McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson CXXXII · Part 13: Washington, Wordsworth and Mont Blanc
138. The Solitary Reaper (William Wordsworth)
Goal: Your student can explain what the poet heard in the field and why the song stayed with him.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook and pen
- A dictionary
What's in the book
Wordsworth's poem about a Highland girl singing alone as she reaps grain. The heading is at the top of the page.
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 reaper cuts grain. The Highlands are in Scotland; the girl sings in a language the poet doesn't understand.
Your student picks three unfamiliar words, guesses each meaning from the sentence, then checks a dictionary.
About the author
The book calls Wordsworth (1770–1850) the founder of the Lake School of poets. He was born in Cockermouth, Cumberland, studied at Cambridge, settled at Rydal Mount in 1813, and became poet laureate in 1843.
Read aloud
Read the poem quietly, letting the lines sing.
Talk about it
SayWhat is the girl doing, and where?
SayThe poet can't understand her words. What does he guess she might be singing about?
SayWhich birds does he compare her song to? Why those?
SayWhy does the song stay with him long after he leaves?
Narration
Your student tells the moment in the poem in prose, from the poet's point of view.
Memorize or copy
Learn the last two lines:
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.
Writing (optional)
Write about a sound or song that stayed with you long after you heard it.