McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson LXV · Part 7: Honest hearts

65. Mary Dow

Goal: Your child reads a story-poem told by a little match-seller and tells her story.

⏱ 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 poem in which little Mary Dow comes to the door selling matches and tells why: her father was lost at sea and her family is poor. Definitions at the end.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    SayLong ago, some children sold small things door to door to help their families. What might that be like?

  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:

    Matches, small splints of wood, one end of which has been dipped in a preparation which will take fire by rubbing.

    Penny, cent.

    Forsake, leave, reject.

    Then find each word in the lesson.

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

  3. Read it aloud

    Your child reads. Most of the poem is Mary's own words; read them softly and simply.

    Here are two of its lines:

    A look full of innocence fell

    From her modest and pretty blue eye

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

  4. Talk about it

    SayWhat was Mary Dow selling, and for how much?

    SayWhat had happened to her father?

    SayWho is at home, and why does Mary need to sell her matches?

    Then talk about the lesson of the reading:

    Mary trusts that God will not forsake the children who trust in him.

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

  5. Tell it back or write it

    Close the book.

    SayTell me Mary Dow's story in your own words.

    An older child can write two or three sentences instead.

  6. Copywork

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

    She paid all her money for wood,

    And so I sell matches for bread.

    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: penny, blanket, matches, forsake.

    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.

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