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.