Chapter V: Form II

MY SHADOW

(Second Reader, page 3)

AIM

The aim of the lesson is to make the poem so lifelike that it will seem to each pupil as though the shadow and the words were his own.

PRESENTATION

After the poem has been read to give a general idea of the story, the teacher should proceed with it in detail, much in the same spirit as he would carry on a bright conversation with the pupils about something in which they were all equally interested.

Stanza I

How do I know my shadow is very fond of me? He
"goes in and out with me".

What does that mean? It means he goes wherever
I go.

What is "the use of him"? That "is more than I
can see".

What is he like? He is just "like me from the
heels up to the head".

What does he do when I go to bed? He jumps into
bed "before me".

MEMORIZATION

Now, children, four of you may each recite one
line. What have you, Susie? "I have a little
shadow that goes in and out with me."

What is the use of your shadow, John? "And what
can be the use of him is more than I can see."

What is he like, Mary? "He is very, very like
me from the heels up to the head."

When do you see him jump ahead of you? "And I
see him jump before me, when I jump into my
bed."

NOTE.--Each pupil's expression should reveal an active imagination and hearty response to the spirit of the selection. The whole should be very lifelike and real. Some pupil should be asked to recite or read the whole stanza.

Stanza II

What is there funny about the shadow? "The
funniest thing about him is the way he likes to
grow."

How is that? "He sometimes shoots up" very tall
all at once, and then he dwindles down to
nothing.

How would you expect him "to grow"? I would
expect him "to grow" as I do.

How is that? Oh, that is "very slow".

The author says "like proper children". What
does that mean? That means like real children.

What shows that he sometimes grows up very,
very quickly? The poet says he "shoots up".

What other words tell the same thing? "Like an
india-rubber ball."

How is that? The ball goes up quickly with a
bounce, and the shadow seems to spring up in
the same way.

READING AND MEMORIZATION

Let two or three children read the stanza. In the first line, the voice should show how funny it all is; in the second, the demureness of the "proper" child and the slowness of the growth should be revealed in the reading; in the third and fourth lines, there should be an imitative response to the sudden up-growth of the shadow and to the childish surprise at his dwindling into nothing.

Memorization should be conducted as shown in Stanza I, above. There should be no evidence of task or effort in the recitation; it is very necessary that it be spontaneous and full of enjoyment for the pupils.

Stanza III

The shadow knows very little about one thing.
What is that? He has no "notion of how children
ought to play".

How does he "make a fool of me"? "In every sort
of way."

Well, give one way. He mimics me.

Where does he stay? He stays right "close
beside me".

Why does he do that? He does that because "he's
a coward".

How would you feel about doing the same thing?
I would feel ashamed of myself.

Reading and recitation of this stanza should now be conducted as indicated in Stanzas I and II, above.

Stanza IV

Did you ever manage to get away from your
shadow? Yes, I did.

Tell us about how you did it. Well, "One
morning, very early", I got up "before the sun"
did, and went out in the flower garden. I
looked around for my shadow, and I found he
"had stayed at home behind me" in bed.

What is he called for doing that? He is called
"an arrant sleepy-head".

Give another word in place of "arrant" that
will mean the same thing. He was a thorough and
shameless "sleepy-head".

What was the real cause of his staying behind?
There was "none of him at all", because the sun
was not up.

What will happen when the sun does come up?
Then my shadow will suddenly show himself
again.

Now, if you would like to have another stanza,
telling about what happened when the sun came
up, just try your best to write one.

Here is another that was written once at the end of the lesson:

But when the dear old sun came up above the trees,
My frisky little shadow came out into the breeze;
I didn't see him coming, but, when I turned around,
His head was at the window, and he lay along the ground.

ONE, TWO, THREE

(Second Reader, page 21)

AIM

To enable the pupils to understand the beauty and pathos of the selection.

To arouse in them a sympathy for those who are weak.

PREPARATION

How many of you like to play games? Everybody.

Name some of the games you play. Ball, tag,
hide-and-seek, etc.

With whom do you like to play? With boys and
girls of our own age.

PRESENTATION

Here is a story that tells about two people
playing a game. (The selection is read aloud by
the teacher.)

What is the story about? An "old lady" and a
little boy playing "Hide-and-Go-Seek".

What relation were they? The old lady was the
boy's "Grandma".

Let us look at the story again, and see if they
enjoyed their game as much as you do yours. Is
there anything in the first stanza that tells
us they were having a good time? "The way that
they played together was beautiful to see."

What was beautiful about it? They were so kind
to each other. It was pleasant to see an old
lady and a little boy having such a happy time
playing together, and understanding each other
so well.

How do you feel, as you read the second stanza?
I feel sorry for the boy because he is lame.

Any other reason for feeling sorry for him? He
is "thin", as though he had been sick a long
time.

