Chapter I: Part 1

DAILY
LESSON PLANS
IN ENGLISH

BY
CAROLINE GRIFFIN

EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY
BOSTON
New York Chicago San Francisco

Copyright, 1914

BY
EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY

DAILY LESSON PLANS IN ENGLISH

SEPTEMBER

FIRST YEAR

FIRST WEEK

_Monday_

Show the children a sunflower. What is it? Who can think of another flower of the same color? (Nasturtium, goldenrod, dandelion, buttercup, etc.) Who can think of a flower that is blue? (Hyacinth, bachelor’s button, flower de luce, etc.) Who can think of a flower that is red? (Rose, carnation, geranium, poppy, etc.) Have each child name some flower that he likes.

_Tuesday_

Allow the children to play “Hey, diddle, diddle.” One child is the cat, another the fiddle, a third the dish, others the spoon, the little dog, the cow and the moon. All the rest of the children repeat, very slowly:

Hey, diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle.

As the two lines are being recited, the children representing the cat and the fiddle stand up at their seats and bow. As the words,

The cow jumped over the moon,

are recited, the child representing the moon, stooping down, holds out a round piece of pasteboard, a piece of paper, or anything else that happens to be handy, even a book will serve, and the “cow,” steps or jumps over it.

At the words,

The little dog laughed to see such sport,

the little dog laughs. At

The dish ran away with the spoon,

the two children representing dish and spoon take hold of hands and run across the room.

Then other children may be selected for the various parts, and the game may be played thus again and again.

_Wednesday_

Have the children practise writing their names, and if possible, their home addresses.

_Thursday_

What kind of a day is it, sunny or stormy? What color is sunshine? Point to the sun. What color are storm clouds? How does the rain come down? What does the sunshine do for the trees and flowers? What does the rain do for the trees and flowers? What does the rain do for us?

_Friday_

Have the children name all the objects they can see in the school-room.

SECOND WEEK

_Monday_

How many children had their faces washed before coming to school this morning? How many had their hair combed? Have each child tell who combed his hair, whether mother, nurse, or the child himself. Talk about the necessity of cleanliness, and why every child must come to school looking clean and tidy.

_Tuesday_

Write the name of the day of the week on the blackboard, and have the children practice writing it.

_Wednesday_

Ask each child to stand up at his seat and recite a “Mother Goose” rhyme.

_Thursday_

Who can show me what I mean when I say, “Run.” Allow some child to run. What do I mean when I say, “Walk.” Have the word illustrated. Continue similarly with _talk_, _laugh_, _sing_, _jump_, _sit_, _stand_.

_Friday_

Show the children a flag. What is it? What are the three colors of the flag? Have the children count the red stripes; the white stripes. What is the color of the stars?

THIRD WEEK

_Monday_

Show the children a red apple and a green, or a yellow apple. What are the colors of the two apples? What shape? Where is the stem? Where is the skin? What is there inside the skin? Cut one of the apples open. How many seeds has it?

_Tuesday_

Have each child tell his father’s or his mother’s first name.

_Wednesday_

Have the children practise writing the date.

_Thursday_

Have each child tell something that he can see out of the school-room window. Write the word given by each child on paper and let him practise writing it.

_Friday_

Let the children dramatize, with a little suggestive help, “Old King Cole.”

FOURTH WEEK

_Monday_

What day of the week is this? How many days are there in a week? Who can name them? What is done in your home on Monday? (Washing?) On Tuesday? (Ironing?) On Wednesday? Thursday? Friday? Saturday? Sunday?

_Tuesday_

Have the children play the game, “This is the way we wash our clothes.”

_Wednesday_

Practise writing _September_.

_Thursday_

Practise writing the day of the week.

_Friday_

Have the children tell what they had for breakfast.

SECOND YEAR

FIRST WEEK

_Monday_

Tell, or read, the following story, the children to guess what animal is referred to.

Look what a small, shy thing I am! Do not frighten me, and I will tell you all about myself. It is quite true that I come and nibble your cheese and candles now and then. But if you will keep such nice things stored away in heaps, how can I help longing for a taste? The smell of your puddings and pie-crust is so nice! How should I know that it belongs to you and not to me?

Please do not tell the cat where I am, or she will come and eat me up. I do not like cats a bit. But there is something that I hate more than cats, and that is the horrid traps you set to catch us in. When one of my friends finds himself inside of one of these, you do not know how badly he feels! How would you like it yourself?

We do some good in the world, though people fancy we do nothing but harm. Men and women throw about bits or scraps of food enough to give us many a nice meal. We run out and eat this, and leave the floor clean and tidy.

We run off to our holes as quickly as can be if you frighten us, and you will see no more of our soft fur and long tails. If you are kind we shall be glad to make friends with you.--_Adapted._

_Tuesday_

Have the children tell, in their own words, the story of “The Mouse.”

_Wednesday_

Copy the following:

A mouse has gray fur.
A mouse has bright eyes.

_Thursday_

Have each child tell about some animal, the other children to guess the animal meant. For example:

I have four legs. I have fur. When I am hungry I say, “Miow.” When I am happy I purr. What am I?

If you find it to be too difficult for the children to give the descriptions, you can describe the animals, and let all the children guess what you are describing.

_Friday_

Write five words that rhyme with _cat_.

SECOND WEEK

_Monday_

What month is this? How many months are there in the year? How many days in this month? Teach the rhyme, “Thirty days hath September.”

_Tuesday_

Have the children write the names of the months.

