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FKICP.
mit.ts.
Copoii School Englis!
h
A GRADED SERIES OF LANGUAGE LES-
SONS, FOR THE USE OF TEACHERS
OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
BY
Head Inspecting Teacher of the San Francisco Schools;
Author of "Pure English,'' -etc.
SAN FRANCISCO:
Samuel Carson it Co., Pi hi.i'^mi k-
1S87.
Copyright by
James G. KEnuEDY and Fred. H. Hackett,
1887.
EDUCATIOI^ OErtu
PREFACE.
A READY and accurate use of English is acquired only by
actual practice in speaking and writing it. Any method that
provides for the continuous use of the language is, consequently,
a good one.
To suggest, by a graded scries of typical lessons, such a
method is the purpose of this little book. It is submitted,
therefore, with the hope that it may assist those who desire
to adopt a more practical plan of teaching English, in pri-
mary classes.
All the lessons in the book are based upon a conscientious
study of the San Francisco schools. To principals and teachers,
who have kindly aided them in the numerous experimental
exercises held in the class-rooms, the authors, here, make their
most grateful acknowledgments.
San Francisco, Cal.,June, 1887.
54! 61)6
Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive
in 2008 witii funding from
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INTRODUCTION.
The purpose of these exercises is to give teachers
a simi)le, well-arranged method of teaching language
in primary classes.
Each year's work is given in a separate section, so
that teachers may know just what to do, at any time
during the entire course.
During the first year, or until pupils have learned to
write, the composition work must, of necessity, be
mostly oral. Before learning to 7cW/'<r, pupils should
talk compositions, telling, in short, connected sen-
tences, what they know about any given subject.
Teachers should place these oral compositions upon the
blackboard and read them to the class, to show pupils
what they can do, and thus encourage them to greater
efforts in story-telling, picture-describing, etc.
During the second year, or as soon as pupils have
learned to write, written composition should be added
to the oral work. This change is easily made after
vi Introduction.
pupils have learned to talk in connected sentences.
Writing is simply talking on paper.
Pupils should not be allowed to attempt either an
oral or a written composition until they have a thor-
ough knowledge of the subject. To develop such a
knowledge in pupils, teachers should hold familiar
talks with them upon the different subjects treated.
A thorough course in social 2,ndi business forms and
correspondence has been introduced. Many pupils
leave school after completing the primary course, and
it is, therefore, important that they should be instructed
in these subjects. Besides, it is just as easy to teach
English through writing letters, as through general
composition exercises. Teachers should see that pu-
pils are drilled until they thoroughly understand both
these subjects.
No separate lessons are given either in capital let-
ters or pu7ictuation. These subjects should be taught,
incidentally, in connection with the composition work
as it proceeds. Every lesson in English should in-
clude the proper use of capital letters and punctua-
tion marks.
All exercises should be corrected, during school
hours, by the pupils, under the supervision of the
Introduction. vii
teacher. Pupils will thus be trained intelligently to
criticise one another's work, and, eventually, their own.
Nothing is accomplished by the home criticism of
written exercises. Such criticism is of no benefit to
pupils. It is simply a waste of time and energy, on
the part of teachers. What pupils need, is personal
criticism from teachers. This can be had only in the
class-room, where the teacher is enabled to give per-
sonal supervision to the work of the pupils. Again,
we say, do not correct written exercises at home^ but
have them corrected in the class-room under the super-
vision of the teacher.
It must not be imagined, from what is said above,
that teachers are not to have any home work. There
is plenty of such work for them aside from the cor-
rection of written exercises. It consists in the prep-
aration of the lessons of the coming day, so that
they may be presented in a simple, objective way to
the class. This is pleasant work; growing work, by
which both teacher and pupil are greatly benefited.
CONTENTS.
FIRST YEAR AT SCHOOL.
PAGE.
General Directions 13
Lesson I, Statement Making .* 14
Lesson II, Conversation on the Cat 17
Lesson III, Conversation on a Picture — ^^ Pussy and the
Birdr 20
Lesson IV, Conversation on What Was Seen on the Way
to School— "T:*^' Candy ManT 22
Lesson V, Conversation on an Object — *^^ Leather''' 26
Lesson VI, Objects — Data for Conversations on Water^
Glass. Tea, Milk and Salt 27
SECOND YEAR AT SCHOOL.
General Directions 33
Lesson I, Sentence Making 34
Lesson II, Filling of Blanks 35
Lesson III, Dictations, Transposition, Etc 35
Lesson IV, Combination of Statements into Sentences. . . 36
Lesson V, Reproduction Exercises — ''^The Fox and the
Grapes" " The Foolish Croiv " . 38
Lesson VI, Oral Information — Sugar^ IVool, Wheat, Coffee,
Vinegar 39
Lesson VII, Written Compositions — ''Children at School"
"What I Do at Home;' ''What I Saw on My Way
to School" "The Snmv-storm " 42
Contents.
THIRD YEAR AT SCHOOL.
PAGE.
General Directions 49
Lesson I, vSentence Making 50
Lesson II, Pilling of Blanks, Construction and Transposi-
tion of Sentences 50
Lesson III, Dictations, Etc 51
Lesson IV, Combination of Sentences 52
Lesson V, Specimen Reproduction — ^'' The Foolish Fox".., 53
Lesson VI, Tales for Reproduction — "7'/;^ Dog and His
Shado^u^' ''The Boy and the Wolf;' ''The Cruel Chil-
dren;' ''The Giant GirVs Toy'' 55
Lesson VII, Letter Writing— Friendly Letters 58
Lesson VIII, Oral Information — Gold, Sheep, Tin, Camels,
Starch 63
Lesson IX, Orig*nal Descriptions — ''The Fireside," "Piiss
and the Bird" 66
FOURTH YEAR AT SCHOOL.
General Directions 75
Lesson I, Subject and Predicate, Etc 76
Lesson II, Nouns, Identification of 77
Lesson III, Nouns, Singular and Plural Forms of 78
Lesson IV, Nouns, Possessive Forms of 80
Lesson V, Combination of Sentences 81
Lesson VI, Friendly Letter Writing 82
Lesson VII, Social Forms — Notes of Invitation, Letters of
Introduction. 84
Lesson VIII, Business Forms— Letters of Application,
Bills, Receipts 85
Lesson IX, A Series of Business Letters— (i) Opening Bus-
iness; (2) Credit Established ; (3) Goods Ordered ; (4)
Advice of Shipment ; {5) Goods Received; (6) Payment
Acknowledged 87
Lesson X, Oral Information— ^^^Z^-^, Elephants, Hemp,
Lions, Iron 90
Lesson XI, Reproduction Tales— "r>^^ Wonderful Soup
Pot," "Star Dollars," "Baby's Sail on the Brook," "Self-
ish Harry," "The Mischievous Parrot " 94
Lesson XII, Compositions— "6'ra«^a'j Darling" 98
£«L.
-%
FIRST YEAR AT SCHOOL.
FIRST YEAR AT SCHOOL
The instruction in language, during the first
year at school, is almost entirely oral. It is
conducted upon a conversational basis, for the
purpose of teaching the pupils to talk well,
rather than to zvrite.
Pupils are expected to progress from oral, to
written composition as soon as they have learned
to write. Teachers, when pupils have learned
to write, should be careful to put upon the black-
board every neiv word in the exercise, so that
pupils need not make any mistakes in spelling.
Have pupils, in the beginning, construct short,
simple sentences from given words in the reader;
also from words of their own selection.
Lead the children to talk daily about familiar
objects, the subjects of their reading lessons, what
they see, and what they do.
Require them always to express their thoughts
in sentences. Correct all faulty expressions used
in the class-room.
14 Common School English.
Teach that every sentence should begin
WITH A CAPITAL LETTER ; that EVERY STATE-
MENT SHOULD END WITH A PERIOD ; and that
EVERY QUESTION SHOULD END WITH A QUES-
TION MARK.
Teachers should always remember that their
fundamental purpose is to AWAKEN AND DE-
VELOP THE children's POWERS OF OBSERVA-
TION, THOUGHT, AND EXPRESSION, BY TRAIN-
ING THEM TO SEE, TO THINK, AND TO TALK.
LESSON I.
STATEMENT MAKING.
The teacher selects two words, for example,
" fly " and " birds," and writes them thus upon the
blackboard:
fly birds
Teacher— ^\\^S. have i written, children?
Pupils — Fly and birds.
T. — What are fly and birds?
P. — They are words.
j^ — Do they tell anything about birds?
P. — They do not.
Statement Making. 15
T. — Who can say these words so that they
will tell something about birds?
/^.— Birds fly.
T. — This [writing on the blackboard] says
something about birds, or makes a statement
about birds. You see, children, that this state-
ment begins ivitli a capital letter, and ends zvith a
period. You have told me that birds fly, but
how would you ask me if the birds fly?
