The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 311–313 · Part 2: Part Second
89. A Sea Song, and proverbs
Goal: Your child learns a lively sea song and explains common proverbs.
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 311 is Allan Cunningham's "A Sea Song", to learn by heart. Section 312 asks for sentences using nouns, adjectives and verbs from it. Section 313 gives ten proverbs to talk about and explain.
The lesson, step by step
Read the song
Read "A Sea Song" aloud with lots of spirit, like a sailor.
A wet sheet and a flowing sea,
A "sheet" here is a rope that holds a sail. "On the lee" means left behind, downwind.
Learn it
Learn the first stanza by heart today.
Words from the song (Section 312)
Your child writes sentences using six of the words in Section 312 (eagle, gentle wind, white waves, follows, bends, flashes, lightning, hollow oak ...). Then says which are nouns, which adjectives, which verbs.
Proverbs (Section 313)
Read the ten proverbs together. Your child explains the ones that seem plain and gives an example of when to use one.
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.
Check it gently
In the sentences, check that the nouns, adjectives and verbs are named correctly. Fix one.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
The white waves crashed against the rocks. (white: adjective; waves: noun)
The dog follows me everywhere. (follows: verb)
A gentle wind moved the curtains.
Afterwards
Finish learning "A Sea Song" over the week.
Answers to the book's problems
Section 313, possible meanings: 1. Good looks are only on the surface. 2. A little is better than nothing. 3. Boasting is fine, but holding on (keeping at it) is better. 4. Don't count on something before it happens. 5. Don't push someone who is already working willingly. 6. Don't celebrate until you are safely out of trouble. 7. Good habits of sleep make for health and success. 8. Home is the best place. 9. Having enough is as good as having a lot. 10. If you play with danger, expect to be hurt.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.