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Little Dorothy Dix was poor. Her father did not know how to make a living. Her mother did not know how to bring up her children.

The father moved from place to place. Sometimes he printed little tracts to do good. But he let his own children grow up poor and wretched.

Dorothy wanted to learn. She wanted to become a teacher. She wanted to get money to send her little brothers to school.

Dorothy was a girl of strong will and temper. When she was twelve years old, she left her wretched home. She went to her grandmother. Her grandmother Dix lived in a large house in Boston. She sent Dorothy to school.

Dorothy learned fast. But she wanted to make money. She wanted to help her brothers. When she was fourteen, she taught a school. She tried to make herself look like a woman. She made her dresses longer.

She soon went back to her grandmother. She went to school again. Then she taught school. She soon had a school in her grandmother's house. It was a very good school. Many girls were sent to her school. Miss Dix was often ill. But when she was well enough, she worked away. She was able to send her brothers to school until they grew up.

Besides helping her brothers, she wanted to help other poor children. She started a school for poor children in her grandmother's barn.

After a while she left off teaching. She was not well. She had made all the money she needed.

But she was not idle. She went one day to teach some poor women in an almshouse. Then she went to see the place where the crazy people were kept. These insane people had no fire in the coldest weather.

Miss Dix tried to get the managers to put up a stove in the room. But they would not do it. Then she went to the court. She told the judge about it. The judge said that the insane people ought to have a fire. He made the managers put up a stove in the place where they were kept.

Then Miss Dix went to other towns. She wanted to see how the insane people were treated. Some of them were shut up in dark, damp cells. One young man was chained up with an iron collar about his neck.

Miss Dix got new laws made about the insane. She persuaded the States to build large houses for keeping the insane. She spent most of her life at this work. The Civil War broke out. There were many sick and wounded soldiers to be taken care of.

All of the nurses in the hospitals were put under Miss Dix. She worked at this as long as the war lasted. Then she spent the rest of her life doing all that she could for insane people.

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Directions

Study the lesson for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read the story multiple times.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Learn the concepts.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Study the review questions.

Synopsis

Little Dorothy Dix was neglected by her parents. Dorothy wanted to overcome her hardships, so she lived with her grandmother in Boston, worked hard in school, and became a teacher. Dorothy started a school for poor children in her grandmother's barn. When she became sick and had to leave teaching full-time, she still did volunteer work teaching. She once visited a place that housed the mentally ill and saw they had no fire to keep warm in the cold weather. Dorothy advocated for the people to a judge and had a stove added to keep the people warm. Dorothy went to other towns and saw the mentally ill were treated poorly. Dorothy worked to change laws to protect the mentally ill. She had safe housing constructed for the mentally ill people. When the Civil War broke out, she nursed the wounded soldiers. Then she went back to helping the poor.

Vocabulary

Alms-house: A house built originally by a charitable person or organization for poor people to live in.
Insane: A state of mind that prevents normal behavior and interactions.
Civil War: A war between citizens of the same country.

Concepts

Dorothy Dix was a wonderful woman because she spent her life helping other people.

  1. Think of ways that you can help other people.
  2. Think of one way you can help someone else today and then help them.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Narrate the Story

  • After reading or listening to the story, narrate the story events aloud using your own words.

Activity 2: Color the Story   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 53 of 'History Coloring Pages for First Grade.'

Activity 3: Model the Story

In the story, Dorothy Dix became a teacher.

  • Teach a family member or friend about this chapter.
  • Tell them about the story of Dorothy Dix.
  • Ask them the answer questions about the story you told.

Review

Question 1

Why did Dorothy live with her grandmother?
1 / 3

Answer 1

So lived with her grandmother to escape the neglect of her parents and attend school.
1 / 3

Question 2

What did Dorothy do with her grandmother's barn?
2 / 3

Answer 2

She used the barn to start a school for poor children.
2 / 3

Question 3

How did Dorothy help mentally ill people?
3 / 3

Answer 3

She helped to pass laws to ensure mentally ill people were treated humanely.
3 / 3

  1. Why did Dorothy live with her grandmother? So lived with her grandmother to escape the neglect of her parents and attend school.
  2. What did Dorothy do with her grandmother's barn? She used the barn to start a school for poor children.
  3. How did Dorothy help mentally ill people? She helped to pass laws to ensure mentally ill people were treated humanely.

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