/'.—Do birds fly? Can birds fly?
T. — That [writing on the blackboard] is cor-
rect. You see that this question also begins
with a capital letter, but ends with a question
mark. This [pointing to birds fly] is a very
short statement. Now, let us see if we can make
a longer one. Who can make a statement from
[writing them on the blackboard] these words?
fly birds high
P.— Birds fly high.
T. — Who can change these words around so
as to make them ask if the birds Jly high ?
P. — Do birds fly high? Can birds fly high?
r.— Do all birds fly high?
P.—^o.
T.—No! Nozvhat?
P.— AW birds do not fly high.
16 Common School English.
T. — That's a statement. Who can tell me
that all birds do not fly high, and use [writing
on the blackboard] these words?
birds high fly some
P. — Some birds fly high.
T. — Who can change this statement into a
question ?
P. — Do some birds fly high? Can some
birds fly high?
Give similar lessons, using the following
groups of words: —
1. bark, dogs.
2. horses, fast, run.
3. mice, cats, catch.
4. swim, ducks.
5. honey, can, bees, make.
6. children, study, lessons, their, good.
7. hat, new, she, a, has.
8. dolls, play, girls, with.
9. boys, ball,, play, to, like, and, marbles.
10. Ida, dress, a, sister, gave, her, dear, May,
blue, silk.
Continue to give exercises in the construction
of statements and questions, as here illustrated,
using words from the reading lessons, through-
out the year.
Conversation on the Cat. 17
LESSON II.
CONVERSATION ON THE CAT.
Teac/ier — Who can tell me something about
a cat?
Pupil — The cat is an animal.
T. — What kind of an animal?
P. — It is a tame animal.
T. — Where does it live?
P. — It lives in houses.
T. — Has the cat any feet?
P.—Y&s.
T. — How many?
P. — Four feet.
T. — Well, say it all. What has four feet ?
P. — The cat has four feet.
T. — What else has it ?
P. — It has whiskers.
r.~What else?
P. — It has fur on its back.
T. — What do we call the fur on the cat's
back?
/^.— Its coat.
T. — What kind of a coat ?
P. — It is a coat of fur.
T. — Then, we will call it a furry coat. Of
what is it made ?
2
18 Common School ENCiLisn.
P, — It is made of hair.
T. — Then, what can we say of the cat's
coat ?
P. — It has a furry coat of hair.
T. — Are all cats of the same color ?
/*.^Some cats are white and some are black.
T. — Does the cat make any noise when it
steps?
P. — It does not.
T. — How does it step, then ?
P. — The cat steps very softly.
T. — What kind of claws has it ?
P. — The cat has sharp claws, which it can
pull in, or push out of its paws.
T. — What can the cat do ?
P. — It can scratch.
r— What else ?
P. — It can climb.
r.— What else ?
P. — It can jump.
T, — Now, what can you say of the cat?
P. — The cat can scratch, climb, and jump.
T. — Of what good is it ?
P. — It is good for catching rats and mice.
T. — What do we call little cats?
P. — Little cats are called kittens
Conversation on the Cat. 19
T. — Are they of any use?
P. — They are pets.
T. — What kind of pets?
P. — Kittens are playful pets.
T. — Who likes to play with kittens?
Pupils — I do. We do. Boys and girls do.
After the facts have been thus developed, by
a conversational lesson, individual pupils should
be required to tell, in simple, connected sentences,
all they know about the cat.
Following is the result of the lesson :
THE CA'l'.
The cat is a tame animal. It lives in houses.
The cat has four feet. It has whiskers and a
furry coat of hair. Some cats are white and
some are black. The cat steps very softly. It
has sharp claws, which it can pull in, or push
out of its paws. The cat can scratch, cl'mb,
and jump. It is good for catching rats and
mice. Little cats are called kittens. They are
playful pets for boys and girls.
Teachers should prepare themselves, and, in
similar conversational lessons, develop some
familiar facts about the dog, the hen, the cow,
the horse, and such other common animals as
their time will warrant.
20 Common School English.
LESSON III.
CONVERSATION ON A PICTURE.
Teacher — Who can give me a name for
[showing to the class] this picture ?
Pupils — The Two Pets. The Bird Catcher.
Pussy and the Bird.
T. — Pussy and the Bird will do. Now, look
at the picture and tell me what you see ?
P. — I see a girl. I see a cat. I see a cage.
T. — By what name shall we call the girl ?
P. — Call the girl Dolly. Her name is Ida
Hdr name is Nellie.
T. — Dolly will do. Give me a name for the
cat.
P. — The cat's name is Pinkie. The cat's
name is Tabby.
T. — We will take Tabby, but we must also
have a name for the bird.
P. — The bird is named Tom. The bird's
name is Will. The bird's name is Dick.
T.—We will call the girl, Dolly ; the cat,
Tabby; and the bird, Dick. Look again and
tell me what they are doing.
P. — Dick is in the cage. Tabby is climbing
up Dolly's dress trying to get him.
(Conversation on a Picture. 21
7". — How is Dolly dressed ?
P. — She has on a blue, silk dress, with short
sleeves, a red sash, red stockings and black slip-
p rs.
T. — What else can you say about her?
/-*. — She has lone;, curly hair and rosy checks.
r. — Hasn't she something in her hands?
P. — Dolly is holding a bird-cage in her hands,
very high, and is smiling at Tabby.
T. — You've not told me much about Dick.
/'. — Dick is a canary bird. He is flying
around in his cage and looks scared.
r.— What about the cat ?
P. — Tabby is standing on her hind legs, try-
ing to get at Dick. She looks like a Maltese
cat.
T. — What will Tabby do to Dick if she gets
him ?
P. — She will kill him. She will eat him.
T. — That would be too bad, but I don't think
Dolly will let Tabby get Dick.
When the conversation is concluded, the
teacher, after reading them, .should erase the
responses, which have been written on the black-
board, and call upon individuals in the class for
22 Common School English.
oral descriptions. Following is a specimen of
what may be expected, near the end of the year :
PUSSY AND THE BIRD.
Dolly, Tabby and Dick are out on the grass.
Dolly has a cage in her hands. Tabby is trying
to get Dick. Dick is very much afraid. Dolly
has curly hair and rosy cheeks. She has on a
silk dress and a red sash around her waist.
Dick is a canary bird. Tabby is a Maltese cat.
Dolly has red stockings and black slippers.
MoRTiE Meyer,
Emerson Primary School, San Francisco, Cal.
Give like lessons with other pictures. Colored
pictures are preferable.
LESSON IV.
CONVERSATION ON WHAT WAS SEEN ON THE
WAY TO SCHOOL.
Following is the result of a conversational
lesson, with pupils, about what they had seen on
their way to school. The facts were developed,
as illustrated in the preceding lessons; the
teacher's questions being intended to suggest
merely a logical arrangement of ideas:
PUSSY AND THE BIRI>.
15 J K C T S . 25
THE CANDY MAN.
I saw an old man, this morning, at the school
gate. He tries to make all the money he can,
by selling can iy. His clothes were very shabby.
He sits on the steps every morning, with his
basket on his lap. He is lame and walks with a
cane. I said: " Good-morning," and he bowed
his head. He is very poor and has to sell candy
for a living. When I .see him, it always makes
me feel sad. He had some chocolate creams,
some peppermint drops, and some chocolate
sticks in the basket. I bought two long sticks
of chocolate and gave my sister one. The
candy was very sweet and nice. Sometimes,
children eat too much candy and get sick.
These lessons may be repeated, at any time,
and will always give original results. Require
pupils, in like manner, to talk about what they
do at home.
LESSON V.
CONVERSATION ON AN OBJECT.
Teacher — What's this I hold in my hand ?
Pupils — It is a piece of leather.
T. — From what is it made ?
/^ — It is made from the skins of animals.
26 Common School English.
. T. — Give me another word for skins.
P. — Leather is made from the hides of ani-
mals.
T. — What animals ?
P. — Cows. Sheep. Goats. Oxen.
T. — TJien why don't you say so ?
P. — Leather is made from the hides of cows,
sheep, oxen and goats.
T. — (writing the statement on the black-
board) How is it made?
P. — They scrape the hair off the hides with
a sharp knife.
T. — They ! Who are they ?
P. — Men scrape the hair off the hides with a
sharp knife.
T. — (writing) What next?
P. — They soak them in bark water.
r.— Well?
P. — They lay them in the sun to dry.
T. — WJio can put these last two statements
into one ?
P. — Then, they soak them in bark water and
lay them in the sun to dry.
T. — (writing) What do we call the hides,
when the men are through with them ?
P. — The hides are then called leather.
T. — (writing) For what is leather used ?
O IJ J K C T S
P. — It is used for making boots and shoes
and for binding books.
