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As to its psychological characteristics, it is seen that this method is analytic, proceeding from whole to part. This is the natural mode of progress of the mind in all acts of knowing. First the perception, more or less vague, of the whole, then the analysis of this whole into its parts, and, when these have been made objects of attention, they are synthesized into a better-understood whole.

This method accomplishes most quickly and most easily certain important ends to be attained by the process of teaching a child to read. What are some of these ends?

First-If the method is rightly executed the child from the very first is brought to see that unless he has the thought of the sentence, and can prove that he has it, by expressing it truly, he has not read. Hence the most important habit in his entire intellectual life is started.

Second-Oral reading is never expected of him until he knows what he is to give voice to; hence his expression is the best, being free and natural. Third-He is taught to be self-helpful, and is made independent of the teacher as soon as possible, by putting him in possession early of the sound elements of which spoken words are composed, and their symbols.

Fourth-Interest in the phonic elements of words, and practice in word-building with these elements, makes him more conscious of all the parts of the spoken word, and leads to clear-cut

articulation.

Fifth-The correct association of symbol with sound helps all pupils, the eye-mined as much as the ear-minded, in spelling. Primary pupils taught by the method we are considering will never be poor spellers; they may Carnagaize words somewhat more rapidly than conservative reformers sanction, but their spelling will be consistent.

I made the claim that the important ends just enumerated may be accomplished more easily and quickly, than where method is less pedagogically sound. In support of this assertion, one has but to witness the reading of children taught by this method at the end of their first year. They have read, if properly supplied, as many as ten primers and first readers, and have ventured, perhaps, to dip into other children's books. This is an important thing in the life of the child, when we consider that for most children that first year is one

eighth, or, more likely, one-seventh, or one-sixth, or, possibly, one-fifth of his entire schooling. (Concluded next month.)

DON'T BE AFRAID OF MILITARY FEATURES. Do not be afraid of a little military organization in the larger schools.

One cannot conceive of a teacher forbidding whispering in a school of one pupil. Nor is it probable that marching, etc., would be introduced into a school of two or three children.

In large schools, however, good order may depend upon the teachers as an organizer. Children enjoy a proper amount and kind of military organization in assembling and dismissing, in passing to classes, and in collecting and distributing material.

M. H. J.

READING TO THE CLASS BY THE PUPIL. One teacher who realized the necessity of making pupils feel the responsibility of reading to the class, of their duty to make all listen as they read used the following plan with success. She had each child select. a story which he would like to read to the class. She helped the poorer readers in their selections, choosing stories neither too long nor too difficult, but still of general interest. Each child was to give his very best effort in the preparation of the story. The teacher gave any help asked for, but pupils were encouraged to do most of the work themselves and to rehearse to each other. Then on the assigned day these selections were given as reading to the school in some cases, in others, just before the class.

As this took the class time for several days, the study periods gave time for special work in other studies. The value of the work was particularly in the development of responsibility-the feeling that upon this one person alone rested the entertainment of the school.

Such a plan needs to be a regular part of the reading to do much good. The results are such that it will pay to give it a place at least once a month. It is a good tonic for poor readers. It develops an enthusiasm which adds much to the reading work. Too, there is that wholesome pride in doing the work well that is a power for life as well as for school. E. M.

WITH THE PRIMARY TEACHERS

"GOOD-FINDING."

Supposing we all begin the new year with a resolution to search for the best in all of our pupils. Supposing we ignore for a time all the faults and let no occasion pass where we do not commend the good.

To be sure the atmosphere may get so dense with unruliness that nothing less than a storm of disapproval will clear it; let the storm come then but see that it is not unnecessarily prolonged. I believe if we get ourselves into the habit of always looking for the good we will find much more good than bad. Children are wiser than we frequently give them credit for being and as a rule they are ready to "deliver the goods" the teacher expects. If they notice she is always on the lookout for the best, she will get their best.

Memory brings to mind two teachers I had when a child, one a typical fault-finder; the other a "good-finder." I know it is not necessary to say which had the more influence for good.