_Wednesday_

Have the children complete the following sentences:

Roses are ----.

Asters are ----.

Goldenrod is ----.

Lemons are ----.

Trees are ----.

My eyes are ----.

_Thursday_

To be memorized:

MY SHADOW

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow--
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller, like an Indian-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.

He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see;
I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

--_Robert Louis Stevenson._

Have the children copy two stanzas of the poem.

_Friday_

Have the children copy the rest of the poem, “My Shadow.”

THIRD WEEK

_Monday_

Teach the children the first stanza of “My Shadow.”

Who has a shadow? When can we see our shadow? How does the shadow “Jump before me, when I jump into my bed”?

_Tuesday_

Teach the second stanza of “My Shadow.”

How does the shadow grow tall? How does it get “so little”?

_Wednesday_

Teach the third stanza of “My Shadow,” questioning the children to make sure that they understand its meaning.

_Thursday_

Teach the fourth stanza of “My Shadow.”

_Friday_

Have the children repeat the entire poem, “My Shadow.”

FOURTH WEEK

_Monday_

Write five sentences, telling what the shadow does. (Refer to the poem.)

_Tuesday_

Write five name words (nouns), to be found in the poem “My Shadow.”

_Wednesday_

Write a letter to your sister or brother, telling what you do at school.

_Thursday_

Make an envelope of paper, and address it to the one to whom you wrote yesterday.

_Friday_

Write five words that rhyme with _run_.

_To the Teacher_: The proper method of addressing an envelope may be taught here.

THIRD YEAR

FIRST WEEK

_Monday_

Have the children repeat the old rhyme, “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,” then let them see if they can write it.

_Tuesday_

For dictation:

I know that when my bed-time comes,
And I am tired of everything,
I cannot go to sleep unless
I hear my mother softly sing
The Bye-low song.

_Wednesday_

Story for reproduction:

JIM CROW

When Jim Crow became a member of our family he was very young, and could hardly balance himself upon his slender legs.

We fed him upon raw eggs and scraps of raw meat until he grew strong and the black feathers had become smooth and glossy, and the bright eyes were brighter, and Jim Crow had changed into a beautiful bird.

A smart bird was Jim, devoted to his master and mistress, hailing them with a loud caw whenever their steps were heard, and hopping about to greet them.

Jim could talk a little, and would have acquired much more knowledge of the language if he had lived longer.

He would spread his wings, purple in their deep black, and call in a hoarse voice, “Come on, come on,” very distinctly.

He would greet his master with “Hello, Papa,” and delighted in feeding from his hand. He knew when the butcher boy came with the meat, and was at the cook’s side when she received the basket, croaking for his share.

Jim delighted in a plunge bath, and would splash away in an earthern crock a dozen times a day, if it was filled for him.

He liked red and blue, and if ladies called at the house dressed in these colors, the young crow would become frantic, spreading his wings and tail, and crying, “Come on, Come on,” to the amusement of all.

He would often eat corn with the chickens, and would act in a very greedy way, filling his bill with the grain, rushing away and hiding it, then coming back for more. If the chickens did not eat as fast as they could, Jim had the lion’s share.

Jim was hurt one day by a stray dog, and then we didn’t have a crow any more.--_Selected._

_Thursday_

Have the children tell, in their own words, the story of “Jim Crow.”

_Friday_

Have the children write the story of “Jim Crow.”

SECOND WEEK

_Monday_

Poem to be memorized:

THE LAND OF STORY BOOKS

At evening when the lamp is lit,
Around the fire my parents sit;
They sit at home, and talk and sing,
And do not play at anything.

Now, with my little gun, I crawl
All in the dark along the wall,
And follow ’round the forest track
Away behind the sofa back.

There, in the night, where none can spy,
All in my hunter’s camp I lie
And play at books that I have read
Till it is time to go to bed.

These are the hills, these are the woods,
These are my starry solitudes,
And there the river, by whose brink
The roaring lions come to drink.

I see the others far away,
As if in firelit camp they lay,
And I, like to an Indian scout,
Around their party prowled about.

So when my nurse comes in for me,
Home I return across the sea,
And go to bed with backward looks
At my dear Land of Story Books.

--_Robert Louis Stevenson_

Have the poem copied.

_Tuesday_

Have the children commit to memory the first two stanzas of “The Land of Story Books.”

_Wednesday_

Have the children commit to memory the third and fourth stanzas of “The Land of Story Books.”

_Thursday_

Have the pupils commit the entire poem, “The Land of Story Books.”

_Friday_

Repeat the poem of the week, entire.

THIRD WEEK

_Monday_

Write a list of the adjectives to be found in the poem, “The Land of Story Books.”

_Tuesday_

Write a list of the verbs to be found in the poem, “The Land of Story Books.”

_Wednesday_

Write two words that rhyme with each of the following: Sit, wall, bed, lay, sea.

_Thursday_

Write, in complete sentences, answers to the following questions, referring to the poem for the answers:

What do my parents do?

Where do I go with my gun?

What do I play?

What do I play that I am?

How long do I play?

_Friday_

Write a letter, thanking your aunt for a birthday present, and telling what the present is.

FOURTH WEEK

_Monday_

Complete the following sentences:

I am ---- to New York.

I ---- to school yesterday.

Will you ---- to the circus with me?

Has your aunt ---- home yet?

Are you ---- to school to-morrow?

Shall we ---- part way home with you?

_Tuesday_

Write the names of five objects made of wood; five of iron; five of wool; five of cotton.

_Wednesday_

Write a composition telling about grapes.

