This is a hardcover, re-typeset of the original edition written by William H. McGuffey (a 19th century educator and preacher), and reflects the prevalent society beliefs and issues of the times. The stories have strong moral messages with brief comprehension questions, spelling words and possible articulation errors indicated. Readers include many classic selections, including those from the Bible. As with any McGuffey reader, there will be more parental involvement needed in the young-reader levels, which include some illustrations. The Third Reader (67 lessons) is middle-school range reading and the Fourth (129 lessons) is high-school level and beyond. The Progressive Speller provides increasingly challenging word lists that accompany the full series. Words are divided by syllables with accent marks. The paperback Parent-Teacher Guide, written by Ruth Beechick, includes lots of solid information on reading stages, lesson ideas and grade-level suggestions for readers up through level four, with glossaries that include definitions.
I have heard a lot about these McGuffey readers and wanted to give my children more early reading practice that actually has some moral sustenance to it. I plan to use these for copywork as well.
McGuffey Readers are easy to use for teaching children to read and to develop their reading fluency.
I wanted a classic first reader for my youngest that would allow her imagination to do a little more work for the stories that she is reading
Heavy Christian Content