T. — (writing) Now, let us read what you
have told me about [writing the title]
LEATHER.
L eather is made from the hides of cows, sheep
oxen and goats. Men scrape the hair off the
hides with a sharp knife. Then, they soak them
in bark water and lay them in the sun to dry
The hides are then called leather. It is used for
making boots and shoes, and for binding books.
LESSON VI.
OBJECTvS.
E mbody, in conversational lessons, the follow
ing information about water, glass, tea, milk
and salt. Then, have pupils talk compositions,
by telling all they have learned about each
object.
WATER.
The people in this world could not live with-
out water. We drink it when we are thirsty
and bathe in it when we wish to be clean. Rain
water comes from the clouds. The water in the
28 Common School English.
sea is salt There is three times as much water
as land upon the earth. Pure water is clear and
colorless. When we travel, we often sail upon
the water in ships and steamers. From boiling
water, we get steam, which makes the cars on the
railroads go so fast. We, also, use water to make
tea and coffee, and to cook meats and vegetables.
Water makes things grow that are planted in
the earth. It puts out fires. When the weather
is very cold, water freezes. Then, it is called
ice.
GLASS.
Glass is hard, clear and smooth. It is easily
broken. Glass is used in making windows,
dishes, bottles, vases, etc. It is a great con-
ductor of heat. The glass used in spectacles is
called magnifying glass and makes things look
larger to us than they would if seen without the
glass. By looking through the telescope, we see
and learn much about the stars and moon.
TEA.
The tea plant will grow in both warm and
cold countries. The leaves are gathered, dried
in the sun, and then moistened by steam. They
are next laid upon metal plates and exposed to
considerable heat. The best tea is grown in
Objects. 29
China and Japan. The plant will not give a
crop of tea until it is three years old. When it
has lived thirty years, the plant dies. The peo-
ple of Europe and America have been using tea
about two hundred years, but it was in use long
before that among the Chinese and Japanese.
We have black tea and green tea. When
steeped in water, tea makes an excellent drink.
MILK.
Milk is a white, sweet and wholesome liquid
We get it from cows, goats and camels. The
milk of cows is generally used by us. Very
rich and thick milk is called cream. We cannot
see through milk, as we can through water
because water is clear, but milk is not. From
milk, we make butter and cheese. We, also, use
milk in our tea and coffee and in cooking.
Most children like to drink milk.
SALT.
Salt is a white^ sparkling substance. It comes
from wells, springs, the sea and mines in the
earth. We put salt on our meats and vegetables
to make them taste better. Salt will, also, keep
meats and fi.sh from spoiling. The sea contains
a great deal of salt. Salt water will not freeze
so soon as fresh water.
SECOND YEAR AT SCHOOL.
"K<I?
SECOND YEAR AT SCHOOL
The method of instruction, begun in the first
year, is continued upon a slightly advanced
scale in the second year.
Pupils are nozu trained to write ^ as well as to
talk, and to use correctly, i?i sijriple sentences, capi-
tal letters, periods, question marks, exclamation
points and apostrophes.
Give exercises in the writing of paragraphs,
from dictation, and the filling of blanks, in sen-
tences, with suitable words. Let pupils fre-
quently copy their reading lessons.
Drill the children in the oral and ivritten
reproduction of short stories. Require them to
construct original statements, questiofis a7id excla-
mations.
Teach the combination of two and three iyide-
pendent statements into a single sejitence, and con-
tinue this exercise throughout the year.
I^icts about objects arc developed by conver-
3
34 Common School English.
sational lessons (as illustrated in the lessons of
the First Year at School) before calling upon
individuals in the class, for connected statements.
LESSON I.
SBNTENCB MAKING.
Require pupils to construct sentences, em-
bodying the words in each of the following
groups:
1. slate, pencil.
2. laughs, plays.
3. hat, wind, May's.
4. sheep, field, flock.
5. bloom, garden, flowers.
6. winter, cold, ice, skate.
7. pulled, boy, water, dog.
8. James, ball, Tom, marbles.
9. lessons, every, school, goes, Ella.
10. Christmas, Santa Claus, gives, presents,
children.
Continue this exercise throughout the year.
Dictations, Transposition, Etc. 35
LESSON II.
FILLING OF BLANKvS.
Fill the following blanks with suitable words:
1. Nell has a .
2. Frank to school.
3. Lucy has a doll.
4. Sugar sweet.
5. She wore a dress.
6. play ball.
7. The bee makes honey.
8. Harry in the wagon.
9. The can swim.
10. Girls rope.
Give, frequently, similar exercises.
LESSON III.
DICTATIONS, TRANSPOSITION, ETC.
Give frequent dictations, like the following :
Tom was a good, little boy. He lived in
Boston. He went to school on week days and
to church on Sundays. Christmas eve, he hung
up his stocking, hoping to get a present from
36 Common School English.
Santa Claus. When he got up the next morn-
ing, he looked in his stocking and there found
a fine knife, a ball and a book.
Have pupils write original statements, ques-
tions and exclamatory sentences; also change
statements into questions and questions into state-
ments.
LESSON IV.
COMBINATION OF STATEMENTS INTO SEN-
TENCES.
Teacher — Ida, make a statement about a doll.
Ida — The doll is pretty.
T. — Nellie, you make another statement
about the doll.
Nellie — It has on a white hat.
T. — Who can put these two statements into
one?
Flora — The doll is pretty and it has on a
white hat.
T. — Who can make a shorter statement?
May — (after considerable hesitancy) The
pretty doll has on a white hat.
T. — That's better [writing on the black-
board]:
Combination of Statements.
Ella has a doll.
It is a bisqtie doll.
The doll is dressed in blue.
Who can make one statement out of these
three ?
/. — Ella has a doll, and it is a bisque doll^
and it is dressed in blue.
T. — Oh! you have too many "and's" and
"it's!"
M. — Ella has a bisque doll and it is dressed
in blue.
T. — Who can make the statement and not
use either " and " or " it" ?
N. — Ella has a bisque doll dressed in blue.
T. — That's well done.
Combine the following independent state-
ments into sentences :
1. The house is large.
2. \\. is painted zuhite.
1. The boy is idle.
2. He is lasy.
1. The house is on the hill.
2. It is little.
3. It is broivn.
I. The boy ran away from school.
38 Common School English.
2. He was a bad boy.
3. He was a sUipid boy.
1. The hills are covered with snow.
2. They are high.
3. The hills are steep.
Continue this exercise throughout the year.
LESSON V.
REPRODUCTION EXERCISES.
Tell, or read short stories, like the following,
and have them reproduced by pupils, using their
own language :
THE FOX AND THE GRAPES.
A thirsty fox, one warm day, saw a bunch of
fine grapes hanging from a vine at the top of a
pole. " What a nice dinner I might have if I
could only get those grapes," thought the fox.
So he jumped up at them again and again, but,
finding, at last, that he could not reach the
grapes, he went away thinking to himself that
he would not eat them, even if they were lying
on the ground, because they were so sour.
Oral Ifornmation. 39
the foolish crow.
A crow once stole a piece of cheese from the
window of a cottage, and, taking it in her bill,
flew away to the top of a tree. A fox saw the
crow and thought that he should like to get the
cheese. So, he said to her : " Oh! Mrs. Ci:ow,
how beautiful you are! I have never heard you
sing, but if your voice is as beautiful as your
feathers are, it must, indeed, be charming." The
crow, very much pleased, opened her mouth to
sing and the cheese fell to the ground. The
sly fox quickly picked it up and ran away,
thinking how smart he was and how foolish
was the crow.
LESSON VI.
ORAL INFORMATION.
Embody, in conversational lessons, the fol-
lowing information about sugar, wool, wheat,
coffee and vinegar. Then, direct pupils to write
compositions upon each of these subjects, tell-
ing what they have learned about them:
40 Common School Enolisii.
SUGAR.
Sugar is a sweet, vegetable substance, that
comes mostly from the sugar-cane. When ripe,
the cane, or stem, is taken to the mill, where the
juice is extracted from it and boiled and strained
repeatedly. Finally, the sugar cools, and, sep-
arating from the molasses, forms into grains
The raw sugar, as it is then called, is afterwards
refined, or purified. Sugar will dissolve in
water. White and brown are the common col-
ors of sugar. We have cube sugar and crushed
sugar. In making candies, pies, cakes, jellies,
jams, etc., sugar is largely used.
WOOL.
Wool is the covering of sheep. In the sum-
mer, it is sheared, or cut, from the living sheep.
It is then called the fleece. After the raw wool,
which is very soft and warm, has been picked,
assorted and cleaned, it is combed, carded and
spun into yarn and worsted. The combing,
carding and spinning are done by machinery.
