McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson LV · Part 6: Honesty, Crusoe and good-will

59. Somebody's Darling

Goal: Your child reads a tender poem about a wounded young soldier and talks about why the poet calls him "somebody's darling."

⏱ About 20 minutes · 6 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 poem in six verses: a young wounded soldier is carried into a hospital ward and dies, and the poet asks that he be treated tenderly, for somebody far away loves him. Definitions follow. No author is named.

The lesson, step by step

  1. 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:

    Bayonet, a short, pointed iron weapon, fitted to the muzzle of a gun.

    Darling, one dearly loved.

    Enshrined, cherished.

    Yearning, being eager, longing.

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

  2. Read it aloud

    This is a sad poem. Read it aloud to your child first, slowly and gently, then let your child read it. It begins:

    Into a ward of the whitewashed halls,

    Where the dead and dying lay,

    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.

  3. Talk about it

    SayWhere is the young soldier?

    SayWhat does the poet ask the reader to do for him?

    SayWho might be waiting for him at home?

    SayWhy does the poem never give his name?

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

  4. Tell it back

    Your child says, in their own words, what the poem asks of us and why.

  5. Copywork

    Your child copies this line, then one whole verse of their choice from the book, keeping the line breaks.

    Somebody's darling is dying now.

  6. Words to learn

    Learn: bayonet, darling, lingering, matted, delicate, enshrined, wafted, yearning, tenderly. Spell each aloud, then write it with its meaning.

Tip

Some children are moved by this poem. Let it be quiet and serious, and don't push for discussion if your child would rather not.

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