7. The Truant

The lesson, step by step

1. Warm up

   SayThe title of today's lesson is "The Truant." A truant is a child who stays away from school without leave. What might go wrong?

2. Words and meanings

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

   falsely guilty attend truant conduct therefore haste regular struggled ignorant

   Read them together a few at a time. Clap the syllables of the long ones. The book prints these words without meanings.

   Explain in your own words: guilty means you did the wrong thing; ignorant means not knowing.

3. Read it aloud

   Your child reads. This is a longer story, so you may take turns by paragraph.

   Here are two lines from it:

   James Brown was ten years old when his parents sent him to school.

   But, instead of going to school, he was in the habit of playing truant.

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

4. Talk about it

   SayWhere did James go instead of school, and who did he meet there?

   SayWhat danger did James get into?

   SayHow did James change at the end of the story?

   Then talk about the lesson of the reading:

   James learns to attend to his books and obey his parents.

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

5. Tell it back

   Close the book.

   SayTell me the story of James Brown in your own words.

6. Copywork

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

   James Brown was ten years old when his parents sent him to school.

   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: guilty, attend, truant, haste, regular.

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