McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XIV · Part 3: Courage, the sea and the frost

18. True Manliness, part 1, by Mrs. M. O. Johnson

Goal: Your child reads the first half of a school story and talks about why Fred stays home to help his mother.

⏱ About 25 minutes · 5 steps

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You'll need

  • The book, open to this lesson
  • A notebook or lined paper and a pencil

What's in the book

The first half of a story (adapted, the book says) about Fred Liscom, twelve, who takes over the housework while his mother is worn out, and is teased for it at school. It continues in the next lesson, where the Definitions are.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Read it aloud

    Your child reads the story aloud. Fred's first words set things going:

    "Please, mother, do sit down and let me try my hand," said Fred Liscom.

  2. Talk about it

    SayWhy did Fred offer to wash the dishes?

    SayWhat did the doctor say about Fred's mother?

    SayWhat did Fred miss by staying home? What did the boys say to him at recess?

    SayFred wanted to fight back. Why didn't he?

    Let your child look back at the page to find answers.

  3. Tell it back

    Close the book.

    SayTell me what Fred did at home each day, and what happened at school.

    Then ask: What do you think will happen next?

  4. Copywork

    Your child copies this from the book, slowly and neatly, minding every capital letter and mark of punctuation:

    Looking in, he saw Fred standing at the table with a dish-cloth in his hand.

  5. Words to learn

    Choose four words your child stumbled on while reading. Say each, have your child spell it aloud, then write it. (This half of the story has no Definitions; they come at the end of the next lesson.)

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