_Thursday_

Write a letter telling a friend about a squirrel you once saw.

_Friday_

Write an invitation to a school party.

FOURTH YEAR

FIRST WEEK

_Monday_

Write five sentences telling about good manners in the school-room.

_Tuesday_

Describe, orally, some game you know how to play.

_Wednesday_

Copy the following from Whittier’s “The Barefoot Boy”:

How the tortoise bears his shell,
How the woodchuck digs his cell,
How the ground-mole sinks his well,
How the robin feeds her young,
How the oriole’s nest is hung;
Where the whitest lilies blow,
Where the freshest berries grow,
Where the ground-nut trails its vine,
Where the wood-grape’s clusters shine.

_Thursday_

Write sentences explaining each reference in the poem copied yesterday. For example, “How the tortoise bears his shell”--The tortoise carries his shell on his back.

_Friday_

Have pupils dramatize “Little Red Riding Hood,” without preparation, and in their own way.

SECOND WEEK

_Monday_

For dictation:

Ere, in the northern gale,
The summer tresses of the leaves are gone,
The woods of Autumn, all around our vale,
Have put their glory on.

--_William Cullen Bryant_

_Tuesday_

Proverbs, to be copied and committed to memory:

He who does his best, does well.

It takes two to make a quarrel.

Make hay while the sun shines.

More haste, less speed.

Waste not, want not.

A place for everything, and everything in its place.

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Better late than never.

Look before you leap.

Honesty is the best policy.

_Wednesday_

Write a composition about “Sparrows.”

_Thursday_

Write a telegram, congratulating either President Taft or Governor Wilson upon his nomination for President.

_Friday_

Conversation on how we can tell that Fall and Winter are coming.

THIRD WEEK

_Monday_

Copy the following from “Hiawatha.”

THE FEAST OF MONDAMIN

And the maize-field grew and ripened,
Till it stood in all the splendor
Of its garments green and yellow,
Of its tassels and its plumage,
And the maize-ears full and shining
Gleamed from bursting sheaths of verdure.

Then Nokomis, the old woman,
Spake and said to Minnehaha:
“Tis the Moon when leaves are falling;
All the wild rice has been gathered,
And the maize is ripe and ready;
Let us gather in the harvest,
Let us wrestle with Mondamin,
Strip him of his plume and tassels,
Of his garments green and yellow.”

_Tuesday_

Commit to memory the selection from “Hiawatha.”

_Wednesday_

Conversation on the meaning of the “Mondamin” story.

_Thursday_

Write a story on “Corn--How It Grows.”

_Friday_

Write ten sentences about the uses of corn.

FOURTH WEEK

_Monday_

Write the abbreviations for _month_, _year_, the days of the week, the months of the year.

_Tuesday_

For dictation:

Chestnuts in the ashes
Bursting through the rind,
Red leaf and yellow leaf
Rustling down the wind;
Mother “doin’ peaches”
All the afternoon--
Don’t you think that Autumn’s
Pleasanter than June?

_Wednesday_

Write five reasons why autumn is pleasanter than June.

_Thursday_

Write ten sentences containing the word blue.

_Friday_

Write a rhyme of four lines about apples.

OCTOBER

FIRST YEAR

FIRST WEEK

_Monday_

What is the name of this month? What was last month called? What month follows October? What season is this? What season follows autumn? What are the four seasons? How do you know that it is autumn? How is the weather different from what it was in July? What are the birds doing this month? What is happening to the leaves on the trees? What flowers are in blossom this month?

_Tuesday_

A little verse to learn:

Work, and make the world sweet,
That’s the best for you.

_Wednesday_

Read this little poem to the children:

LITTLE MISS CHESTNUT

Little Miss Chestnut lived in a tree,
She and her sisters; one, two, three.
Their house was covered with prickles green,
To keep the squirrels away, I ween.

Soon Jack Frost knocked, just for fun;
Out jumped the chestnuts, every one.

Elsie and Fred, on their walk next day,
Found the nuts and took them away.
On winter evenings, cold and long,
They’ll roast the nuts. Here ends my song.

--_Selected_

_Have ready_, but out of sight, a chestnut burr, if possible containing some of the nuts. If you cannot get the burr, at least have some of the nuts enough so that each child may have one to eat, after the lesson is over.

Show the children how the prickly burr protects the nuts from squirrels, and from boys and girls, until the nuts are ripe. Then Jack Frost comes along and opens the burr, and the nuts fall out.

Explain how the nut itself is the seed of the chestnut tree, and how, if allowed to lie under the snow all winter, a new little chestnut tree will start up in the spring.

_Thursday_

Teach this little rhyme to the children:

When we have a pleasant day,
We like to stroll along the way;
And as we walk upon the street,
The folks we know we always greet.

Use the rhyme as a means of teaching the children the proper method of salutation on the street. Let the girls wear their hats, and the boys have their caps at their seats with them. Allow a boy and a girl, with hats on, to go to the front of the room, and from opposite sides of the room walk towards each other. As they start, the children--all except the two at the front--repeat the rhyme. When the two children at the front meet, the girl nods her head politely, and the boy lifts his hat. After the simple ceremony the two children return to their seats, and their places are taken by other boys and girls, in turn, until all can perform the act easily and gracefully.

_Friday_

Ask each child to bring a penny to school. See how many things are to be found on the penny--as a head, date, etc.

SECOND WEEK

_Monday_

Tell the children that October was the month when America was discovered. We live in the United States, and the United States is in America. Tell the story of Columbus and the discovery of the new continent. If well told, the story is quite as fascinating as a fairy tale.

