The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 87–90 · Part 1: Part First
29. Apostrophes in poems, and a thank-you note
Goal: Your child explains apostrophes and capitals in short verses and writes a warm thank-you note.
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 87 gives four short verses to explain the apostrophes and capitals in. Section 88 asks for a written account, from memory, of how Gemila moves from place to place. Section 89 is a letter from Ernest to his mother with the verse "Hundreds of stars", to copy and learn. Section 90 asks for a thank-you note to Uncle Horace for a bicycle.
The lesson, step by step
Explain the marks (Section 87)
Read the four verses aloud. For each apostrophe, your child says what letters are missing. For each capital, says why (start of a line, a name, O, I).
Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn,
Read Ernest's letter (Section 89)
Read the letter and its verse together.
Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky.
Learn the verse by heart over the week; the book suggests writing it out to carry home.
Plan the thank-you note (Section 90)
Uncle Horace sent a bicycle for your child's birthday. Talk aloud: What will you thank him for? What will you tell him about the bicycle? What will you do with it?
Write it
Your child writes a thank-you note, 4 to 6 sentences, with all the parts of a letter.
Check it gently
Ask: Does it say thank you plainly? Does it say something specific about the gift, so Uncle Horace knows you like it? Your child adds one detail if it is too general.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
Dear Uncle Horace,
Thank you for the beautiful red bicycle. It came yesterday, the day before my birthday. I rode it around the block six times before supper, and I only fell once. I will take good care of it.
Your loving nephew,
Tom.
Afterwards
Section 88: your child rereads pages 35 to 37 of Gemila, closes the book, and writes how Gemila's family moves. The book suggests the child correct it during the lesson, so let them compare it with the book and fix it themselves.
Answers to the book's problems
Section 87: sheep's = sheep is; cow's = cow is; you're = you are; you've = you have; Howe'er = however; 'T is = It is; 'T will = It will. Capitals: the first word of every line of poetry; Little Boy Blue (a name); O (always a capital); and any sentence start.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.