The Get Wisdom! McGuffey’s Eclectic Fourth eReader Classroom Lessons for Teachers

By Ronald Kirk

The Christian McGuffey's Readers of the 1830s continue to offer some of the best Biblically sound and effective reading instruction. The Get Wisdom! Literacy Program provides a complete phonics, spelling, reading, and grammar curriculum for the greatest success in literacy education. This program tested over decades never failed to teach young people to read well, as well as train the mind for any undertaking in life, regardless of native ability or previous educational experience. Even children, adolescents and adults suffering dyslexia learned successfully to read, without exception in our experience.
The first, Christian McGuffey's Readers came as a series of four books, taking the learner from early phonetic practice to post graduate level literacy upon mastering the Fourth Reader.
These Classroom Lessons for Teachers provide background insight and complete reading lessons to enable teachers of any experience and accomplishment successfully to teach children to read.
This first offering Classroom Lessons for the First Reader builds upon the rigorous phonics and spelling training provided by the Get Wisdom! Literacy Program, published separately. The Classroom Lessons also serve as an accessible standalone teacher's guide to the Readers.
With the solid phonetic foundation provided by the First Reader, the Second McGuffey's eReaders Lessons continue to support the eReaders skill building, including mastery of phonetic ability, adding an emphasis on vocabulary, while beginning to focus on understanding content, including themes.
The Third Reader lessons dive deeper into important literate themes, always adding challenge to the understanding of language and discernment of theme.
The Fourth Reader offers sampling of some of the greatest literature, as well as examples requiring Christian discernment and wisdom. The Classroom Lessons here serve to interpret difficult themes with Biblical refinement or correction, all designed to equip the accomplished learner with the tools to walk the narrow path with Christ in wisdom and grace.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ronald Kirk
• Release date: Feb 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215734896

Ronald Kirk

Replacing atheistic behavioral psychology with an updated historical Biblical educational philosophy, Ron Kirk developed and tested custom teacher training and curriculum and classroom teaching of the school subjects in every grade from kindergarten to adult. Ron carefully identified educational purpose, methods, and strategic content, with startling results regardless of native gifting or educational experience. Challenged young people overcome toward remarkable accomplishment. Children and adults with poor education experiences likewise overcome their challenges, even dyslexia. Ready students soared beyond ordinary expectations, often advancing several years over their peers.

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Preface to the Get Wisdom! Literacy Program

