The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 230–232 · Part 1: Part First

69. A reply to George, and Wishing

Goal: Your child writes a kind reply to a request and reads a poem aloud well.

⏱ About 25 minutes · 7 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 230 is George's note to his Aunt Mary from Concord, Iowa, asking to borrow her copy of Longfellow's poems, with a request for her reply. Sections 231 and 232 are William Allingham's poem "Wishing", in which a child wishes to be a primrose, an elm tree, a robin, and then nothing but home, with a guided talk.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Read George's note

    Read Section 230 together.

    You know boys are always needing something, and their aunts are always helping them.

    Ask: What does George want? Why? What does he offer?

  2. Write Aunt Mary's reply

    Your child pretends to be Aunt Mary and writes a reply of 4 to 6 sentences: Will she send the book? How? Any message for George?

  3. Check it gently

    Is it really a reply to George's note? Does it have all the parts of a letter? Fix one thing.

  4. Read "Wishing"

    Read the poem aloud. Then read Section 232 together, a paragraph at a time, and answer its questions.

    Ring-ting! I wish I were a primrose,

  5. Read it well

    The book says to read the poem many times until you can read it well aloud: "It is a musical poem, and it will sing itself to you." Your child practices one stanza and reads it to you.

  6. Talk about the ending

    Ask: What does the child wish at the end? Why is it sweetest of all?

  7. What a good result looks like

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

    Dear George,

    I am glad to lend you my Longfellow. I am sending it by tomorrow's mail, wrapped in brown paper. Keep it as long as you need it for your lessons. Some day you may help me in my garden!

    Your loving aunt,

    Mary.

Answers to the book's problems

The child wishes to be a primrose (with the bee and moss and the elm for king), then an elm tree (leaves dancing, birds singing in the boughs), then a robin or wren (free to go everywhere), and at last remembers that home, with mother's kiss, is sweeter than any other thing.

Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.

@teddyrookbook GitHub