The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 235–241 · Part 1: Part First

71. Extra letter writing (optional) optional

Goal: Your child practices friendly letters for real purposes.

⏱ About 25 minutes · 5 steps

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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

Sections 235 to 253 are extra practice that the book says may be skipped. Sections 235 to 241 are letter-writing tasks: thanking a friend for pictures, inviting a friend skating, asking a teacher to suggest books, telling how you spent Christmas, inviting a cousin for vacation, accepting an invitation to the seashore, and making a plan to take a photograph.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Choose one or two

    Read the seven tasks together and let your child choose one or two.

  2. Talk it through

    For the chosen letter: who is it to, what do you need to say, and what does the other person need to know (a time, a place, a thank-you for something specific)?

  3. Write

    Your child writes the letter, 5 to 10 sentences, with all the parts.

  4. Check it gently

    Ask: Would the reader know exactly what you mean? Fix one unclear spot, then one punctuation habit.

  5. What a good result looks like

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

    Dear Miss Lane,

    I have been given five dollars to spend on books. I like stories about animals and true stories about explorers. Could you suggest a few good books for me to buy?

    Your pupil,

    Henry Clark.

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