Reading Lesson 7

Contents

2.61 Word List

These boys and girls live near the sea. They have been to the beach. It is now evening, and they are going home. John, who sits on the front seat, found some pretty shells. They are in the basket by his side. Ben White is driving. He holds the lines in one hand, and his whip in the other.

Robert has his hat in his hand, and is looking at the horses. He thinks they are very lazy; they do not trot fast. The children are not far from home. In a little while the sun will set, and it will be bedtime. Have you ever been at the seaside? Is it not good sport to watch the big waves, and to play on the wet sand?

Words:

2.62 Word List

One evening Frank’s father said to him, “Frank, would you like to go with me to catch some fish?”
“Yes; may I go? And with you, father?”
“Yes, Frank, with me.”
“Oh, how glad I am!” Here they are, on the bank of a river. Frank has just pulled a fine fish out of the water. How proud he feels! See what a nice, quiet spot they have found. Frank has the stump of a big tree for his seat, and his father sits on a log near by. They like the sport.

Words:

2.63 Word List

SLATE WORK

Slate Reading

2.64 Word List

I like winter, when snow and ice cover the ground. What fun it is to throw snowballs, and to skate on the ice! See the boys and girls! How merry they are! Henry has his sled, and draws his little sister. There they go! I think

Henry is kind, for his sister is too small to skate. Look! Did you see that boy fall down? But I see he is not hurt, for he is laughing. Some other boys have just come to join in the sport. See them put on their skates. Henry says, that he hopes his father will get a pair of skates for his sister next winter.

Words

2.65 Word List

Ellen, do look at Fido! He sits up in a chair, with my hat on. He looks like a little boy; but it is only Fido. Now see him shake hands. Give me your paw, Fido. How do you do, sir? Will you take dinner with us. Fido? Speak! Fido says, “Bowwow,” which means, “Thank you, I will.”

Isn’t Fido a good dog, Ellen? He is always so polite. When school is out, I will try to teach him some other tricks.

Words

2.66 Word List

“O Hattie! I just saw a large rat in the shed; and old Nero tried to catch it.”
“Did he catch it, Frank?”
“No; Nero did not; but the old cat did.”
“My cat?”
“No, it was the other one.”
“Do tell me how she got it, Frank. Did she run after it?”
“No, that was not the way. Puss was hid on a big box. The rat stole out, and she jumped at it and caught it.”
“Poor rat! It must have been very hungry; it came out to get something to eat.”
“Why, Hattie, you are not sorry puss got the rat, are you?”
“No, I can not say I am sorry she got it; but I do not like to see even a rat suffer pain.”

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Words:

2.67 Word List

Mary and Lucy have come down to the beach with their grandpa. They live in a town near the sea. Their grandpa likes to sit on the large rock, and watch the big ships as they sail far away on the blue sea. Sometimes he sits there all day long. The little girls like to dig in the sand, and pick up pretty shells. They watch the waves as they roll up on the beach, and break into white foam.

They sometimes make little houses of sand, and build walls around them; and they dig wells with their small wooden spades. They have been picking up shells for their little sister. She is too young to come to the beach. I think all children like to play by the seaside when the sun is bright, and the wind does not blow too hard.

Words

2.68 Word List

One day, Willie’s father saw a boy at the market with four little white rabbits in a basket. He thought these would be nice pets for Willie; so he asked the lad how much he wanted for his rabbits. The boy said, “Only fifty cents, sir.” Willie’s father bought them, and carried them home.

Here you see the rabbits and their little master. He has a pen for them, and always shuts them in it at night to keep them safe. He gives them bread and grass to eat. They like grass, and will take it from his hand. He has called in a little friend to see them. Willie is telling him about their funny ways.

SLATE WORK

Slate Reading

Words

2.69 Word List

“Come here, Rose. Look down into this bush.”
“O Willie! A bird’s nest! What cunning, little eggs! May we take it, and show it to mother? ”
“What would the old bird do, Rose, if she should come back and not find her nest?”
“Oh, we would bring it right back, Willie!”
“Yes; but we could not fasten it in its place again. If the wind should blow it over, the eggs would get broken.”

Words

2.610 Word List

“How does the bird make the nest so strong, Willie?”
“The mother bird has her bill and her claws to work with, but she would not know how to make the nest if God did not teach her. Do you see what it is made of?”
“Yes, Willie, I see some horse-hairs and some dry grass. The old bird must have worked hard to find all the hairs, and make them into such a pretty, round nest.”
“Shall we take the nest, Rose?”
“Oh no, Willie! We must not take it; but we will come and look at it again, some time.”

