Chapter IV: Part 4

Forget-me-not dipped the skirt of her blue dress into another lily cup filled with dew. The dew was quickly dyed blue. Then the fairies mixed the yellow dew and the blue dew together.

“Now jump in, little fairy,” cried Buttercup. In jumped one of the fairies in faded gown, and when she came out her dress was a beautiful green.

Then Geranium dipped her dress into dew, and Forget-me-not did the same. They mixed blue and red, and the second fairy jumped in. When she came out, her dress was bright purple.

Then Buttercup and Geranium dipped their dresses into dew again, to make a mixture for the third fairy. When she came out of the lily cup her dress was bright orange.

Then the six fairies laughed and sang, and danced about. By and by a dark cloud covered the moon, and the rain came pattering down. The six fairies hid themselves in the flowers.

The next morning, when the rain stopped, the sun came out and shone brightly. The six fairies came out of the flowers, and hand in hand they ran up to the sky. There they made a beautiful rainbow. Since then, they have been called the Rainbow Fairies.--_Adapted_

_Friday_

Talk about the rainbow, and its six colors. Have the children tell the combinations that make green, purple, and orange.

SECOND WEEK

_Monday_

To be committed to memory:

THE DANDELION

A brave little dandelion woke up from his nap,
And hunted around in the dark for his cap,
“I’m certain,” he muttered, “it ought to be here,
In the very same place where I left it last year.”

He poked all about in the dirt and the dark,
For the same little hat that he wore in the ark;
For fashions may vary with people and clime,
But dandelions wear the same hats all the time.

“What’s o’clock?” and he paused while he counted the fuzz
That had crept through his locks, as old age always does;
Then he settled himself to pluck out the old feathers,
That had done so much service in all kinds of weathers.

Rather frowsy he looked, getting into his hat,
But he knew that the rain would take care of all that,
If he only were up; so he pulled on his boots,
And began to push up from his tough little roots.

Kept pushing, and cheerful and hopeful, he pushed,
And he came to the surface, close by an old bush,
With the frost hardly gone, and the ground hardly mellow,
Here he is on the top now, the brave little fellow.

The first dandelion! Well may we delight
And call all the children to see the glad sight,
For of all the brave prospects of hope and of spring,
The golden-crowned dandelion surely is king.

--_Selected and slightly adapted_

Teach the children the first stanza of the poem.

_Tuesday_

Teach the children the second stanza of the poem.

_Wednesday_

Teach the children the third stanza of the poem, explaining what is meant by the “fuzz.”

_Thursday_

Teach the fourth stanza of the poem.

_Friday_

Teach the fifth stanza of the poem.

THIRD WEEK

_Monday_

Teach the sixth stanza of the poem.

_Tuesday_

Have the children play the poem, each child acting the part of the dandelion, as all recite the poem in concert.

_Wednesday_

Write:

A dandelion is yellow.
Dandelions bloom in May.

_Thursday_

Children name a flower (besides dandelions) that is yellow; one that is blue; green; pink; white; purple. Which of these are in blossom in May?

_Friday_

Talk about different kinds of dogs, and what each is good for; _e. g._, terrier, catching rats; collie, driving sheep; St. Bernard, saving life; hound, hunting, etc.

FOURTH WEEK

_Monday_

What flowers bloom in May? What are their colors? What are the birds doing this month? Have you seen any birds’ nests this spring? Where? What kinds of birds do you know? What have the trees been doing this month? (Growing leaves.)

_Tuesday_

Ask each child to bring a penny to school.

See how many things can be found on the penny.

What is the motto of our country? (In God we trust.)

_Wednesday_

Have the children write:

Under the green trees,
Just over the way,
Jack-in-the-pulpit
Preaches to-day.

_Thursday_

Have the pupils told, the preceding day, to bring into the school-room three different green objects, as a leaf from a tree, a blade of grass, a branch of some plant, etc. Have pupils write the words describing what they have brought, as leaf, grass, twig, etc.

_Friday_

Talk about Decoration Day. What it means, and how to celebrate it.

SECOND YEAR

FIRST WEEK

_Monday_

Learn the first two stanzas of the poem:

THE SEED

As wonderful things are hidden away
In the heart of a little brown seed
As ever were found in the fairy nut
Of which we sometimes read.

Over the dainty shining coat,
We sprinkle the earth so brown,
And then the sunshine warms its bed,
And the rain comes pattering down.

