Read Dorothy Sayers: "The Lost Tools of Learning".

Monday, January 19, 2009

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XXXI. - Good Advice

Dictionary Lookup: forgiveness, disobeyed, avoid. Study base words and changes that prefixes and suffixes make. Put 'dis' in front of obey, honest, agree, arm, and quality, see how it turns each word in an opposite meaning. Also read Ephesians 4:26-31, Ecclesiastes 7:9, and Proverbs 15:1. Find a part of the story that is like each verse.



Good Advice


If you have done anything during the day that is wrong, ask forgiveness of God and your parents. Remember that you should learn some good things every day. If you have learned nothing all day, that day is lost. If anyone has done you, forgive him in your heart before you go to sleep. Do not go to sleep with hatred in your heart toward anyone. Never speak to anyone in an angry or harsh voice. If you have spoken unkind words to a brother or sister, go and ask forgiveness. If you have disobeyed your parents, go and confess it. Ask God to aid you always to do good and avoid evil.



Vocabulary


before, parents, during,
always, brother, forgive,
shaken, unkind, forgiveness,
hatred, confess, remember,
nothing, sister, and disobeyed.



Thursday, January 8, 2009

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XXX. - The Snow Dog and Boy

Review the preceding story: What do men teach their dogs to do? If you have forgotten, read the answer from page 89. After the you read the story review the phonograms: "ea", "igh", and "qu". Skim through the story and find examples of these sounds. What do you think would be first if the boy had been telling the story? Then what would be next, and so forth (this requires some rereading). Write your ideas in a list. When your finished with your list look at it and write a story. You can pretend your are the boy and write in first person, using "I", or you can also make up a name for the boy and write in third person.


The Snow Dog and Boy

After the old man had wiped the sweat from off his face, he went on with his story. "One sad, cold night when the snow fell fast, and the wind blew loud and shrill, and it was quite dark with not a star to be seen in the sky, these good men sent out a dog to hunt for those who might want help. " In and hour or two the dog was heard at the gate, and when they looked they saw the dog with a boy on his back. "The poor child was stiff with cold, and could just hold on to the dog's back. "He told the men that he had lain a long time in the snow, and was too ill and weak to walk, and the snow fell fast on him. After a while, he felt something pull him by the coat, and then he heard the bark of a dog close by him. " The boy then put out his hand, and he felt hair of the dog, and then the dog gave him one more pull. This gave the poor boy some hope, and he took hold of the dog, and he took hold of the dog, and drew himself out of the snow. He felt that he could not stand or walk. " He then got upon the dog's back, and put his arms around the dog's neck, and held fast. He felt sure the dog did not mean to hurt him, and thus rode on the dog's back, all the way to the good men's house. They took care of the boy till the snow was gone, then they sent him to his own home.


Vocabulary

sweat, wiped, mean,
might, something, home,
snow, heard, could,
after, length, and quite.




Barry, who lived and made history between 1800 and 1814, was one of the greatest rescue dogs the world has ever seen. Barry was a Saint Bernard dog who earned worldwide fame for the brave rescue operations he carried out during his lifetime. His painting by Salvatore Rosa still hangs in a hospice in the Alps of Switzerland.

Barry was an expert rescue dog well versed with the rescue drill and amongst his famous rescue adventures there is this famous story about a young boy who was found stranded on an icy ledge, all covered with thick snow under an ongoing, heavy snowfall. It was not possible for any man to climb that icy ledge, but Barry braving all adversity crawled inch by inch to the injured boy. As the drill has it, Barry started licking the boy's face but the snowfall was too heavy and the ledge too difficult to climb for any monk to reach the boy. So, there was no help coming. The boy, however, woke up due to Barry's warm licks and wrapped his arms around Barry's strong neck. The dog pulled him carefully and bravely from the ledge and brought him to safety.

It is just one of the many gallant rescue stories of this great rescuer Saint Bernard. He lived from 1800 to 1814 and saved more than 40 lives in his lifetime.





Wednesday, January 7, 2009

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XXIX. - The Story Teller


Dictionary look up: civil. Could this story be true? In what counties could it have happened? What kind of dog might it be? Have you taught your dog to do something? What is a story teller?



The Story Teller.

Peter Parley was a great story teller. This is known to all children who have read his books. One day as he was going by the school, the children came around him, and they all wished him to tell them a new story. "Well," says Peter, "I love to please good children, and as you all appear kind and civil, I will tell you a story which you have never heard. Before we begin, let us go and sit down in a cool shady place. And now, master John, you must be still as a little mouse. And Mary, you must be careful not to let Towser bark and make a noise." "A long way from this place, in a land where it is very cold, and where much snow fall, and where the hills are so high that their tops appear to reach the sky, there live some men whose joy it is to help folks who pass by these hills. These men keep large dogs, which they teach to go out and hunt for persons who may be lost in the snow drifts. The dogs have so fine a scent or smell, that they can find folks by means of it. Even when it is too dark to see, or when the folks for whom they are searching, lie hidden in the deep snow drifts, they find them"


Vocabulary

whose,
begin, scent,
much, high, deep,
great, drift, Parley, please,
hid, Towser, appear, story, Mary,
down, books, master, these, going, wished,
teller, persons, never, have, children, careful, read,

Make this dog a rescue dog:
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Friday, January 2, 2009

1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XXVIII. - The Wild Beasts.

Dictionary look up: cow hide. Have you been to a zoo or a circus? How do you feel at a zoo or circus when you see caged animals and people handling them? How should people treat animals in captivity?

http://www.theplatelady.com/plates5/liontamer.jpg

The Wild Beasts.

James and George went to the show. They saw a great many wild beasts in cages, and some only with a chain around one foot, fastened to a post. They saw the showman go into a cage with the lion and strike him with a cow hide. The lion roared very loud, and looked cross, but did not hurt him. James said, "I wish the man would come out. I do not like to see him in the cage. That big lion might eat him and then I should be sorry." James was a good boy, and did not like to see anyone hurt. After they had seen the show their kind papa took them to the book store, and bought each of them a fine new book. They were good boys, and loved to read.


Vocabulary.

through, store,
seen, many, book,
kind, roared, papa, bought,
looked, loved, show, cow, before,
good, hide, beasts, quite, cross, James.




More information:

Lion taming is the practice of taming lions, either for protection, whereby the practice was probably created, or, more commonly, entertainment, particularly in the circus. The term is also often used for the taming and display of other big cats such as tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, and pumas. Lion taming is used as a stereotypical dangerous occupation due to the obvious risks of toying with powerful instinctive carnivores.

Lion taming is performed in zoos across the world, to enable less dangerous feeding and to bring more profit by holding programmes like cub petting.

Note that taming an individual lion is not the same as domestication of a species. (Wiki)

example



1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XXVII. - How to Add

Spelling: all numbers to ten; to twenty. To read for details, get some beans and work out some problems as John and his mother did. Write a paragraph explaining how to add two numbers using beans or marbles. Let someone try to follow the directions you wrote.



How to Add.

John. I wish I could do a sum, as James does. May I get a slate and try?
Mother. You can not use a slate yet, but I will teach you how to add with these beans. Now,mind what I say to you. Here is one, and here are two more. How many do one and two beans make? Put them in your left hand, and count one, two, three. You see that one and two make three. Now take three more beans, and add them to those in your left hand, and count all of them-one, two, three, four, five, six. Three and three make six. Now take four beans, and add two more to them. You see two more to them. You see there are six. Four and two are six. Now take five beans, and add one to them. You see there are six. Then five and one make six.


Vocabulary.

could, beans, four,
these, hand, teach,
your, slate, here,
does, mind, three.

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