McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XIV · Part 3: Ballads, battles and Abou Ben Adhem
20. The Sands o' Dee, by Charles Kingsley
Goal: Your child reads Kingsley's sad ballad in a low, musical voice and tells what happens to Mary.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook and pencil
What's in the book
A short ballad about Mary, sent across the sands to call the cattle home, who is caught by the tide and mist. A note about Charles Kingsley comes first; a note and a reading remark follow.
The lesson, step by step
About the author
The book says Charles Kingsley was born at Holne, Devonshire, England, took his degree at Cambridge in 1842 and entered the Church. He wrote sermons, lectures, novels, fairy tales and poems, and worked hard to better the lives of working people. "Alton Locke" and "Hypatia" are his best known novels.
Notes and a reading tip
Read the notes after the poem. The book explains:
O' is a contraction for of, commonly used by the Scotch.
It also gives a reading tip:
The first three lines of each stanza deserve special attention in reading.
The piece should be read in a low key and with a pure musical tone.
Read aloud
Read the ballad to your child slowly and quietly. Then your child reads it.
O Mary, go and call the cattle home,
The creeping tide came up along the sand,
The blinding mist came down and hid the land —
Talk about it
SayWhy did Mary go out on the sands? What happened to her?
SayThe poem never says plainly that she drowned. How do we know?
SayThe first lines of each stanza repeat almost the same words. Why does the book say each should be read differently?
SayHow does the sound of the poem match its story?
Tell it back
Your child tells the story of the ballad in their own plain words.
Memorize
Learn the first stanza, which begins:
O Mary, go and call the cattle home,
Practice the low, musical voice the book asks for.
Write (optional)
A ballad tells a story in a few strong pictures. Write down the three pictures from this poem you remember best.