Tuesday, September 30, 2014

1st Grade Reading Fluency Passages CCSS

1st Grade Reading Fluency Drills CCSS

Free PDF First Grade Reading Fluency Passages and Timed One Minute Reading Drills | Unseen Reading Passages 

 DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency Progress Monitoring First Grade Scoring Booklet
DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency Progress Monitoring Second Grade Scoring Booklet
DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency Progress Monitoring Third Grade Scoring Booklet
DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency Progress Monitoring Fourth Grade Scoring Booklet
DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency Progress Monitoring Fifth Grade Scoring Booklet
DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency Progress Monitoring Sixth Grade Scoring Booklet
Oral Reading Fluency Passages Grades 1-5

Use the Free PDF reading fluency passages below for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. This is a small sample from my Eclectic Speller that the students use to have fun reading and build reading fluency.

Sample Reading Fluency Drills all grades
The Story of Doctor Dolittle
The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean
Treasure Island
Snow-White and Rose-Red
Alice in Wonderland
The Story that Wouldn't be Told
The Wind in the Willows
The legend of Sleepy Hallow
Macavity the Mystery Cat
Under the Lilacs
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Special Sounds
Hurry with my Food and Drink, Boy!

Words Correct Per Minute Goals  

Grade Level Fluency Goals 
Kindergarten 60 Words Correct Per Minute
1st Grade 80 Words Correct Per Minute
2nd 140 WCPM
3rd 160
4th 180
5th 195
6th 205
7th 210
8th 215

Fluency Drills and Assessments for all Grades!

Mother Hubbard Nursery Rhymes Fluency Drills

Kindergarten Fluency Drills

Jack be nimble,
And Jack be quick;
And Jack jump over
The candlestick. 12WCPM

The rose is red,
The violet's blue;
Pinks are sweet,
And so are you! 14WCPM

Bow, wow, wow,
Whose dog art thou?
Little Tom Tinker's dog,
Bow, wow, wow. 14WCPM

Twenty white horses
Upon a red hill;
Now they tramp,
Now they champ,
Now they stand still. 17  WCPM

Polly, put the kettle on,
Polly, put the kettle on,
Polly, put the kettle on,
And let's drink tea.19WCPM

Hickory, dickory, dock,
The mouse ran up the clock;
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down;
Hickory, dickory, dock. 20 WCPM


Mistress Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With cockle-shells, and silver bells,
And pretty maids all in a row. 21WCPM

Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall;
Threescore men and threescore more
Cannot place Humpty-Dumpty as he was before.22WCPM

Jack and Jill went up the hill,
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down, and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after. 25WCPM

Little Betty Blue
Lost her holiday shoe;
What can little Betty do?
Give her another
To match the other
And then she may walk in two. 26WCPM


Up, little baby, stand up clear;
Mother will hold you, do not fear;
Dimple and smile, and chuckle and crow!
There, little baby, now you know! WCPM 26

Hey! diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon. 30WCPM

Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner,
Eating his Christmas pie.
He put in his thumb,
And he pulled out a plum,
And said, "What a good boy am I!"30WCPM

Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating of curds and whey;
There came a spider,
And sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.26WCPM

Pease-porridge hot,
Pease-porridge cold,
Pease-porridge in the pot,
Nine days old;
Some like it hot,
Some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot,
Nine days old.28WCPM

Rock-a-bye, baby,
   In the tree top:
When the wind blows,
   The cradle will rock;
When the bough breaks,
   The cradle will fall;
Down will come baby,
   Cradle and all. 29WCPM

A cat came fiddling out of a barn,
With a pair of bagpipes under her arm;
She could sing nothing but fiddle cum fee,
The mouse has married the bumblebee. 30WCPM
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Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, where have you been?
"I've been to London to look at the queen."
Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, what did you do there?
"I frightened a little mouse under the chair." 30WCPM

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake,
   Baker's man,
Bake me a cake
   As fast as you can;
Prick it and pat it,
   And mark it with T,
And put it in the oven
   For Teddy and me.33WCPM

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers;
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked? 34WCPM

Baa, baa, black sheep,
   Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
   Three bags full;
One for my master,
   One for my dame,
And one for the little boy
   That lives in our lane. 34WCPM


Willy boy, Willy boy, where are you going?
I'll go with you, if I may.
"I'm going to the meadow to see them a-mowing,
I'm going to help them make hay." WCPM 31

Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown,
Rapping at the window, crying through the lock,
"Are the children in their beds, for now it's eight o'clock?"
32 WCPM

I have a little sister, they call her Peep, Peep;
She wades the waters deep, deep, deep;
She climbs the mountains high, high, high;
Poor little creature, she has but one eye. 32WCPM A star


Three blind mice! See, how they run!
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with the carving knife!
Did you ever see such a thing in your life?
Three blind mice! WCPM 36

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children, she didn't know what to do;
She gave them some broth without any bread,
She whipped them all soundly, and put them to bed. 39 WCPM

The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the robin do then?
Poor thing!
He will sit in a barn,
And to keep himself warm,
Will hide his head under this wing.
Poor thing! 39WCPM

In marble walls as white as milk,
Lined with a skin as soft as silk,
Within a fountain crystal clear,
A golden apple doth appear;
No doors there are to this stronghold,
Yet thieves break in and steal the gold. 40WCPM  THE EGG

Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn.
The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn.
Where is the boy that looks after the sheep?
"He's under the haycock, fast asleep."
Will you wake him? "No, not I;
For if I do, he'll be sure to cry." 48WCPM

I had a little nut-tree, nothing would it bear
But a silver nutmeg and a golden pear;
The king of Spain's daughter came to visit me,
And all because of my little nut-tree.
I skipped over water, I danced over sea.
And all the birds in the air couldn't catch me. 51WCPM


Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace;
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go;
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for its living;
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay. 55WCPM

There was a crooked man, and he went a crooked mile,
And found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile,
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house. 40 WCPM

Once I saw a little bird
Come hop, hop, hop;
So I cried, "Little bird,
Will you stop, stop, stop?"
And was going to the window
To say, "How do you do?
But he shook his little tail,
And far way he flew. 43WCPM

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, dancing a jig;
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog;
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog;
To market, to market, to buy a plum bun,
Home again, home again, market is done. WCPM 46

One, two,
Buckle my shoe;
Three, four,
Shut the door;
Five, six,
Pick up sticks;
Seven eight,
Lay them straight;
Nine, ten,
A good fat hen;
Eleven, twelve,
Who will delve?
Thirteen, fourteen,
Maids a-courting;
Fifteen, sixteen,
Maids a-kissing;
Seventeen, eighteen,
Maids a-waiting;
Nineteen, twenty,
My stomach's empty.48WCPM


There was a man in our town,
And he was wondrous wise;
He jumped into a brier bush,
And scratched out both his eyes;
And when he saw his eyes were out,
With all his might and main
He jumped into another bush,
And scratched 'em in again. 48wcpm

Simple Simon met a pieman
Going to the fair;
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Let me taste your ware."
Says the pieman to Simple Simon,
"Show me first your penny."
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Indeed, I have not any."
Simple Simon went a-fishing
For to catch a whale:
All the water he had got
Was in his mother's pail! 62WCPM

 There was an old woman tossed up in a basket
Nineteen times as high as the moon;
Where she was going I couldn't but ask it,
For in her hand she carried a broom.
"Old woman, old woman, old woman," quoth I,
"O whither, O whither, O whither, so high?"
"To brush the cobwebs off the sky!"
"Shall I go with thee?" "Aye, by and by."WCPM 66

 Old King Cole
Was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe,
And he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.
Each fiddler, he had a fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he;
Twee-tweedle-dee, tweedle-dee, went the fiddlers,
Oh, there's none so rare,
As can compare
With old King Cole and his fiddlers three! 67WCPM

 Three children sliding on the ice
Upon a summer's day,
As it fell out, they all fell in,
The rest they ran away.
Now had these children been at home,
Or sliding on dry ground,
Ten thousand pounds to one penny
They had not all been drowned.
You parents all that children have,
And you that have got none,
If you would have them safe abroad,
Pray keep them safe at home. WCPM 72

 Girls and boys, come out to play,
The moon is shining as bright as day.
Leave your supper, and leave your sleep,
And come with your playfellows into the street.
Come with a whoop, come with a call,
Come with a good will or not at all.
Up the ladder and down the wall,
A halfpenny roll will serve us all.
You find milk, and I'll find flour,
And we'll have pudding in half an hour. 76WCPM

 Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie;
When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing;
Was not that a dainty dish
To set before the king?
The king was in his counting-house
Counting out his money;
The queen was in the parlor
Eating bread and honey;
The maid was in the garden
Hanging out the clothes,
When along came blackbird
And pecked off her nose. 78 WCPM

 Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep,
And can't tell where to find them;
Leave them alone, and they'll come home,
And bring their tails behind them.
Little Bo-peep fell fast asleep,
And dreamt she heard them bleating;
But when she awoke, she found it a joke,
For they were still a-fleeting.
Then up she took her little crook,
Determined for to find them;
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,
For they'd left all their tails behind them. 81WCPM

 If all the seas were one sea,
What a great sea that would be!
If all the trees were one tree,
What a great tree that would be!
If all the axes were one axe,
What a great axe that would be!
If all the men were one man,
What a great man he would be!
And if the great man took the great axe,
And cut down the great tree,
And let it fall into the great sea,
What a great splash-splash that would be! 86WCPM

 I saw a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing on the sea;
And oh, it was all laden
With pretty things for thee!
There were comfits in the cabin,
And apples in the hold;
The sails were made of silk,
And the masts were made of gold.
The four and twenty sailors,
That stood between the decks,
Were four and twenty white mice,
With chains about their necks.
The captain was a duck,
With a packet on his back;
And when the ship began to move,
The captain said, "Quack, Quack!" 88WCPM

TWO MINUTE DRILLS
There were three jovial huntsmen,
As I have heard them say,
And they would go a-hunting
All on a summer's day.
All the day they hunted,
And nothing could they find
But a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing with the wind.
One said it was a ship,
The other he said nay;
The third said it was a house
With the chimney blown away.
And all the night they hunted,
And nothing could they find
But the moon a-gliding,
A-gliding with the wind.
One said it was the moon,
The other he said nay;
The third said it was a cheese,
And half o't cut away. 102 WCPM

 THREE MINUTE DRILLS
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard
To get her poor dog a bone;
But when she came there
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.
She went to the baker's
To buy him some bread;
But when she came back
The poor dog was dead.
She went to the joiner's
To buy him a coffin;
But when she came back
The poor dog was laughing.
She took a clean dish,
To get him some tripe;
But when she came back
He was smoking his pipe.
She went to the hatter's
To buy him a hat;
But when she came back
He was feeding the cat.
She went to the barber's
To buy him a wig;
But when she came back
He was dancing a jig.
She went to the fruiterer's
To buy him some fruit;
But when she came back
He was playing the flute.
She went to the tailor's
To buy him a coat;
But when she came back
He was riding a goat.
She went to the cobbler's
To buy him some shoes;
But when she came back
He was reading the news.
She went to the seamstress
To buy him some linen;
But when she came back
The dog was spinning.
She went to the hosier's
To buy him some hose;
But when she came back
He was dressed in his clothes.
The dame made a curtsey,
The dog made a bow;
The dame said, "Your servant,"
The dog said, "Bow-wow." 249WCPM



There we an old man, who lived in a wood,
As you may plainly see;
He said he could do as much work in a day,
As his wife could do in three.
"With all my heart," the old woman said,
"If that you will allow,
Tomorrow you'll stay at home in my stead,
And I'll go drive the plow.
"But you must milk the Tidy cow,
For fear that she go dry;
And you must feed the little pigs
That are within the sty;
And you must mind the speckled hen,
For fear she lay away;
And you must reel the spool of yarn,
That I spun yesterday."
The old woman took a staff in her hand,
And went to drive the plow.
The old man took a pail in his hand,
And went to milk the cow;
But Tidy hinched, and Tidy flinched,
And Tidy broke his nose,
And Tidy gave him such a blow,
That the blood ran down to his toes.
"High! Tidy! ho! Tidy! high!
Tidy! do stand still;
If ever I milk you, Tidy, again,
'Twill be against my will!"
He went to feed the little pigs
That were within the sty;
He his his head against the beam,
And he made the blood to fly.
He went to mind the speckled hen,
For fear she'd lay astray,
And he forgot the spool of yarn
His wife spun yesterday.
So he swore by the sun, the moon, and the stars,
And the green leaves on the tree,
"If my wife doesn't do a day's work in her life,
She shall ne'er be ruled by me." 271WCPM

 Free Fluency Drills 1st & 2nd Grade
FLUENCY DRILLS 1st 2nd GRADE
Grade Level Fluency Goals 
1st Grade 80 Words Correct Per Minute
2nd           140 WCPM 
3rd           160  
4th           180  
5th           195  
6th           205  
7th           210  
8th           215



Ned has fed the hen.



