McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson CXV · Part 12: Herculaneum, Waterloo and A Psalm of Life
121. The Last Days of Herculaneum (Edwin Atherstone)
Goal: Your student can describe the scene of the city's destruction and the father and son at the end.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook and pen
- A dictionary
What's in the book
From Atherstone's poem: Herculaneum is buried by Vesuvius. A Roman soldier chained in prison and a father and son are caught in the disaster. A note explains Herculaneum and Pompeii.
The lesson, step by step
Words and meanings
Read the notes printed at the end of the lesson together before reading. The book explains, among others:
Herculaneum and Pompeii: cities of Italy destroyed by an eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79, buried under ashes and lava; many of their streets, buildings and utensils have been dug out in excellent condition
Ask your student to find two other hard words in the lesson, guess their meaning from the sentence, then check a dictionary.
About the author
The book says Atherstone was born at Nottingham, England, about 1788. He is known mainly for two poems, The Last Days of Herculaneum and The Fall of Nineveh, written in blank verse and praised for splendor of diction and great descriptive power.
Read aloud
Read it aloud slowly. Show your student a picture of the ruins of Herculaneum or Pompeii first.
Listen for these lines:
There was a man,
A Roman soldier, for some daring deed
Talk about it
SayWho is the Roman soldier, and why is he in prison?
SayDescribe the eruption. Which details are most frightening?
SayWhat happens to the father and the boy at the end?
SayThe poem ends: And death came soon and swift. Is there any comfort in that line?
Narration
Your student retells the poem's story in order.
Writing (optional)
Look up one thing that was found at Herculaneum or Pompeii and write a paragraph about it.