McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson CXXI · Part 12: Herculaneum, Waterloo and A Psalm of Life
127. The New England Pastor (Timothy Dwight)
Goal: Your student can describe the pastor's character as Dwight paints it.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook and pen
- A dictionary
What's in the book
Part of a poem by Timothy Dwight describing a village and its faithful pastor. The heading is in the middle of the page (printed page 419; the table of contents misprints it 410).
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
The book says Dwight (1752–1817) was born in Northampton, Massachusetts; his mother was a daughter of Jonathan Edwards. He graduated from Yale in 1769, was a chaplain under General Putnam, was pastor at Greenfield, Connecticut, from 1783 to 1795, and then was President of Yale until his death.
Read aloud
Read it in a gentle, steady voice.
Listen for these lines:
The place, with east and western sides,
A wide and verdant street divides:
Talk about it
SayDescribe the village street and the houses.
SayWhat was the pastor's only care? Find the line.
SayWhat did he do for his people? Find two lines that show it.
SayDo you know someone who lives the way this pastor did?
Narration
Your student describes the pastor in their own words, with three things he did.
Memorize or copy
Copy this line from the poem:
To bless, to save, his only care;
Writing (optional)
Write a short portrait of someone in your community who serves others.