Blankets, flannels, carpets and different kinds
of clothing are manufactured from wool. Where
carded wool is used, the goods are called wool-
ens; where combed wool is used, the goods are
called worsteds.
Oral Information. H
WHEAT.
Wheat is a very valuable grain. Farmers
sow their land with wheat, and, when it has
grown quite high, and has become ripe, mow,
or cut it down. The wheat is then threshed and
the grain separated from the chaff, or winnowed.
Next, the wheat is sent to the mill and ground
into fine, white flour, which we make into bread.
The United States produces more wheat than
any other country in the world. Wheat is
used by a greater number of people than any
other grain except rice.
COFFEE.
The coffee tree grows in warm countries.
When ripe, the beans, or coffee berries, are gath-
ered from the trees and placed on mats, in the
sun, to dry. When the tree is three years old, it
gives a crop of about a pound of coffee beans.
To make coffee for the table, we roast and grind
the beans and mix the powder with boiling
water. Mocha is the best coffee. Coffee is a
refreshing drink, but if we drink it too strong,
it is likely to make us nervous and keep us
awake.
VINEGAR.
Vinegar is an orange- brown, acid liquid, used
42 Common School English.
for flavoring food, pickling, and sometimes as
medicine. The best vinegar is made from wine
It is also made from cider. If we use too much
vinegar, it will make us thin and dyspeptic.
Vinegar is very useful and may be seen upon
all dining tables.
LESSON VII.
WRITTEN COMPOSITIONS.
Develop, through conversational lessons,
(First Year at School) compositions upon the
camel, the lion, the elephant, the canary bird
and the rose; also, written descriptions of pict-
ures, etc.
Papers, like the following, may be expected
toward the close of the year:
CHILDREN AT SCHOOL.
These children are at school. One of them
has an apple and is dividing it with another
girl. She is a good girl. There are six girls in
the school-room. It is recess and the children
are at play. They like to learn as well as play.
All have on clean, white aprons. There are Lulu,
Jennie, Ruble, Pearl and Mabel. Little May is
CHILDREN AT SCHOOL,
Written Composition. 45
peeping through the door. Rubie and Pearl
have on bronze slippers. The others have shoes.
Lulu has long, golden hair and the rest have
light-brown hair. The teacher's name is Miss
Piatt. Eva Dold,
Lincoln Primary School, San Francisco, Cal.
The next two compositions are evidence of
what children can do, during their second year
at school :
WHAT I DO AT HOME.
At home, I help my mother. I sweep the
porch, wipe the dishes, clean the silver and do
many other things that little children can do to
help their parents. I also practice on the piano.
I generally practice two hours a day. I have a
swing and a doll. I have nice hats and hoods
for her. I have a doll's checked quilt that I sew
on sometimes. My teacher at school is very
kind to us all. ESTELLE Weisheimer,
Lincohi Primary School, San Fraficisco, Cal.
WHAT I SAW ON MY WAY TO SCHOOL.
One day, as I was coming to school, I met a
lame man. He was very shabbily dressed. He
was so very lame that he looked as if he was going
to fall down. Where I saw this man was at the
corner of Fifth and Howard Streets. As he
went to go across the street, he fell down and
two or three men ran to pick him up. I heard
him say that he had suffered a great deal with
46 Common School English.
his legs, yet, he had to suffer still more. After
the man was up, he went into a grocery store
and sat down for a little while. An express
wagon came and took him away. I also saw a
lady coming out of a car with a small baby in
her arms. She was a careless mother. She let
her child fall on the car track and nearly killed
it. Martha Gray,
Lincoln Primary School^ San Francisco, Cal.
Following is a specimen paper, by the same
writer, based upon what she had seen and ob-
served:
THE SNOW-STORM.
The snow, in San Francisco, fell on Saturday
morning at 2 o'clock and ended late in the
afternoon. The boys threw snow-balls all day
long. We have not had snow in San Francisco
for years, until last Saturday. The snow looked
very beautiful on the hills and trees. The
Chinamen dared not come out, for they were
afraid of getting hurt with snow-balls. I saw a
Chinaman running as fast as he could and about
twelve boys running after him. The snow falls
very often in the Eastern States, but, it is not
common in San Francisco.
Martha Gray,
Lincoln Primary School, San Francisco, Cal.
Require occasional, original papers upon sim-
ilar topics.
THIRD YEAR AT SCHOOL.
THIRD YEAR AT SCHOOL
Teach, during the third year at school, the
simple uses, in sentences, of quotation marks,
capital letters, the period, the question mark, the
exclamation point and the apostrophe.
Continue the exercises, in the construction of
sentences, the filling of blanks, dictations, the
reproduction of stories, the copying of reading
lessons and the combination of independent
statements into sentences. In conversational
lessons, give information about animals and ob-
jects.
Letter zvriting is introduced, principally, for
the purpose of teaching pupils the forms of
beginning, ending and addressing friendly let-
ters.
Develop, through conversational lessons, pict-
ures and objects, compositions upon the do-
mestic animals, etc.
4
50 Common School English.
LESSON I.
SENTENCE MAKING.
Direct pupils to incorporate, in original sen-
tences, the words in the following groups:
1. answer, lad.
2. probably, teacher, punish.
3. gentleman, surprised.
4. city, live, people, country.
5. wicked, lie, quarrel.
6. industry, virtues, honesty, respected.
7. horse, man, useful, sheep, animals.
8. rescued, dog, drowning, girl, river.
9. farmers, earth, miners, cultivate, gold,
land.
10. letter, New York, James, vacation, cousin,
Frank.
LESSON II.
FILLING OF BLANKS, CONSTRUCTION AND .
TRANSPOSITION OF SENTENCES.
Fill with appropriate words the following
blanks :
I. The rose is a and flower.
Dictations, Etc.
2. Lions and are wild and an-
imals.
3. Charles is a smart boy.
4. Ducks can easily the water.
5. He is the boy was promoted.
6. The sun is shining .
7. This is the book he read.
8. children obey their parents.
9. James and Henry home?
10. It was who wrote the letter.
Have pupils write original sentences ; change
statements into questions and questions into
statements.
LESSON III.
DICTATIONS, ETC.
Give frequent dictations, like the following:
A cat, hearing that the birds in a neighbor's
house were sick, dressed himself like a doctor,
and, taking with him his cane and medicines,
went to the house, knocked at the door and
asked how all the birds did, saying that if they
were ill, he would be happy to give them some
medicine and cure them. The birds answered:
52 Common School English.
" We are all very well and shall continue so, if
you will only go away and leave us as we are."
Require the pupils to copy correctly lessons
from their readers.
LESSON IV.
COMBINATION OF SENTENCES.
Combine into sentences (Second Year at
School) the following independent statements :
1. The boys skated.
2. It was in the winter.
3. They skated on the lake.
1. Amy wrote a letter.
2. She wrote to her mamma.
3. It was a nice letter.
4. It was a lo7ig\^\XQX.
1. Eva can draw.
2. She studies history.
3. She studies music.
4. She studies geography.
1. Gold was discovered.
2. It was discovered in California.
3. It was discovered in January.
Specimen Reproduction. 53
4. It was discovered in 1848.
5. It was discovered by James W. Marshall.
1. The man was working.
2. He was in the garden.
3. He Jiad a spade in his hand.
4. He zvote a straw hat.
5. He was dressed in black.
Continue this exercise throughout the year.
LESSON V.
SPECIMEN REPRODUCTION.
Read short selections, like the following, and
have them reproduced by pupils in their own
language :
THE FOX AND THE HEN.
A hungry fox, one day, while looking for
something to eat, spied a hen at the foot of a
tree, scratching in the earth for worms.
Upon the tree there hung a drum, which
would make a noise whenever the wind blew
the branches against it.
The fox was about to seize the hen when the
drum beat. " Oh oh! " said he, " are you there?
54 Common School English.
I will be with you soon. Surely, you must have
more flesh upon you than a lean hen." So say-
ing-, he climbed up the tree and the hen, in the
meantime, made her escape.
When the fox had torn off the head of the
drum and found that it was empty, he sighed
and said: " Unlucky wretch that I am! What
a nice hen I have lost in trying to get a better
meal ! "
Following is a specimen reproduction, as
written by a third year boy :
THE FOOLISH FOX.
One day, a hungry fox saw a hen, by a tree»
scratching and hunting for worms.
On the branches of the tree hung a drum, and,
when the wind blew, the drum would beat.
The fox was just going to grab the hen, when
the drum made a noise. " Oh ! " said the fox,
"I will have you too!" So he climbed up the
tree and got the drum. The hen, seeing a
chance, ran off as fast as she could.
The fox tore off the top of the drum and was
much disappointed to find it empty.
Eddie Brien,
Lincoln Grammar School, San Francisco, Cal.