SLATE WORK.

2.611 Word List

“Willie, when I was feeding the birds just now, a little brown bird flew away with a crumb in its bill.”
“Where did it go, Rose?”
“I don’t know; away off, somewhere.”
“I can guess where, Rose. Don’t you know the nest we saw some days ago? What do you think is in it now?”
“O Willie, I know! Some little brown birds. Let us go and see them.”
“All right; but we must not go too near. There! I just saw the old bird fly out of the bush. Stand here, Rose. Can you see?”
“Why, Willie, what ugly little things! What big mouths they have, and no feathers!”
“Keep still, Rose. Here comes the old bird with a worm in her bill. How hard she must work to feed them all!”

Words

2.612 Word List

When the stars at set of sun
  Watch you from on high
When the morning has begun
  Think the Lord is nigh.

All you do and all you say,
  He can see and hear:
When you work and when you play,
  Think the Lord is near.

All your joys and griefs He knows
  Counts each falling tear.
When to Him you tell your woes,
  Know the Lord is near.

2.613 Word List

One day, when Mary was taking a walk down the lane, trying to sing her doll to sleep, she met Frank, with his basket and cane. Frank was a poor, little, lame boy. His father and mother were dead. His dear, old grandma took care of him, and tried to make him happy.

Every day, Mary’s mother filled Frank’s basket with bread and meat, and a little tea for his grandma. “How do you do, Frank?” said Mary. “Don’t make a noise; my doll is going to sleep. It is just a little sick today.”

“Well, then, let us whistle it to sleep.” And Frank, taking a willow whistle out of his pocket, blew a long note.
“Oh, how sweet!” cried Mary. “Do let me try.”

Words

2.614 Word List

“Yes, Mary, I will give it to you, because you are so good to my grandma.”
“Oh! thank you very much.” Mary blew and blew a long time.
“I can’t make it whistle,” said she, almost ready to cry.
“Sometimes they will whistle, and sometimes they won’t,” said Frank.
“Try again, Mary.” She tried once more, and the whistle made a low, sweet sound.
“It whistles!” she cried. In her joy, she had turned the doll’s face down, and its eyes shut tight, as if it had gone to sleep.
“There!” cried Frank, “I told you the way to put a doll to sleep, is to whistle to it.”
“So it is,” said Mary. “Dear, little thing; it must be put in its bed now.” So they went into the house. Frank’s basket was soon filled, and he went home happy.

2.615 Word List

There was once a big, white hen that had twelve little chickens. They were very small, and the old hen took good care of them. She found food for them in the daytime, and at night kept them under her wings.

One day, this old hen took her chickens down to a small brook. She thought the air from the water would do them good. When they got to the brook, they walked on the bank a little while. It was very pretty on the other side of the brook, and the old hen thought she would take her children over there.

There was a large stone in the brook: she thought it would be easy for them to jump to that stone, and from it to the other side. So she jumped to the stone, and told the children to come after her. For the first time, she found that they would not obey her. She flapped her wings, and cried, “Come here, all of you! Jump upon this stone, as I did. We can then jump to the other side. Come now!”

“O mother! we can’t, we can’t, we can’t!” said all the little chickens.

“Yes you can, if you try,” said the old hen. “Just flap your wings, as I did, and you can jump over.”

“I am flapping my wings,” said Chippy, who stood by himself; “but I can’t jump any better than I could before.”

2.616 Word List

“I never saw such children,” said the old hen. “You don’t try at all.”

“We can’t jump so far, mother. Indeed we can’t, we can’t!” chirped the little chickens.

“Well,” said the old hen, “I must give it up.” So she jumped back to the bank, and walked slowly home with her brood.

“I think mother asked too much of us,” said one little chicken to the others.

“Well, I tried,” said Chippy.

“We didn’t,” said the others; “it was of no use to try.”

When they got home, the old hen began to look about for something to eat.
She soon found, near the back door, a piece of bread.

So she called the chickens, and they all ran up to her, each one trying to get a bite at the piece of bread.

“No, no!” said the old hen. “This bread is for Chippy. He is the only one of my children that really tried to jump to the stone.”

2.617 Word List

We have come to the last lesson in this book. We have finished the First
Reader. You can now read all the lessons in it, and can write them on your slates. Have you taken good care of your book? Children should always keep their books neat and clean. Are you not glad to be ready for a new book? Your parents are very kind to send you to school. If you are good, and if you try to learn, your teacher will love you, and you will please your parents. Be kind to all, and do not waste your time in school. When you go home, you may ask your parents to get you a Second Reader (level).

Worksheets