The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 438–440 · Part 2: Part Second
121. Daffodils
Goal: Your child talks about how a poet's mood changes and explains proverbs with examples.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- Paper and pencil (a notebook kept just for this book works well)
What's in the book
Section 438 is Wordsworth's poem "Daffodils" ("I wandered lonely as a cloud"). Section 439 asks the child to read it until it is familiar and answer questions about the poet's mood and the daffodils. Section 440 gives ten proverbs to explain and to show when they would fit, with an example.
The lesson, step by step
Read the poem
Read "Daffodils" aloud slowly, two or three times, as the book suggests.
I wandered lonely as a cloud
Talk it over (Section 439)
Ask the book's questions: What is the poem about? How does the poet describe himself at first? Is he only alone, or sad? Does his mood change? What words show it? What words show his joy? What happens later, when he lies on his couch?
Learn the first stanza
Learn the first six lines by heart.
Proverbs (Section 440)
Read the book's example about the children picking up papers: "Many hands make light work." Then your child explains three more proverbs and writes a little example for each, the same way.
Check it gently
Does each example really fit its proverb? If not, talk it over and let your child try again.
What a good result looks like
Example (written for this guide, not from the book):
"Many hands make light work" means that a job is easy when many people help. Example: when the whole family cleaned the garage together, we finished in an hour.
Answers to the book's problems
Section 439: The poem is about a crowd of daffodils the poet saw beside a lake. He was "lonely as a cloud", alone and a little sad; seeing the daffodils dancing made him glad ("A poet could not but be gay / In such a jocund company"). Joyful words: fluttering, dancing, sprightly dance, glee, jocund. Later, when he lies quietly, he remembers them and his heart dances with the daffodils. Section 440, possible meanings: 1. Work is easy when many help. 2. A rumor usually has some truth behind it. 3. Great things take time. 4. Seize your chance early. 5. Saving small amounts often adds up. 6. The one who wins in the end can laugh at those who laughed first. 7. Let the winners laugh. 8. Hard times don't last forever. 9. Opportunity won't wait for you. 10. Wisdom is worth more than riches.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.