McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson VII · Part 2: Perseverance, fairy tales and kindness
11. Lazy Ned
Goal: Your child reads a short poem with a moral and explains the lesson in it.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook or lined paper and a pencil
What's in the book
A short poem about Ned, who loved coasting downhill on his sled but was too lazy to pull it back up. Definitions and Exercises follow.
The lesson, step by step
Words and meanings
The new words are at the end of the lesson, under Definitions. The small number in front of each word is the paragraph or verse where it is used. Read them together before the lesson. A few of them:
Coast, to slide.
Indolent, lazy.
Bugbear, something frightful.
Dunce, a silly fellow.
Ask your child to find two of these words in the lesson and read the sentence each one is in.
Read it aloud
Read the poem aloud to your child first, then let your child read it. It begins with Ned at his happiest:
"'Tis royal fun," cried lazy Ned,
"To coast upon my fine, new sled,
Then have your child read it a second time, more smoothly: the first reading is for the meaning, the second for the sound and rhythm.
Talk about it
SayWhat did Ned like? What did he not like?
SayWhat did the other boys do that Ned wouldn't?
SayThe poem goes from sledding to school. What was Ned's "uphill" at school?
SayWhat happened to Ned in the end?
Let your child look back at the page to find answers.
The last line
The poem ends with Ned's fate:
And died a dunce at last.
SayCoasting down is the fun part of sledding. What is the "uphill" part of learning? Is it worth it?
Tell it back
Your child explains the poem's lesson in two or three sentences, starting: "Ned liked ... but ..."
Words to learn
Learn: royal, coast, annoys, indolent, prize, bugbear, dunce. Spell each aloud, then write it with its meaning.