OR] ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS LB 1576 L55 ■cop.l m- Leiper I ^V Southern Branch ^^ of the University of California Los Angeles Form L I "i This book is DUE on the last date stamped below APR 1 3 1926 Uij\ 6 ;; - iJiC. •^t1^" JUL^ m Form L-9-15n!-8,'24 fd^- LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS BY M. A. LEIPER TVESTEKX KENTUCKY STATE KORMAL SCHOOL. GIXX AND COMPANY BOSTON • NEW YORK • CHICAGO • LONDON ATLANTA • DALLAS • COLUMBUS • SAN FRANCISCO ^57^^ COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY M. A. LEIPER AiL RIGHTS RESERVED 216.2 Ctie gtftenaum jgtegg GINN AND COMPANY • PRO- PRIETORS ■ BOSTON • U.S.A. LB PREFACE Tliis book is offered to the educational public iii the hope that it may assist teachers in our elementary schools to do more effective language work. For several years the author has taught classes in language methods in a normal school, and tliis book contains much of the matter that is pre- sented to these classes. Many excellent textbooks in lan- guage are on the market, but no work that treats for tlie teacher's benefit all the approved forms of oral and written language work for all the eight grades has as yet appeared. Such a work the author intends this to be. In the preparation of the matter on the following pages the author has not depended entirely on his own experience and investigations. He has had the active assistance of the supervisor and critic teachers of the trainmg school of the Western Kentucky State Normal School. The discus- sions of the work in each grade have been criticized by some member of this staff of teachers, and the supervisor has read the entire manuscript and offered many valuable sug- gestions. For this service thanks are due to ]Miss Laura A. Frazee, former supervisor, and jSlisses Belle Caffee, Sue Proctor, Ella Jeffries, Lucie Holman, Nellie Birdsong, Nell Moorman, and Laura jNlcKenzie, critic teachers. Thanks are also due to Messrs. Charles Scribner's Sons, Houghton Mifflin Company, E. P. Button & Company, D. Appleton and Company, Little, Brown, and Company, and David McKay for permission to use certain poems, which appear in Appendix B, as material for memorizing work. M. A. LEIPER Bowling Green, Kentucky ill CONTEXTS PAGE ixtroduction 1 Language Work by Grades Grade One 23 Grade Two 55 Grade Three 81 Grade Four 101 Grade Five 125 Grade Six 147 Grade Seven 169 Grade Eight 193 Language Work in Eukal Schools 215 Appendix A 249 General Bibliography 249 Language-Work Material 256 Appendix B 265 Memory Gems 265 Poems 272 Appendix C. Original and Adapted Dramatizations 313 Index 329 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Conversation should begin with Pets and Playthings ... 26 A Story always holds the Attention of Children 30 Little Boy Blue 33 First-Grade Original Composition. Sixth and Seventh Months 35 Mother Goose Play given by First-Grade Children .... 37 Baa, Baa, Black Sheep 38 A Scene from "Little Boy Blue" 41 Language Game to correct ' Have Got ' 44 First-Grade Copying Work. Fifth Month 46 First-Grade Original Composition Work. Eighth Month . . 47 Hectograph and Copying Work. Sixth Month, First Grade . 48 Little Boy Blue 49 Letter-Card Sheet 50 First-Grade Work with Letter Cards, correlating Language and Nature Study 51 First-Grade Work with Letter Cards, correlating Language and Nature Study 52 Pictures will develop Greater Interest in Conversation and Original Story Composition 58 Second-Grade Conversation and Oral Exposition 59 Second-Grade Stencil Work 63 Shoeing the Bay Mare. (After Landseer) 64 This Little Fairy is Eager to tell the Wonderful Things she did with her Wand in the Play 67 Language Game to correct * Have Got ' 71 Second-Grade Original Comjjosition 74 Second-Grade Original Composition, Language and Nature Study correlated 75 Reproduced Story. Fifth Month, Second Grade 77 Many Interesting Composition Subjects Here 85 Telling how to play Games is a Good Way to introduce Exposition 88 vii viii LANGUAGE WOEK IN ELEMENTAKY SCHOOLS PAGE " Sleeping Beauty," a Third-Grade Play 90 All the Characters in " Sleeping Beauty " assembled for Picture 91 Cutting, Clay Modeling, etc. furnish Subjects for Simple Description and Exposition 94 The Fox and the Grapes 96 Fourth-Grade Children studying Certain AVeeds, Preparatory to Oral Description and Observation Reports 104 Fourth-Grade Oral Argument 107 Gymnastic Games are Good Subjects for Exposition .... 110 School Fairs offer Excellent Subjects for Narration, Descrip- tion, and Exposition 113 A Day in the Woods will produce jVIany Descriptions and Expositions 115 Winter Scenes offer Fine Subjects for Description .... 119 Language should be correlated with All School Activities . . 128 River Views offer Good Subjects for Descriptions 131 " Tent Dwellers " — a Historical Play 133 "RobinHood" — a Fifth-Grade Adapted Play 135 Scene from " Robin Hood " at Rehearsal of Play 138 The Schoolhouse and Grounds will be a Good Subject for Written Description 139 Outdoor Games offer Good Subjects for Exposition .... 143 The More Interesting the Subject the Better the Composition 153 All School Activities should be drawn uj^on by the Language Teacher 155 The May Festival 158 Preparation for the Barbecue offers Interesting Subjects for Compositions 159 The Angelus. (After Millet) 161 No Public Drinking Cup Here 162 School Gardens furnish Many Subjects for Description and Exposition 162 Camping Experiences furnish Good Subjects for Description and Narration . . . 