McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XXIV · Part 3: Fables and things to remember

24. Beautiful Hands

Goal: Your child reads a story and explains what made Mary Jessup's hands beautiful.

⏱ About 20 minutes · 7 steps

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You'll need

  • The book, open to this lesson
  • A notebook or lined paper and a pencil

What's in the book

A short list of words and a story: Daisy Marvin says Mary Jessup's hands are coarse-looking, and her teacher Miss Roberts explains why they are beautiful.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    Look at your hands together.

    SayWhat do your hands do for other people every day?

  2. Words and meanings

    Point to the list of words at the top of the lesson:

    opinion piano coarse bathe sweep

    Read them together a few at a time. Clap the syllables of the long ones. The book prints these words without meanings.

    Explain in your own words: coarse means rough; an opinion is what someone thinks.

  3. Read it aloud

    Your child reads. Read Miss Roberts's answer yourself first, kindly and firmly.

    Here is a line from it:

    "O Miss Roberts! what coarse-looking hands Mary Jessup has!" said Daisy Marvin, as she walked home from school with her teacher.

    Then let your child reread a favorite part, more smoothly.

  4. Talk about it

    SayWhat did Daisy say about Mary's hands?

    SayWhat does Mary do with her hands, according to Miss Roberts?

    SayHow did Daisy feel at the end?

    Then talk about the lesson of the reading:

    "The good alone are really beautiful."

    Let your child look back at the page to find answers.

  5. Tell it back

    Close the book.

    SayTell me what Miss Roberts taught Daisy about beautiful hands.

  6. Copywork

    Your child copies this from the book in their best handwriting:

    The good alone are really beautiful.

    Check capitals and marks together.

  7. Spelling

    Say each word, use it in a sentence, and have your child spell it aloud, then write it: piano, coarse, bathe, sweep, hands.

    Check together and fix any mistakes right away. Keep missed words for tomorrow's warm-up.

Afterwards

Reread the lesson aloud tomorrow before starting the next one, and review any missed spelling words.

Tip

Ask your child to name one helpful thing their hands can do today, then do it.

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