McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson L · Part 5: Leaves, hawks and wintry fun

50. The Story-teller

Goal: Your child reads part one and tells what the dogs in the snowy land are trained to do.

⏱ About 15 minutes · 7 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗

You'll need

  • The book, open to this lesson
  • A slate, small whiteboard or lined paper and a pencil

What's in the book

A short word list, then part one of a story: Peter Pindar begins a tale for the school children about dogs that find lost travelers in the snow.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    Have your child reread a few lines of Lesson XLIX, for example:

    The spider wears a plain brown dress,

    Praise smooth reading and help with any word that sticks.

  2. New words

    Point to the new words at the top of the lesson:

    civil Peter Towser appear alone Pindar persons travelers

    Say each word and have your child say it after you. Clap the parts of long words. Then point to words in any order and let your child read them.

  3. Read it aloud

    Look at the picture together first, if there is one. Then your child reads the lesson aloud, one paragraph at a time. Help with any word by pointing to it in the word list.

    Here are a few lines from it:

    One day, as he was going by the school, the children gathered around him.

    They said, "Please tell us a story we have never heard."

    Read it a second time, more smoothly.

  4. Talk about it

    SayWho is Peter Pindar?

    SayWhat kind of story does Ned ask for?

    SayWhere does the story take place?

    SayWhat can the dogs do there?

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

  5. Tell it back

    Close the book.

    SayTell me how Peter Pindar's story begins.

    Let your child talk without stopping them. Afterward, help with anything left out by asking "What happened next?"

  6. Copywork

    Write this line from the lesson for your child to copy, or let them copy it straight from the book:

    The dogs have so fine a scent, that they can find persons by that alone.

    Check capital letters, commas and the mark at the end.

  7. Spelling

    Say each word, use it in a short sentence, and have your child spell it aloud, then write it: alone, appear, persons.

    Check together and fix any mistakes right away.

Afterwards

Reread this lesson aloud the next day before starting a new one. Read the new words in any order until they come quickly.

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