1^3 Language and Domestic Science should be correlated in the Upper Grades 1^6 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ix PAGE Good Roads Day — a Source of Many Expositions and Descriptions 179 Children should be led to discuss and write about Sanitary Homes and Communities 181 An Illustration of a Written Description, by an Eighth-Grade Boy 184 Manual Training will furnish Many Interesting Subjects for Description and Exposition 188 The Live Teacher will use in Language Work Information obtained at Public Health Exhibits 196 How to set a Table for a Banquet — Correlation of Language and Domestic Science 198 Drawing made by an Eighth-Grade Girl to illustrate her own AVritten Description 206 Aurora. (After Guido Reni) 208 The Children may make Crude, Humorous Drawings to illus- trate their Narrations and Descriptions 210 Return to the Farm. (After Troyon) 219 County School Fairs furnish Live Tojncs for Narration and Description 222 An Opportunity to correlate Language and Agriculture . . 22.') Boys' Corn Clubs offer Many Interesting Subjects for Oral and Written Language Work 226 The Country offers Beautiful Subjects for Description . . . 228 Oral Work in Conversation, Description, and Exposition. Sub- ject, Flowers gathered at Recess 231 The " Hows " of Farm Activities are Good Subjects for Exposition 2.32 A Hike to the Woods to study Wild Flowers for Observation Reports and Description 23.") The Library is an Important Asset in Rural-Sch(Jol Language Work 238 LANdUiVaE AA^ORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS INTRODUCTION Within the past fifteen or twenty years, leaders in educational affairs have become convinced that training in the use of the mother tongue has not produced the desired results. In generations gone by, the idea that one learns enough of his own lan- guage by absorption and imitation seems to have prevailed. To be sure, the grammar of the Enghsh language was studied, but this work consisted largely in mastering certain principles, with little definite direction as to their application in everyday speech. This old system has received justly merited censure, and another, fashioned on saner ideas, has taken its place. Any system of instruction is measured by its fruits, and, according to this standard, the language work of the past has not been eminently successful, for the boys and girls of the past have not devel- oped sufficient ability to speak and write the mother tongue correctly and elegantly. The result has been a healthy reaction against old ideas and methods, 2 LANGUAGE WOKK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS and a new type of language work, which will undoubtedly produce better results, is now being universally adopted. Importance of the Work Language work is, without question, one of the most important subjects in the public schools. There is no study that so thoroughly permeates the work of all other subjects and that is so essential to their successful conduct. Ex-president Eliot, of Harvard University, puts in its proper place the ability to speak correctly when he says that any educational system should develop four powers : namely, (1) to observe accurately, (2) to register impressions cor- rectly and clearly, (3) to draw correct inferences from this raw material, and (4) to express these inferences or thoughts in clear, forceful language. From one viewpoint every recitation is a language recitation. Language is the means by which the child receives from the printed page and from the teacher his impetus in thinking, and by this means he expresses the ideas which come to him as a result of both these incentive forces. The teacher, therefore, who does not take cogni- zance of the language used in all the various recitations and try to bring it to a high standard of excellence will find the work of her regular language exercises barren of lasting results. She INTRODUCTION 3 must remember that the recitation periods of the day afford a constant field for applying in actual use the lessons learned in the regular language exer- cises. If, for example, she emphasizes the correct use of certain verbs or pronouns in the composition lesson, and then allows the pupils to disregard this knowledge in the language used in the history or physiology lesson the next period, it would be better not to teach the language facts at all, for such self- contradiction makes the language work little less than a huge joke. Again, the importance of language work must be admitted when we realize how closely it is identified with the thinking process. Much of the ineffective work of the past has been due to a failure on the part of teachers to understand this fact. " No ex- jwession without impression " is a maxim which the teacher of language should learn early in her work. Max Mliller said: " Lancruage and thoug-ht are in- separable. Words without thought are dead sounds ; thoughts without words are nothing. To think is to speak low ; to speak is to think aloud." Plato said that thought and speech are one and the same process. It is true