McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XLIV · Part 5: Lessons XXXVII-XLVIII: Faith, ambition and character
50. Sparrows (Adeline D. T. Whitney)
Goal: Your student reads a short poem with a surprising image and explains its comfort.
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 sparrows resting on telegraph wires, which turns into a thought about God's care for small things.
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: telegraph.
Read it aloud
Your student reads the poem aloud. Its last lines:
Are the thoughts, and the works, and the prayers of men
Only sparrows that light on God's telegraph strings,
Holding a moment, and gone again?
Nay; He planned for the birds, with the larger things.
Talk about it
SayWhat are the sparrows doing in the poem, and what do the wires carry?
SayHow does the poet turn the sparrows into a picture of people?
SayWhat is the answer to the question in the last stanza?
SayCan you think of a Bible verse about sparrows that this poem may remember?
Tell it back
Your student explains the poem's picture and its meaning.
Copywork and memory
Copy and learn the last four lines.
Write (optional)
Write four lines about something small that turns out to be part of something larger.
Tip
The first page of this lesson could not be checked when this guide was written, so the guide does not include the author note. Read it from the book.