McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XXXVI · Part 4: Thinking hard and speaking kindly

36. Finding the Owner

Goal: Your child reads a story about a found pocket-knife and explains why Fred felt bad keeping it.

⏱ 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 long list of words and a story: Fred finds a fine pocket-knife and keeps it, but cannot be happy until he finds the owner.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    SayIf you found a nice toy at the park, what would you do with it?

  2. Words and meanings

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

    possession satisfaction burying experienced torment thief conscious response suggested anxiety critical evident observed finally breathless interfered

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

    Explain a few: anxiety is a worried feeling; torment means great unhappiness; evident means easy to see.

  3. Read it aloud

    Your child reads. Model Fred's worried voice and the doctor's cheerful one.

    Here is a line from it:

    "It's mine," said Fred, showing a white-handled pocket-knife, with every blade perfect and shining.

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

  4. Talk about it

    SayHow did Fred get the knife?

    SayWhy didn't Fred enjoy having it?

    SayWhat happened when he took it to the owner?

    Then talk about the lesson of the reading:

    Keeping what is not ours makes us miserable; giving it back brings peace.

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

  5. Tell it back

    Close the book.

    SayTell me the story of Fred and the pocket-knife.

  6. Copywork

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

    "I found it," said Fred, "and have felt like a thief ever since."

    This sentence has two sets of quotation marks because Fred's words are broken by "said Fred."

    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: thief, finally, observed, response, anxiety.

    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.

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