McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson LXXXII · Part 9: History, seasons and home

86. The Dying Soldiers

Goal: Your child reads a serious poem about two enemy soldiers and explains how they made peace.

⏱ 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: after a battle, two wounded soldiers from opposite sides, one from New Hampshire and one from Georgia, lie dying side by side. They talk of their families far away and forgive each other. Definitions and Exercises 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:

    Sodden, soaked.

    Blent, mingled together.

    Tidings, news.

    Entwine, clasp together.

    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 about war. Read it aloud to your child first, slowly, then let your child read it. Here is how the two soldiers begin to talk:

    "Our time is short," one faint voice said;

    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

    SayWhat do the first two stanzas describe? What does the third?

    SayWhat did one soldier say to the other? Where was his home? What friends had he there?

    SayWhere was the home of the other soldier? Who waited for him?

    SayDid they forgive each other?

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

  4. Tell it back

    Your child says, in their own words, what happened between the two soldiers and why it matters.

  5. Copywork

    Your child copies these lines as verse:

    Forgive each other while we may;

    Life's but a weary game,

  6. Words to learn

    Learn: sodden, phantasy, blent, tidings, anguish, repressed, pardon, entwine. Spell each aloud, then write it with its meaning.

Tip

This poem comes from the time of the Civil War. A few words about that war, North and South, will help your child understand it.

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