She is a black hen.



She has left the nest.



See the eggs in the nest! 21







Will the hen let Ned get them?



Let me get the black hen. 35







Now Ned has it in his hand,



and he is a big man.



Nat, see the big man



with his black hat. 58







Ned is on the box.



He has a pen in his hand.



A big fat rat is in the box.



Can the dog catch the fat rat?86







Come with me, Ann,



and see the man with



a black hat on his head.101







The fat hen has left the nest.



Run, Nat, and get the eggs. 114







VOCABULARY LESSON







head he Nat come with and on







pat catch has left hat can







black eggs Rab Ann fed get











Fluency Drill 1st Grade



Do you see Nell?

Yes; she has a pan with some eggs in it.

Let me have the pan and the eggs, will you, Nell?

Has the black hen left the nest?

I will now run to catch Rob. Will you run, too? 43



Oh Ben! let me get in, will you?

Yes, if you will sit still.

Stand still, Jill, and let Ann get in.

Now, Ben, hand me the whip.

Get up, Jill!75





Kitty has a nice pet. It can sing a sweet song.

She has just fed it.

She will now put it in the cage,

and hang the cage up. Then the cat can

not catch it. 111





Look at Tom and his dog.

The dog has a black spot on his back.

Do you think he is a good dog?

Tom has a big top, too. It is on the box with Kitty's doll. 149









Fluency Drill 1st Grade



The sun is up.

The man has fed the black hen and the fat duck.

Now the duck will swim in the pond. The hen has run to her nest.

Let us not stop at the pond now, for it is hot.

See how still it is! We will go to see Tom and his top. 52



O John! the sun has just set. It is not hot, now.

Let us run and jump. I think it is fun to run, and skip, and jump.

See the duck on the pond! Her nest is up on the bank, under the rock.

We must not touch the nest, but we may look at it. 109



The sun has set, and the pond is still.

John, Ned, Ben, Tom, and Nell stand on the bank, and look at the duck.

The dog with a black spot on his back, is with Tom. See! Tom has his hat

in his hand. He has left his big top on the box.

Kitty's doll is on the rock. Nell has put her pet in the cage. It will

sing a sweet song. The duck has her nest under the rock. 191



It is not hot now. Let us run, and skip, and jump on the bank. Do you not

think it is fun? 214



Fluency Drill 1st Grade



Oh Kate!

The old cow is in the pond: see her drink!

Will she not come out to get some grass?

No, Tom, she likes to be in the pond. See how still she stands!

The dear old cow gives us sweet milk to drink. 43



Papa, will you let me ride with you on Prince? I will sit still in your arms.

See, mamma! We are both on Prince. How large he is!

Get up, Prince! You are not too fat to trot as far as the barn.

Did you call us, mamma? 92



I went with Tom to the pond. I had my doll, and Tom had his flag.

The fat duck swam to the bank, and we fed her.

Did you think we might fall into the pond?

We did not go too near, did we, Tom?

May we go to the swing, now, mamma? 148






EVENING AT HOME.

1. It is winter. The cold wind whistles through the branches of the trees.


2. Mr. Brown has done his day's work, and his children, Harry and Kate,
have come home from school. They learned their lessons well to-day, and
both feel happy. 42

3. Tea is over. Mrs. Brown has put the little sitting room in order. The
fire burns brightly. One lamp gives light enough for all. On the stool is
a basket of fine apples. They seem to say, "Won't you have one?"85

4. Harry and Kate read a story in a new book. The father reads his
newspaper, and the mother mends Harry's stockings. 107

5. By and by, they will tell one another what they have been reading
about, and will have a chat over the events of the day. 134

6. Harry and Kate's bedtime will come first. I think I see them kiss their
dear father and mother a sweet good night. 158
7. Do you not wish that every boy and girl could have a home like this? 175

BUBBLES.

