When I taught fourth grade, I loved studying Henry Wadsworth Longfellow with my students. His poem, Christmas Bells, is both beautiful and so applicable to the tragedies in the world today. It was written during the Civil War, and he had lost his wife not too long before in a fire. His son had joined the war without his blessing, and was seriously injured. Longfellow sat down and penned this poem on a sad Christmas Day. I wanted to give a little sample lesson to show what it looks like to teach a Charlotte Mason lesson. If you have older children, hopefully you can use this in a poetry tea time or your study of Victorian poetry. I won’t teach this lesson to Miss H yet, and I recommend holding off on lessons like this until your child is at least six.
Vocabulary
Although Charlotte Mason didn’t recommend going through vocabulary with the children before a lesson, these are the words I needed to know for personal reference 🙂
Belfries– Bell towers, usually a part of a church
Christendom– Worldwide community of Christians
Accursed– Under a curse
Forlorn– Sad and abandoned
Pealed- To ring loudly
Some Possible Background Information
Poet Information
I shared a little bit about the context of this poem above. You can read more about this on Wikipedia, but remember to always take that site with a grain of salt!
If you share the information about the events behind this poem, you might want to share a map similar to this one that shows where the battles of the Civil War were fought. This illustrates the scope of the terrible war that swept America, and also integrates geography.
Give a tidbit of information before the lesson to build your child’s interest.
Poetic Elements
This website explains some of the poetic elements in this poem. If this is something you’re hoping to teach your child in this lesson, make sure to mention them!
Reading the Poem
Poetry is meant to be read aloud. I usually read the whole poem once, and then the students read it stanza by stanza. I chose to stop to tell back and talk about each stanza before moving on, but older students could probably read the whole poem before stopping. (I like these tips for reading poetry out loud.)
Christmas Bells
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
and wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
As you discuss each stanza, make sure to practice masterly inactivity!
Draw out ideas
Hopefully, your child(ren) will discuss the idea that we have hope in the Lord even when the world seems dismal. If not, you can guide them to the lines in the poem that state this. I draw out ideas by saying something like, “What do you think about this line? The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on earth, good-will to men.”
Other possible questions:
What is the irony of the “wild and sweet” songs of the bells?
How do you think the poet received the message of hope at the end? (This could lead to many different discussions, ranging from the sound of the bells, to the Holy Spirit!)
Respond
You can use the discussion that you have about the ideas as the response. Younger children might respond by drawing a picture, and older children by writing a narration. The lesson should be kept short, so break it into two if you need to!
Follow Up
I love how Casting Crowns made this poem into a song (I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.) It brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. This might be something to subtly play in your home after the lesson. Let your children make the connection to the poem!
Sometimes concrete examples are helpful, so I hope this gives you a good idea of a Charlotte Mason lesson!
