The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 432–433 · Part 2: Part Second
119. As busy as a bee, and November
Goal: Your child completes common comparisons and talks about a poem built from a list.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- Paper and pencil (a notebook kept just for this book works well)
What's in the book
Section 432 gives twenty common comparisons to complete (As green as ..., As busy as ..., As wise as a ...). Section 433 is Thomas Hood's "November", a description of a London fog made almost entirely of "No ... no ..." phrases, for conversation.
The lesson, step by step
Finish the comparisons (Section 432)
Say them aloud as a game: you start, your child finishes. "As busy as ..." "a bee!"
Find new ones
The book asks: name other objects to which those adjectives could apply. Your child makes three fresh comparisons of their own ("as quiet as snow falling").
Write
Your child writes five sentences using comparisons, at least two of their own invention.
Read "November"
Read Hood's poem aloud. It ends with one word.
No sun — no moon!
Ask: What is the poet describing? (A thick London fog.) Why does he only say what is missing? How does he feel about November?
Check it gently
Read the five sentences. Do the comparisons fit? ("As sharp as a pillow" doesn't.) Praise the freshest one.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
My new shoes were as stiff as boards.
The pond was as smooth as a mirror.
My little brother is as quiet as a mouse when he is up to something.
Answers to the book's problems
Section 432, common completions (others can be good too): 1. grass. 2. a rose (or a cherry). 3. a bee. 4. gold. 5. a wink (or flash). 6. an arrow. 7. an ox (or a lion). 8. a lamb. 9. steel. 10. a king (or a lark). 11. an owl. 12. a dove. 13. a snail (or tortoise). 14. a rock (or iron). 15. a needle (or a razor). 16. glass (or silk). 17. the sky. 18. an owl. 19. crystal (or day). 20. the wind.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.