Harvey's Elementary Grammar and Composition · Lesson 59 · Part 2: Part II: The parts of speech in full
55. Composition: describing an animal
Goal: Your child writes a description of an animal following a plan.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- Paper and a pencil (or a slate)
What's in the book
Lesson 59 gives a plan for describing a squirrel and a general plan for describing other animals, with a list of animals to choose from.
The lesson, step by step
Review
Ask: What are the steps for parsing a noun?
The plan
The book says to write a description of a squirrel using a plan:
1. Size, as compared with some other small animal.
2. Form, noting particularly its teeth, claws, and tail.
3. Habits, nest, and food.
The plan goes on to disposition, different kinds, and migrations.
Gather facts
Talk about what your child knows about squirrels. If you have a nature book or can watch one outside, even better.
Write the squirrel
Write one short paragraph for each point of the plan. The book's remark says your child may change the order of the topics.
Another animal
The book's general plan covers size, form, color, food, habits, disposition, where found, and anecdotes. Choose an animal from the book's list (the dog, the owl, the bee, the crow, the mouse, and others) for another day.
Parse a few nouns
The book says: Parse the nouns in your compositions. Do three.
Use it today
Watch an animal for five minutes and tell what you noticed.
Afterwards
Write about a second animal on another day using the general plan.
Answers to the book's problems
Compositions will vary. Check that each point of the plan is covered.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.