_Tuesday_

Have the children tell back to you the story of Columbus and the discovery of America.

_Wednesday_

A poem dramatized.

This poem, acted out as indicated, can be used effectively as a rest exercise. As all the children will be moving, the windows can be thrown open, and the room aired while the game is being played.

The poem is to be recited by the teacher. Allow plenty of time between lines, for each part to be acted.

Children representing Sunshine, Miss Weather and Professor Wind are first chosen. They take their places in the front of the room. Then the other children are separated, by rows of desks, into Ashes, Oaks, Maples, and Chestnuts.

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came--

The Ashes, Oaks, Maples, and Chestnuts come skipping, tiptoe, up the aisles, helter-skelter, to represent flying leaves.

The Ashes, Oaks, and Maples,
And those of every name.

The skipping is continued, until all the leaves stand in a group at one side of the room.

Miss Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand.

As these two lines are being recited Miss Sunshine pretends to spread a carpet over the entire open space at the front of the room. She may take plenty of time. The poem is not to be recited continuously.

Miss Weather led the dancing,

As this line is recited, Miss Weather skips alone across the front of the room, from one side to the other.

Professor Wind, the band.

Professor Wind marches pompously across the room, tooting a real or an imaginary horn.

The Chestnuts came in yellow,

The Chestnuts skip lightly, by couples, from one side of the room to the side where Miss Weather stands. They bow to Miss Weather by twos, turn, and skip back again.

The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best.

The Oaks, then the Maples, followed by the Ashes, skip across the room by twos, bowing to Miss Weather, and returning to their places, after the fashion of the Chestnuts.

And balanced all their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
Now fallen from the sky.

While the teacher is reciting the four lines given above, all the children are still, but at its close, all skip about partners, holding their clasped hands high above the head, skipping tiptoe, as before, and very light and gay.

Then in the rustic hollows,
At “hide-and-seek” they played,
The party closed at sundown,
And everybody stayed.

All remain quiet while the four lines given above are recited, then partners separate, and everybody apparently hides somewhere.

Professor Wind played louder;
They flew along the ground;
And then the party ended
In jolly hands around.

As Professor Wind blows his hardest, all gather from their hiding places, take hold of hands and circle round, and the game ends.

--_Selected and adapted_

_Thursday_

Play the October game.

_Friday_

Play the October game.

THIRD WEEK

_Monday_

Read this poem to the children, for them to guess who is meant:

WHO’S THE ROGUE?

A roguish old fellow is prowling about
In field and in garden; you can’t keep him out.
No matter how tall
You build up your wall,
He’ll find a way over, in spite of it all.

On the glass of the window his pictures you’ll see,
A grand exhibition (admission is free);
He works hard at night
While the stars glitter bright;
But when the sun rises he keeps out of sight.

He’ll sketch you a snow-covered mountain or tree;
A torrent all frozen, a ship out at sea.
He draws very fast,
But his work does not last:
It fades when the chill of the night-time is past.

Before the sun rises, while hardly ’tis light,
He feels of the fruit and takes a sly bite;
He has a fine taste,
Though a great deal he’ll waste,
Then off he will go in very great haste.

Now, who do you think this old fellow may be,
The bright, sparkling work of whose fingers we see?
All winter he’ll stay,
What more shall I say?
Only this, that his first name begins with a J.

--_Selected_

_Tuesday_

On this, or some rainy morning of the week, talk about the weather. Why did you all come to school this morning with rubbers and umbrellas? Why is an umbrella shaped as it is? Why does the rain sometimes fall straight down, and sometimes slanting? How does the rain tell us which way the wind blows? Why do rubbers keep our feet dry, when shoes do not? What else is made of rubber?

_Wednesday_

Teach the children this memory gem:

All that’s great and good is done
Just by patient trying.

_Thursday_

What does Jack Frost do to the windows? What does he do to the nuts? What does he do to the apples? What does he do to the grass? What are some other things that Jack Frost does?

_Friday_

Play the October game, described under the preceding week.

FOURTH WEEK

_Monday_

An October Pumpkin Story. (To be told to the children.)

One afternoon in late October, father went down to the field to get a pumpkin.

The children went along too. They wanted to see that father picked out a large pumpkin. They wanted to help bring it back to the house.

Although it was October, there were still some pumpkins to be found in the field.

Father led the way. The children came trooping after.

The pumpkins grew down in the cornfield. Their long, coarse stems lay sprawling on the ground. Their big, rough leaves looked like green umbrellas.

The boys saw a very large pumpkin. They were just going to pick it, but father said, “Not that one.”

Father looked around until he found a deep, yellow pumpkin. He told the children that deep, yellow pumpkins make the best pies.

The children soon found another pumpkin, somewhat smoother than the others. They picked that to use for a Jack-o’-lantern.

Then they went back to the house, carrying the huge yellow fruit with them.

The girls went into the house, to see mother make pumpkin pies.

Mother cut open the yellow pumpkin. Oh, how thick the meat was! Oh, how the fat, white seeds came tumbling out! Mother said the flesh was good because it had a nice fine grain.

Mother cut the flesh into small pieces, after she had peeled off the thick rind.

Then she put the pieces into a large iron pot to boil.

When the girls had seen the pieces disappear into the pot they went to see what the boys were doing.

Out by the barn they found the boys with a jack-knife, working away at the other pumpkin. The boys were making a Jack-o’-lantern.