that thoughts which are never expressed in words, in the form of either mental pictures or audible sounds, often flit across the- panorama of the mind, but such thoughts are almost as ineffective in 4 LANGUAGE WORK IK ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS shaping the life of the individual and of the world about him as are the early mists in keeping back the rays of the morning sun. Thoughts tend to find immediate expression in words, and those that do not do this are soon lost forever. Each word the child learns means a new mental picture, and mental pictures, or ideas, are the raw material out of which his thoughts are formed. For this reason language work that teaches the child to know and to use correctly these "' signs of ideas," and that leads him to develop new thought and a desire to give expression to it, must be paramount in the development of a thinking, sentient being. Language Reveals One's Character Language is, moreover, the most universal means of revealing character and personahty. There is no way by which an intelhgent person can so readily read a man's past life and his cultural attainments as by his language. Some people express their ideas in paintings, others in architectural creations, and still others in music and other forms of art, but all men use language as a means of expressing the best, as well as the worst, within them. That " thy speech bewrayeth thee " is as true in deter- mining character and culture as it was in revealing to the damsel of old that Peter was one of the Master's disciples. How very essential it is, then, to INTRODUCTION 5 have our sons and daughters trained to use the mother tongue correctly, for the most ardent sup- porter of the so-called practical education will rate this as a valuable asset in life. Its Purpose est Public Schools The purpose of language work in public schools is simple enough to define, however difficult it may be to achieve it in practice. The chief aim of lan- guage work, all will readily admit, is to lead our children to think accurately, to feel deeply, and to use the Enghsh language correctly. This is, of course, a very difficult task, for it is much easier to teach facts than to lead children to think about and apply these facts when learned. Form subjects are for this reason taught with great difficulty. The task is rendered a more serious one because children learn to speak by imitation largely, and because the language they hear from day to day unfortunately leads them into much error in speech. Moreover, this formation of undesirable habits of lano-uage usually gets the start of the teacher by about four years, for the child of six has been talking for about that length of time. It is little wonder, then, that under the old regime our boys and girls came out of the public schools with little more ability to speak correctly and elegantly than they had when they entered. 6 LANGUAGE WOEK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Evils of the Wokk in the Past Much of the poor language work of the past has been due to the fact that the language exercises were too stiff and formal. Children abhor formality every- where; it suppresses every impulse that prompts their activities away from school, and it destroys the light-hearted interest that is so abundant and necessary in child life. Formality checks thought, destroys interest, and keeps back that spontaneous outburst of expression that means so much in the development of thought and language power. The teacher that frowns upon a hearty laugh, or at the introduction into the class of some semblance of the play life outside of school, is not fitted to get good results in language work. The child's natural tendencies under ordinary conditions lead him to an open and frank expression of his thoughts and feel- ings. To assist in preserving a proper lack of for- mality in the work, this book emphasizes language games, story-telling (a child loses himself in telling an interesting story), and dramatization. The value of these and similar kinds of language work can hardly be estimated. Education is not a preparation for life so much as it is life, and any tendency in school work to keep alive the play instinct of child life without sacrificing anything else is to be highly commended. IXTRODUCTIOX 7 Another mistake in the language work of the past has been the emphasizing of written work ahiiost to the complete exclusion of the oral. The question of oral composition has lately become one of the most important ones before conventions of Enghsh teachers, and it is second to none in frequency among the discussions in educational publications. One of the distinct features of this book is the attempt to harmonize properly these two kinds of language effort. It is quite important that a person should be able to write effectively and well, but let us not forget that most of us talk very much more than we write. The power of habit in shaping language is therefore more effective in oral than in written speech. If one can speak correctly, it is quite likely that he will write correctly; for, as Chubb says, "As are a child's habits of oral expres- sion, so will his habits of written expression tend to become ; or, in other words, his written language will be predetermined by his