The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 286–289 · Part 2: Part Second
81. Saved, Baby Stuart, and an anecdote
Goal: Your child tells the story a picture tells and writes a short, natural anecdote about a child.
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 286 is Landseer's picture "Saved", to tell what you see and the story it tells; Section 287 asks for a written description. Section 288 is Van Dyck's "Baby Stuart", with a request to describe a baby you know. Section 289 asks for an anecdote about some child.
The lesson, step by step
Study "Saved"
Look at "Saved" on page 207 for a full minute. Your child tells what they see and the story the picture tells: What happened just before? What will happen next?
Write the description (Section 287)
Your child writes 5 to 7 sentences describing the picture and its story.
Baby Stuart (Section 288)
Look at the picture on page 208. Ask: What do you like about it? Then talk about a baby your child knows: age, name, what he likes to do, what you can do for him.
An anecdote (Section 289)
Read the book's advice together.
It should be told as simply and naturally as if you were talking to a friend.
Your child tells aloud something funny or interesting a small child once said or did. Then writes it, 4 to 6 sentences, in order.
Check it gently
Read the anecdote aloud. Does it sound like talking to a friend? Is it in order? Fix one thing. Praise what makes it fun.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
When my little brother Ben was three, he saw the moon in the daytime. He pointed and shouted, "Look! Somebody forgot to put the moon away!" Then he asked Mother if he could go and get it.