McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson CI · Part 10: Elephants, the sea and a happy life
107. Little Victories (Harriet Martineau)
Goal: Your child tells how Hugh's mother helps him face losing his limb, and explains what she means by winning little victories.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook or lined paper and a pencil
What's in the book
A story by Harriet Martineau. Hugh, a schoolboy who has lost a limb, cries that he can never be a soldier or a sailor. His mother tells him about people who bore great trials (the notes name Huber, a blind naturalist, and the composer Beethoven), and says he will win through by many small victories. Definitions and notes follow.
The lesson, step by step
About the author
The book gives Harriet Martineau's name at the end of the story. There is no note about her with this lesson; ask your child to look at the end of the lesson to find it.
Words and meanings
The words and meanings are printed at the end of the lesson. Read a few together before the reading, so they don't trip your child up:
Afflicted, overwhelmed, dejected.
Composer, an author of a piece of music.
Dejected, discouraged, low-spirited.
The notes say Huber (b. 1750, d. 1831) was a Swiss naturalist who went blind at fifteen but kept up his studies with help from his wife and an attendant, and that Beethoven (b. 1770, d. 1827) was born in Bonn and lived mostly in Vienna.
Read aloud
Read the story aloud, taking turns. It opens with Hugh's grief:
O mother, now that I have lost my limb, I can never be a soldier or a sailor
Later his mother says:
There is no pleasure like that of exercising one's soul in bearing pain,
Talk about it
SayWhat is Hugh most sad about? Is it the pain, or something else?
SayWhy does his mother tell him about Huber and Beethoven?
SayWhat are the "little victories" Hugh will have to win? Why little ones, not one big one?
Tell it back
Close the book.
SayTell me what Hugh's mother said to him, in your own words, as if you were comforting a friend.
Older children can write their narration in a short paragraph instead. Don't correct while they talk; just listen.
Copywork
Your child copies:
You will be a better scholar for your lameness, I have no doubt.
Talk about whether that could be true, and how.
Tip
If your child or someone you know lives with a disability, let them lead the talk. The story's point is courage, not pity.