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Teacher Guide & Master Solution Key • Lesson VI

Lesson 6: Action-Words (Asserting Words • Living Grammar • Subject-Verb Agreement)

Grade 0 Key

To the Teacher (Original 1880s Pedagogical Instruction)

“The forms under Practice Work should be filled out by each pupil, to correspond with the object chosen by him. This can be done orally if the pupils are very young, and later, in review, should be written. The oral instruction should aim to make the child's observation of the objects definite and accurate, and to get the results of such observation in simple, correct sentences.”

Part 1 • Model Sentences & Guided Socratic Discussion
Model Line Name-Word (Noun) Action-Word (Verb) Pedagogical Dialogue & Socratic Questions
The dog runs. dog (an animal) runs (what it does) "Why is dog a name-word? Because it names an animal. Is runs a name-word? No! Why not? Because runs does not name a thing—it tells what the dog is doing!"
The boy plays. boy (a person) plays (what he does) "Boy is the name of a person. Plays asserts an action—something joyful the boy does."
The fish swims. fish (a creature) swims (what it does) "Fish names the creature. Swims tells how it glides through water. These words assert something!"
Part 2.1 • 12 Practice Sentences (Singular & Plural Agreement Matrix)
# Subject Name-Word Model Action-Words Completed Living Sentence Grammatical Agreement
1. The bird (singular) flies / sings The bird flies. / The bird sings. Singular verb (-s)
2. The man (singular) walks / works The man walks. / The man works. Singular verb (-s)
3. The birds (plural) fly / sing The birds fly. / The birds sing. Plural verb (base form)
4. The men (plural) walk / work The men walk. / The men work. Plural verb (base form)
5. The sun (singular) shines / rises The sun shines. / The sun rises. Singular verb (-s)
6. The rain (mass noun) falls / pours The rain falls. / The rain pours. Singular verb (-s)
7. The girls (plural) sing / laugh The girls sing. / The girls laugh. Plural verb (base form)
8. The dogs (plural) bark / run The dogs bark. / The dogs run. Plural verb (base form)
9. The girl (singular) sings / reads The girl sings. / The girl reads. Singular verb (-s)
10. The clock (singular) ticks / strikes The clock ticks. / The clock strikes. Singular verb (-s)
11. The horses (plural) trot / gallop The horses trot. / The horses gallop. Plural verb (base form)
12. The clocks (plural) tick / chime The clocks tick. / The clocks chime. Plural verb (base form)
Part 2.2 • Combined Name-Words and Action-Words Key
Sentence Original Exercise Frame Accepted Model Answers Parts of Speech Identified
A. The [___] and the stars [___] at [___]. The moon and the stars shine at night.
(Also: twinkle at dusk / gleam at midnight)		 moon (name-word)
shine (action-word)
night (name-word)
B. The [___] shines in the [___]. The sun shines in the sky.
(Also: The moon shines in the night / dark)		 sun / moon (name-word)
shines (action-word)
sky / night (name-word)

Charlotte Mason Teaching Strategy

  • Physical Dramatization: Have the child physically demonstrate actions: hop, skip, wave, run. Connect muscle memory with the concept of "action-word".
  • Contrast Pairs Aloud: Read the pairs back-to-back: "The bird flies" vs "The birds fly". Help the child hear the difference naturally before formally analyzing noun-verb agreement.
  • Penmanship & Posture: Encourage proper pencil grip, unhurried handwriting, and neat baseline placement on the dotted lines.
  • Oral Narration: Invite the child to look out the window and compose living two-word sentences: "The leaf falls." "The cloud drifts."

Assessment Rubric (CCSS L.K.1.B • Verbs & Nouns)

Level 4 Exemplary: Accurately provides vivid action-words for all 12 items with perfect singular/plural concordance; completes Part 2.2 accurately.
Level 3 Proficient: Completes 10–12 items with fitting action-words; correctly completes Part 2.2 frames; minor agreement slip self-corrected upon re-reading.
Level 2 Developing: Identifies action-words with oral prompting; written work requires guidance on spelling or letter sizing.
Level 1 Beginning: Confuses name-words with action-words; benefits from sensory acting and oral choral reading.