McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XXXV · Part 4: Thinking hard and speaking kindly
35. The Lord's Prayer optional
Goal: Your child reads a hymn version of the Lord's Prayer and the evening prayer printed in script after it.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook or lined paper and a pencil
What's in the book
A list of words and the Lord's Prayer set as a hymn in verse. The next page (also listed under this lesson) has an evening prayer printed in script for reading and copying.
The lesson, step by step
Warm up
SayDo you know the Lord's Prayer? Say it together if your family uses it.
Words and meanings
Point to the list of words at the top of the lesson:
hallow temptation gracious kingdom forgive
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: to hallow something is to treat it as holy; temptation is a pull toward doing wrong.
Read it aloud
Your child reads the hymn slowly and reverently. Then turn the page and read the evening prayer in script together.
Here is a line from it:
Our Father in heaven,
Then let your child reread a favorite part, more smoothly.
Talk about it
SayWhich parts of the Lord's Prayer do you recognize in this hymn?
SayWhat does the prayer ask for?
Let your child look back at the page to find answers.
Tell it back
SayTell me in your own words what this prayer asks God for.
Copywork
Have your child copy the evening prayer from the script page, or the first stanza of the hymn, slowly and neatly.
Spelling
Say each word, use it in a sentence, and have your child spell it aloud, then write it: kingdom, forgive, gracious, heaven.
Check together and fix any mistakes right away. Keep missed words for tomorrow's warm-up.
Afterwards
Reread the poem on the next day or two; try to say one stanza by heart.
Tip
Families who prefer not to use religious texts can treat this lesson as reading and copywork practice, or skip it.