In what way are he and his Grandma alike?
Neither of them can run or jump.

Do you feel more sorry for the Grandma or for
the little boy? I feel more sorry for the boy,
because he may never be able to run around, and
his Grandma could when she was young.

Describe the picture you see in the third
stanza. I see an old lady and a little boy
sitting "under the maple tree". The little boy
has a pair of crutches beside him. The
"sunlight" is shining through the leaves, and
it is a warm summer's day, or they would not be
sitting out. There is a house near them.

What game were they playing?
"Hide-and-Go-Seek."

Would you know it from looking at them? No,
because they are sitting still, and when we
play the game, we run around and hide.

How did they play it? They thought in turn of
some place to hide and imagined they were
hiding in it; they had three guesses to find
out the place.

Whose turn was it to hide? The old lady's,
because the boy is guessing where she is.

Where did he find her at last? In "Papa's big
bed-room", in "the clothes-press".

Is there anything else spoken about that was in
the bed-room? There was a "little cupboard".

Why does he mention the cupboard? He often
thinks of it. He likes it.

Why? His mother's "things used to be" in it.

Why does he say "used to be"? That tells us
that they are not there any longer.

Why? I think his mother is dead.

Who takes care of him now? His grandmother
lives with him and looks after him.

Why does the boy say "It can't be the little
cupboard"? They both think too much of it to
want to use it in connection with their play.

How did the boy enjoy the game? Very much,
because it says he laughed "with glee".

How did the Grandma enjoy it? She was glad to
see the boy happy.

Do old ladies usually like to play games? No,
they generally prefer to read or sew.

Why was she playing with the boy? She loved him
and was sorry he was lame.

Could he do anything for his Grandma? He could
talk to her, and keep her from being lonely.
When he grows older, he can read to her.

Describe the picture you see in the ninth
stanza. I see the old lady, with her hands
covering her face, while she guesses where the
boy is hidden.

In the last stanza, why does the author use so
many "olds", in speaking of the Grandmother? He
wants to make us feel she is quite old.

Why does he say "dear" so often? He wants to
show how very kind she was to the lame boy.

Why does he say the boy was "half-past three",
instead of three and a half years old? It
sounds better the way he says it. It suggests
the clock's time.

Give me some other titles for this poem. "The
Chums", "A Queer Game", "The Two Playmates".

DANDELIONS

(Second Reader, page 30)

AIM

To lead the pupils to perceive and appreciate how the poet uses personification and comparison.

PRESENTATION

This poem should be studied in the spring, when the dandelions are in bloom. A nature study lesson should precede the literature lesson. The pupils should be required to observe when the dandelions begin to make their appearance; at what time of the day they are most conspicuous; after what kind of night they are to be found in greatest profusion; what change occurs in the structure of the flowers as they grow older; how long a time usually elapses between the first appearance of the flowers and this change; what the white, downy part of the flower constitutes; what eventually becomes of this part.

Introduce the lesson by a brief conversation about military operations. Describe how one army tries to seize a strategic position, sometimes a hill, where the men can fix their guns and command the surrounding country. If this lesson could be presented without the pupils knowing the title (by writing the poem on the black-board, for instance), there would be the added interest of solving a riddle, namely, what the poet is describing.

What is a real "trooper band"? A band of
soldiers on horseback.

And what are real "veterans"? Old soldiers who
have seen much service in war.

What is actually meant by the "trooper band"?
The dandelions when they first come out.

What is the phrase that suggests that they are
dandelions? "Yellow coats."

What does the author actually mean by the
"veterans"? The dandelions, when they have gone
to seed.

What phrase suggests this? "Their trembling
heads and gray."

Where did the "trooper band" make their
appearance? On the hillside.

When? On a "showery night and still".

Why is such a night selected? Because it makes
the dandelions bloom in great numbers.

To what is the coming of the dandelions
compared? To an army taking possession of a
hill.

What words tell how they came? "Without a sound
of warning", "surprised", "We were not waked by
bugle notes", "No cheer our dreams invaded".

Explain "surprised the hill". Marched upon it
when they were least expected, and seized it.

Give the meaning of "held it in the morning".
Had undisputed possession of it.

Tell, in your own words, how the dandelions
came. Suddenly and unexpectedly.

How did this attack differ from a real military
attack? There were no notes of the bugle or
shouts of the soldiers to announce the capture
of the hill.

Change "No cheer our dreams invaded" into prose
order, and explain the meaning. No cheer
invaded our dreams. Our sleep was not disturbed
by the victorious shouts of soldiers.

How did the coats of the soldiers you have seen
differ in colour from those of the dandelions?

What is the meaning of "at dawn"? The first
appearance of light in the morning.

"Green slopes"? Grassy hillsides.

"Paraded"? Marched up and down.

