edHelper.com
Children in History

Lucy Larcom - A Life of Change

Lucy Larcom - A Life of Change
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.76

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    autobiography, bobbin, loom, testing, extremely, maintain, contributors, reading, religion, poetry, life, material, textile, jobs, seventh, earn
     content words:    As Lucy, Captain Larcom, New England, Lowell Offering, New England Girlhood

Print Lucy Larcom - A Life of Change
edHelper.com subscriber options:
     Print Lucy Larcom - A Life of Change  (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)
     Quickly print reading comprehension
     Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on Lucy Larcom - A Life of Change
     Leave your feedback on Lucy Larcom - A Life of Change  (use this link if you found an error in the story)

Lucy Larcom - A Life of Change
By Jane Runyon 		  
1     The biggest change in Lucy Larcom's life came when she was just seven years old. Lucy was one of the youngest of ten children in her family. Her father was a sea captain. He was very stern. He didn't have much to say to the children in the family. As Lucy began to grow, he spent less time at sea and more time at home. Six days a week, Lucy's mother directed the children. On the seventh day, Sunday, Lucy's father took charge.
 
2     Captain Larcom spent each Sunday testing his children on their knowledge of religion. He was their religion leader. He wanted to make sure that each of his children knew and understood what each part of their religious belief meant. He prayed long and loudly on these Sundays with his family. Lucy didn't realize until much later in her life just how much this one day a week with her father had influenced her.
 
3     When Lucy was seven, her father died. Her mother tried to keep her family together in their Beverly, Massachusetts, home. Four years later, the struggle became too hard for her.

Paragraphs 4 to 9:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
Copyright © 2008 edHelper