The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 228–229 · Part 1: Part First
68. Sir Edwin Landseer and The Connoisseurs
Goal: Your child reads about an artist and writes a description of one of his pictures.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- Paper and pencil (a notebook kept just for this book works well)
- A dictionary
What's in the book
Section 228 is about Sir Edwin Landseer (1802 to 1873), the English painter of animals who sketched from boyhood. Section 229 is his picture "The Connoisseurs" (page 176), showing the artist sketching while his two dogs look over his shoulder, with questions and a request for a written description.
The lesson, step by step
Read about Landseer
Read Section 228 together.
He was their friend, and he understood them almost as if they could have spoken to him.
Ask: What did young Landseer always carry on walks? What did his teacher make him study?
Look up a word
Your child looks up "connoisseur" in the dictionary (a person who knows a lot about an art and judges it well). Why is this a funny name for this picture?
Study the picture (Section 229)
Look at "The Connoisseurs" on page 176. Ask the book's questions: Who are the connoisseurs? Do they look intelligent? Why are the dogs so interested? What does the picture tell you about the artist and about the dogs?
Write a description
Your child writes 5 to 7 sentences describing the picture.
Check it gently
Read it aloud. Did you describe the artist, the two dogs, and what they are doing? Add a sentence if one is missing. Then check one punctuation habit.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
In this picture the artist is drawing in his sketchbook. Two dogs lean over his shoulder to look. One dog has long, silky ears and a serious face. The other looks as if he is ready to give his opinion. The artist seems calm and kind. The picture makes you smile because the dogs act like judges.