Tales for Reproduction. 55
LESSON VI.
TALES FOR REPRODUCTION.
Use the following tales for similar reproduc-
tion exercises:
THE DOG AND HIS SHADOW.
A big dog, with a piece of meat in his mouth,
was one day crossing a bridge over a river, when
he saw his shadow in the water. He thought that
it was another dog, with a larger piece of meat.
So, he dropped his own meat and flew at the
shadow thinking, thus, to get the larger piece.
But, the greedy dog made a sad mistake. The
piece of meat he dropped was swept away by
the current; while, that which he saw in the
water, was only a shadow and could not be eaten.
The dog then saw that he had lost his own meat
and got nothing in place of it.
THE BOY AND THE WOLF.
A boy, who watched a flock of sheep near a
village, was in the habit of alarming the people
by calling out: "Wolf! Wolf!" When the
men came to his aid, the boy would laugh at
them for their trouble, because there was no wolf
to be seen. But, at last, the wolf truly did come.
56 Common School English.
Then, the boy was very much frightened and
shouted at the top of his voice : *' Come !. Help !
The wolf is killing the sheep ! " But the villagers
had been fooled so often by him that no one
took any notice of his cries, or went near him.
The wolf killed nearly all the sheep. Then, the
lying shepherd-boy was very sorry that he had
not always spoken the truth. But, liars are not
believed even when they do speak the truth.
THE CRUEL CHILDREN.
A very old man once lived with his son and
daughter-in-law. The old man was deaf and
almost blind. When eating his dinner, he often
spilled his soup over the table cloth. His
children were. so angry at this, that they made
him sit in a corner behind the stove, where they
gave him his meals in a wooden bowl. Neither
did the poor, old- man get enough to eat. He
was, accordingly, very sad and his eyes would
often fill with tears. His little grandson, a child
only five years of age, was busy one day put-
ting together some pieces of wood. His grandpa
asked him what he was making. "I am mak-
ing a wooden trough for papa and mamma to
eat out of when I have grown to be a man," the
boy answered. At these words, the man and
Tales for Reproduction. 57
his wife looked at each other and were much
ashamed of their cruel conduct toward the old
man. Grandpa was given back his old seat at
the table and his children, in future, did not say
anything when he spilled his soup upon the
table cloth.
THE GIANT GIRL'S TOY.
At the top of a high mountain, was once an
old castle, which for many, long years had been
the home of a giant. He had an only child.
She was a girl eight years old, but fifty times as
big and strong as any of the girls in the world
to-day. Her name was Trixie. She did not
have any dolls to play with, but she was very
fond of sport. So, one day, she came down
from the mountain, into the valley below, to look
for a toy. She soon saw a farmer, with two
horses, plowing the ground in a wheat field-
Kneeling down, she spread out her apron and
swept into it the man, the horses and the plow.
Then, she ran back to the castle and put them
all upon the table. " Oh ! papa," said Tri.xie,
"see what a pretty plaything I have found down
in the valley ! " and she clapped her hands and
laughed and danced with delight. But the giant
looked serious and answered: "That is not a
58 Common School English.
toy, my child. If the farmer did not cultivate
the land, we should soon die of hunger. So, you
must take the little creature carefully back to
the field where you found him." Trixie cried
for a while and then did as she was told.
LESSON VII.
IvKTTER WRITING.
Teach pupils how to write friendly letters.
Every letter may be divided into the following
parts :
1. The heading, showing when and where the
letter is written; as, San Jose, Cal, May i, 1887.
2. The salutation, which varies according to
the relations existing between the writer and
the person addressed; as, Sir, Madam, Dear Sir,
Dear Madam, Friend Carlton, Dear Friend, My
dear Friend, Dear James, My dear James, My
dear Mother, Dear Brother, Dear Sister Lizzie,
etc.
3. The body of the letter, comprising all that
is contained between the salutation and the
subscription.
4. The sidiscription; as, Yours, Yours truly,
LerrER Writing. 59
Yours respectfully, Yours faithfully, Yours sin-
cerely, Truly yours, Respectfully, Most respect-
fully yours, Sincerely yours, Very truly yours.
Your sincere friend, Yours as ever, Affection-
ately yours, Your dutiful son. Your loving
daughter, etc. The form varies, as in the salu-
tation, according to the relation of the parties-
5. The sig-natiire or name of the writer.
6. The address, comprising the name and res-
idence of the person to whom the letter is
written, like the superscription on the envelope.
It is customary to write the address at the
dose of friendly letters, but, in business letters, it
is written directly after the headijig.
Mr., Mrs., Master and Miss, are the titles in
common use, in addressing the envelope; as, in
the following models :
1 Superscription. J
STAMP.
Miss Ada L. Starr,
426 Fifth Avenue,
J^eiv York City, J^ , Y.
(>0 Common School English.
STAMP.
Charles F . (Rollins j
T. 0. (Box 84;
San Francisco^ Cal,
•
STAMP.
Mr. F. H, Mitchell,
(Petaluma^
Sonoma Co.^ Cal.
STAMP
Mrs. Ida (k. Jackson,
246 State Street,
(Boston, Mass.
Letter Writing. 61
STAMP.
Master Willie S. ^Pond,
Virginia City,
J^evada
Military men should be addressed as Lieu-
tenant, Captain, Major, Colonel, General, etc.,
according to their rank.
The titles Reverend, Reverend Doctor and
Right Reverend arc applied to the clergy.
Dr. and M. D. are the titles given to medical
men.
Professor is the title commonly given to
heads of departments in colleges, universities,
etc.
Hon. is the title applied to Mayors of cities.
Judges, Congressmen, State Senators, etc.
Fay special attention to the spacing, para-
graphing, punctuating and forms of beginning,
ending and addressing letters; as illustrated in
the accompanying models:
62 Common School English.
[i. Heading.]
San Francisco, Cal., May 6, 1887.
[2. Salutation.]
Dear Nellie :
[3- Body.]
Mother said that I could write and invite you
to spend your vacation with me.
Do you think you can come? I hope so.
What fun we shall have when you arrive !
I will take you to Golden Gate Park, Wood-
ward's Gardens, the Presidio and the Clifif
House. In the evenings, we can go to the
theaters and give parties. I will do all I can to
make it pleasant for you.
Be sure to come. I will meet you at the
depot.
[4. Subscription.]
Yours affectionately,
[5. Signature.]
Helen.
[6. Address.]
Mzss Nellie Loiv, Carson City, Nevada.
[i. Heading.]
Carson City, Nev., May 12, 1887.
[2. Salutation.]
My dear Helen :
[3- Body.]
I received your kind letter inviting me to
visit you and was delighted when mamma said
I might go and stay a week with you.
I have never been in San Francisco, but have
Oral Information. 63
heard much about it and shall be glad to see it.
You may expect me next Monday. Papa
has to go to the city on business and will take
me with him. I remain, with much love,
[4. Subscription.]
Your sincere friend,
(5. Signature.]
Emma.
(6. .Address. I
^Fiss ffr/t'fi Martin, San Francisco, Cal.
LESSON VIII.
ORAL INFORMATION.
In conversational lessons, give the following
information about gold, sheep, tin, camels and
starch. Then, have pupils write compositions,
telling what they have learned about each ob-
ject :
GOLD.
Gold, the most precious of metals, is found
in many parts of the earth. It is a compara-
tively soft and heavy metal. A grain of gold,
the size of a pin's head, can be beaten out to
cover a wide space; and a fine, gold wire will
sustain a weight of five hundred pounds. The
64 Common School English.
color of gold is a beautiful yellow. When it
comes from the mine, mixed with rock, the ore
is crushed to a powder and the gold separated
from it by the use of quick-silver. Next, the
gold is worked into bullion and sent to the mint
to be coined. A great deal of gold is used by
jewelers in the manufacture of rings, pins,
bracelets, watches, etc. The weight of gold is
from nineteen to twenty times that of water.
SHEEP.
Sheep are of great use to man. Male sheep
are called rams; female sheep, ewes; and young
sheep, lambs. The wool, which covers the
bodies of sheep, keeps them warm in cold
weather. Some sheep have long, twisted horns
and are very vicious. The long-tailed sheep have
fat tails, which are often fastened to boards to
keep them from dragging on the ground. The
black-faced sheep are very tenacious of life.
The wool of sheep is very valuable. From it,
we make clothing. The skins of sheep give us
leather. Sheep, also, give us mutton. They
run in herds and feed mostly upon grass.
TIN.
Tin has been in use in the world for a very
Oral Information. 65
long time. It is of a silvery white color and
comes out of mines in the earth. Next to
lead, it is the softest of metals; its weight is
only seven times that of water. Tin can be
drawn out into fine wires and beaten into thin
sheets. It is used, principally, in the manufact-
ure of tin cups, plates, pans, kettles, pails, etc.
