55. Three syllables, accented on the first: porcupine, javelin

The lesson, step by step

1. The pattern

   Three beats, the first strong: "POR-cu-pine", "JAV-e-lin". A few words in this table are long names from old books; just read them and move on.

2. Read the table aloud

   Read the table aloud together, a column at a time. You say a word, your child says it back while pointing to it. Then your child reads a column alone. Some of the words:

   cherubim, porcupine, seraphim

   martyrdom, javelin, idiom

3. Spell aloud by syllables

   Spell each word a syllable at a time, the way Webster's pupils did: spell the first syllable and say it, spell the next and say it, then say the whole word.

   Sayp, o, r, por; c, u, cu; p, i, n, e, pine; porcupine.

   Sayj, a, v, jav; e, e; l, i, n, lin; javelin.

   Do a column this way while looking, then cover it and spell a few from memory.

4. Read the sentences

   Read some of the sentences on this page and the next:

   Saffron is a well-known garden plant.

   The cuckoo visits us early in the spring.

   We ought to pity the mistakes of the ignorant, and try to correct them.

5. Dictation

   Say each word, use it in a short sentence of your own, and say it again. Your child writes it. Try these: porcupine, martyrdom, javelin, idiom.

   Check together against the book. Any word that came out wrong goes on a card for tomorrow.

6. Review

   Finish with the cards from earlier days: your child reads and spells each one. Put a card away after three right days in a row.