McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson LXXIII · Part 7: Courage, temper and work
79. The Examination (D. P. Thompson)
Goal: Your child follows a funny examination scene and explains how the young teacher shows he can "teach others to think."
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook or lined paper and a pencil
What's in the book
From a novel about Locke Amsden, a young man who wants to teach a Vermont district school. Mr. Bunker, the examining committee, is a shrewd old farmer who cannot read but knows a great deal from observation. He tests Locke with questions about steel, frost and smoke, and then asks him to teach his youngest son.
The lesson, step by step
About the author
The book says Daniel Pierce Thompson (b. 1795, d. 1868) was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, grew up on a Vermont farm, graduated from Middlebury College in 1820, practiced law in Montpelier, and was a judge and Secretary of State of Vermont. His novels include "Locke Amsden, the Schoolmaster" and "The Green Mountain Boys."
Who's who
Read the Note at the end of the lesson first. It explains who Locke Amsden and Mr. Bunker are. Your child tells you in one sentence who each one is.
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:
Tempered, brought to a proper degree of hardness.
Compact, closely and firmly united, solid, dense.
Ingenious, well formed, skillful.
Apparatus, utensils for performing experiments.
Your child reads each meaning aloud, then uses the word in a sentence of their own.
Read aloud
Read the lesson aloud, taking turns. One of you can read Bunker's words and the other Locke's. Bunker says:
Nonsense! philosophy is philosophy, and means the study of the reasons and causes of the things which we see,
At the end, Bunker cries:
"Done like a philosopher!" cried Bunker.
Talk about it
SayHow did Locke use the cart-box and the cup of water to help the boy think?
SayLocke didn't just tell the boy why smoke goes up. What did he do instead?
SayBunker can't read, yet he is the examiner. What does the story say about learning from observation?
Tell it back
Close the book.
SayTell me how Locke taught Bunker's son about the smoke, step by step.
Older children can write their narration in a short paragraph instead. Don't correct while they talk; just listen.
Try it
If you can, try the cart-box experiment in a safe way: drop a heavy spoon or stone into a full cup of water over the sink and watch it overflow. Ask your child to explain why, as the boy did.