edHelper.com
Famous Educators
Women's History
 Mary Lyon

Mary Lyon
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   4.86

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    hitchcock, pupils, tuition, teaching, successful, liberal, refused, pioneer, natural, jobs, education, founder, salary, term, early, however
     content words:    Mount Holyoke College, Mary Lyon, Sanderson Academy, Amherst College, Adams Female Academy, Ipswich Female Seminary, South Hadley, Mount Holyoke Seminary, Missionary Offering, Mount Holyoke

Print Mary Lyon
     Print Mary Lyon  (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)

Quickly Print - PDF format
     Quickly Print: PDF (2 columns per page)
     Quickly Print: PDF (full page)

Quickly Print - HTML format
     Quickly Print: HTML

Proofreading Activity
     Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on Mary Lyon
     Leave your feedback on Mary Lyon  (use this link if you found an error in the story)

Mary Lyon
By Jennifer Kenny 		  
1     Do you know who started Mount Holyoke College, the first women's college? Do you know why? Mary Lyon started it. Her life story tells it all.
 
2     Mary Lyon was born in Massachusetts, on February 28, 1797. She was one of seven children. Mary was young when her dad died. Her mother was strong. She kept the farm and family going. Mary was helpful, energetic, and curious. Teachers saw her amazing memory skills. Mary went to school until she was thirteen. Then her mother got married again and moved. Mary stayed behind helping her brother. She began to teach.
 
3     Mary saved enough money to go to the Sanderson Academy for one term. There she learned math, speech, grammar, and so on. She could not afford any more, but the trustees paid her tuition for another term after noticing how smart she was. She was then offered many teaching jobs.
 
4     Mary stayed with families of great scholars. For example, she learned natural science from the president of Amherst College while taking lessons on drawing and painting from his wife. She took some classes in Ashfield, Amherst, and Byfield. At the time, only men could earn degrees from colleges.
 
5     Mary taught at places such as the Adams Female Academy and the Ipswich Female Seminary. She used to tell her students that if they were unhappy they were thinking too much about themselves. She also promoted early rising. In addition, she refused to allow others to laugh at a student.

Paragraphs 6 to 11:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
Copyright © 2009 edHelper