They had cut a round hole in the top of the pumpkin, so as to leave the stem for a handle. In this way they could lift out the round piece like a cover. They dug out all the seeds with their hands, to make it hollow.

Then they cut a small hole, shaped like a triangle, in the side of the pumpkin. They bored two round holes, one each side of the triangle. Below it they cut a funny hole shaped like a new moon.

It looked like a huge grinning face. When the boys had finished it, they put the pumpkin away in the barn.

Then they all remembered about the pumpkin that was cooking in the kitchen, so they ran back to the house as fast as they could.

By this time the pumpkin in the pot was done, and mother took it from the stove. She poured off the water, and then put the cooked pumpkin into a colander.

While mother was rubbing the soft pumpkin through the colander, the boys ran off to hunt for eggs. When they came back, mother took eight of the eggs, and about three pints of the soft pumpkin. She stirred it very fast, while the children stood around and watched, with open eyes and mouths. Then she put in milk, and spice, and brown sugar.

Oh, didn’t it look good! The children smacked their lips as each separate thing went in. Mother gave it all such a beating with her big spoon that the children said it would be good ever after.

Next came the pie tins lined with soft crust, and last of all the pies went into the oven.

That night as father and mother sat in front of the fire-place talking, a strange noise was heard. What could it be? Was it a groan? Was somebody hurt? There it was again, again, and again! It came from the front porch.

Father went to the window and drew aside the curtain. Then they saw something that made the smaller children shiver, but the older girls only laughed. The boys were not in the house.

There at the window, staring in and grinning horribly--was--well, what do you suppose? Yes it was the Jack-o’-lantern.

--_Selected_

_Tuesday_

Talk about Jack-o’-lanterns. If possible, make one in school, or show the children one.

_Wednesday_

Talk about Hallowe’en, and how the Jack-o’-lantern is used for decoration at that time.

_Thursday_

Talk about Hallowe’en tricks.

_Friday_

Play some of the Hallowe’en tricks in school.

SECOND YEAR

FIRST WEEK

_Monday_

To be copied and memorized by the pupils:

THE WORLD’S MUSIC

The world’s a very happy place,
Where every child should dance and sing,
And always have a smiling face,
And never sulk for anything.

The world is such a happy place,
That children, whether big or small,
Should always have a shining face,
And never, never sulk at all.

--_Selected_

_Tuesday_

Have the children write answers, as complete sentences, to the following questions about “The World’s Music”:

What kind of place is the world?

What should every child have?

What should a child do?

What should a child never do?

_Wednesday_

Bring sufficient hickory nuts to the class so that each child can have one. If possible, have the nuts in the hulls. Ask the following questions, for the children to answer:

How many hulls on each nut?

What are the hulls for? (To protect the nut.)

What takes off the hulls when they are quite ripe? (The frost.)

Which is the blossom end of the nut, and which is the stem end?

Crack a hickory nut. What is there inside the shell?

Explain how the nut grows, to start a new tree.

_Thursday_

Copy these sentences, filling the blank spaces with _is_, or _are_:

A gray squirrel ---- in the tree.

The squirrel ---- fond of nuts.

The tree ---- once the squirrel’s home.

Hickory nuts ---- the squirrel’s food.

_Friday_

For dictation:

I am round.

I am red.

I am just a bit sour.

Would you like to eat me?

SECOND WEEK

_Monday_

Poem to be memorized.

Commit the first stanza of the poem to memory:

THE WONDERFUL WORLD

Great, wide, wonderful, beautiful world,
With the wonderful water around you curled,
And the wonderful grass upon your breast--
World, you are beautifully dressed!

The wonderful air is over me,
And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree;
It walks on the water and whirls the mills,
And talks to itself on the tops of the hills.

You friendly Earth, how far do you go,
With wheat fields that nod, and rivers that flow,
With cities and gardens, and oceans and isles,
And people upon you for thousands of miles?

Ah, you are so great and I am so small,
I hardly can think of you, World, at all;
And yet, when I said my prayers to-day,
My mother kissed me, and said, quite gay:

“If the wonderful World is great to you,
And great to father and mother, too,
You are more than the Earth, though you are such a dot,
You can love and think, and the Earth cannot!”

--_William Brighty Rands_

_Tuesday_

Commit to memory the second stanza of the poem.

_Wednesday_

Commit to memory the third stanza of the poem.

_Thursday_

Commit to memory the fourth stanza of the poem.

_Friday_

Finish learning the poem, and recite it all.

THIRD WEEK

_Monday_

The Post-Office.--What is a post-office? Who has charge of the post-office? Where is the post-office nearest your home? What do you see when you go to the post-office? How do you get your mail? Why do people write letters? How do letters go from one place to another? What is the stamp on a letter for? How much does it cost to send a letter? Who pays for sending a letter?

_Tuesday_

For dictation:

It is cold in the fall.

The wind blows hard.

The trees are bare.

The birds are gone.

I like fall, for I can play out-of-doors.

_Wednesday_

Write a letter to a friend, telling what Jack Frost does in the fall. Send the letter to your friend, directing the envelope properly, and putting the stamp in the right place.

_Thursday_

Bring to the class cards, each having on it the name of some animal, as cow, horse, elephant, dog, etc. Give a card to each pupil, and have him describe the animal named on his card, allowing the other children to guess what animal he is describing. For example: “I am not very large. I have a bushy tail. I live among the trees. I like to eat nuts. What am I?”