Introductory Notes

LESSON I—Remarkable Preservation

LESSON II—The Maniac

LESSON III—Scene at the Sandwich Islands

LESSON IV—Contrasted Soliloquies

LESSON V—On Letter Writing

LESSON VI— Ginevra

LESSON VII—The Whale Ship

LESSON VIII—The Winged Worshipers

LESSON IX—Death at the Toilet

LESSON X—Death of Absalom

LESSON XI—Absalom

LESSON XII—The Intemperate Husband

LESSON XIII—The Intemperate Husband

LESSON XIV—God’s First Temples

LESSON XV—On Elocution and Reading

LESSON XVI—Necessity of Education

LESSON XVII—Necessity of Education

LESSON XVIII—Parrhasius

LESSON XIX—The Scriptures and the Savior

LESSON XX—Washington’s Birth Day

LESSON XXI—Nature and Revelation

LESSON XXII—Niagara Falls

LESSON XXIII—Niagara Falls

LESSON XXIV—Character of Wilberforce

LESSON XXV—Pleasure in Affliction

LESSON XXVI—Make Way for Liberty

LESSON XXVII—Speech of Logan, Chief of the Mingoes

LESSON XXVIII—The Alhambra by Moonlight

LESSON XXIX—Portrait of a Patriarch

LESSON XXX—An End of all Perfection

LESSON XXXI—A Rest for the Weary

LESSON XXXII—Character of Mr Brougham

LESSON XXXIII—Elevated Character of Woman

LESSON XXXIV—The Passions

LESSON XXXV—Modes of Writing

LESSON XXXVI—Joyous Devotion

LESSON XXXVII—A Night Scene in Turkey

LESSON XXXVIII—Criminality of Dueling

LESSON XXXIX—Character of Napoleon Bonaparte

LESSON XL—The Field of Waterloo

LESSON XLI—The Splendor of War

LESSON XLII—The Best of Classics

LESSON XLIII—The New Song

LESSON XLIV—The Deluge

LESSON XLV—A Hebrew Tale

LESSON XLVI—External Appearance of England

LESSON XLVII—Vision of a Spirit

LESSON XLVIII—Character of the Puritan Fathers of New England

LESSON XLIX—Character of the Puritan Fathers of New England

LESSON L—Decisive Integrity

LESSON LI—On the Being of a God

LESSON LII—The Steam Boat on Trial

LESSON LIII—Paine’s Age of Reason

LESSON LIV—Divine Providence

LESSON LV—The Righteous Never Forsaken

LESSON LVI—Religion the only Basis of Society

LESSON LVII—Benevolence of the Supreme Being

LESSON LVIII—Love of Applause

LESSON LIX—Scripture Lesson

LESSON LX—Ludicrous Account of English Taxes

LESSON LXI—Christ and the Blind Man

LESSON LXII—The Ocean

LESSON LXIII—The Horrors of War

LESSON LXIV—The Bible

LESSON LXV—The Porcupine Temper

LESSON LXVI—Political Corruption

LESSON LXVII—The Blind Preacher

LESSON LXVIII—Apostrophe to Light

LESSON LXIX—Procrastination

LESSON LXX—America

LESSON LXXI—Thirsting after Righteousness

LESSON LXXII—View from Mount Etna

LESSON LXXIII—Sublime Virtues Inconsistent with Infidelity

LESSON LXXIV—The Alps

LESSON LXXV—Parallel between Pope and Dryden

LESSON LXXVI—Happy Consequences of American Independence

LESSON LXXVII—Satan and Death at the Gate of Hell

LESSON LXXVIII—Evils of Dismemberment

LESSON LXXIX—No Excellence without Labor

LESSON LXXX—Thoughts in a Place of Public Worship

LESSON LXXXI—A Plea for Common Schools

LESSON LXXXII—Midnight Musings

LESSON LXXXIII—Omnipresence of God

LESSON LXXXIV—Henry Martyn and Lord Byron

LESSON LXXXV—Byron

LESSON LXXXVI—Chesterfield and Paul

LESSON LXXXVII—Henry First after the Death of his Son

LESSON LXXXVIII—Effects of Gambling

LESSON LXXXIX—Effects of Gambling

LESSON XC—The Miser

LESSON XCI—True Wisdom

LESSON XCII—The Wife

LESSON XCIII—Duty of the American Orator

LESSON XCIV—The Patriotism of Western Literature

LESSON XCV—Rome

LESSON XCVI—Rebellion in Massachusetts State Prison

LESSON XCVII—Prince Arthur

LESSON XCVIII—The Child’s Inquiry

LESSON XCIX—Christian Hymn of Triumph; from The Martyr of Antioch

LESSON C—Charles de Moor’s Remorse

LESSON CI—Value of Mathematics

LESSON CII—Value of Mathematics

LESSON CIII—Washing Day

LESSON CIV—Capturing the Wild Horse

LESSON CV—The Gods of the Heathen

LESSON CVI—The Fall of Babylon

LESSON CVII—Antony’s Oration over Caesar’s Dead Body

LESSON CVIII—Egyptian Mummies, Tombs, and Manners

LESSON CIX—Address to the Mummy in Belzoni’s Exhibition, London

LESSON CX—On the Value of Studies

LESSON CXI—Natural Ties among the Western States

LESSON CXII—The Venomous Worm

LESSON CXIII—The Better Land

LESSON CXIV—Benefits of Literature

LESSON CXV—Thalaba among the Ruins of Babylon

LESSON CXVI—William Tell

LESSON CXVII—William Tell

LESSON CXVIII—William Tell

LESSON CXIX—The Vision of Mirza

LESSON CXX—A Dirge

LESSON CXXI—Ladies’ Head Dresses

LESSON CXXII—Apostrophe to the Ocean

LESSON CXXIII—Reflections in Westminster Abbey

LESSON CXXIV—The Journey of a Day: A Picture of Human Life

LESSON CXXV—Morning

LESSON CXXVI—Woe to Ariel

LESSON CXXVII—The Proverbs of Solomon

LESSON CXXVIII—Comfort ye my People

LESSON CXXIX—The Celestial City

LESSON CXXX—America—National Hymn

Preface to the Get Wisdom! Literacy Program

These lessons accompany and supplement the Christian McGuffey’s Readers of the 1830s. The McGuffey’s Readers have stood the test of time in training reading and thinking skills. The schools I founded and led for twenty-five years never failed to produce high quality readers, including dyslexic students, even dyslexic adults.