previously acquired oral habit and practice." Oral language work is more difficult to handle, and demands more energy and tact on the part of the teacher, but the results are commensurate with the effort. We have neg- lected oral work in the past, and dearly have we paid for it. Oral composition should be as system- atically and deliberately planned and executed as the written work. In the lower grades the oral 8 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS should predominate ; in the higher grades the two should stand side by side. If this balance is care- fully maintained, two great mistakes in the language work of the past will be corrected. The Importance of Correlation Language study to-day does not stand out as a separate and independent subject, but is the core of all other subjects in the course, and in turn draws its inspiration and material from them. History, physiology, geography, natm'e study, etc. now fur- nish a laboratory for the practical demonstration of the principles worked out in the language classes, and in turn yield for the use of the language work abundant raw material in the form of live subjects that draw from students a quick and ready response. For example, it is a mistake to think of language work as separate and distinct from history. The work of the two are inseparable, for without the other neither can be successfully and completely taught. The enrichment of language material brought about by the introduction of historical subjects for story-telling and dramatization, of geographical scenes and excursions for description and narration, of prac- tical lessons in physiology and hygiene for exposi- tion, etc. opens up the floodgates of thought and expression. This new ideal of proper correlation among the various subjects of the course, especially IXTRODUCTIOK 9 as it applies to the use of these original sources of supply, has given to language work a new life and vigor impossible under former conditions. Motivation est Language Work A great mistake in present-day language work is the failure to give to the child an incentive to talk and write that is strong enough to produce an absorb- ing interest. This is sometimes called the motwation of language work, which means that the child's mind is stimulated with interesting ideas, and that free and ready expression is brought about by a motive which may be either a desire for seK-expression or a more formal one which is developed by an outside interest and directed by the teacher. Children learn fastest under the stress of interest. To be convinced of this fact one need only notice how much more readily the language of the play- ground is adopted by the child than that of the classroom, \yriting a composition simply for the sake of writing it fm^nishes no motive and develops little language or thought power. The letter form, therefore, is the form in which the majority of the compositions, especially in the lower grades, should appear, for in this way an audi- ence is furnished. No opportunity to compose real letters for specific purposes should be lost. Stories to be used in the lower grades may be composed 10 LANGUAGE WORK IK ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS by classes and individuals in other grades, poems memorized should he repeated in public or at home, and the best plays written or adapted by the vari- ous grades should, whenever possible, be presented on public occasions. In fact, no school or home situation should fail to supply a real motive for language work. Correcting Errors in Language The task of developing habits of correct speech in the child of six, who has already acquired many undesirable habits, and who has incorrect and in- elegant speech on every hand to lead him astray, is herculean. Only constant eifort on every occasion during his school life will bring even a measure of success. The child should be given to under- stand at once that there is a right and a wrong in usage, and that unceasing war will be made on the wrong. Of course this will be done in a kind and sympathetic way, especially in the lower grades. Incorrect usage should always be corrected at the time the error is made. Every recitation during the day should be characterized by the same watchful- ness on the part of the teacher that he gives to the exercises of the regular language period. It is a potent fact that children learn to speak the mother tongue by imitation, and for this reason unconsciously fall into wrong habits of speech. The INTRODUCTION 11 average individual is wholly unconscious even of the most flagrant errors in his speech. A middle- aged teacher in one of the writer's classes excused himself for saying "I taken" in a recitation on the ground that he was not conscious of the mistake. The school must in some way force children to see and be conscious of their language sins. To-day we are learning that in most cases it is a moral sin to be sick ; children must be taught that it is just as much a sin to do violence to the mother tongue. The work of correcting errors in speech may be done in an interesting way by having children observe for a given time the language of certain classmates or other individuals and make a written report to the class or teacher. Later, each pupil should in a similar