_Friday_

For dictation:

One day as Mr. Squirrel went up his tree to bed,
A very large hickory nut fell on his head.
“Although I am fond of nuts,” Mr. Squirrel then did say,
“I would very much rather they did not come that way.”

FOURTH WEEK

_Monday_

Tell this story to the children:

JACK FROST AND THE NUTS

Little Miss Chestnut and her two sisters lived up in a tree in a prickly green house. The house was as soft as velvet inside, but sharp spikes on the outside kept away the squirrels, who would have torn down the house if they could.

But soon Jack Frost came along. Jack does not mind fences, so he knocked at the door of the Chestnut house.

“Little Miss Chestnut,” he called, “are you ready to come out?”

But little Miss Chestnut replied, “I am not quite ready yet, Mr. Jack.”

So Jack went off to the house where Miss Hickory Nut lived. Miss Hickory Nut lived all alone in a round green cottage.

“Miss Hickory Nut,” he called “are you ready to come out?”

But Miss Hickory Nut replied, “I am not quite ready yet, Mr. Jack.”

So Jack went off to the low bush where Miss Hazel Nut lived in a soft green tent. Miss Hazel Nut was already peeping out.

“Miss Hazel Nut,” he called, “are you ready to come out?”

And little Miss Hazel Nut replied, “I am quite ready, Mr. Jack.”

So she dropped down and waited below the bush, while Jack went back after the other nuts.

Jack knocked once more at the chestnut house. Little Miss Chestnut opened the door so quickly that she and her sisters fell to the ground.

Then Jack knocked once more at the hickory house.

Miss Hickory Nut opened the door so quickly that her house fell apart.

And all the other nut houses opened, and all the nuts came out to see what was the matter.

The next day the children went for a walk. As they walked in the woods they spied the nuts.

“See,” they said, “the frost has opened the chestnut burrs, and all the other nuts must be out of the shucks.”

_Tuesday_

Have the children tell back to you the story of Jack Frost and the nuts.

_Wednesday_

Write five sentences about nuts.

_Thursday_

Write answers to the following questions:

What does Jack Frost do?

Where does he paint pictures? (On the window-pane.)

What colors does he paint the maple leaves?

What colors does he paint the hickory leaves?

_Friday_

Talk with the children about the way seeds are scattered. Bring to school various kinds of seeds, if these are available. How are dandelion seeds scattered? How are milkweed seeds scattered? How are burdock seeds scattered?

THIRD YEAR

FIRST WEEK

_Monday_

Read to the children the following poem:

MRS. RED SQUIRREL

Mrs. Red Squirrel sat on the top of a tree;
“I believe in the habit of saving,” said she;
“If it were not for that, in the cold winter weather
I should starve, and my young ones, I know, altogether;
But I am teaching my children to run and lay up
Every acorn as soon as it drops from its cup,
And to get out the corn from the shocks in the field--
There’s a nice hollow tree where I keep it concealed.

“We have laid up some wheat, and some barley and rye,
And some very nice pumpkin seeds I have put by;
Best of all, we have gathered in all that we could
Of beechnuts and butternuts grown in the wood;
For cold days and hard times winter surely will bring,
And a habit of saving’s an excellent thing.

“But my children--you know how young squirrels like play,
‘We have plenty, great plenty, already,’ they say;
‘We are tired of bringing in food for our store;
Let us all have a frolic, and gather no more!’
But I tell them it’s pleasant when winter is rough,
If we feel both to use and to give we’ve enough;
And they’ll find, ere the butternuts bloom in the spring,
That a habit of saving’s an excellent thing.”

--_Selected_

_Tuesday_

Have the pupils tell back to you, the story of “Mrs. Red Squirrel.”

_Wednesday_

Write five sentences about Mrs. Red Squirrel, and the habit of saving.

_Thursday_

For dictation:

I am small and nearly round. I have a hard, brown shell. Inside, my meat is brown, too. You like to eat me with a little salt. You get my meat by breaking my shell. What am I?

_Friday_

Write a story similar to the one given in the lesson for yesterday, for the other pupils to guess. You can write about an apple or some other fruit; about a dog or some other animal; or about a flower.

SECOND WEEK

_Monday_

Have the children copy the following:

HIAWATHA’S CHILDHOOD

At the door on summer evenings
Sat the little Hiawatha;
Heard the whispering of the pine trees,
Heard the lapping of the water,
Sounds of music, words of wonder;
“Minne-wawa!” said the pine trees,
“Mudway-aushka!” said the water.
Saw the firefly, Wah-wah-taysee,
Flitting through the dusk of evening,
With the twinkle of its candle
Lighting up the brakes and bushes,
And he sang the song of children,
Sang the song Nokomis taught him:
“Wah-wah-taysee, little firefly,
Little, flitting, white-fire insect,
Little, dancing, white-fire creature,
Light me with your little candle,
Ere upon my bed I lay me,
Ere in sleep I close my eyelids!”

_Tuesday_

Have the children copy the following:

Forth into the forest straightway
All alone walked Hiawatha
Proudly, with his bow and arrows;
And the birds sang round him, o’er him,
“Do not shoot us, Hiawatha!”
Sang the robin, the Opechee,
Sang the bluebird, the Owaissa,
“Do not shoot us, Hiawatha!”
Up the oak tree, close beside him,
Sprang the squirrel, Adjidaumo,
In and out among the branches,
Coughed and chattered from the oak tree,
Laughed, and said between his laughing,
“Do not shoot me, Hiawatha!”

_Wednesday_

Tell the children the story of Hiawatha. If possible, read the whole part of the poem relating to Hiawatha’s childhood. Have the children read the portion of the poem quoted here.