E. R. McC.

Kind hearts are the gardens,

Kind tho'ts are the roots, Kind words are the blossoms Kind deeds are the fruit.

WHAT CONSTITUTES LEGITIMATE FUN IN THE

DRAWING LESSON.

Is the drawing lesson ever the time and place for fun? I think so. Why not?

What about the brownie for little children? If not, why not? It is fun to talk about brownies and they have their place in the schoolroom, but

the value of a drawing lesson on the brownie is questionable.

In the first place a drawing lesson is a study of form. The form of the brownie is usually some teacher's guess and while supposed to be a diminutive man is usually anything but a true picture of the human form. If any ideas are left in the child's mind they are not such as will make his image of the human form truer. If brownies are drawn the lesson is for the sake of fun. Why not make the fun incidental to the drawing lesson? Draw or cut apples, pears or any fruit or vegetable or still forms. (The cutting is the more valuable phase of drawing work with young children.) Mount the cuttings and add a few lines for "life and fun." If a neutral shade of crayon is used for the extra lines it will not take so much from the true form.

To illustrate what I mean: An apple may be cut (always very large) colored in its natural colors, and mounted. Then features and limbs may be added with brown or gray or black.

We went one step farther than this and based some language work on our pictures. Some of the work is illustrated below.

The nonsense rhymes were worked out by the children during class time. E. R. McC.

"The public is not well served until we educate freely for all useful activities."

"Within the limits of needful activities one occupation is as important as another, and a system of universal education must enrich them all, or the end will be disastrous."

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THE MONOTONES.

Who ever saw a primary teacher that did not have the monotone problem to solve? As far as I know it is yet only a partially solved one, any device in its solution always being welcome.

I have seen some stubborn cases yield to this plan:

Place your monotone on the lowest step of a stairway. If you have no stairway in the building use a stepladder. As you sing the scale let him climb the stairs. Then let him try to sing and to go up each time only as many steps as he sings scale tones correctly. E. R. McC.

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ONLY A LEAF.

It was only a little leaf;
But on it did shine the sun.

The winds did caress, the birds did sing, And it lived till its work was done.

It was only a little leaf;

But it took its gladsome part In the great earth's life; and at last Earth clasped it to her heart.

"SPRESSION."

"We are trying to read with spression in our room, we are."

"What do you mean by 'spression?" "

"Oh, don't you know that? Why it means to read like talking, loud and plain so folks can understand you."

I heard the foregoing dialogue take place on the play-ground between one of my boys and a boy from another room. I hadn't taught the word expression but he had "nearly" caught it and I didn't know before the impression it had made on him.

I am teaching the higher or "A" first grade this year which in our system of grading means the second half of the first year's work. The children have had an introduction to some of the mechanics of reading. I decided to keep the mechanics in the background this year, and, while not neglecting some drill on form, to devote my energy to reading with expression.

The result is that the class is reading better. than any "A" first grade I ever taught. To read with expression they must know the words and they have discovered that for themselves.

In their desire to "shine" as expressive readers they are mastering the mechanical side of the work with very little assistance from me. Their "interest in mastery" is making their work with the formal phase of the reading so easy that they do not realize that it is work.

The class has been in school for seven months.

Not in the pay-day, no, for there isn't enough It has read Sunbonnet Babies Primer, Baldwin

in that.

Partly in the satisfaction of work well done. Partly in the gratification of watching pupils improve from day to day.

Partly in getting the co-operation of the socalled bad boy.

Most of all in the pure and unselfish love of the children. E. R. McC.

Primer, New Education Reader No. 1, Brook's
Primer, and about one-half of the Finch First
Reader.
E. R. McC.

THE WORLD'S CHRONICLE. (Formerly The Little Chronicle.) Send us $1.65 and we will renew your subscription to the Wisconsin Journal of Education for one year and will send you The World's Chronicle to any address given for one full year.

This is our prize combination offer this year. Cash with order.

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SIX GEOGRAPHICAL PEOPLE ON A JOURNEY. ROWENA ARTHUR.

