24
The needle
Textbook: Part 2, pp. 33–37
GoalUnderstand the importance of a small, unnoticed object; value patience and care.
New words
needle · ignathread · ipthimble · angishvonato sew · tikmoq
Explanation
A needle is tiny, but it is an indispensable helper for sewing clothes, attaching buttons and mending tears. The textbook has the work “Igna” (The needle) by Hakim Nazir, about the difficulty of working with a needle and about patience. We do not retell it; we read our own text. When using a needle we are careful and use the help of adults.
Worked examples
“Grandmother’s needle”. Grandmother sewed on the button of my shirt. First she slowly passed the thread through the eye of the needle. Then she put a thimble on her finger so that pressing the needle did not hurt. I tried too, but the thread slipped out many times. “Do not hurry, steady your breath,” said grandmother. On the fifth try I got the thread through. It seemed to me that a needle is small, but patience does a big job.
Safety: after using the needle we stick it in a pincushion and do not leave it on the floor.
Class activity
“Threading”: under adult supervision, practise threading a large-eyed needle to try patience.
Practice
1
What did grandmother sew on?
The button of a shirt
2
What is a thimble for?
So the finger does not hurt
3
On which try did the child get the thread through?
The fifth
4
What did grandmother say?
Do not hurry, steady your breath.
5
What do we do after using the needle?
Stick it in a pincushion.