_Thursday_

What sounds did Hiawatha like to hear on summer evenings? What did he think the pine tree said? The water? What did he call the firefly? What is the firefly’s candle? Who taught Hiawatha the song about the firefly?

What did Hiawatha learn from the birds? Who taught him their names? How did he discover their secrets? What secrets are mentioned? What did he call the birds?

_Friday_

What did Hiawatha call the firefly? Why did he call the firefly, “Little, dancing, white-fire creature”?

What is the difference between “brakes” and “bushes”?

What did Hiawatha call the robin? The bluebird? The squirrel?

What words show the sound of the pine tree? The sound of the water? The motion of the firefly? The sound made by the squirrel?

Tell how Hiawatha spent his evenings.

Describe the little hunter as he went into the forest.

THIRD WEEK

_Monday_

Write five sentences about the things that Hiawatha heard at the door on summer evenings?

_Tuesday_

Write five sentences about what happened when Hiawatha went into the forest.

_Wednesday_

Write what Hiawatha learned of the birds.

_Thursday_

Write about what Hiawatha learned of the animals.

_Friday_

Let the children play Hiawatha.

FOURTH WEEK

Spend this entire week on the poem Hiawatha. Let the children dramatize it in their own way, but under your guidance. Let those who have Indian costumes wear them to school. Talk Hiawatha and live Hiawatha, for the entire week. Use the language of the poem yourself, and encourage the children to do so.

FOURTH YEAR

FIRST WEEK

_Monday_

Poem to be committed to memory:

THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH

Under a spreading chestnut tree,
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.

His hair is crisp, and black, and long,
His face is like the tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat,
He earns whate’er he can,
And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owes not any man.

Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,
With measured beat and slow,
Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
When the evening sun is low.

The children coming home from school
Look in at the open door;
They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar,
And catch the burning sparks that fly
Like chaff from a threshing floor.

He goes on Sunday to the church,
And sits among his boys;
He hears the parson pray and preach,
He hears his daughter’s voice,
Singing in the village choir,
And it makes his heart rejoice.

It sounds to him like her mother’s voice,
Singing in Paradise!
He needs must think of her once more,
How in the grave she lies;
And with his hard, rough hand he wipes
A tear out of his eyes.

Toiling--rejoicing--sorrowing,
Onward through life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begun,
Each evening sees it close;
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night’s repose.

Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
For the lesson thou hast taught!
Thus at the flaming forge of life
Our fortunes must be wrought;
Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
Each burning deed and thought!

--_Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_

Have the entire poem copied.

Spend the rest of the week in having the poem committed to memory.

SECOND WEEK

_Monday_

Write answers to the following:

Where does the village smithy stand?

Describe the smith.

Write another word whose meaning is similar to “bravery.”

What is meant by “crisp” hair?

Why should the smith’s face be brown, as though tanned?

Why is sweat called “honest”?

By doing what kinds of work does a smith earn his living?

Why should the smith be able to look the whole world in the face because he owes no one anything?

Has the world a face? What, then, is meant by “looking the whole world in the face”?

_Tuesday_

Describe the bellows used by the blacksmith.

What is the sledge used by the blacksmith?

Why is the sledge made heavy? Why is it swung slowly?

What is meant by “measured” beat? What is a musical measure?

What is a sexton? Where was the village bell hung, then? Why was it called the “village” bell?

When is the evening sun low?

What is a “forge”?

Why do bellows “roar”?

What is “chaff”? What is a threshing floor? How is grain threshed now-a-days? How was it usually threshed when this poem was written?

_Wednesday_

What members of the smith’s family are mentioned in the poem? What is a parson?

What is a “choir”?

Write a word whose meaning is similar to that of “rejoice.”

Why is the smith’s hand “hard and rough”?

Write a list of the adjectives used in the poem which are used to describe the smith.

_Thursday_

Write a word that might have been used in place of “toiling.” Which is the more poetic word?

What is a “task”?

What is meant by a “night’s repose”? Write another word meaning repose.

Why does something done earn repose?

What is the lesson which the smith teaches?

_Friday_

Write ten sentences, describing the smith.

THIRD WEEK

_Monday_

Conversation on signs of the coming of winter.

_Tuesday_

For dictation:

You cannot change yesterday, that is clear,
Or begin tomorrow until it is here.
So the only thing left, for you and for me,
Is to make to-day as sweet as can be.

_Wednesday_

Have pupils write about Columbus and the discovery of America.

_Thursday_

Write an invitation to Hallowe’en exercises to be held at the school.

_Friday_

Write an answer to the invitation written the day before, accepting the invitation.

FOURTH WEEK

_Monday_

Write ten sentences containing the word _red_.

_Tuesday_

Write five sentences, each sentence to end with a word rhyming with _hat_.

_Wednesday_

Write a description of some Hallowe’en trick.

_Thursday_

Play the game of “Who am I?” Each pupil play he is some object in the room. He must describe himself so that the rest can guess his name. Each pupil begins his description: “I am not myself. See if you can guess my name.” Then follows the description. The pupil who first guesses the object from the description, describes himself next.

_Friday_

Have a spelling match.

NOVEMBER

FIRST YEAR

FIRST WEEK

_Monday_

How many days has November? How many days had October? What month comes after November? What day in November do we celebrate? Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving? How do we celebrate Thanksgiving? What kind of weather do we have in November? What season is this? What season follows autumn?

