McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson L · Part 5: Courage, kindness and the village smithy
56. The Old Sampler, by Mrs. M. E. Sangster
Goal: Your child reads a quiet poem about family keepsakes and explains what the sampler and the other objects tell about the past.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook and pencil
What's in the book
A poem about an old oak chest in the attic, full of family keepsakes, and a sampler stitched long ago by a little girl named Elizabeth. Definitions and notes follow.
The lesson, step by step
Words and meanings
Read some definitions and the note:
Antique, old, ancient.
Chapeau, a hat.
Supine, listless.
Immortal, undying.
The note explains that a sampler is a needle-work pattern, and tells about the Puritans who settled New England.
Read aloud
Read it to your child slowly, then your child reads it.
Out of the way, in a corner
With hasp and padlock and key,
Strong as the hands that made it
Talk about it
SayWhat is in the old chest? Who might each thing have belonged to?
SayWho stitched the sampler, and how old was she?
SayWhat lesson does the speaker take from it?
When the winter days are dreary,
We take a lesson in patience
Say"For love is of the immortal, / And trouble a thing of every day." What does that mean?
Look at an old thing
If your family has an old keepsake, look at it together. What does it tell about the person who owned it?
Memorize
Learn the stanza that begins:
When the winter days are dreary,
Write (optional)
Write about a family keepsake and the story behind it.