The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 268–271 · Part 2: Part Second
76. Words used as names: nouns
Goal: Your child knows that a noun is the name of a person, place or thing and finds many of them.
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 268 is the game of Guessing Names (by first letter, or by describing). Section 269 explains that everything has a name and defines the noun. Section 270 asks for lists of nouns (things in the room, foods, toys, fruits, flowers, trees, animals, furniture, things made of wood). Section 271 asks the child to name things that do certain jobs or grow in certain places.
The lesson, step by step
Play Guessing Names (Section 268)
Play both ways from the book: give the first letter of something in the room and let the other guess; then describe something without naming it. Write down every name you guess.
Try to talk without names (Section 269)
Your child tries to describe a food without using its name. The book says you will find it hard.
When we express our thoughts in language we must use words to name things.
The Name of a person, place, or thing is a Noun.
Lists (Section 270)
Your child makes four of the nine lists in Section 270, with five nouns in each.
Name it (Section 271)
Ask the book's riddles aloud: Name something that unlocks a door. That keeps off the rain. That grows in a swamp. Your child answers each with a noun.
Write sentences
Your child writes five sentences using names from Section 271 as subjects, as the book asks.
Check it gently
Your child underlines the subject in each sentence. Is it a noun? Then check capitals and periods. Fix one or two.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
Fruits: apple, pear, plum, cherry, grape.
A key unlocks the front door.
Mittens keep my hands warm on the way to the barn.
Answers to the book's problems
Section 271, possible answers: a key; a horse; a stove (or the sun, a fire); a tree; a boat or ship; mittens or gloves; a house; a carriage, wagon or car; a clock or watch; an umbrella (or a roof). Grows in a garden: beans, roses; in a field: grass, corn; in a lake: water lilies; in a swamp: cattails; on tree trunks: moss, lichen; in a forest: ferns, pines; in an orchard: apples; in the sea: seaweed; by the roadside: dandelions, goldenrod; over old stone walls: ivy, vines.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.