Patter, patter, the soft warm rain
Knocks at the tiny door,
And two little heads come peeping out,
Like a story in fairy lore.

--_Selected and slightly adapted_

_Tuesday_

Learn the entire poem.

_Wednesday_

Talk about the meaning of the poem, and sow some morning glory seed in a box or flower pot. Talk about the need of moist earth to make the seeds grow. Have the children water the seeds every day, until the “two little heads come peeping out.”

_Thursday_

Write a list of the naming words (nouns) in the poem of the week.

_Friday_

Children write five sentences about seeds and the way they grow.

SECOND WEEK

_Monday_

For dictation:

Sing, O sing, thou merry bird,
As you fly so lightly;
Sing your song of joy and love,
While the sun shines brightly.

_Tuesday_

Write, in complete sentences, answers to the following questions:

What bird has a red breast? (Robin.)

What bird picks worms from under the bark of large trees? (Woodpecker.)

What bird lays large white eggs that we like to eat for breakfast? (Hen.)

What bird likes to eat the farmer’s corn? (Crow.)

What bird says, “Coo, coo, coo?” (Pigeon.)

_Wednesday_

Talk about the birds and nest-building. Talk about the different kinds of nests: the robin’s; the oriole’s, hung from the limb of a tall tree; the bobolink’s, built in the grass; the sparrow’s, tucked under the eaves; the swallow’s, built in the barn, etc.

_Thursday_

Read the following poem to the children, and have them tell the story back to you:

THE JOLLY OLD CROW

On the limb of an oak sat a jolly old crow,
And chattered away with glee, with glee,
As he saw the old farmer go out to sow,
And he cried, “It’s all for me, for me!

“Look, look, how he scatters his seeds around;
He’s tremendously kind to the poor, the poor;
If he’d empty it down in a pile on the ground.
I could find it much better, I’m sure, I’m sure!

“I’ve learned all the tricks of this wonderful man,
Who shows such regard for the crow, the crow,
That he lays out his grounds on a regular plan,
And covers his corn in a row, a row!

“He must have a very great fancy for me;
He tries to entrap me enough, enough,
But I measure his distance as well as he,
And when he comes near I am off!”--_Selected_

_Friday_

Have the children write a little story about the crow and the corn.

THIRD WEEK

_Monday_

Write five words beginning with _m_.

Write five words beginning with _s_.

Write five words beginning with _b_.

_Tuesday_

Add a word to _violet_, to show what color it is.

Add a word to _tulip_, to show what color it is.

Add a word to _apple blossom_, to show what color it is.

Add a word to _hyacinth_, to show what color it is.

Add a word to _grass_, to show what color it is.

_Wednesday_

For dictation:

Into my window a sunbeam bright
Comes with a glad good morning,
“The night is gone, it is time you were up,”
It is thus he gives me warning.

_Thursday_

Write five sentences, telling what the warm sunshine does.

_Friday_

Play, as a game, “I went to the woods and brought back a violet.” One child says, “I went to the woods, and brought back a violet and an anemone” (or any other flower). The next child says, “I went to the woods and brough back a violet, an anemone, and a hepatica.” Each child adds a flower to the list, as long as the children can remember the list of flowers.

FOURTH WEEK

_Monday_

Talk about birds’ eggs, and the wrong of robbing nests.

_Tuesday_

Read the following poem to the children:

THE FRIGHTENED BIRDS

“Hush! hush!” said the little brown thrush,
To her mate on the nest in the alder bush.
“Keep still! don’t open your bill,
There’s a boy coming bird-nesting over the hill.

“Let go your wings out, so
That not an egg on the nest shall show.
Chee! chee! it seems to me
I’m as frightened as ever a bird can be.”

Then still, with a quivering bill,
They watched the boy out of sight o’er the hill.
And then, in the branches again
Their glad song rang out over valley and glen.

Oh! oh! if only that boy could know
How glad they were when they saw him go,
Say, do you think that next day,
He could possibly steal those eggs away?

--_Selected_

Talk about the advantage that the birds are, in eating insects and protecting the trees.

_Wednesday_

Write five sentences, telling what birds do for us, and why it is wrong to steal birds’ eggs.

_Thursday_

Fill the blank spaces in the following:

---- blackbirds ---- on a hill,
One named ----, the other ---- Jill.
Fly away ----,
---- away, Jill,
Come ----, Jack,
---- back, ----.