1. The boys have come out on the porch to blow bubbles. The old cat is
asleep on the mat by the door.

2. "Ha! ha!" laughs Robert, as a bubble comes down softly on the old cat's
back, and does not burst. 42

3. Willie tries to make his bubble do the same. This time it comes down on
the cat's face, and makes her sneeze. 66

4. "She would rather wash her face without soap," says Harry. "Now let us
see who can make the biggest bubble." 88

5. "Mine is the biggest," says Robert. "See how high it floats in the air!
I can see--ah! it has burst." 111

6. "I can see the house and the trees and the sky in mine," says Willie;
"and such beautiful colors." 132

7.  "How many, Willie?"

8. "Red, one; blue, two; there--they are all out. Let us try again." 151

9. "I know how many colors there are," says Harry. "Just as many as there
are in the rainbow." 171

10. "Do you know how many that is?" 180

TWO DOGS.

1. James White has two dogs. One is a Newfoundland dog, and the other is a
Scotch terrier.

2. The Newfoundland is a large, noble fellow. He is black, with a white
spot, and with long, shaggy hair. His name is Sport. 41

3. Sport is a good watchdog, and a kind playfellow. Every night he guards
the house while James and his father are asleep. 65

4. In the daytime, James often uses Sport for his horse. He has a little
wagon, and a set of small harness which just fits the dog. 93

5. He hitches Sport to this wagon, and drives over the country. In this
way, he can go almost as fast as his father with the old family horse. 123

6. The name of James's Scotch terrier is Dodger. He is called Dodger
because he jumps about so friskily. He is up on a chair, under the table,
behind the door, down cellar, and out in the yard,--all in a minute. 166

7. Dodger has very bright eyes, and he does many funny things. He likes to
put his paws up on the crib, and watch the baby. 193

8. The other day he took baby's red stocking, and had great fun with it;
but he spoiled it in his play, and James had to scold him. 222

9. Everyone likes to see James White with his two dogs. They always seem
very happy together. 240
BABY BYE.

1. Baby Bye,
   Here's a fly;
   We will watch him, you and I.
   How he crawls
   Up the walls,
   Yet he never falls!
   I believe with six such legs
   You and I could walk on eggs.
   There he goes
   On his toes,
   Tickling Baby's nose. 44

2. Spots of red
   Dot his head;
   Rainbows on his back are spread;
   That small speck
   Is his neck;
   See him nod and beck!
   I can show you, if you choose,
   Where to look to find his shoes,
   Three small pairs,
   Made of hairs; 89
   These he always wears.

3. Flies can see
   More than we;
   So how bright their eyes must be!
   Little fly,
   Ope your eye;
   Spiders are near by.
   For a secret I can tell,
   Spiders never use flies well;
   Then away,
   Do not stay.
   Little fly, good day. 137



 PUSSYCAT AND HER KITTENS.

1.  Pussycat, with her three kittens, had lived in the coal cellar; but one day
she thought she would carry them to the attic.

2. The servant thought that was not the proper place for them; so she
carried them back to the cellar. 43

3. Pussycat was certain that she wanted them in the attic; so she carried them
there again and again, five, six, seven, --yes, a dozen times; for each
time the servant took them back to the cellar. 82

4. Poor pussycat was nearly tired out, and could carry them no longer.

5. Suddenly she went away. Where do you think she went? 107

6. She was gone a long time. When she returned, she had a strange cat with
her that we had never seen before. 131

7. She seemed to tell him all about her great trouble, and he listened to
her story. 149

8. Then the strange cat took the little kittens, one by one, and carried
them to the attic. After this he went away, and we have never seen him
since. 180

9. The servant then left the kittens in the attic, for she saw how anxious
puss was to have them stay there. 203

10. Was not the strange cat kind to pussycat? This lesson should teach
children to be ever ready to help one another. 226






AT WORK.

1. A little play does not harm any one, but does much good. After play, we
should be glad to work.
2. I knew a boy who liked a good game very much. He could run, swim, jump,
and play ball; and was always merry when out of school. 48

3. But he knew that time is not all for play; that our minutes, hours, and
days are very precious. 69

4. At the end of his play, he would go home. After he had washed his face
and hands, and brushed his hair, he would help his mother, or read in his
book, or write upon his slate. 108

5. He used to say, "One thing at a time." When he had done with work, he
would play; but he did not try to play and to work at the same time. 142


SUSIE SUNBEAM. TWO Minute Drill

1. Susie Sunbeam was not her real name; that was Susan Brown. But every
one called her Susie Sunbeam, because she had such a sweet, smiling face,
and always brought brightness with her when she came. 35

