McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson LXXXIII · Part 8: Dickens, Irving and poems of the heart
89. Calling the Roll (Shepherd)
Goal: Your child reads a Civil War-era poem with feeling and explains how the roll call shows the cost of a battle.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook or lined paper and a pencil
What's in the book
A poem signed "Shepherd." At dusk after a battle a company of soldiers answers the roll. Some men are missing, and comrades tell what became of them. At the end only twenty of a hundred answer "here."
The lesson, step by step
About the poem
The poem is signed only "Shepherd," and the book gives no note about the author. There are no definitions with this lesson, so stop and explain any hard word as you read.
Read aloud
Read the poem aloud slowly and quietly, like a sad report. Listen for the silence after a name:
"Cyrus Drew!" and a silence fell;
This time no answer followed the call;
Only his rear-man saw him fall,
Killed or wounded he could not tell.
Talk about it
SayWhat is a roll call? Why is it so sad after a battle?
SayWhat happened to Deane? What did the soldier do for him?
SayThe poet doesn't say "war is terrible." How does he make us feel it anyway?
Tell it back
Close the book.
SayTell me what happened at the roll call, name by name, as much as you remember.
Older children can write their narration in a short paragraph instead. Don't correct while they talk; just listen.
Copywork
Your child copies the last lines of the poem:
'Twas a victory — yes; but it cost us dear;
For that company's roll, when called at night,
Numbered but twenty that answered 'here!'
Talk about the dash after "victory." What does it make the reader do?
Optional writing
Your child writes a few sentences about why people remember soldiers on days like Memorial Day.