1836 First Eclectic Reader: Lesson XXXII. - Little Lucy.

Do you like to read? Can reading be as fun as play? What is so good about reading? Create a list of adjectives describing why it is good to read. The list should have atleast four adjectives.

Little Lucy.

Lucy, can you read? Yes sir, I can. Would you rather read than play? Yes sir, I would, because mama tells me that play will not be of any use to me after I am grown. If I love to read, I will be wise and good. A little boy or girl who can not read is not much better than Puss. Puss can run and play, as well as they. Puss can never learn to read. Boys who do not know how to read can not learn anything, but what is told to them. When a boy of girl knows how to read, they can sit down and learn a great deal, when there is no one to talk to them. After boys and girls have learned to read, they can learn to write. Then they can send letters to their friends, who live far away.

Vocabulary.

know, cannot, because,
friends, mama, away,
much, rather, letters,
learned, better, and never.

Poetry Lesson 1: The Haiku

Poetry Lesson 1

There many different types of poetry: Haiku, Ballad, Sonnet, Blank Verse, Free Verse, Ode, Limerick, Sestina, Narrative, Dramatic Monologue and Villanelle.

Haiku

Today we are going to talk about the Haiku. Haiku is a type of poetry that doesn't rhyme from the Japanese culture. Haiku combines form, content, and language in a meaningful, yet compact form. Haiku poets write about everyday things. Many themes include nature, feelings, or experiences. The most common form for Haiku is tree short lines. The first line usually contains five syllables, the second line seven syllables, and the third line contains five syllables (5,7,5). Haiku A Haiku must "paint" a mental image in the reader's mind. This is the challenge of Haiku - to put the poem's meaning and imagery in the reader's mind in just 17 syllables over just three lines of poetry! You can also write Haiku with three syllables in the first line, five syllables in the second, and three again in the third (3,5,3); for those who think they can be more concise.
Here are some examples of Haiku:

The Rose by Donna Brock
The blossom bends
and drips its dew on the ground
Like a tear it falls.

By Natsume Soseki
Over the wintry
forest, winds howl in rage
with no leaves to blow.

Exercise:
1. See if you can find some Haiku poems (look for about 3).
2. Write a Haiku poem yourself, one with 3 lines of 5,7,5 and other with 3 lines of 3,5,3.

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.

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

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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.