As a pioneer applied Biblical faith educator, I determined to rid Christian education of the false religion of behavioral psychology which operates on the premise that man is environmentally and materialistically determined over eons through evolution. Therefore, behaviorism necessarily assumes man cannot fundamentally change in his mind and soul—his psyche—or his character, but education can only manipulate behavior, as with animals. This mind-boggling premise is blasphemous as it completely contradicts the Gospel of Jesus Christ which makes a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We found the guidance we needed in God’s Providential legacy in history and literature of Biblical thinking, education, life, and action, based in the Biblical view of man, his purpose in God, and God’s universal and individual callings.

To effect the change from behaviorism so dominating the educational Christian literature, we found that we must create our own curriculum, often from scratch with assistance from the past. However, with McGuffey’s, though not perfect, we found a complete and serviceable system to take a child from basic phonetic reading in the First Reader—according to an advertisement by the Conservative Book Club in the 1980s—to a contemporary master’s degree level of literacy in the Fourth Reader.

For many years Mott Media has published these Christian McGuffey’s as the Original McGuffey’s Readers as print books to the blessing of many teachers and students. Mott was not interested in publishing their books as eReaders, but suggested I might publish them. I have. And now the Get Wisdom! McGuffey’s eReaders, these Lessons, and a phonics and spelling program provide the complete content and literacy curriculum. This curriculum will serve both the frantic home-school mom needing detailed day to day help, but also the intrepid teacher seeking to make the deep-dive toward becoming a master Christian education teacher.

The four-book Get Wisdom! McGuffey’s eReader set may be found on Amazon Kindle, and in ePub and PDF formats on the Get Wisdom! website. Likewise, we are making available a complete phonics, spelling and grammar literacy curriculum. Lastly, we are in the process of publishing a complete package of applied Biblical worldview, and school and classroom teacher training. Other classroom subjects will follow soon—math, science, history, literature, and music.

The Fourth McGuffey’s Reader is remarkable not for the least reason that it highlights this encouraging fact for young people: that with its many Biblical worldview contributors, how common it was in the 1830s for the highly accomplished to be disciples of Jesus Christ.

Introductory Notes

To bring children to understand words and stories by their own effort is the goal of learning to read. This is not a trivial task, and the teacher must work to bring complete thoughts to the young child. The more basic, the more difficult to define.

We adults, who take thoughts such as being for granted, are often at a loss to explain things in terms children understand. If possible, teach vocabulary words in terms the student already knows. To do this, the teacher must learn their working vocabularies, and build from there. As the McGuffey’s Reader itself says, the best means toward understanding is conversation.

Tutoring Students

Since reading must be highly individualized, we recommend one-on-one review of most, if not all, lessons. Where students in a class may be closely tracking, group discussions and review may be appropriate. But it is a critical matter that no student should get lost in the crowd—suffer neglect and resulting lack of accomplishment—among a group of abler students. Students should receive lesson review with the teacher at least once a week.

Stories

Stories are typically about one idea expanded—known as a premise. Just so, stories may contain details that help complete the story, yet do not comprise its main idea. Teachers should guide children, little by little over time, toward understanding what a story or theme is mostly about. This again is not a trivial skill for a child. Time and effort are the key to success.

Note that these stories are often complex and rich in their language and ideas. I do not intend the sample summaries to be definitive or for students to copy them. We see them as perhaps a model to aspire to. Students will have very different ways of summarizing, even seeing different aspects as important. That is okay. We strive for learning, not necessarily a particular accomplishment at a particular moment in time. Nonetheless, students may outdo their teacher. And so we pray.

Before giving too much to the student from these notes, draw him out as much as possible.

Leading Ideas

Leading ideas or themes are even more difficult. They are the thoughts between the lines. That is, stories usually do not specify the theme, but the reader may yet understand it. Interestingly, an author may not even realize his own theme, but because it lies in his thoughts, his theme comes out as he expresses himself. The Bible calls recognizing a theme discernment (Proverbs 2; 1 Corinthians 12:10; Hebrews 5:14). Discernment is one of the key abilities and gifts from God, where good and evil are in constant battle. Christians must learn to distinguish deceptive themes from true and godly ones. If not, we will constantly suffer the resulting evil, rather than overcoming evil with good as we ought.

