McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XXXI · Part 4: Lost Lucy, the Town Pump and the bobolink

37. An Old-fashioned Girl, by Louisa M. Alcott

Goal: Your child retells Polly's visit with the Shaws and talks about what made Polly "old-fashioned."

⏱ About 35 minutes · 7 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗

You'll need

  • The book, open to this lesson
  • A notebook and pencil

What's in the book

An extract from Alcott's novel: Polly, a country girl visiting the wealthy Shaws, sings old songs for Madam, the grandmother, who tells her how children lived in her day. A note about Louisa May Alcott opens it; definitions follow.

The lesson, step by step

  1. About the author

    The book says Louisa May Alcott was born at Germantown, Pennsylvania, spent most of her life in Concord, Massachusetts, and nursed wounded soldiers in Washington during the Civil War until her own health gave way. "Little Women" is a picture of her own home life. This lesson is adapted from "An Old-Fashioned Girl."

  2. Words and meanings

    Read some of the definitions:

    Meteor, a shooting star.

    Confidently, with trust.

    Blasé, a French word meaning surfeited, rendered incapable of further enjoyment.

    Invalid, a person who is sickly.

  3. Read aloud

    Read the dialogue together, giving Polly, Tom and Madam their own voices.

    "That's a fine old tune; sing it to me, my dear."

    "You mus'n't mind my staring, dear," said Madam, softly pinching her rosy cheek,

  4. Talk about it

    SayHow did Polly feel at dinner with the Shaws?

    SayWhat did Madam say about girls of fourteen and fifteen in her day?

    Say"We were little folks till eighteen or so; worked and studied, dressed and played, like children;" Do you think that was good?

    SayWhy does Madam like Polly?

  5. Tell it back

    Your child narrates the scene with Madam.

  6. Copywork

    Copy:

    We were little folks till eighteen or so; worked and studied, dressed and played, like children;

  7. Write (optional)

    Ask a grandparent or older friend what childhood was like for them, and write down one thing they say.

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