The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 148–149 · Part 1: Part First
44. My pet, and a nutting party
Goal: Your child writes a well-ordered account of a pet and an invitation with a reply.
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 148 asks for an account of one of your pets: what it is, how it came to be yours, how you care for it, and what it can do. Section 149 asks for notes about a nutting party: Tom invites his friends, Ernest declines, and Ralph accepts with some questions.
The lesson, step by step
Talk about the pet
Your child tells you about a pet, following the book's four points in order. No pet? Choose a pet you know, or one you would like, and say so.
Write the account (Section 148)
Your child writes 6 to 8 sentences, keeping to the four points in order: what it is, how it came to be yours, how you take care of it, what it can do.
Check it gently
Read it aloud. Are all four points there, in order? If one is missing, your child adds a sentence.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
My pet is a brown hen named Dot. My aunt gave her to me when she was a fluffy chick. Every morning I give her corn and fresh water, and I clean her nest box on Saturdays. Dot lays an egg almost every day. She follows me around the yard like a puppy.
The notes (Section 149)
Talk through the situation. Then your child writes Tom's invitation to Ernest or Ralph (3 or 4 sentences) and one reply: Ernest saying why he cannot go, or Ralph accepting and asking questions.
Compare
The book says: read your notes and compare them with others'. Read them aloud together and talk about which is clearest.