The second reader begins with a lesson on articulation, with instructions for the teacher, seven exercises, and a model for class drill. This is followed by 71 language arts lessons, based upon character-building stories, essays, and poetry. Each paragraph or stanza is numbered, which makes it easy to assign portions of a passage or poem as copywork, recitation, or narration. Spelling words listed at the beginning of each lesson. Most stories and nonfiction pieces are followed by a few questions about the text.

An effective way to use these readers is to use Charlotte Mason's language arts methods of copywork, recitation, and narration for any of the lessons presented. Instructions for each of these methods is found in the new 18-page introduction that has been added to this edition. Like Miss Mason, Mr. McGuffey believed in short lessons, learned well, so the Readers provide a convenient source for age-appropriate material to use with Miss Mason's methods.