Enfjland is the greatest tin producing country
in the world.
CAMELS.
The home of the camel is in Asia and Africa.
It has a long neck, small head, big eyes and a
hump on its back. Some camels have two
humps on their backs. The camel is used for
carrying goods across the deserts and is often
called '' tJie ship of the desert^ Camels have
cushions on the soles of their feet and are, thus,
adapted to travel over the sandy deserts. The
tread of the camel is noiseless and its long eye-
lashes shade its eyes from the glare of the sun.
It can close its nostrils, at will, and thus keep
out of them the drifting .sand. The camel has
a peculiarly formed stomach and can travel for
many days without water. It can, also, live a
long time upon very little food. The hump
5
Q^ Common School English.
upon its back, from which it draws nourishment,
then becomes much smaller. The camel is gen-
tle and patient. The Arabs drink its milk and
eat its flesh. From the hair of camels, we make
brushes and camel's hair shawls.
STARCH.
Starch is a white substance, with hardly any
smell or taste. It is contained in the seeds of
peas and beans, the roots of potatoes, the pith
of the sago palm, etc. Starch is insoluble in
cold water, but combines with warm water into
a sort of jelly. The grains of starch are, gen-
erally, round or oval and tolerably uniform in
size. Starch is in common use in laundries, to
stiffen clothes; it is, also, used in the manufact-
ure of brandy, grape sugar, etc. Wheat starch
is sometimes used for medicinal purposes.
LESSON IX.
ORIGINAI. DRSCRIPTIONS.
Develop, through conversational lessons upon
pictures, original descriptions, like the following:
THE FIRESIDE.
Mrs. Smith is a nurse. She has six children:
iHt !• IKt>>ll>t..
Original Descripiions. 69
Tom, May, Frank, Katie, Isabel and Bertie.
1^'rank is the eldest child and takes charge of the
house in his mother's absence. Mrs. Smith's
husband was killed. She has to work for her
living and take care of her children. One cold,
winter's night, Mrs. Smith was called to a house
where a child was very sick. She left the chil-
dren in care of Frank. He took the baby in
his arms and told the children to come around
the fire and he would tell them a story. So, they
all gathered round him to hear the story. Tom
sat down by the fireplace. Frank hung the
baby's clothes upon a peg on the wall. While
he was telling the story, Katie and May fell
asleep. Willi?: Hunt,
Lincoln Grammar School, San Francisco^ Cal.
The above was written by a pupil during his
third year at school. The picture of " Puss and
the l^ird " was treated orally in the First Year
at School. A comparison of that description,
with tlu: folloiving written description, by a third
year pupil, illustrates the progress possible in the
intervening time:
70 Common School English.
PUSS AND THE BIRD.
There was once a little girl who had two pets,
a cat and a canary bird. One warm day, she
thought that she would hang the cage, in which
the bird was, out in the sun. As the bird was
new, puss was not used to it, and the bird the
same. While the little girl was playing, she for-
got about the bird, but the cat did not. It was
trying to kill the bird all the time. When the
girl came to take the bird in, she found the cat
and said : " Go into the house." The cat did
not obey, but tried to get the bird. Do you not
think the cat was cruel ?
Frank Brann,
Lincoln Grammar School^ San Francisco, Cal.
1) THE HIRD.
FOURTH YEAR AT SCHOOL.
FOURTH YEAR AT. SCHOOL
leach the simple uses, in sentences, of the
comma, in addition to capital letters, the period,
the question mark, the exclamation point, the quo-
tation marks and the apostrophe.
Continue the conversational lessons upon objects
and pictures, also, the combination and repro-
duction exercises.
The division of sentences into complete sub-
jects and complete predicates; nouns, their sin-
gular, plural and possessive forms are also taught.
Instruction in the ivriting of friendly letters
is continued, and social and business forms, and
business correspondence are introduced.
76 Common School English.
LESSON I.
SUBJECT AND PREDICATE, ETC.
When we write, girls sing^ we make a state-
ment about girls. Such statements are sentences
All sentences may be divided into two distinct
parts ; viz., the part about which something is
spoken or written, called the subject ; and what
is written or spoken about the subject, called
the predicate. The little boy was badly hurt.
In this sentence, " the little boy," is the complete
subject, and, '' was badly hurt," the complete predi-
cate.
Direct pupils to divide each of the following
sentences into its complete subject and complete
predicate:
1. The picture is pretty.
2. Little Kate was very sick.
3. Some birds can sing very sweetly.
4. Boys and girls like to play.
5. Was the big ship sailing over the sea ?
Write three sentences about horses; three
about cozvs ; three about dogs ; and three about
children.
Make sentences by filling the following
blanks ;
Nouns. 77
1. fly.
2. run.
3. Boys .
4. Cows .
5- sing.
6. Children —
7. shines.
8. The wind —
9. Do twinkle?
10. Oh ! the rainbow !
Teach that EVERY SENTENCE BEGINS WITH
A CAPITAL LETTER ; that EVERY STATEMENT
ENDS WITH A PERIOD ; that EVERY QUESTION
ENDS WITH A QUESTION MARK ; that EVERY
EXCLAMATION ENDS WITH AN EXCLAMATION
POINT.
LESSON II.
NOUNS.
Objects are given names, so as to distinguish
them one from another, when we speak or write
about them. One object is named a chair ;
another, a book ; another, a cow. These words,
chair, book and coiv are called N ami:- words,
or NOUNS.
78 Common School English.
Pick out the nouns, in the following sentences:
1. London, England, is the largest city in
the world.
2. Pennsylvania produces more coal and
iron than any other state in the Union.
3. The Mississippi is the longest river in
North America.
4. The Pacific Ocean was discovered by
Balboa.
5. America was discovered by Christopher
Columbus.
Fill the following blanks with nouns:
I. was the first President of the United
States.
2. Birds build in .
3. Are the ripe ?
4. Oh ! how brave are the !
5. make honey.
LESSON III.
SINGUI.AR AND PIvURAL FORMS OF NOUNS.
Boy means one person. When it is used in
this way, and refers to only one person, or
thing, it is called THE SINGULAR FORM OF
THE NOUN.
Nouns. 79
Cat, horse, box, do^a; and valley are singular
nouns.
The word boys, meaning more than one, is
termed THE PLURAL FORM OF THE NOUN.
Cats, horses, boxes, dogs and valleys are
plural 7iouns.
The plural of these nouns is formed, as may
be seen, by the addition of s or es to the singu-
lar, as boy, boys ; box, boxes.
Write the plural of the following nouns :
Bird, kiss, house, ball, tax, match, flower, dish,
bear and bench.
Write the singular of the following nouns :
Trees, books, dresses, glasses, chairs, apples,
girls, carpets, foxes and sashes.
While the plural of most nouns is formed, as
illustrated, by the addition of .$■ or es to the
singular, still, the plural of ma7iy nouns is
formed differently.
Sometimes, in nouns ending in y, like sky,
story, lady and balcony, the plural is formed by
changing the j' into / and adding es; thus, skies,
stories, ladies and balconies.
The plural of some 7iouns ending in /, or fe,
like wife, thief, wolf and life, is formed by
changing the/ ox fe into v and adding es\ thus,
wives, thieves, wolves and lives.
80 Common School English.
Write the plural of the following nouns:
Injury, knife, party, loaf, quality, leaf, beauty,
shelf, half and dutv.
LESSON IV.
POSSESSIVE FORMS OF NOUNS.
When, as in the sentence, the boy's hat was
lost, we wish to show that the boy owns or pos-
sesses the hat, we write an apostrophe and s after
the singular noun, boy. This sentence simply
shows that the hat of one boy was lost. If, on
the contrary, we wish to show that more than
one boy lost their hats, we write the sentence
thus : The boys' hats were lost.
The idea of possession, in singular ftottns, is
denoted by adding an apostrophe and s; as, boy,
boy's. This is called the POSSESSIVE FORM OF
THE NOUN.
The idea of possession in plural nouns, is gen-
erally denoted by adding an apostrophe ; as, boys,
boys.'
Write the following nouns in sentences, show-
ing possession : Girl, man, cow, box,, horses,
books, desks, children, men and trees.
Combination of Sentences. 81
LESSON V.
COMHINATION OF SKNTKNCES.
Combine the following independent state-
ments into sentences :
1. Washington was a great man.
2. He was a good man.
3. He was a 7iobie man.
4. He is called the ''Father of His Count ryT
1. Edgar has a dog.
2. He has di pony.
3. He has some pigeons.
4. He lives in the country.
1. Ribbons are sold in dry goods stores.
2. They slvq pretty.
3. They are of different colors.
4. They are used for trimming.
1. Charles reads books.
2. He reads good books.
3. He reads slowly.
4. He reads silently.
5. He reads to improve his mind.
1. Grant was an American.
2. He was a General.
3. He was brave,
6
82 Common School English.
4. He was successful.
5. He was also President of the United States.
Continue this exercise throughout the year.