_Friday_

Write a letter to your cousin, telling about birds, and why you will never steal their eggs.

THIRD YEAR

FIRST WEEK

_Monday_

Poem to be committed to memory:

WE THANK THEE

For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!

For blue of stream and blue of sky;
For pleasant shade of branches high;
For fragrant air and cooling breeze;
For beauty of the blooming trees--
Father in heaven, we Thank Thee!

For mother-love and father-care,
For brothers strong and sisters fair;
For love at home and here each day;
For guidance, lest we go astray--
Father in heaven, we Thank Thee!--_Selected_

Have the poem copied.

_Tuesday_

Learn the first stanza of the poem.

_Wednesday_

Learn the second stanza of the poem.

_Thursday_

Learn and recite the entire poem.

_Friday_

Write a list of the nouns in the poem.

SECOND WEEK

_Monday_

Write a list of the adjectives in the poem.

_Tuesday_

Write the name of a flower that is blue; one that is yellow; pink; red; purple; white. Write a sentence describing each of the flowers in your list.

_Wednesday_

Write the name of a bird that is brown; one that is black; blue; green; yellow. Class exchange papers. Write a sentence about each bird on the list you receive.

_Thursday_

Talk about May, and how it differs from any other month of the year. What garden flowers are in blossom this month? What wild flowers are in blossom? What fruit trees? What forest trees?

_Friday_

Write five sentences about the flowers and trees that blossom in May.

THIRD WEEK

_Monday_

Story for reproduction:

ANEMONE

Once upon a time there lived a youth whose name was Adonis. He was a fine-looking boy, tall and straight, and he was very fond of hunting.

Every day, with only his dogs for company, he would go into the woods, carrying his bow and arrows. He had a fast horse on which he rode.

His friends often urged him not to go too far into the deep woods, but Adonis was not at all afraid. He had killed bears, and he had killed lions, so why should he be afraid?

One day Adonis was in the woods as usual, when he caught sight of two wild hogs. He left his dogs to worry one of the hogs, and he started after the other with his spear.

The angry hog bit him and he had to hasten to the brook to bathe his wounds. The angry hog followed him.

Swimming in the brook were some beautiful white swans. When they saw Adonis wounded, they went to Venus and told her what they had seen.

Venus hastened to the brook in her silver chariot.

“Adonis! Adonis!” she cried.

No answer came. The only trace she could find of Adonis was some drops of blood on the green grass.

Venus was very sorry, for she loved the boy Adonis very much. From a silver cup which she carried with her, she sprinkled a few drops of blood over the grass. In a little while, tiny flower buds peeped out from the spot where each drop of blood had fallen.

A gentle wind came up and blew the little buds open and before night it had blown them all away. People called the little flowers wind-flowers, or anemones. Their delicate pink coloring was believed to have come from the heart of Adonis. Have you seen the dainty little anemones, the wind-flowers?--_Adapted_

Tell the story to the children.

_Tuesday_

Have the children tell back to you the story of the anemones.

_Wednesday_

Write the story of the anemones.

_Thursday_

Write five sentences about the woods where the anemones grow.

_Friday_

Have the children play in their own way the story of Adonis.

JUNE

FIRST YEAR

FIRST WEEK

_Monday_

What month is this? What month is just ended? What month comes after June? What season is this? What are the three summer months? Name the four seasons. What season is just ended? What season comes after summer? In what month does school close for the summer? In what month does school open again?

_Tuesday_

Write:

This is the ---- (supply first, second, or whatever day it is) of June.

_Wednesday_

Story-poem for reproduction:

THE MAIDEN AND THE BEE

Said a little wondering maiden,
To a bee with honey laden,
“Bee, in all the flowers you work,
Yet in some doth poison lurk.”

“That I know, my little maiden,”
Said the bee with honey laden;
“But the poison I forsake,
And the honey only take.”

“Cunning bee with honey laden,
That is right,” replied the maiden.
“So will I from all I meet,
Only take the good and sweet.”--_Selected_

Read the poem to the children, and explain its meaning.

_Thursday_

Talk about bees and honey. Where the bees find the honey. How they carry to the hive. The honeycomb. Have you eaten honey? Have you eaten honey in the comb? What is the comb made of?

