The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 226–227 · Part 1: Part First
67. A poem by choice, and giving directions
Goal: Your child learns a short poem of their choice and gives short, plain directions to a place.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- Paper and pencil (a notebook kept just for this book works well)
- A simple map of your neighborhood, or paper to draw one
What's in the book
Section 226 offers four short poems (by Tennyson, Coleridge, Montgomery and an unnamed author) to choose one, learn and write from memory. Section 227 asks the child to tell a stranger how to get from the schoolhouse to the post office, then write the directions.
The lesson, step by step
Choose a poem
Read the four short poems in Section 226 together. Your child picks the one they like best.
He prayeth best who loveth best
All things both great and small;
Learn it
Learn it line by line, then write it from memory. Check capitals at the start of each line.
Directions aloud (Section 227)
Pretend you are a stranger in town. Ask your child the way from your house (or the library) to the post office. The book says:
Your directions should be short and plain, and should say just what you mean.
Write them
Your child writes the directions, 5 to 8 sentences, using left, right, street names and landmarks.
Check it by following
Trace the directions on a map (or in your head) exactly as written. Where you would get lost, your child adds a landmark or a street name.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
Go out our front gate and turn left onto Maple Street. Walk two blocks to the church with the white steeple. Turn right onto Main Street. The post office is the brick building on your left, next to the bakery.