McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XXXI · Part 4: Riches, eagles and good neighbors
35. Alpine Song, by W. W. Story
Goal: Your child reads a short poem about summer in the mountains and learns some words for mountain travel.
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 in two verses about the happy, free life of a summer walker in the Alps, with alpenstock and knapsack. A note about the author and Definitions are included.
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:
Alpenstock, a long staff, pointed with iron, used in traveling among the Alps.
Chalet, a mountain hut.
List, hearken to.
Look at a picture of the Alps if you have one, so these words make sense.
About the author
The book's note says William W. Story was born in Salem, Mass., in 1819. His writings in poetry and prose are well known, and he also gained distinction as a sculptor.
Read it aloud
Read the poem aloud to your child first, then let your child read it. It is a song of a happy traveler, so read it with a light, bouncing voice.
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 does the traveler carry? Why would he need an alpenstock?
SayWhere does he rest?
SayHow does the traveler feel? Which words tell you?
Let your child look back at the page to find answers.
Tell it back
Your child describes a day in the life of the mountain walker in the poem.
Copywork
Your child copies the first verse from the book, keeping the line breaks, capitals and punctuation exactly.
Words to learn
Learn: alpenstock, knapsack, chalet, gush, patterned. Spell each aloud, then write it with its meaning.
Afterwards
Find the Alps on a map of Europe.