McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XXXIV · Part 4: Riches, eagles and good neighbors

38. Evening Hymn

Goal: Your child reads a quiet poem about evening rest slowly and thoughtfully.

⏱ About 15 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

A short hymn in four verses about the peace of evening after the day's work, the sounds of the woods, home, and the rest that lies beyond this life. No author is named. It begins at the end of a page; the next lesson starts on the following page.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Read it aloud

    Read the hymn aloud to your child first, slowly and softly. Then your child reads it. A hymn is a poem meant to be sung, so read it gently and evenly.

    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.

  2. Talk about it

    SayWhat time of day is the hymn about? Which words tell you?

    SayWhat sounds does it mention?

    SayThe last verse talks about a different kind of rest. What do you think it means?

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

  3. Tell it back

    Your child says, in a few sentences, what the hymn is about and how it makes them feel.

  4. Copywork

    Your child copies one verse of the hymn from the book, keeping the line breaks, capitals and punctuation exactly.

  5. Words to learn

    Choose four words from the hymn your child found hard or beautiful. Learn to spell them and talk about their meaning.

Afterwards

Read the hymn aloud at bedtime one evening this week.

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