hungry brings a lasting gladness.

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

5. Tell it back or write it

   Close the book.

   SayPretend you are Mary. Tell me about your dime.

   An older child can write two or three sentences instead.

6. Dictation

   Show your child this sentence. Let them study it for a minute: the capitals, the commas, any hard words.

   There! I have drawn the chairs into the right corners, and dusted the room nicely.

   Then close the book and read it aloud slowly while your child writes it. Open the book and check together.

7. Spelling

   Say each word, use it in a sentence, and have your child spell it aloud, then write it: toast, cheap, hood, faded, stared.

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