Polly liked to go to school. She had wished to go for a long time. She thought that she should like it. And, sure enough, she did.
Father had taught Polly to read. So she did not begin with the very easiest book. She began with the second reader.
It was just the same with the number work. She knew all about eight and eight, and nine and nine.
She could tell Miss Barnes, her teacher, the answer to six times four, and seven times three.
Besides, she could tell how much things cost at her father's store. And she knew how much sugar you could buy for thirty cents, if it cost ten cents a pound.
One day, Miss Barnes said, "Now we will have our geography lesson. We will talk about our village. You may tell all the things that you have seen when I have taken you walking. Who will talk first? "
"I will," said Polly. "I know things about our village. It is called East Village. It is in a valley. The hills are high all around it. They make good sliding places.
"There is one store and it is my father's. The post office is in it. There is one church. It is white. I go to church.
"There is a railroad station. Peter and I have to watch for trains when we cross the tracks."
"Where does the railroad go?" asked Miss Barnes.
"It goes to Large Village," said Polly. "And when you get there, you can travel to many other places. I am not sure where it goes the other way."
"I know," said a big boy. "It goes through the White Mountains. If you ride far enough, you will reach the ocean. Once I did."
"Good," said Miss Barnes. "Can you tell more, Polly? "
"Oh, yes," answered Polly. "I know about the blacksmith's shop. I go there. The blacksmith is my friend. Next to his shop is the creamery. Some of the butter they make goes far away. I have seen boxes of it at the station."
"They send it to Boston," said another girl.
"There is a sawmill," said Polly. "They make butter boxes there. Besides, they saw up big logs. I have seen them.
"I have been inside the grain shop. That is where Tim's father buys all the grain for his Jersey cows. We get ours there, too. But we do not buy so much."
"Have we a river?" asked Miss Barnes.
"Yes, it is the Moose River," said Polly. "Last winter I saw men cutting ice on it. I saw them putting the cakes into the big ice house. The boys fish in the river in the summer. So does Blacky.
"It turns the wheels of the sawmill. I have seen three brooks that run into it. One goes under the road just a little way from here. Lots of other brooks must help to make it, too."
"Where do the brooks come from?" asked Miss Barnes. "Perhaps you do not know that, Polly."
"Oh, yes, I know," said Polly. "Peter and I went to the boiling spring the other day. A brook comes from that. It is the one that goes under the road."
"Can you tell us anything about our trees?" asked Miss Barnes.
"We have elm trees in our yard," said Polly. "Our swing is in one of them. We can swing way up in the branches. The leaves are all gone now.
"We have maple trees in front of our house. They go all the way up to Tim's. Peter and I made wreaths of their leaves. They were red and yellow.
"I know something more, too. Next spring my father will tap those trees. We can get maple sugar from their sap.
"Peter and I know where to find butter nut trees. The squirrels take most of the butternuts.
"We know where to find beech trees, too. Once Tim hunted for beechnuts under a maple.
"One of the big boys gave me some acorns and some oak leaves. I do not know where the oak trees are."
"That is a good geography lesson, Polly," said Miss Barnes. "Your father must have shown you a great many things. I did not show you all that you told us about. Now I have thought of something.
"I am going to give a box to each child in my room. We will call them 'Keepsake Boxes.'
"You may put into these boxes anything about this geography lesson that you can find. I will look at your boxes next week. Do you think that will be fun?"
"Oh, yes, Miss Barnes!" shouted all the children.
And Polly said, "I can think of lots of things for my Keepsake Box this very minute. I can think of butternuts, and beechnuts, and corn from the grain shop, and a stamp from the post office. Oh, I am in a hurry to go home so that I can begin."
Polly has a geography lesson in school. Polly and her class describe East Village, the town they live in. They talk about landforms such as valleys and mountains. They discuss the nearby Moose river. They talk about buildings such as the railroad station, the sawmill, and the post office. They discuss plant life including elm trees and maple trees. The teacher gives each student a keepsake box. The teacher tasks students to collect things related to the geography lesson in the box and to show the rest of the class a week later.
Vocabulary
Reader: A book designed to give learners practice in reading. Creamery: A place where butter and cheese are produced. Sawmill: A factory that saws logs into boards. Keepsake: A small item kept in memory of someone or something. Keepsake Boxes: A special box containing keepsakes.
Concepts
In the story Polly, studies the geography of her town. How are science and geography related?
Geography is the study of the land of Earth including the arrangement and interaction of its people, resources, and landforms.
Science is the study of how the universe works through observation and experiment.
Geography focuses on where things are located on the Earth. Geography questions might include: Where are volcanos located on Earth? Where are towns and countries located on Earth? Where do people live on Earth?
Science focuses on the internal workings of things in the Universe. Science questions might include: How and why do volcanoes erupt? How do people's hearts pump blood?
Enrichment
Activity 1: Narrate the Story
After reading or listening to the story, narrate the story events aloud using your own words.
Activity 2: Keepsake Box
Objective:
Make your own keepsake box
Materials:
Small box or plastic baggie, pencil, notebook.
Procedure:
Go for a walk outside with your family.
Collect any small non-trash items you see. You might collect rocks, sticks, pinecones, leaves, or acorns.
When you return home, sketch the items.
Review
Question 1
What subject does Polly study in school?
1 / 4
Answer 1
Polly studies geography.
1 / 4
Question 2
What subject are you studying right now?
2 / 4
Answer 2
You are studying science.
2 / 4
Question 3
What is a keepsake box?
3 / 4
Answer 3
A keepsake box is a special box containing small items in memory of someone or something.
3 / 4
Question 4
What will Polly put in her keepsake box?
4 / 4
Answer 4
Polly will add items such as plants, rocks, and other small items from around their town.