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)