_Friday_

Write:

Bees take honey from flowers.

Bees put the honey in honeycomb.

SECOND WEEK

_Monday_

Write two sentences about daisies.

_Tuesday_

Name two white flowers; two red flowers; two pink flowers; two yellow flowers.

_Wednesday_

Fill the blanks with an appropriate word indicating color:

A daisy is ----.

Violets are ----.

I have a ---- buttercup.

This apple blossom is ----.

This tulip is ----.

This tulip is not red, it is ----.

_Thursday_

Show the children a daisy or buttercup blossom. Talk about the flower, the stem, the leaves, the root; the part that the rain, the sunshine, and the earth have in making the plant grow.

_Friday_

Play, as a game, the growth of the daisy. One child represent the sun, another the rain, others daisy leaves, stems, roots, blossoms. The children will work out their own game, with a little helpful suggestion.

THIRD WEEK

_Monday_

Place a number of small objects upon a desk or table. Have the children see how many of the objects they can name, after they have had a minute to observe the objects, and then these are hidden.

_Tuesday_

Conversation on Sight:

How do we see objects? Why do we need to take the best possible care of our eyes? What do we call a person who cannot see? How far can you see? Can you see a grain of sand? Can you see at night? What animal can see at night?

_Wednesday_

Write a list of as many objects as possible that you can see as you sit at your desk.

_Thursday_

Have the children cover their eyes. Pound on a tin pan. Have children guess what the sound was. Ring a small bell. What was the sound? Blow on a whistle. What was it? Stamp on the floor. Have the children guess what the sound was.

_Friday_

Conversation on Hearing:

How do we hear? Why is it necessary to take care of our ears? (Explain how the ears should be cared for.) What is a person who cannot hear called? How do our ears differ from a dog’s ears? A cat’s ears? The ears of a horse? Can we move our ears? Can we move our eyes? What are some of the sounds you have heard this morning?

FOURTH WEEK

_Monday_

Have the children close their eyes. Place on each tongue a bit of salt. How many know what it was? Do the same with a bit of sugar, a bit of vinegar, a bit of nutmeg.

_Tuesday_

Conversation on Taste:

How do we taste? What have we in the mouth that helps us to taste? (Tongue.) What becomes of what we eat after it has been chewed? Do we taste food after it has been swallowed?

(Have the children test this by actual experiment, with an apple, or some other eatable with pronounced taste.) Tell the children about the taste-buds on the tongue that help us to tell the flavor of what we take into the mouth.

_Wednesday_

Have the children close their eyes. Allow each child to smell cologne, vinegar, a lemon, and an onion. How many can tell by the scent what each is?

_Thursday_

Conversation on Smelling:

With what do we smell? Can we smell anything if we cover the nose? Why is it difficult to smell anything if one has a cold? Which has the keener sense of smell, you or a dog? Can a horse smell? A cow? A cat? How does a cat know when a mouse is near?

_Friday_

Have the children close their eyes. Allow each child to feel a soft ball, a marble, a handkerchief, and a piece of crayon. How many can guess, by the feeling, what the objects are? How do we know, by feeling, whether an article is hard or soft? What part of the hand has the most sensitive sense of touch? How does a cat know if we pull her tail? How do you know when a pin pricks you? How does a dog know when a flea is biting him?

SECOND YEAR

FIRST WEEK

_Monday_

THE DAISY

Wake up, little daisy, the summer is nigh,
The dear little robin is up in the sky,
The snowdrop and crocus were never so slow;
Then wake, little daisy, and hasten to grow.

Now hark, little daisy, I’ll tell you what’s said.
The lark thinks you’re lazy, and love your warm bed;
But I’ll not believe it, for now I can see
Your bright little eye winking softly at me.

--_Selected_

Write a sentence about the daisy.

_Tuesday_

Write sentences, answering the following questions:

When does the daisy blossom?

What is the color of the daisy?

What is the daisy’s eye?

_Wednesday_

For dictation:

The daisies white are nursery maids,
With frills upon their caps;
The daisy buds are little babes
They tend upon their laps.

_Thursday_

Write the daisy rhyme:

Doctor, lawyer, merchant, chief,
Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief.

_Friday_

Have each child give, orally, a sentence containing the word _doctor_, then one containing the word _lawyer_, then one containing _merchant_, etc.

