McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson I · Part 2: Lessons I-XII: Storms, dawns and old tales

7. Anecdote of the Duke of Newcastle (Blackwood's Magazine)

Goal: Your student reads a comic anecdote aloud with good timing and explains what makes it funny.

⏱ About 35 minutes · 6 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗

You'll need

  • The book, or the scan beside this guide
  • A notebook and pen
  • A dictionary

What's in the book

The first selection: a humorous story from Blackwood's Magazine about the Duke of Newcastle and a Cornish friend who was promised a post when the King of Spain died. An illustration and notes on the people and places follow.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Words and meanings

    Read the book's notes at the end of the lesson first. They explain the Duke of Newcastle (a chief minister under George II of England), Cornwall (a county in the southwest of England), the King of Spain, and the title His Catholic Majesty.

    Before reading, find these words in the selection and look up any your student does not know: administration, casting vote, courier, exciseman.

  2. Read it aloud

    Read the opening sentence together:

    A laughable story was circulated during the administration of the old Duke of Newcastle,

    Then your student reads the whole story aloud. Comic stories need timing: a small pause before the surprise at the end.

  3. Talk about it

    SayWhy had the Duke made such a large promise to the gentleman from Cornwall?

    SayWhy does the gentleman come to the Duke at that hour, and why is the Duke waiting for a courier from Madrid?

    SayHow does the Duke react, first and then a moment later?

    SayThe story ends with a joke about the post the man finally received. Why is that ending funny?

  4. Tell it back

    Your student tells the story aloud in their own words, in order, keeping the surprise for the end.

  5. Copywork and memory

    Copy the story's opening sentence into a commonplace book (a notebook of good passages kept all year).

  6. Write (optional)

    Write a short anecdote (half a page) about a promise someone made too easily, ending with a twist.

Tip

This is the first selection in the book. Set the routine now: words and notes, read, talk, tell back, copy.

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