In each lesson below, we offer summaries and leading ideas or themes. Since a theme is a matter of opinion, especially well-hidden themes, please understand that we are not absolute in our conclusions. The lessons provided are not check-lists or a template of answers. The lessons intend to provide the teacher with sufficient insight into the lessons that she has a confident basis for comparing and judging the student’s interpretation. We acknowledge room for difference of opinion. We make every effort in the lessons to draw just conclusions, true to the author’s intent. The teacher should trust herself to judge justly on behalf of her student. In this, as we expect of the student, trust Jesus!

The student should commit the results of each lesson’s study to his own notebook. Students should write short story summaries and themes. The student capable of the Fourth Reader is capable mature thought and workmanship. Mature and accomplished students new to the Get Wisdom! literacy program or to the McGuffey’s Readers may need special instruction and practice in their peculiarities. Take nothing for granted with even apparently mature students.

Students should support their thematic conclusions with arguments or citations from the lesson.

The lessons in this volume of McGuffey’s Readers sometimes go deep, possibly deeper than the teacher or student may wish to go. The reason for the depth is that this reader touches on some critically important topics and themes—of eternal import. Sometimes the lessons suggest themes not entirely Biblical and so demand balance. The depth is thus available to those ready to engage it.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary words are tricky. The teacher should understand that all knowledge is by analogy—comparing (likenesses) and contrasting (differences) one thing with another. This means that all word definitions are circular. One definition is in terms of another. Somehow even the mind of a child, thanks to God’s gifts of abstraction and imagination, can handle the vagaries of language. They can quickly gain understanding and ability with words. But the process requires patience, and a teacher increasingly capable of explaining the same thing in many different ways. Any definitions given here intend to provide meaning in terms of the story, and not all possible meanings.

Understanding of a word may come from the context in a sentence or story, how the word in question relates to words around it.

To determine what a student knows or does not know, to best give help, it is always well to ask what he thinks a word means. The simplest way to determine student understanding of a word is to ask him what a word means, or for a sentence using the word. Explaining a word with other words also provides a good way to test a student’s understanding of a word. Some children quickly understand. Do not belabor a word with an understanding student. For those requiring the greater labor to learn, spend a little time discussing toward remembrance and understanding.

The teacher should not necessarily require mastery of vocabulary terms at every point. The important task is understanding of the reading content, not necessarily minute mastery of all elements, which again takes time. Informal discussion well serves here. For students ready and able, have him record some or all vocabulary words with their simple meanings, as the teacher decides. The determining principle here is balance of time for the present task against overall reading progress. Don’t get bogged down. Concentrate on words students do not know. Verbally quiz and discuss select important words with the student in each lesson. Think strategically. Don’t overwhelm with new words, but trust repetition and the natural curiosity of the student.

Student Independence vs Teacher’s help

Latter lessons in the McGuffey’s Fourth Reader can be particularly demanding. A week on one lesson may be a good maximum time. Let students try, but do not allow them to struggle for too long and grow discouraged and begin to hate the work. Instead, bring the student along, showing how to gain understanding. This means breaking text down to well understood word meanings, and build greater wholes of meaning back up to the sentence, paragraph, and essay.

At this advanced stage of the curriculum, much depends on the individual student’s native ability. Slowing down is okay in cases of struggle, but don’t allow quitting, or frustration to set in. Sometimes moving along without perfect understanding is prudent, as difficult content takes time to absorb.

Follow the Holy Spirit’s example, the One Who comes alongside to help. Comforter—paráklētos—essentially means one who comes along side to strengthen and help, e.g., John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7; see also 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. This idea of help may be akin to the hand-over guidance we give to a kindergartner learning to write letters. Effort by faith followed by victory should be the rule.

Still, not all students may finish the entire book before it is time to graduate. The teacher or school must decide this in light of all other accomplishment.

Remember that God rewards practice of overcoming faith with accomplishment in due season. Only He can bring the increase. Such happens over time.

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language contains the best literate Biblical, historic, philosophical, and practical definitions. Vocabulary definitions here generally comport with Webster’s. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary is available from Foundation for American Christian Education as a facsimile print book of the original, and in digital form as a Logos format book. Webster’s 1828 is also available at no cost on the internet.

