Harvey's Elementary Grammar and Composition · Lesson 24 · Part 1: Part I: The elementary course
23. Composition: describing what you see
Goal: Your child writes a description of what can be seen from a door or window.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- Paper and a pencil (or a slate)
What's in the book
Lesson 24 has a picture of a girl at a window with a storm, questions about it, and prompts for describing views from school and home.
The lesson, step by step
Review
Ask your child to fix "Them apples are good" and "These kind are best."
Study the picture
Ask the book's questions:
What do you see in this picture? What can be seen through the window?
Is the storm approaching the house where the girl is, or has it passed it?
Does the picture represent a morning or an evening scene?
Ask "Why do you think so?" after each answer.
Look out a real window
Stand at a window at home. Name everything you can see, near and far.
Write a description
The book asks your child to describe what may be seen from the school-house door, and through the windows and doors of the sitting-room and parlor at home. Choose one view and write six to eight sentences, from nearest to farthest.
Read and check
Your child reads it aloud. Did they use some good adjectives? Are the commas in lists right?
Use it today
On a walk or a car ride, describe one view aloud in three sentences.
Answers to the book's problems
Descriptions will vary. Look for an orderly description (near to far, or left to right) and specific adjectives.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.