McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson LXXV · Part 8: Rescues, corn and good-night

75. Mountains

Goal: Your child reads a lesson of facts about high mountains and describes how hard and dangerous travel there can be.

⏱ About 25 minutes · 7 steps

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You'll need

  • The book, open to this lesson
  • A notebook or lined paper and a pencil
  • A map or globe

What's in the book

A lesson about the Himalayas, the highest mountains in the world, with their swampy edge, rope bridges and narrow paths, and about mules crossing deep chasms in the Andes. Definitions at the end.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    SayWhat is the tallest place you have ever been? How did it feel to look down?

  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:

    Thibet, a country of central Asia.

    Barren, without trees or shrubs, unproductive.

    Chasm, a deep opening in the earth, or cleft in the rocks.

    Precipice, a very steep and dangerous descent.

    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. Model the place names first: Himalayas, Thibet (Tibet), India, Andes.

    Here is a line from it:

    The Himalayas are the highest mountains on our globe.

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

  4. Talk about it

    SayWhat is at the foot of the Himalayas, and what animals live there?

    SayHow do travelers cross rivers and narrow places in the mountains?

    SayWhy are the mules so careful when they jump a chasm?

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

  5. Tell it back or write it

    Close the book.

    SayPretend you are a traveler in the mountains. Tell me about your journey.

    An older child can write two or three sentences.

  6. Copywork

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

    The Himalayas are the highest mountains on our globe.

    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: ascend, swamp, barren, chasm, tiers.

    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

Find the Himalayas and the Andes on a globe or map.

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