Beginning with the Third Reader, we encourage ready and able, self-governed students to learn how to use the dictionary on their own, and to use it, rather than depend entirely on the teacher. Because this is very time consuming, we do not recommend inexperienced students researching all or even most of their vocabulary on their own. Don’t overwhelm or allow students to become bogged down. Give as much assistance as necessary, but no more, to ensure student progress and success.

Questions, Errors, and Spell and Define Sections

We will include lesson comments on these sections were appropriate. Otherwise, we recommended paying attention to the suggestions. Again, discussion is key.

We encourage at least verbally testing students’ understanding of the Spell and Define words to ensure diligence and real learning on their part. Don’t let able students merely skate. Always provide a measured difficulty.

Note that in the 1830s, spelling was not yet as well fixed as it is now. We have modernized much of the spelling from the McGuffey’s as published, but not all, especially in the poetry where we historically grant much more liberty with spelling and grammar.

Elocution

Beginning with the Third Reader, McGuffey emphasizes elocution—clear speaking, using an elevated diction. Diction is an important though now commonly neglected element of literacy. See the Literacy Quick Teacher Training module or the Go-Deeper Course Content for the Literacy Teacher in the Get Wisdom! Literacy Complete Curriculum for guidance on teaching elocution.

The teacher should carefully evaluate the words given in the Errors section of each lesson, whether they are applicable to contemporary diction. If the teacher desires students to acquire an elevated diction, rather than merely a local, colloquial one, many of the pronunciation corrections may apply. Otherwise, they may be of historic interest.

Conclusion

Regarding the questions with each lesson, we agree with Mr. McGuffey that they should evoke discussion more than demand particular answers. For that reason, we will not answer the questions as part of these lessons, except where they evoke thought arising from the specific point of view the Get Wisdom! program represents.

One important, final introductory thought. While McGuffey held to a Biblical view of life and its Gospel, given the rigors of the time and the influence of the moralistic but largely secular Victorian Era, the book emphasizes good conduct and seeks to dissuade bad conduct. The Bible agrees with the notion of early and thorough training (Proverbs 22:6). This is good, but insufficient by itself. Merely moralizing through revulsion or fear, or having a sense of superiority because we’re good is decidedly not Biblical a view. The Bible rather also and by priority emphasizes relationship with God through Christ, with the resulting ability to walk worthy by the power of the Holy Spirit. Both faith and conduct are important. Education into both is central. I therefore strongly suggest tempering and balancing McGuffey’s lessons with grace, faith, and Christ’s power in us to live well before Him.

For complete teacher training, classroom literacy program and full curriculum, go to the Get Wisdom! website.

Lesson I—Remarkable Preservation

Story

The author tells the story of his own falling overboard from a sailing ship into frigid Atlantic Ocean waters. In a panic, he cried out in horror for help, but he could not see the ship. He felt God had done this to him, blamed and blasphemed Him. Without thinking, he had given all his effort to swimming. He swam into a chicken coop someone threw overboard, and now he had something to hold onto and stay afloat. Though glad of this help, he knew the ship was now far off. He could see and hear a cannon firing to let him know the ship was nearby. Yet again, it was too far to hear him.

He thought, why do they not send a boat and persist until they found him? Still angry, he held to the chicken coop. With nothing but a vain hope leaving him and sensing he was dying, the author prayed for forgiveness of his sins. Thinking himself dead, he heard and felt things dimly about him. But rather than dead, he found himself aboard a ship alive. God saved His life, and he must again thank his Redeemer.

Leading Idea/Theme

The author found himself as many do in grave danger and a severe trial of faith. He failed that trial, cursing God. Yet in the end, when facing death, he turned again to God, who gave Him rescue. Thus, God remains faithful through our lapses of faith, and deserves our thanksgiving.

Lesson II—The Maniac

Story

A man visited a hospital where he saw a patient, though commanding in appearance, now old and bent with sorrow. The man repeated, Once one is two. This man had been a strictly honest City of Berlin tax accountant, whose job it was to inspect the accounts of other tax workers. One year, he discovered a loss of ten thousand ducats (coins of money). He went to his superior to tell of the large deficit, who arrested the accountant. A later accounting found a simple multiplication error. Once one (one times one) is not two, but one. The head accountant had made an arithmetic error.

The man, though only in jail for two days was completely distraught and would not eat or drink. When someone told him of his error, he said, Once one is two.