The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 74–75 · Part 1: Part First
25. The Hare and the Tortoise
Goal: Your child retells a fable in their own words and talks clearly about real animals.
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 74 is the fable of the Hare and the Tortoise, to read and tell. Section 75 is a long conversation about real hares and turtles: where they live, how they look, what they eat, how they are protected.
The lesson, step by step
Read the fable
Read Section 74 together, with your child reading the Hare and you the Tortoise.
Some children are like the Hare, and some are like the Tortoise.
Tell it
Close the book; your child tells the fable in their own words. Then talk about the last line: what does it mean?
Real animals (Section 75)
Talk through some of the book's questions about real hares and turtles: Where does a hare live? What does it eat? Is it timid or fearless? How does a turtle protect itself? What does it do when touched?
If you have seen a turtle, tell about it.
Write
Your child writes the fable in their own words, 6 to 8 sentences, ending with the lesson in one sentence.
Check it gently
Read it aloud. Is the order right: the boast, the race, the nap, the finish? Fix just one place where the story jumps.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
A hare laughed at a tortoise for being so slow. The tortoise said he could win a race. They chose an old pine tree as the goal. The hare raced ahead, stopped to eat clover, and fell asleep. The tortoise kept plodding along. When the hare woke up, the tortoise was already at the tree. Slow and steady won the race.
Tip
Watch a turtle in a pond or park if you can, without picking it up, and wash hands after any animal touch.