SECOND WEEK

_Monday_

Poem to be committed to memory:

“The Flag Goes By,” by Henry Holcomb Bennett.

This is _not_ too difficult for primary children to learn. Explain what is meant by the blare of bugles and the ruffle of drums. Play the marching, removing the hats, and saluting the flag.

Have the poem copied.

_Tuesday_

Children commit to memory the first stanza of the poem.

_Wednesday_

Children commit to memory the second and third stanzas of the poem.

_Thursday_

Children commit to memory the entire poem.

_Friday_

Recite the poem, in concert, and singly.

THIRD WEEK

_Monday_

Talk about Flag Day. Explain the meaning of the red, the white, and the blue. Tell why there are thirteen stripes and forty-eight stars.

_Tuesday_

Write answers in complete sentences to the following questions:

What are the colors of our flags?

How many stripes has our flag?

How many stars has our flag?

What does the red stand for?

What does the white stand for?

What does the blue stand for?

_Wednesday_

For dictation:

I give my head, my heart, and my hand to my country. One country, one language, one flag.

_Thursday_

Tell the children the story of the Battle of Bunker Hill. If possible, show them a picture of the Bunker Hill Monument. This lesson should be given on or near June 17, the anniversary of the battle.

_Friday_

Write five sentences about the Battle of Bunker Hill.

FOURTH WEEK

_Monday_

Talk about vacation. Have each child tell something that he expects to do during the summer.

_Tuesday_

Write five sentences about what you expect to do during the summer.

_Wednesday_

Write as many words as you can beginning with s.

_Thursday_

Write the name of a red flower; an orange-colored flower; a yellow flower; a green flower; a light blue flower; a dark blue flower; a purple flower.

_Friday_

Play “I’m thinking of a flower,” the others to guess what flower is being thought of.

THIRD YEAR

FIRST WEEK

_Monday_

Poem to be committed to memory:

“The Liberty Bell.”

Have the poem copied.

_Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday_

Learn the poem.

SECOND WEEK

_Monday_

Write a list of the nouns in the poem.

_Tuesday_

Write a list of the adjectives in the poem.

_Wednesday_

Write a list of the verbs in the poem.

_Thursday_

Look up in the dictionary and write out definitions of the following words: _rife_, _whisper_, _gather_, _grant_, _hazard_, _portal_.

_Friday_

Look up in the dictionary and write out definitions of the following words: _patriot_, _freedom_, _dense_, _quivers_, _murmurs_, _exultant_.

THIRD WEEK

_Monday_

For dictation:

LITTLE BETTY BLUE

Little Betty Blue,
Lost her holiday shoe,
What shall Betty do?
Buy her another
To match the other,
And then she will walk upon two.

--_Selected_

_Tuesday_

Write a rhyme of four lines about a shoe.

_Wednesday_

Write a letter to a cousin, telling what you have done in school to-day.

_Thursday_

Write twenty-six words, each to begin with a different letter of the alphabet. As a, apple; b, baby, etc.

_Friday_

Play “Guess what I am,” each pupil to play he is some flower. As, “I grow in the fields. My flowers are white with yellow centers. They close at night. What am I?” (_Answer._ A daisy.)

FOURTH WEEK

_Monday_

Story for reproduction:

PUSSY

My name is Puss. You know me very well.

Once I was a little kitten, and you played with me. I am grown up now, but I like to play as well as ever. Get a ball, and you will see what I can do.

I like to sleep by the fire, too. I like to drink milk too, when I am hungry. When you have fed me, I will purr.

Do you see how clean I keep my face and hands? Do you keep your face and hands as clean as I keep mine?

Please give me a warm bed at night. I do not like to be turned out in the cold.

I have a warm coat of fur, which I always wear. I am better off than some boys and girls.

_Tuesday_

Tell the story of “Pussy.”

_Wednesday_

Write five sentences about Pussy.

_Thursday_

Write ten words that rhyme with _cat_; five that rhyme with _fur_.

_Friday_

Write a letter, telling about your cat, if you have one, or about some cat that you know about.

* * * * *

Transcriber’s Note

Minor punctuation errors (i.e. missing periods) have been corrected.

The following portions were absent in the original:

May, Third Year, Fourth Week
May, Fourth Year
June, Fourth Year

Perhaps Fourth Year students didn't attend in May and June.

End of Project Gutenberg's Daily Lesson Plans in English, by Caroline Griffin