The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 61–65 · Part 1: Part First
22. Dates, and shortening the months
Goal: Your child writes the date of a letter correctly and uses the right abbreviations for months.
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 61 is George Elwyn's snowed-in letter to his cousin Ted, to study. Sections 62 and 63 explain the date of a letter and the abbreviations of the months, with dates to copy. Section 64 asks for dates the child knows; Section 65 gives ten sentences to rewrite with abbreviations.
The lesson, step by step
Read George's letter
Read Section 61 aloud. It's a lively letter about a snow day.
It snows so hard that nobody can get to school.
Answer the book's questions: Where was it written? When? To whom? What message? How does it end? Who wrote it?
The date (Section 62)
The date should tell the month, the day of the month, and the year.
Find the dates in the letters on pages 62, 66 and 70.
Month abbreviations (Section 63)
Read the list together.
May, June, and July should never be abbreviated;
The book also says March and April are better written in full.
Every Abbreviation should be followed by a Period.
Your child copies six of the dates on page 72, with periods and commas just as printed.
Rewrite (Section 65)
Your child rewrites the ten sentences in Section 65, shortening each month name. Use March and April in full if they come up.
Check it gently
Compare with the Answers. Your child checks two things only: the period after each abbreviation, and the comma between the day and the year.
Dates you know (Section 64)
If there is time: your child writes the date of their last birthday and of tomorrow, using the right form.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
My birthday was on Sept. 14, 2025.
Tomorrow's date is Nov. 3.
The period after the abbreviation and the comma before the year are both there.
Answers to the book's problems
Section 65: 1. Longfellow was born on Feb. 27, 1807. 2. Forefathers' Day is celebrated Dec. 22. 3. New Year's Day comes on Jan. 1. 4. Sept. 4 will be Labor Day. 5. Feb. 12 is the anniversary of Lowell's birthday. 6. Hallowe'en is celebrated on Oct. 31. 7. The Boston Tea Party occurred on Dec. 16, 1773. 8. Thanksgiving Day fell on Nov. 30 in 1899. 9. Washington's Birthday, Feb. 22, is a holiday. 10. Columbus discovered America on Oct. 12, 1492.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.