The Elementary Spelling Book, being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book · Fable III · Part 9: Reading lessons and fables
115. Fable III: The Two Dogs
Goal: Your child reads the fable aloud and talks about how the company we keep affects us.
You'll need
- The book, open to this reading lesson
- A slate or paper and pencil
What's in the book
Fable III, "The Two Dogs": a good-natured spaniel named Tray travels with a surly mastiff named Tiger, who attacks every dog in the next village; the villagers beat both dogs. The end of this fable, and Fables IV and V, fall on printed pages 143 and 144, which are missing from this scan. Fable VI begins there too.
The lesson, step by step
Before you read
Ask: Have you ever been blamed for something a friend did? Tell your child to listen for what kind of dog each one is.
Read it aloud
Read the whole piece aloud while your child follows with a finger. Then your child reads it to you, a few sentences at a time. Help with hard words without fuss. Here is how it goes:
A good-natured Spaniel overtook a surly Mastiff, as he was traveling upon the highroad.
poor Tray was most cruelly treated, for no other reason than his being found in bad company.
Talk about it
The fable begins with its lesson: hasty friendships with people we do not know can bring trouble. Ask: Did Tray do anything wrong? Why was he punished? What should he have done?
Tell it back
Your child tells the story: who Tray was, who Tiger was, what happened in the village, and what Tray learned.
Spell a few words
Pick a few words from the piece. Your child spells them aloud by syllables, then writes them: spaniel, mastiff, village, company.
Tip
Printed pages 143 and 144 are missing from this scan, so the last lines of this fable and two more fables are not shown. Any other copy of the Elementary Spelling Book has them if you want to read them.