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

30. Courage and Cowardice

Goal: Your child reads a story about two boys and explains what true courage is.

⏱ About 20 minutes · 7 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗

You'll need

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

What's in the book

A story about Henry, who is called a coward for refusing to watch a fight, and what happens later when Robert is in danger in the water.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    SayWhat does it mean to be brave? Can you be brave without fighting?

  2. Words and meanings

    Before reading, talk about the title words: courage means bravery; cowardice means being afraid to do what is right.

  3. Read it aloud

    Your child reads. Model Robert's mocking voice, then Henry's quiet one.

    Here is a line from it:

    "You are a coward, and afraid to go," said Robert, and off he ran.

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

  4. Talk about it

    SayWhy wouldn't Henry go with Robert?

    SayWhat happened to Robert later, and who helped him?

    SayWho showed true courage? Why?

    Then talk about the lesson of the reading:

    "Never be afraid to do good, but always fear to do evil."

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

  5. Tell it back

    Close the book.

    SayTell me the story of Henry and Robert.

  6. Copywork

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

    Never be afraid to do good, but always fear to do evil.

    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: afraid, coward, courage, evil.

    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

We could not read this page's OCR (archive.org limited our requests). The text and page number come from the Gutenberg e-text and the table of contents, so check the scan.

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