About what time has elapsed between the
incident of the first stanza and that of the
second? Probably a week or thereabouts.

What deed is referred to in the first stanza?
The seizure of the hill.

What is meant by "idly walking"? Without any
definite purpose in view.

"Marked"? Noticed.

About what were the veterans probably
"talking"? About their military exploits in
years gone by.

What words are suitably used in describing
these veterans? "Trembling" and "gray" suggest
old age.

Arrange "their trembling heads and gray" in
ordinary prose order. Their gray and trembling
heads.

Why should the veterans be filled with "pride"?
Because of the brave deeds they had done.

Why did they laugh? Perhaps, because of some
amusing occurrences they had seen.

What characteristics of the dandelions suggest
these fancies regarding the veterans? The heads
of the dandelions are white. As they sway in
the breeze on their slender stalks, they
incline their heads toward one another in much
the same way as people do in conversation.

Why is the "laughter" said to be "noiseless"?
Because human beings could not be expected to
hear the laughter of the dandelions.

What expression would you be likely to use,
instead of "welladay"? Alas!

What is meant by "they blew away"? The seeds of
the flowers were scattered far and wide.

What do you like about this poem? (1) Its
charming poetic fancies. (2) The fitness of the
comparisons.

Point out clearly how the appearance of the dandelions resembled a military attack, and how, in the later stage of their life history, they resembled veteran soldiers.

THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT

(Second Reader, page 56)

AIM

The aim of the lesson should be, not only to lead the pupils to enjoy the humour of the poem, but also to appreciate the lesson it teaches. It affords a fine opportunity for the development of conversational powers in the pupils.

The pupils should be encouraged to talk freely, and the questions should often call for quite lengthy answers.

PREPARATION

Who has seen an elephant? You have, Henry?
Well, tell us something about him. He was very
large. One of our barn doors is twelve feet
high and six feet wide, and father said the
elephant would just be able to go through that
door. If he was in the school-room, his back
would reach almost to the ceiling. His ears
were bigger than the top of my desk. His trunk
was twice as long as father's cane, and was
nearly as big around at the upper end as a bag
of wheat, and the lower end was as small as my
leg is below the knee. His tusks were hard and
white, one on each side of his trunk, and were
longer than father's arm. His tail was small.
It did not seem to be as long as one of his
tusks. His legs were larger around than the
trunk of the biggest apple tree in our orchard.
His skin was something like a hog's skin, only
thicker, and he had no hair. His whole body was
a dirty, dark colour.

That is a fairly good description, Henry. You
have helped us to picture a very large
elephant.

PRESENTATION

As you have read this poem to yourselves, tell
me what it is about. It is about six blind men
"Who went to see the elephant".

As they were blind, how could they see him?
They couldn't see him as we do, but they could
feel him, and that was to them what seeing is
to us.

In what way was feeling the same to them as
seeing is to us? It was their way of knowing
the animal, and that is just what seeing is to
us.

Where did this happen? It happened in Indostan.

I told you to look for Indostan in Asia. Point
it out on the map. (A pupil points to it.)

What are we told about these men? They gave
much of their time to study.

What do you suppose was their favourite way of
finding out things? This lesson makes me think
that they liked to find out things by their own
efforts.

Why do you think that? Because it says that
they wanted to "satisfy" their minds by their
own "observations".

In what other ways do boys and girls satisfy
their minds about new things? By asking
questions about them until the answers satisfy
them.

What other way do you use sometimes? We read
books to learn about many new things.

What did the first man learn? He thought he had
learned that the elephant was "like a wall".

Why do you say thought? He hadn't really
learned it. He stopped making observations just
as soon as he had one idea.

Why do you think he did that? I think he was in
a hurry to be the first to state what he knew.

What words in the poem suggest that idea to
you? The words "At once began to bawl".

How did this man come to think the elephant was
"like a wall"? He fell against the animal's
huge side, and it made him think of a wall.

What was the second man's opinion about the
elephant? He thought the animal was "like a
spear".

Account for that idea. He felt one of the
elephant's tusks, and formed his opinion
without going any further.

And what about the third man? The third man put
his hands on the elephant's trunk and felt it
all over, but as he did not go any further, he
declared that the elephant was "like a snake",
because it was the only thing, as far as he
knew, that squirmed about as the trunk did.

What did the fourth man do? The fourth man felt
the big front legs and declared the elephant
was "like a tree".

Tell us about the fifth man. The fifth man
happened to touch the ear. He felt all over it
but nowhere else, so he said the elephant was
"like a fan".

And what had the sixth man to say? The sixth
man had caught hold of the elephant's tail, and
when he had felt all over it, he declared the
elephant was "like a rope".

What conclusion did they come to in the end?
They didn't come to any conclusion. They argued
and argued for a long time, and each man was
stubborn and stuck to "his own opinion".

GENERALIZATION

In what respects were they all alike?