_Tuesday_

For the children to learn by heart:

To have willing feet,
A smile that is sweet,
A kind, pleasant word
For all that you meet--
That’s what it is to be helpful.

_Wednesday_

Tell the children about the Pilgrims: How they became dissatisfied with conditions in England, because they were not allowed to worship as they wished; their going to Holland, and finally their coming to New England, in the _Mayflower_. Tell about the landing at Plymouth; about little Peregrine White. If possible, show some of the Boughton pictures of life in Plymouth.

_Thursday_

Tell the children how there was suffering among the Pilgrims, and their fear that they might starve. Tell, with all possible vividness, about the coming of the welcome ship from England; and then, the appointment of a day of Thanksgiving.

_Friday_

Tell the children what the people had to eat on that first Thanksgiving Day. Tell the story of the corn, and how the Indians had supplied the seed and taught the Pilgrims how to raise it. Where did they get their turkey for the dinner? Why do we like to have turkey for Thanksgiving dinner?

SECOND WEEK

_Monday_

Teach the children the first three stanzas of the great Thanksgiving poem:

THANKSGIVING DAY

Over the river and through the wood,
To grandfather’s house we’ll go.
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the wood,
To have a first-rate play,
Hear the bells ring,
“Ting-a-ling-ding!”
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

Over the river and through the wood,
Now grandmother’s cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun!
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

--_Lydia Maria Child_

On Monday recite the poem yourself, allowing the children to say, “Over the river and through the wood,” as each stanza is recited. You can recite the poem half a dozen times in this way, and the children will enjoy their part as well as yours.

_Tuesday_

Teach the children the last line of each of the three stanzas of the poem.

_Wednesday_

Teach the children the whole of the first stanza of the poem.

_Thursday_

Teach the children the second stanza of the poem.

_Friday_

Teach the children all three stanzas of the poem.

THIRD WEEK

_Monday_

Spend this whole week playing Pilgrim life in old New England. Have the children land from the _Mayflower_ on the Plymouth Rock. A desk or chair, or a box will serve for the rock. The passengers will wear their hats, and books will serve as luggage.

_Tuesday_

Play Pilgrim Sunday. The children can march towards church two by two, with sticks or wands for guns. Tell about the old churches, with their square pews, high pulpits, and sounding board. Explain the duties of the tithing man. If possible, show pictures to illustrate the church scenes.

_Wednesday_

Play the daily life of the Pilgrims. Pretend to spin, explaining the process; weave, make candles, pound corn to make Indian meal, cook over the fireplace, etc.

_Thursday_

Things we have to be thankful for: Let the children suggest.

_Friday_

The Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey. Talk about how it is raised, what it looks like, how it is cooked.

FOURTH WEEK

_Monday_

The vegetables on the Thanksgiving table. The bread. The fruit. The nuts.

_Tuesday_

Here is a simple version of the Thanksgiving story, to tell to the children, in its proper place in connection with the lessons of the month.

THE THANKSGIVING STORY

Once upon a time, some of the people of England were in great trouble. The king would not allow them to worship God in the way they thought right.

When they said they must do what they thought right, some of them were whipped, and some of them were put in prison.

At last they decided to leave England, and go to some other country. And they did go, in a ship, to a land where everybody dressed so differently, and spoke such a different language that the English boys and girls could not at first understand them. Holland was the name of the country. How many of you have seen pictures of the Dutch children, who live in Holland? How many of you have seen pictures of Dutch windmills?

Now in Holland, in the course of time, the Dutch and the English children became very good friends. Before very long the English boys and girls were talking Dutch as easily as if they had been born in Holland, and had never heard of any other country.

“My, my,” said good Father Brewster, the leader of the Puritans, as they were called. “This will never do. We want our children to talk English, and to love England and her ways”--for the Puritans still loved their country and their flag, just as we love our beautiful flag with the stars and stripes.

“They say,” said Father Brewster, “that far away over the ocean there is a land called America. Let us go to America. There we can build houses like those we had in England, and there our children can be brought up as English people. Yes, we will go to America.”

So the Puritans engaged two big ships, and started to sail from Holland to America. But one of the ships was too old and too worn out to cross the ocean, so all the people embarked on the other ship and sailed away.

The ship was called the _Mayflower_.

The _Mayflower_ was crowded, and it rocked so that the boys and girls became very tired. They wished they could get off and play on land once more.

But two beautiful presents came to interest and amuse them on the long voyage. And what do you think they were? Two little babies. One of them was named Peregrine White. The other was named Oceanus Hopkins, because he was born on the ocean.

One morning the children looked far away across the water, and they could see a dark line. It was the land--_America_.

The next day the sails of the ship were taken down, and the anchor was dropped in a little bay. Then some of the men climbed down from the ship into a small boat, and rowed to the shore to see what the place was like. In a little while they came back and called out, “Come, we will take you all ashore.”

Such a scurrying and hurrying as there was then! Back and forth the little boat went, until all the boys and girls, and men and women were on the shore.

It was a very cold day, the twenty-second of December, 1620. But they did not mind the cold.

In a little time the men had built some log houses, and soon there was a church. The black rock on which the Pilgrims first stepped can be seen to-day. It is called Plymouth Rock. The first girl to step upon Plymouth rock was Mary Chilton.

One day a visitor came to see the Pilgrims. He was an Indian. He had long, black hair. He was dressed in deerskin. He had a bow and arrows, to shoot birds and deer with.

The Indian was very glad to see the white people. “Welcome, Englishmen,” he said. He stayed over night with the Pilgrims, and the next morning went away.