The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 2–5 · Part 1: Part First
2. What a sentence is
Goal: Your child knows that a sentence tells one thought and writes several clear sentences about things they know.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- Paper and pencil (a notebook kept just for this book works well)
- An apple (or any fruit)
What's in the book
Section 2, "The Story of a Lesson": Miss Brown holds up an apple and each child tells a thought about it; the book names these "sentences". Sections 3 to 5 ask for thoughts, spoken and written, about honey, gold, animals, flowers, fruits and the child's own family.
The lesson, step by step
Hold up an apple
Do what Miss Brown did. Hold up an apple.
SayLook at it. Think about it. Now tell me one thought about the apple.
Take turns, three or four thoughts each. Every answer is one whole thought: "The apple is red."
Read the story
Read Section 2 together. Point out that Jamie, Kate, Mary, Joe and Frank each said something different about the same apple.
A Sentence tells or expresses one's thought.
Talk it out first (Section 3)
Say one thought each about: honey, gold, pencils, horses, dogs, cats. Keep it quick, like a game.
If your child says only a word ("Sticky!"), help them make it a sentence: "Honey is sticky."
Read the book's advice
Read the short note on page 9 together.
First know, then tell. Tell your own thoughts.
Ask: Why should you only write about something you know?
Write (Sections 4 and 5)
Your child writes 6 to 8 sentences: three about a flower, tree or fruit they know well (Section 4), and three or four about home: a family member, the house, a pet, or their work (Section 5).
Each sentence is one thought. Say each one aloud before writing it.
Check it gently
Read the sentences aloud together. Ask of each one: "Does it tell one whole thought?"
If one is only a piece ("Big and green."), ask "What is big and green?" and let your child rewrite it. Fix just one or two today.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
Apples grow on trees. A ripe apple is crisp and sweet. My brother likes green apples best.
My mother is a nurse. Our house has a red door. My cat sleeps on the windowsill.
Afterwards
At meals this week, play "one thought": someone names a thing and everyone says one sentence about it.
Tip
Don't worry about spelling today. The point is the whole thought.