[Illustration: Older girls playing with younger girl. Three children
standing in background. 48

2. Her grandfather first gave her this name, and it seemed to fit the
little girl so nicely that soon it took the place of her own. 76

3. Even when a baby, Susie laughed and crowed from morning till night. No
one ever heard her cry unless she was sick or hurt. 102

4. When she had learned to walk, she loved to go about the house and get
things for her mother, and in this way save her as many steps as she
could. 135

5. She would sit by her mother's side for an hour at a time, and ask her
ever so many questions, or she would take her new book and read. 166

6. Susie was always pleasant in her play with other children. She never
used an unkind word, but tried to do whatever would please her playmates
best. 194

7. One day, a poor little girl with a very ragged dress was going by and
Susie heard some children teasing her and making fun of her. 222

8. She at once ran out to the gate, and asked the poor little girl to come
in. "What are you crying for?" Susie asked.

9. "Because they all laugh at me," she said. 257

10. Then Susie took the little girl into the house. She cheered her up
with kind words, and gave her a nice dress and a pair of shoes. 286

11. This brought real joy and gladness to the poor child, and she, too,
thought that Susie was rightly called Sunbeam. 308







IF I WERE A SUNBEAM.

1. "If I were a sunbeam,
     I know what I'd do;
   I would seek white lilies,
     Roaming woodlands through.
   I would steal among them,
     Softest light I'd shed,
   Until every lily
     Raised its drooping head. 34

2. "If I were a sunbeam,
     I know where I'd go;
   Into lowly hovels,
     Dark with want and woe:
   Till sad hearts looked upward,
     I would shine and shine;
   Then they'd think of heaven,
     Their sweet home and mine." 74

3. Are you not a sunbeam,
     Child, whose life is glad
   With an inner brightness
     Sunshine never had?
   Oh, as God has blessed you,
     Scatter light divine!
   For there is no sunbeam
     But must die or shine. 112


A KIND BROTHER.

1. A boy was once sent from home to take a basket of things to his
grandmother.

2. The basket was so full that it was very heavy. So his little brother
went with him, to help carry the load. 39

3. They put a pole under the handle of the basket, and each then took hold
of an end of the pole. In this way they could carry the basket very
nicely. 72

4. Now the older boy thought, "My brother Tom does not know about this
pole. 88

5. "If I slip the basket near him, his side will be heavy, and mine light;
but if the basket is in the middle of the pole, it will be as heavy for me
as it is for him. 127

6. "Tom does not know this as I do. But I will not do it. It would be
wrong, and I will not do what is wrong." 156

7. Then he slipped the basket quite near his own end of the pole. His load
was now heavier than that of his little brother. 182

8. Yet he was happy; for he felt that he had done right. Had he deceived
his brother, he would not have felt at all happy. 208






MY GOOD-FOR-NOTHING.

1.
"What are you good for, my brave little man?
Answer that question for me, if you can,--
You, with your fingers as white as a nun,--
You, with your ringlets as bright as the sun.
All the day long, with your busy contriving,
Into all mischief and fun you are driving;
See if your wise little noddle can tell
What you are good for. Now ponder it well." 68

2.
Over the carpet the dear little feet
Came with a patter to climb on my seat;
Two merry eyes, full of frolic and glee,
Under their lashes looked up unto me;
Two little hands pressing soft on my face,
Drew me down close in a loving embrace;
Two rosy lips gave the answer so true,
"Good to love you, mamma, good to love you." 134

                             Emily Huntington Miller.









THE QUARREL.

1. Under a great tree in the woods, two boys saw a fine, large nut, and
both ran to get it.

2. James got to it first, and picked it up.

3. "It is mine," said John, "for I was the first to see it." 44

4. "No, it is mine" said James, "for I was the first to pick it up."

5. Thus, they at once began to quarrel about the nut. 72

6. As they could not agree whose it should be, they called an older boy,
and asked him.
 
7. The older boy said, "I will settle this quarrel." 101

8. He took the nut, and broke the shell. He then took out the kernel, and
divided the shell into two parts, as nearly equal as he could.

9. "This half of the shell," said he, "belongs to the boy who first saw
the nut. 147

10. "And this half belongs to the boy who picked it up.

11. "The kernel of the nut, I shall keep as my pay for settling the
quarrel. 176

12. "This is the way," said he, laughing, "in which quarrels are very apt
to end." 193


















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