1. Each one felt just one part of the animal
and took the part for the whole.

2. Each was in a hurry to give his opinion and
did not take time to form a good one.

3. Each man was stubborn and probably refused
to feel where the others had felt.

If they could be in your place, how would they
see themselves? They would see how foolish they
had been, and each would see that the others
were as nearly right as he himself was.

What lesson for ourselves can we learn from
this? It teaches us not to be in a hurry in
giving our opinions.

What do we learn from the dispute mentioned in
the last verse? We learn from it that, when our
own opinions about anything are firmly fixed,
it does no good to argue about the matter.

In what way could they have arrived at the same
conclusions? If each had done all that each of
the others did, they would have agreed about
the elephant.

In what way were these men really blind? They
could not, or would not, see the viewpoint of
others. There may be a mental blindness, as
well as a physical blindness.

Here are two lines that you may memorize, as
they fit the lesson very well:

Convince a man against his will,
He's of the same opinion still.

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

(Second Reader, page 203)

AIM

To lead the pupils to appreciate the beauty and power of the language of this Biblical lesson, and to feel a confidence in God's protection and support.

PRESENTATION

The teacher should talk with the pupils about the great flocks of sheep in Eastern lands. They require a shepherd to lead them to pastures where the grass is long and sweet, and to protect them from the wild animals.

This Psalm is called the "Shepherd Psalm" because it was written by David, after he became a king. He remembered the time when he was a shepherd boy and used to spend his days and nights in the fields with the sheep, and how he once killed a lion and a bear that came to attack his flock; and he thought to himself that God had cared for him all his life just as he himself used to care for his little lambs, so at last he put his thoughts into the words of this Twenty-third Psalm.

There are two metaphors in this Psalm. In the first is developed, through the figure of a shepherd and his flock, God's care of His people.

What are the feelings of the sheep toward the
shepherd? They feel confident that he will
supply them with food; he will lead them to the
"green pastures" and to the "still waters" by
the wells and fountains, where they will
neither hunger nor thirst.

What does the expression "lie down" infer? A
sense of rest and security. The sheep can lie
down in the "green pastures" and feel
confident that the shepherd is able and willing
to protect them from danger.

In what way do we resemble the sheep? We are
dependent upon the Lord for our supply of
spiritual and material needs, and for guidance
and protection along the path of everyday life.

What does the Psalmist mean when he says: "He
restoreth my soul"? "Soul" means, in Hebrew,
the "life," or "one's self". The Lord restores
and brings back His people, when wandering into
forbidden places.

Explain the next line. As the shepherd goes
before and leads his sheep by the right paths,
avoiding all dangers, so the Lord leads His
people into "the paths of righteousness".

What does "for His name's sake" mean? He has
undertaken to guide His people safely and will
do it for the honour of His name.

In the next section, whom is the Psalmist
addressing? He is speaking to the Lord.

What words show that he is still using the
figure of the shepherd and the sheep? "Through
the valley"; "Thy rod and thy staff".

What does the first line mean? Some paths that
are right paths for us to walk in still lead
through perilous places; and this is the way
the Psalmist refers to this fact in shepherd
life.

How should we feel? The Lord accompanies us,
and we should "fear no evil". The sheep follow
the shepherd with absolute confidence, and our
attitude toward "the Good Shepherd" should be
the same.

What words show that danger is sometimes close?
Death sometimes comes so close that it almost
seems to cast a shadow.

What does the "rod" represent? The rod is the
sign of authority, and represents the defence
and protection afforded by the shepherd to the
sheep, when in danger from robbers or wild
beasts.

What does the "staff" represent? The staff
denotes support and guidance, and is used for
aiding the sheep in places of need, even along
peaceful ways. The expression "Thy rod and thy
staff" covers the whole round of protecting
care.

Here the figure is changed. In the second metaphor God is represented as a host with the Psalmist as a guest at a banquet.

"Thou preparest a table before me." The Lord
makes provision for man's needs. He does so
openly, publicly ("in the presence of mine
enemies").

In what other way does the Lord show His care
for His people? The Psalmist says: "Thou hast
anointed my head with oil."

To what does this refer? In the East, it was
the custom to pour an ointment of great
fragrance on the heads of the guests of honour
at a feast.

How does the Psalmist further picture the
goodness of God? He fills our "cup" till it is
overflowing.

What is the thought in the last two lines? The
confidence of the Psalmist in the Lord, that as
He has led and guided him in the past, so His
"goodness and mercy" "shall follow" him "all
the days of his life," and he will live forever
in intimate communion with Him.

What do you like about the selection? The
spirit of gratitude and confidence in those who
enjoy God's benefits. The nature of some of
these benefits is made plain to us by the
pictures of the "green pastures", the "still
waters", "the rod and staff", and the prepared
"table".