Welcome to New Concept English Book 3. Today we'll explore the classic nursery rhyme 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'. This beloved story teaches us about friendship, loyalty, and the importance of following rules. The poem tells us about Mary and her special lamb with fleece as white as snow, who follows her everywhere she goes, even to school where animals aren't allowed.
Now let's present the complete text with proper formatting. Notice how each verse follows a clear rhythm pattern. The first verse introduces Mary and her lamb with white fleece, establishing their close bond. The second verse tells us about the day the lamb followed Mary to school, breaking the rules but bringing joy to the children. Pay attention to the punctuation marks - commas create short pauses, while semicolons and periods mark longer breaks in the rhythm.
Now let's break down the key vocabulary from our poem. First, 'fleece' - pronounced 'fleece' - refers to the soft woolly covering of a sheep. Next, 'everywhere' - pronounced 'everywhere' - means in or to every place. The word 'followed' - pronounced 'followed' - means went after or behind someone. Finally, 'against' - pronounced 'against' - means in opposition to, or not allowed by the rules. Understanding these words will help you better comprehend the story and improve your reading fluency.
Let's focus on pronunciation patterns for proper English reading. Notice the stress patterns: 'Mary' has stress on the first syllable - MA-ry, following a strong-weak pattern. 'Little' also follows this pattern - LIT-tle. 'Everywhere' has three syllables with stress on the first - EV-ery-where. For intonation, use rising tone for incomplete thoughts like 'lamb,' and falling tone for complete statements like 'snow.' The poem follows an iambic rhythm pattern - da-DA da-DA da-DA - which creates its musical quality.
Now let's practice reading with proper technique. Follow the visual cues for natural delivery. Mary had a little lamb - short pause at the comma. Its fleece was white as snow - longer pause at the semicolon. And everywhere that Mary went - short pause. The lamb was sure to go - take a breath here. It followed her to school one day - short pause. Which was against the rule - longer pause at semicolon. It made the children laugh and play - short pause. To see a lamb at school - final pause. Remember to use rising intonation for incomplete thoughts and falling intonation for complete statements.