Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Literature Part 6

How did the child enjoy it? It was so lovely that he "wept with joy".

What did he ask the shepherd to do? To "write"

it down.

Why? The child thought it was so lovely that he wanted other children to hear it, too.

Yes, that is the way that we come to have all these pretty poems in our books. If they were only played or sung, not so many children could have the opportunity of enjoying them.

What do you need when you write? We need pens, and paper, and ink.

The shepherd had not steel pens, and white paper, and black ink. He may have used the bark of trees to write on.

How did he get a pen? He "plucked a hollow reed", and he "made a rural pen".

What does that mean? He took a hollow stalk, such as an oat straw or a weed, and cut it in the form of a pen.

What is a "rural pen"? "Rural" means belonging to the country. The pen was not made as ours are. The shepherd wrote about sheep and other things belonging to country life.

How did he get any ink? He took "water" from the stream and "stained" it so that it would leave a mark something like our ink.

Yes, the paper, the pen, and the ink would not be so good as at present, but they would serve as a beginning.

REPRODUCTION

1. Where was the musician?

2. What kind of instrument was he playing?

3. Where was the child?

4. What was the child's second request?

5. What was his third request?

6. How was the shepherd able to write?

7. Why did the child wish him to write?

(The pupils may not understand "rural", "valley", "pipes", so the teacher should give such further explanation as the different cases demand.)

THE BABY SWALLOW

(First Reader, page 103)

The aim of this lesson is to teach, by means of a story, the moral of trusting in G.o.d and trying to do one's best.

The teacher should introduce the lesson by inquiring of the pupils if they have ever watched a young bird learning to fly. Its timidity and the anxiety of the mother-bird should be especially emphasized. A brief reference to the swallow might also be in place, though this is not essential, as the poet has selected it merely as a type of birds in general, and almost any other bird would answer his purpose as well. The rapidity and grace of the swallow's flight, and its habit of constructing its nest of mud under the eaves and in other sheltered places about buildings, are the main points to be noted.

What is the lesson about? About a baby swallow learning to fly.

What do the first four stanzas tell us? His fears.

And the last three? The success of his effort.

What do you see in the picture? A tower with a bell in it.

What name is given here for tower? Turret ("Turret" means a little tower.)

From its sound, what do you think "belfry"

means? The place where the bell is.

What, then, is a "belfry turret"? A tower where a bell is hung.

On what part of the tower had the bird its nest? The front.

What word does the poet use to express that?

"Breast".

What has been beating against the tower for years? The wind, sun, rain, snow.

What one word would stand for all these?

Weather.

Explain "weather-beaten".

In perching on its nest, what does the baby swallow seem ready to do? To fly.

What other words might the Mother-Bird use instead of "courage"? "Don't be afraid."

How many wings are meant by "either wing"?

In this stanza, what is the "Mother-Bird"

doing? Giving the little bird instructions in the way to begin flying.

Describe how he is to begin.

How does the baby feel about it? He feels afraid.

What word tells you this? "Pauses."

What does he think is deep? The distance between the tower and the ground.

Why is the bird afraid to attempt to fly? It is so far to the ground and his "wings" seem very "small".

Why is the "Mother" not afraid to let her baby try? She knows that G.o.d will carry him safely.

How does she know this? Because "He" had "carried" her.