McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XCVI · Part 10: Granada, Hamlet and the Union
102. Inventions and Discoveries (John Caldwell Calhoun)
Goal: Your student can state Calhoun's main point about how knowledge and invention change society.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook and pen
- A dictionary
What's in the book
An essay by Calhoun on how inventions and the spread of knowledge have changed the world, and how they will bring further changes. The heading is about a third of the way down the page, after notes to Ginevra.
The lesson, step by step
Words and meanings
Look over the notes and definitions printed at the end of the lesson before you start, so names and hard words don't trip up the reading.
A note at the end says Calhoun expected to revise this writing before it was printed, but death interrupted his plans.
Your student picks three unfamiliar words, guesses each meaning from the sentence, then checks a dictionary.
About the author
The book calls Calhoun (1782–1850) a statesman and champion of southern rights and opinions. He was born in South Carolina, graduated from Yale in 1804, and studied law in Connecticut. He served in Congress, as Secretary of War, as Vice-President, and as Secretary of State, and was in the Senate until his death.
Read aloud
Read it a paragraph at a time, stopping after each to say the main point in one sentence.
Listen for these lines:
The joint effect of all this has been a great increase and diffusion of knowledge
Talk about it
SayWhich inventions and discoveries does Calhoun name?
SayWhat does he say knowledge, public opinion and the press have done together?
SayIs he hopeful or worried about the changes? Find his sentence about improving the condition of man.
SayName an invention from your own lifetime. Has it made people better off?
Narration
Your student gives Calhoun's argument in three steps, in their own words.
Writing (optional)
Write a paragraph: What invention since 1850 changed the world most? Give reasons.