McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson CXI · Part 11: Franklin, the sea, India and The Raven
117. The Bridge (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
Goal: Your student can describe the thoughts the poet has on the bridge at midnight and learn the opening stanza.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook and pen
- A dictionary
What's in the book
Longfellow's poem The Bridge, beginning in the middle of the page after the notes to the Colosseum lesson.
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.
Your student picks three unfamiliar words, guesses each meaning from the sentence, then checks a dictionary.
About the author
Longfellow was introduced in Lesson LXXII. This is the third Longfellow poem in this part of the book.
Read aloud
Read it quietly, as if standing on a bridge at night.
Listen for these lines:
I stood on the bridge at midnight,
As the clocks were striking the hour,
Talk about it
SayWhat does the poet see from the bridge: the moon, the water, the people crossing?
SayHow did he feel long ago when he crossed the bridge? How does he feel now?
SayWhat does the moon's reflection in the water stand for at the end?
SayIs there a place you go to think? What is it like?
Narration
Your student explains how the poet's feelings change between his young days and now.
Memorize or copy
Learn the first stanza from the book. It begins:
I stood on the bridge at midnight,
As the clocks were striking the hour,
Writing (optional)
Write four lines about a place you like to think, at a certain time of day.