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

19. True Manliness, part 2, by Mrs. M. O. Johnson

Goal: Your child finishes the story, retells the fire rescue, and explains what true manliness means.

⏱ About 30 minutes · 7 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗

You'll need

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

What's in the book

The end of the story: a fire breaks out at Mr. Barton's house, and Fred helps rescue little Katy. Tom Barton, who teased Fred, learns what manliness really is. Definitions and Exercises follow.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    Have your child tell what happened in the first half: Fred's work at home and the teasing at school.

  2. 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:

    Languidly, feebly.

    Amply, fully.

    Absolutely, wholly, entirely.

    Ask your child to find two of these words in the lesson and read the sentence each one is in.

  3. Read it aloud

    Your child reads the end of the story aloud. Read the fire scene with energy. When Fred asks to help, his mother answers:

    "If you can help, do so; but do nothing rashly."

    It was no time for words, but for instant, vigorous action.

  4. Talk about it

    SayWhy did the teasing stop?

    SayWho was still inside the burning house? How did Fred reach her?

    SayDid Fred show any lack of manliness when tested?

    SayHow did his school-mates show their lack of manliness? What did Tom Barton learn?

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

  5. Tell it back

    Close the book. Your child tells the story of the fire, as the book's Exercise asks.

    For a written narration, your child writes a paragraph answering: What is true manliness?

  6. Copywork

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

    He was young, but she could trust him, and she knew how much his heart was in the request.

  7. Words to learn

    Learn: languidly, amply, absolutely, resent, consciousness. Spell each aloud, then write it with its meaning.

@teddyrookbook GitHub