McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XL · Part 4: Lost Lucy, the Town Pump and the bobolink
46. Robert of Lincoln, by Bryant
Goal: Your child reads Bryant's merry bird poem with its bobolink refrain and traces how Robert changes through the summer.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook and pencil
What's in the book
Bryant's poem about Robert of Lincoln, a bobolink who sings and boasts beside his nest, works hard to feed his six young, and grows quiet as summer ends.
The lesson, step by step
About the author
Remind your child of the note about William Cullen Bryant in Lesson XXXIV, which says that in all his poems he shows a remarkable love for, and careful study of, nature. This poem is about the same bird Irving wrote about in Lesson XXXIX.
Read aloud
Read it with a light, bouncing voice. Let your child say the bird's song parts.
Merrily swinging on brier and weed,
Near to the nest of his little dame,
Snug and safe is that nest of ours,
Hidden among the summer flowers.
Talk about it
SayHow does Robert behave at the start? How is his "little dame" different?
SayWhat changes when the eggs hatch?
Six wide mouths are open for food;
SayHow does Robert act in the last stanzas?
Summer wanes; the children are grown;
SayHow is this poem like Irving's essay? How is it different?
Tell it back
Your child tells Robert's summer in order, from proud singer to tired father.
Memorize
Learn the first stanza, which begins:
Merrily swinging on brier and weed,
Write (optional)
Write a paragraph comparing how Irving and Bryant tell about the bobolink.