McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson LX · Part 6: Courage, waves and patience

60. The Contented Boy

Goal: Your child reads a long conversation and explains why Mr. Lenox called the boy contented.

⏱ 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

Mr. Lenox's horse breaks away and a farm boy catches it. Their long talk shows how cheerful the boy is about his hard work. Definitions at the end.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    SayWhat does it mean to be contented? Can a person be poor and still be contented?

  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:

    Rooting, pulling up by the roots.

    Tending, watching, attending.

    Errands, messages.

    Raw, not cooked.

    Then find each word in the lesson.

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

  3. Read it aloud

    This lesson is a conversation marked "Mr. L." and "B." You read Mr. Lenox and your child reads the boy, then swap.

    Here are two lines from it:

    Mr. Lenox was one morning riding by himself.

    He got off from his horse to look at something on the road-side.

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

  4. Talk about it

    SayHow did the boy help Mr. Lenox? Did he want a reward?

    SayWhat work did the boy do in the field, and how did he feel about it?

    SayWhat did Mr. Lenox give him at the end, and why?

    Then talk about the lesson of the reading:

    A cheerful, contented spirit makes hard work feel "almost as good as play."

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

  5. Tell it back or write it

    Close the book.

    SayTell me about the boy's day in the field.

    An older child can write two or three sentences about the boy.

  6. Dictation

    Show your child this sentence. Let them study it for a minute: the capitals, the commas, any hard words.

    This is not hard work. It is almost as good as play.

    Then close the book and read it aloud slowly while your child writes it. Open the book and check together.

  7. Spelling

    Say each word, use it in a sentence, and have your child spell it aloud, then write it: turnip, weather, errands, raw.

    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

This lesson starts on the same page as Lesson LIX. It is long; split it over two days if needed.

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