McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson LXI · Part 7: Honest hearts
61. Little Gustava
Goal: Your child reads a gentle story-poem and describes Gustava sharing her food with the animals.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook or lined paper and a pencil
What's in the book
A poem about little Gustava, who sits in the spring sunshine with her bowl of bread and milk and shares it with her cat, a hen, and the doves. Definitions at the end.
The lesson, step by step
Warm up
SayHave you ever shared your food with an animal? Who came?
Words and meanings
This lesson's definitions are printed at the end, after the reading. Read a few of them together before you start:
Eaves, the lower edges of a roof.
Quaint, odd.
Marigold, a yellow flower.
Biddy, chicken.
Then find each word in the lesson.
SayCan you use one of these words in a sentence of your own?
Read it aloud
Your child reads. This is a soft, happy poem; read it slowly, like a warm spring day.
Here are two of its lines:
Little Gustava sits in the sun,
Safe in the porch, and the little drops run
Then let your child reread a favorite part, more smoothly.
Talk about it
SayWhat is Gustava wearing and holding?
SayWhich animals come to her?
SayWhat does Gustava do with her food?
Let your child look back at the page to find answers.
Tell it back or write it
Close the book.
SayTell me everything that happened on Gustava's porch.
An older child can write two or three sentences instead.
Copywork
Your child copies this from the book in their best handwriting:
Little Gustava sits in the sun,
Safe in the porch, and the little drops run
Check capitals and marks together.
Spelling
Say each word, use it in a sentence, and have your child spell it aloud, then write it: icicle, eaves, quaint, knelt.
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.