The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 212–213 · Part 1: Part First

63. Trifles make perfection, and writing directions

Goal: Your child writes clear step-by-step directions using imperative sentences.

⏱ About 30 minutes · 6 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗ 🖨 Copywork sheet

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 212 is the anecdote of Michael Angelo and the friend who thought he had been idle, ending "trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle." Section 213 asks for a recipe for making bread (learned at home), or directions for playing a game, full of imperative sentences.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Read the anecdote

    Read Section 212 together.

    "trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle."

    Ask: What had Michael Angelo been doing? What are "trifles"? What does his answer mean for our writing? (Small fixes make it really good.)

  2. Choose recipe or game

    The book asks for a recipe for bread, learned at home; or directions for a game instead. Your child chooses. If bread: look at a real recipe together and talk through the steps.

  3. Talk the steps

    Your child says the steps aloud in order: first what you need, then each step. Each step is a command: "Mix the flour and salt."

  4. Write

    Your child writes the recipe or directions: a list of what you need, then 6 to 10 numbered steps, each an imperative sentence ending with a period.

  5. Check it by following it

    Read the directions while you pretend to follow them exactly. Where you would get stuck ("How much flour?"), your child adds the missing detail. This is the best check of all.

  6. What a good result looks like

    Example (written for this guide, not from the book):

    How to Play Hot and Cold

    1. Choose one player to hide a small object.

    2. Send the other players out of the room.

    3. Hide the object where it can be seen without moving anything.

    4. Call the players back in.

    5. Say "warmer" when they come near it and "colder" when they move away.

Tip

If you bake the bread together afterward, an adult handles the oven.

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