McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XXV · Part 4: Lessons XXV-XXXVI: Orators and soldiers
31. The Jolly Old Pedagogue (George Arnold)
Goal: Your student reads a gentle character poem with warmth and describes the old teacher it portrays.
You'll need
- The book, or the scan beside this guide
- A notebook and pen
- A dictionary
What's in the book
A poem about an old schoolmaster, tall, thin and bent, kind to the little ones and happy to the end. An author note comes first.
The lesson, step by step
Words and meanings
Before reading, find these words in the selection and look up any your student does not know: pedagogue, sallow, gait.
About the author
The book says George Arnold (1834-1865) was born in New York City and was taught at home by his parents, never attending school. In about twelve years of writing he produced stories, essays, criticism, poems and sketches for magazines. Two volumes of his poems came out after his death.
Read it aloud
The poem begins with a picture of the old man:
Tall, and slender, and sallow, and dry;
His form was bent, and his gait was slow,
And his long, thin hair was white as snow,
Your student reads the whole poem with a smile in the voice, slowing for the last stanza.
Talk about it
SayWhat did the old pedagogue look like? What was he like inside?
SayWhat did he teach, and how did he treat the youngest children?
SayHow does the poem end? Read the last stanza again. Is it sad, or happy?
SayThe book says Arnold was taught at home. Does the poem make you think about your own teachers?
Tell it back
Your student describes the old pedagogue as if introducing him to someone who never met him.
Copywork and memory
Copy and learn the last four lines:
Gently, gently, he bowed his head;
There were angels waiting for him, I know;
He was sure of his happiness, living or dead,
This jolly old pedagogue, long ago!
Write (optional)
Write a character sketch (a paragraph) of a teacher or older person you admire.