LESSON VI.
FRIENDLY LETTER WRITING.
Continue to give exercises in the writing of
friendly letters. Pay particular attention to the
style of begin?ting and ending; also to punctuat-
ing and paragraphing, as illustrated in the fol-
lowing models :
Sacramento, Cal., May 17, 1887.
Dear Frank :
I arrived here Saturday and cousin Harry
met me at the depot.
We have been visiting different places of in-
terest in the capital city and I am having a fine
time.
The Capitol, where they make the laws for
California, is a big building with beautiful
grounds. I was there yesterday. It is where
the Governor has his office.
I like Sacramento well enough, except the
clima e. It is very hot here in summer and, in
winter, the river overflows. Good-by. Give
my love to all. Your brother,
Joe.
Frank Taylor, San Francisco, Cal.
Friendly Letter WRnrm;. 83
San Francisco, Cal., May 17, 1887.
Dear Sister :
I thought I would write to-day and tell you
about my visit in the city.
Auntie and I arrived here safe last Saturday
morning. We have a pleasant suite of rooms at
the Palace Hotel.
I am having a delightful time and wish that
you were here too. I think that I should rather
live in San Francisco, because, here, there are
so many places of amusement.
We went out to ride yesterday. Oh! Lucy,
Golden Gate Park is lovely ! We gathered
shells on the ocean beach and took lunch at the
Cliff House.
To-morrow evening, uncle says he will take
us to the theater.
I have so much to tell you that I cannot put
it all upon paper, so you must wait until I get
home.
Give my love to mamma and papa, and kiss
baby for me. Write soon and tell me all the
news. Your loving sister,
GUSSIE,
P. S. How is the bird ?
Miss Lucy Clark, Sacratnento, Cal.
84 Common School English.
LESSON VII.
SOCIAL FORMS.
Teach the forms of notes of invitation, their
replies, and letters of introduction, according to
the following models :
NOTE OF INVITATION.
Miss Abby Stewart requests the pleasure
of Mr. William Graham's company, at a social
gathering, next Wednesday evening, at half-
past eight o'clock.
C)i2 California Street, May 75.
REPLY.
Mr. William Graham presents his com-
pliments to Miss Abby Stewart and accepts,
with pleasure, her kind invitation for Wednes-
day evening next.
"ji^ Post Street, May 16.
LETTER OF INTRODUCTION.
San Francisco, Gal., May 18, 1887.
Friend Adams :
I take pleasure in introducing to you, the
bearer, Mr. Walter Stone.
He is an old friend of mine, who is now visit-
ing your city for the first time.
For any attention that you can show him,
during his stay in New York, I shall be espe-
cially grateful. Yours sincerely,
Joseph F. Waters.
Henry P. Adams ^ 64.2 Broadway, N. Y.
Letter of Application. 8-^
It is not customary to seal letters of intro-
duction.
The superscription, or the address upon the
envelope, should be according to the following
model :
Henry (P. Adams^
642 Broadway^
J^ew York City,
Introducine^ Mr. Stone 7\J V"
LESSON VIII.
BUSINESS FORMS.
The following is a form of a letter of appli-
cation, to be taught to pupils:
LETTER OF APPLIC.\TION.
(Heading.]
San Francisco, May 12, 1887.
(Address.]
Mkssr.s. J. J. O'Brikn & Co.,
[Salutation.]
Gentlemen:
|P.o<ly.j
Seeing your advertisement in to-day's Ckroni-
86 Common School English.
cle, for a salesman, I write to apply for the posi-
tion.
I have had some experience in your line of
business and am sure that I could suit you.
I enclose letters of recommendation from my
former employers.
Hoping that you will favorably consider my
application and oblige me with an early reply,
I am, sirs,
[Subscription.]
Yours respectfully,
[Signature.]
Frank Harris.
64. Oak Street.
Teach the following forms of the bill and
receipt:
BILL.
San Francisco, June i, 1887.
Mr. Chas. Martin,
Bought of Wellman, Peck & Co.,
10 lbs. Java Coffee - - - @ .40 $4.00
5 " Black Tea - - - - " $1.20 6.00
12 " White Sugar - - - -" .14 1.68
4 gals. Syrup ------ .37;^ 1.50
$13.18
Received Payment,
Wellman, Peck & Co.
RI CEIPTS.
New York, June i, 1887.
$375roV
Received of Ivison, Biakeman & Co., Three
A Series of Business Letters. 87
Hundred Seventy-five and jj^ Dollars, on ac-
count. James Scott.
San Francisco, June 2, 1887.
$500.
Received of William Curtis, Five Hundred
Dollars, in full of all demands.
Payot, Upham & Co.
LESSON IX.
A SERIES OF BUSINESS LETTERS.
A complete business transaction is shown in
the following series of letters :
NO. I. OPENING BUSINESS.
Stockton, Cal., May i, 1887.
Messrs. Tillman & Bendel,
San Francisco.
Gentlemen :
Having just opened a retail grocery business
in this city, with a cash capital of five thousand
dollars ($5,000), I shall be glad to trade with
your house, if we can agree as to terms.
For evidence as to my business standing, I
beg to refer you to the Hank of California.
What are the best terms you can give me ?
Yours truly,
James R. Roman.
88 Common School English.
NO. 2. CREDIT ESTABLISHED.
San Francisco, Cal, May 4, 1887.
Mr. James R. Roman,
Stockton, Cal.
Dear Sir:
Yours of May i is received and contents noted.
Your references are entirely satisfactory and
we shall be pleased to sell you any goods in our
line, upon the following terms : half cash and
the balance in thirty days.
We enclose our price list and await an early
order from you. Respectfully,
Tillman & Bendel.
NO. 3. GOODS ORDERED.
Stockton, Cal., May 6, 1887.
Messrs. Tillman & Bendel,
San Francisco.
Dear Sirs:
Please send me, via. C. P. R. R., —
50 cases Coal Oil,
10 bbls. C. Sugar,
5 sks. C. R. Coffee,
30 kits No. I Mackerel,
Yours respectfully,
James R. Roman.
NO. 4. ADVICE OF SHIPMENT,
San Francisco, Cal., May 10, 1887.
James R. Roman,
Stockton.
Dear Sir:
We have shipped, this day, according to your
A Series of Business Letters. 89
order, goods as per. enclosed bill and shipping
receipt. Very truly yours,
Tillman & Bendll.
NO. 5. GOODS received.
Stockton, Cal., May 16, 1887.
Tillman & Bendel,
San Francisco.
Dear Sirs:
Yours of the loth inst, with bill and shipping
receipt, came duly to hand.
The merchandise was received in good con-
dition.
Enclosed find check, on Bank of California,
for one hundred seventy-five dollars ($175),
which amt. you will please credit to my acct.
Yours truly,
James R. Roman.
NO. 6. PAYMENT ACKNOWLEDGED.
San Franclsco, Cal., May 20, 1887.
James R. Roman,
Stockton.
AFy dear Sir :
We enclose receipt for one hundred seventy-
five dollars ($175), with which sum you have
been duly credited.
Yours very respectfully,
Tillman & Bendel.
90 Common School English.
L E wS S O N X .
ORAL INFORMATION.
In conversational lessons, give the following
information about eagles, elephants, hemp, lions
and iron. Then, have pupils write compositions
upon each subject :
EAGLES.
Eagles, of which there are several kinds, have
rather short, curved beaks, broad wings, strong
legs and sharp, strong claws. The white-
headed, or bald eagle, of America is a large,
beautiful bird. It has white feathers upon its
head, neck and tail, while the rest of its plumage
is of a dark brown color. Its bill, legs and feet
are of a bright yellow. It is a bird of prey and
likes to eat fishes, which it steals from the fish-
hawks. The eagle, also, feeds upon wild ducks,
and, sometimes, carries away lambs and pigs.
Generally, the eagle builds its nest in some tall
tree, near a lake, or river. The eagle can fly
very high ; is celebrated for its strength and
courage, and is commonly called the " King of
Birds." Sometimes, the eagle lives a hundred
years.
Oral Information.
ELEPHANTS.
The elephant is the largest of all land ani-
mals. Its home is in Asia and Africa, where it
is seen in herds. The skin of the elephant is
very tough. It has a big head, small eyes, a
short, thick neck, long, wide ears and stout legs.
An elephant is, usually, eight or ten feet
high and weighs about ten thousand pounds.
The elephant has two, enormous tusks, from
which comes the ivory, used for making combs,
knife-handles, chess-men, billiard-balls, etc. Its
long and limber trunk is used as a hand by the
elephant. It takes food and water into its
mouth through this wonderful trunk, with which
it can also pick up a pin, or uproot a big tree.
