McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XL · Part 5: Work, wonder and the world

44. Advantages of Industry, by Abbott

Goal: Your child reads the story of Charles Bullard and compares him with George Jones.

⏱ About 35 minutes · 8 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 companion lesson: Charles Bullard, George's classmate, has no special talents but studies faithfully, plays heartily, does well at college and becomes a useful, happy man. Definitions and Exercises for both lessons follow.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    Have your child tell in a few sentences what happened to George Jones in the last lesson.

  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:

    Tranquil, quiet, calm.

    Commencement, the day when students receive their degree.

    Invariably, always, uniformly.

    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 lesson aloud. It begins:

    Charles was about the same age as George, and did not possess superior talents.

  4. Talk about it

    SayWhat was the character of George Jones? Of Charles Bullard?

    SayDid Charles like to play? Was he good at it?

    SayDid Charles succeed at college? Which of them do you think more worthy of imitation?

    SayWhat is said of the idle? What is said of the industrious?

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

  5. Compare

    Make two columns on paper: George and Charles. Together, list how each one behaved in class, at recess, at college, and how each ended up.

  6. Tell it back

    For a written narration, your child writes a paragraph comparing George and Charles, using the two columns.

  7. Copywork

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

    The idle boy is almost invariably poor and miserable; the industrious boy is happy and prosperous.

  8. Words to learn

    Learn: conscience, recommendation, review, tranquil, graduated, commencement, universally, invariably, advantages. Spell each aloud, then write it with its meaning.

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