(This geographical game is both interesting and instructive for use in the grades. The names enclosed in brackets are written on separate slips, numbered accordingly, and passed in numerical order, one at a time, to the pupils until all are taken. Each pupil arranges his slips by placing the smallest number given him on top, and thus continuing, the largest number being at the bottom when all are placed. The reader pauses before each bracket and the slips are read in order, beginning with "one" and thus proceeding with the game.

This may also be used as a guessing game if the pupils are far enough advanced.)

On a bright, sunny morning in 1907, just one year ago today, a party of tourists started from the metropolis of Massachusetts, (1, Boston) to visit the southern part of the United States, especially the old historic lands of (2, South Carolina) and (3, Florida). Among this group was a young lady by the name of a cape south of New Jersey and a river of North America, (4, May; St. Lawrence), who wore a most beautiful ring set with an island south of Mexico, (5, Pearl) and who was noticeable for her extremely neat and attractive appearance. She was accompanied by a city in Australia and the capital of Alabama (6, Adelaide Montgomery); also by a town in southeastern Texas and a lake east of Michigan, (7, Edna St. Clair). These girls were all exceedingly bright and lively, clever and cultured, and determined to enjoy the fullest pleasure on this merry trip to the south. Two young gentlemen, brothers of the cape south of New Jersey (8, May) later joined the party in a state south of New York, (9, Pennsylvania). The names of these people were a cape east of Virginia (10, Charles), and a second cape east of the same state, (11, Henry), who, by the way, were twins.

With this company was an old maid, whose name was a town in eastern Virginia, (12, Anne), and whose ways resembled a town in eastern France (13, Nice). She had come from the northern part of a state bordered by the great lakes (14, Wisconsin), and unfortunately embarrassed the young people while in Florida by asking if they were not likely to see a mountain in Canada (15, Reindeer). This old maid was dressed in a sea south of Russia, (16, Black) and wore beads of a cape north of Madagascar, (17, Amber). She was most genteel and modest in all her ways. Well, so much for the party. Everything was lovely, and the beautiful scenery along the jour

ney called forth many a spontaneous exclamation of delight. As they passed through one of the southern states (18, Virginia), they paused for awhile to walk through a town in Massachusetts, (19, Greenfield), and enjoyed a picnic dinner, of which the chief attraction was cake with plenty of an island southeast of Australia, (20, Spice). The next day the air was not as crystal clear as usual, but was almost a group of mountains between Tennessee Tennessee and North Carolina Carolina (21, Smoky), and soon a long steady rain began to fall that was a swamp in Virginia (22, Dismal). As they continued southward they reached a state south of Virginia (23, North Carolina), where they stopped at a river in eastern Germany (24, Inn). Here they became acquainted with a charming girl by the name of a river in Asiatic Russia (25, Lena).

Misfortunes never come singly, for two rather disastrous events occurred on one of their trips among the mountains of North Carolina. The cape south of New Jersey (26, May) had the ill luck to tear her dress dreadfully, but fortunately the old maid (27, Anne) had with her a package of a town in the eastern part of California (28, Needles) and a spool of thread. Later arose a difficulty that was not so easily mended. In the southern part of North Carolina the party heard an agonized scream from the city in Australia and capital of Alabama, (29, Adelaide Montgomery), who was somewhat in advance of the rest, and hastening forward they say before her a huge river of Washington (30, Snake). "Adelaide, Adelaide!" cried one of the capes east of Virginia (31, Henry), "You are a lake in Oregon (32, Goose) to stand and scream!" The other cape east of Virginia (33, Charles) grasped a large stick with an exclamation of mountains in the northern part of Virginia (34, "Lookout! Lookout!"). when he approached the monster his courage failed, his knees smote together, and he felt decidedly a country of South America (35, Chile). Just at this point a tall, stalwart island west of England (36, Man) rushed from behind a bush from which he had been laughingly a city in China (37, Pekin) and with a few blows killed the detested object. When the company praised his valor he merely jokingly remarked, "I was always noted for an island in the Pacific ocean (38, Loyalty) to a good cause." Then he disappeared.

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