Elephants eat leaves and plants. They are
very fond of sugar-cane and the milk of the
cocoa-nut. The elephant is, naturally, a harm-
less animal, but dangerous if abused. It lives
to be one or two hundred years old; is easily
tamed, intelligent and of great service to man.
n E M p .
Hemp is a plant, a native of Asia, which
thrives, also, in temperate climates in Europe
and America. The plant grows to be from three
92 Common School English.
to twenty feet high, according to the soil and
climate. The stalk is filled with soft pith. At
the proper time, it is steeped in water and
beaten, so as to loosen the bark from the fibers.
Then, it is carded, spun and given to the rope
maker or weaver. Hemp is very tough and
pKable. The finest kind of hemp is used in
making cloth ; the coarsest kind, in making sails
and ropes. The seed of hemp is used as birds'
food. We, also, get oil from the seed, which is
used in making paint, varnish and soap. In
Russia, the oil is burned in lamps.
LIONS.
The lion, called the " King of Beasts," inhab-
its the forests and plains of Asia and Africa.
He is as long as an ox but not so tall. The
lion feeds upon the antelope and other animals.
His color is of a pale, dingy yellow; his tail is
long, with a tuft of black hair at the end; and
his head and neck are clothed with a flowing
mane. The lion has a large head and, when
angry, his eyes flame, his mane stands erect, he
shows his teeth, thrusts out his long, sharp
claws and presents a most terrible appearance.
With a stroke of his paw, the lion can crush
the head of a big buffalo and, so great is his
Oral Information. 93
strength, he can carry away a man as easily as a
cat can carry away a mouse. The lion rests
and sleeps through the day and hunts his prey
at night. His roar is awful. The lion is a
savage, but noble-looking animal and, generally,
lives to be thirty or forty years of age.
IRON.
Iron is the most useful of metals. It is the
lightest of common metals except tin. It is
very hard and tough, but can be drawn out into
a wire as fine as a human hair. Iron is abund-
ant in nature, but is always found mixed with
some other substance. From wrought iron, we
make steel, — the most elastic of all metals ; it is
used for edged tools, etc. Cast-iron is converted
into wrought iron by a melting process, called
"blooming." Iron is an important factor in the
building of railroads and steam-ships. It is
extensively used in the manufacture of guns,
cannons, plows, etc. The magnetical proper-
ties of iron give it an especial value, enabling
the mariner to steer across the ocean, also, aid-
ing the land traveler and the miner. The load-
stone communicates its powers to bars of iron,
or steel, when placed in contact with them. In
medicine, iron is valuable as a tonic.
94 Common School English.
LESSON XI.
TAIvES FOR REPRODUCTION.
Have pupils reproduce, in their own language,
the following tales :
THE WONDERFUL SOUP POT.
Effie was a poor, but pious little girl. She
lived with her mother, in a lonely cottage, in
the woods. One day, there was nothing in the
house to eat. So, Effie went out to look for
some food to save her dear mother from starving.
She had not gone far, when she met a gray-
haired old man who looked like Santa Claus.
He was sorry for her. " Take this little iron
pot," he said, " and, whenever you are hungry,
say, 'boil, little pot,' and it will fill with good
soup. After it has cooked all you wish you
must say, ' stop, little pot,' and it will cease to
boil." Effie thanked the kind, old man and
took the pot home to her mother. Their
troubles were now over, for they could have hot,
rich soup as often as they pleased. The poor
people for miles around used to come to the
cottage to get some soup out of the wonderful,
little, iron pot.
Tales for Reproduction. 05
STAR DOLLARS.
A boy, whose parents were dead, was so poor
that he had nothing left but the clothes on his
back and a loaf of bread in his hand. Putting
his trust in God, he went out into the world.
He traveled over hills and through valleys until
he met an old woman. She begged him for
something to eat. He gave her the whole loaf
of bread and went on his journey. Next, he
met three, little children crying and shivering
with the cold. They prayed for some clothes
to make them warm. So, to one child, he gave
his hat ; to another, his coat ; and, to another,
his shoes and stockings. It was now growing
dark and the boy came to a big forest. He
was cold and hungry and had hardly any clothes
left to cover his body. But, when he went into
the forest, a shower of silver dollars came down
from the sky. They were shaped like stars and
were sent by God, to the boy, to reward him
for his goodness. He had a warm supper and
bed that night, in a cabin in the woods. All
the rest of his life, he lived in wealth and happi-
ness.
baby's sail on the brook.
Bessie Gray was a good, little girl, who always
96 Common School English.
obeyed her parents. Her baby brother was just
learning to walk. Mrs. Gray went out, one day,
and left him in Bessie's care. " I'll try to make
it pleasant for Tommy," said Bessie. " Yes, do
my dear, and when I come back I'll give you a
new dress for your doll," answered her mamma.
Baby was cross that day and Bessie did not
know what to do to amuse him. She took him
in his carriage down to the brook, near the
house. Tommy did not like the ride and began
to cry. Then, Bessie thought she would give
him a sail. So, she got a tub and, tying a rope
to the handle, put it in the brook and lifted
baby into it. He looked pleased. Bessie took
the end of the rope in her hand and walked
along the bank, pulling the tub after her and
singing a merry song. But, Tommy could not
sit still and soon upset the tub and fell into the
water. A man heard the children scream and
came and took baby out of the water, which
was not deep. Bessie, then, took him home to
dry his wet clothes and mamma told her that
she must not give baby any more sails on the
brook.
SELFISH HARRY.
Harry lived in the country. He was a bright,
Talks for Reproduction 97
but selfish boy. When he had any candy, he
wished to eat it all and not to share it with his
brother and sister. One day, his mother gave
him some jelly and told him to divide it with
his sister Amy and his brother Charlie. In-
stead of objying his mother, Harry hid himself
in the barn and ate all the jelly. His sister
called to him, but he did not answer her. When
he came out of the barn, Amy told him that she
and Charlie had been eating iced-cream and
strawberries and cake. '* We've had a splendid
time and looked everywhere for you, but could
not find you," she said. Then, Harry was
much ashamed to think how selfish he had been
and how much he had lost, by not obeying his
mother.
THE MISCHIEVOUS PARROT.
Sam, a colored man, was once a cook on a
ship. He saved some money and opened a
coffee house on the water front, where all the
ships and steamers land. Sam had a parrot
named Jack. He was a big bird with red and
green feathers and could talk very well. Jack
used to sit in his cage, above the door of the
coffee house, and call out to people who passed
that way : " Hot coffee ! Who'll have some
7
98 Common School English.
coffee? Step inside and get some. Only ten
cents a cup." His master had taught him to
speak these words, so as to make business for
the coffee house. Sometimes, Jack would say
words he had learned himself and seemed to
like to make mischief A man once left his
horse and cart standing on the wharf near the
water and went into the coffee house. While
he was there, drinking his coffee, Jack cried out
to the horse : " Back, sir ! Back ! Back, I say ! "
The horse thought his master was talking to
him and so he backed until the cart went ovcr
the edge of the wharf and the horse fell into
the water and was almost drowned, when some
men pulled him ashore. Jack, the mischievous
parrot, after playing this trick, was not per-
mitted to perch above the door any longer and
his cage was taken into the coffee house.
LESSON XII.
COMPOSITION.
Continued conversational lessons on pictures
will give results, like the following:
grandpa's darling.
It is a pleasant, old farm-house, with gable
r ...-^'-ii-^^^....
1,: «
Sfllwif 1 ' '
pi •'
'^m
1
AMU'A •^ DAKI.IM.
Composition. 101
windows and an old-fashioned barn. To this
farm-house, little Violet Grey likes to come and
spend the long, summer months with her
grandpa and grandma. Violet is a pretty girl,
with blue eyes, golden hair and rosy cheeks.
One day, just before sunset, she and hergrandpa
went into the barn. While Violet was playing
around, grandpa sat down upon a big squash
beside some water-melons and began to husk
the corn. Violet climbed the ladder to the hay-
loft and found a dozen eggs. She put them
into her hat and went down the ladder. ** Oh !
grandpa, look at the eggs in my hat ! " said
Violet. Grandpa seemed pleased and told her
to take them into the house to grandma to make
a cake for dinner. Violet has on a white apron
and a red dress. If she break the eggs, she
will soil her clothes. It is a warm day and
grandpa has taken off his coat. His yellow
vest is open and he has on a pair of blue over-
alls. He owns a farm near San Jose. Violet
and her cousin like to romp in the fields and
pick wild flowers. When vacation is over,
Violet will be sorry to leave grandpa and
grandma and return to her home in the city.
Adne Furness,
Oak Street Prifnary School, San Francisco, Cal.
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