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

77. Holding the Fort

Goal: Your child reads a story about a boy on crutches and explains how he "held the fort."

⏱ 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

Genie meets Rob Grey hobbling on crutches. He tells her how he sprained his ankle by stopping himself from paying back a boy who threw his books in the mud. Definitions at the end.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    Say"Holding the fort" means not giving up your place, even when you are attacked. How could a child "hold the fort" without fighting?

  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:

    Crutches, long sticks with cross-pieces at the top, to aid lame persons in walking.

    Sprained, injured by wrenching or twisting.

    Furlough, a soldier's leave of absence.

    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 Genie's part and your child reads Rob's.

    Here is a line from it:

    "If there was nothing to fight, we should not need to be soldiers," said Genie.

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

  4. Talk about it

    SayWhat did Jack Lee do to Rob's books?

    SayWhat did Rob remember just as he was about to pay him back?

    SayHow did Rob get hurt, and why did Genie call him "a wounded soldier"?

    Then talk about the lesson of the reading:

    Returning good for evil is a kind of brave soldiering.

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

  5. Tell it back or write it

    Close the book.

    SayTell me how Rob sprained his ankle, and why Genie was proud of him.

    An older child can write two or three sentences instead.

  6. Copywork

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

    "If there was nothing to fight, we should not need to be soldiers," said Genie.

    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: crutches, sprained, vacation, wounded, behaved.

    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.

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