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

40. Charlie and Rob

Goal: Your child reads a conversation between two boys and decides which boy has the better plan for growing up.

⏱ 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 conversation: lazy Charlie wants to be rich without work, while Rob happily splits wood and has a plan. From this lesson on, the book prints word definitions at the end of each lesson.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    SayDo you like chores? Which ones do you like, and which do you not?

  2. Words and meanings

    This lesson's definitions are printed at the end, after the reading. Read a few of them together before you start:

    Hinder, interrupt, prevent from working.

    Conquer, overcome, master.

    Chore, the light work about a house or yard.

    Then find each word in the lesson.

    SayCan you use one of these words in a sentence of your own?

  3. Read it aloud

    You read Charlie's part and your child reads Rob's. Then swap.

    Here are two lines from it:

    "Don't you hate splitting wood?" asked Charlie, as he sat down on a log to hinder Rob for a while.

    "No, I rather like it."

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

  4. Talk about it

    SayWhy did Rob like splitting wood?

    SayWhat did Charlie wish for?

    SayThe story ends by asking which boy grew up rich and useful. What do you think?

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

  5. Tell it back

    Close the book.

    SayTell me how Charlie and Rob were different.

  6. Copywork

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

    "Wood has to be sawed and split before it can be burned," said Rob.

    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: hinder, conquer, chore, splendid.

    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

From now on, the word meanings come at the END of each lesson. Look there first for the words-and-meanings step.

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