8. The White Kitten

The lesson, step by step

1. Warm up

   SayIf a white kitten went out to play in a coal shed or a muddy yard, what would she look like when she came home?

2. Words and meanings

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

   stroke beggar streaks needful counsel

   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: counsel means advice; needful means needed.

3. Read it aloud

   Read the first stanza aloud with a gentle, swinging rhythm. Then your child reads the poem.

   Here are two of its lines:

   My little white kitten's asleep on my knee;

   As white as the snow or the lilies is she;

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

4. Talk about it

   SayWhat did the kitten look like when she came home?

   SayWhat is the poem really teaching children, not just kittens?

   Then talk about the lesson of the reading:

   The poem says children, like kittens, should be careful in choosing their places to play.

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

5. Tell it back

   Close the book.

   SayTell me what happened to the white kitten, and what the poem teaches.

6. Copywork

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

   My little white kitten's asleep on my knee;

   As white as the snow or the lilies is she;

   Notice the apostrophe in kitten's. It is short for kitten is.

   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: stroke, streaks, kitten, white.

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