manner observe and at given intervals report on his own speech. A Lan- guage Vigilance Committee of three or more in each class, the personnel of which should change from week to week, may help very much to improve the language of the school and community. In a word, a language conscience must be either aroused or implanted in every child. He must be taught to recognize errors in the speech about him and to have a desire to rid himself of those found in his own speech. Bad habits are best uprooted by developing good ones in their stead. Much positive teaching of correct form must therefore be done. 12 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS This is one of the main purposes of memorizing good poetry, of language games, of dictation work, and of the constant correction of errors in both oral and written compositions. Connect Principle and Peactice The chief concern of the teacher in her language work is that children should put into actual use in everyday speech the language facts learned from day to day. Connect principle and p>ractice should be the watchword. Failm^e to do this has been the great error of the past. The process is necessarily one of habit-building, and in the work three things must be accomplished, as stated by Gilbert and Harris in their "Manual to Guide Books to Eng- lish," p. 6 : (1) focalization of -consciousness upon the process to be made automatic ; (2) attentive repetition of this process; (3) permitting no excep- tions until automatism results. It is hoped that the following pages will assist teachers, who may chance to use the suggestions found therein, to achieve this goal. The teacher of language will find in each of the different kinds of language work outlined in this book an opportunity to apply one or more of these three necessary principles. If this standard is not maintained, language work will be a failm^e and will hardly justify its place in our elementary-school curriculum. INTRODUCTION 13 The Teacher's Language " If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." Since children learn to speak the mother tongue by imitation, it follows, as surely as night follows day, that no teacher whose language is not at all times pure, correct, and accurate is fit to instruct the young. Small children, especially, who are at the most impressionable period, idealize their teachers and are quite sure to adopt, both con- sciously and unconsciously, their errors of grammar and rhetoric, as well as their tones and mannerisms. Too much emphasis cannot be placed on the im- portance of a high standard of excellence in the lano;uao;e of the teacher. To be sure, it requires a large variety of standards of excellence to be a successful teacher of language in the elementary school. Not only should her lan- guage be of a high standard, but she should be thoroughly conversant with the correct ideals, pur- poses, and methods of the subject, and with child psychology in its relation to the development of lan- guage power. No other individual has any moral right to enter the sacred confines of a school as an instructor of the young. This standard in the prepa- ration and development of the elementary teacher must be reached before we can hope for very definite results from her language work. 14 LANGUAGE WORK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS The Letter est Composition Work Not enough emphasis is placed on letter-writing in our elementary schools. Much time is spent in written composition work, but boys and girls, on leaving school, too often do not have adequate pro- ficiency in this most important form of composition. The author's experience in instructing young teachers for the past eight years convinces him that a large proportion even of these have not been taught and do not know some of the fundamentals of the letter form. Recently there entered his classes from a city of 15,000 inhabitants a public-school graduate who did not know how and where to arrange the date line of a letter, and this case is not altogether an exceptional one. Most people compose little except letters. This is sufficient reason why unusual emphasis should be placed on the letter form. In the lower grades at least three fourths of the composition work, whether narrative, descriptive, or expository in character, should be written in letter form, while in the grammar grades the proportion may be reduced to one half or one third. In addition to the fact that the letter is more practical, it makes the work, especially in the lower grades, more interesting because it affords an audi- ence. The various kinds of letters — social, business, etc. — should be emphasized in the grammar grades. INTRODUCTION 15 The Importance of the Dictionary A fact often overlooked by teachers of elemen- tary language work is that the use of the diction- ary is a sine qua non in assisting a child to use effectively his language tools — reading, speaking, and writing. Words are the "signs of ideas," which are the raw material from which thought is made. As Howell puts it, " Words are the soul's ambassa- dors who go abroad upon her errands to and fro." Every new word learned by the child means greater thought range and another idea added to his mental content. Most people have too small a vocabulary, and one of the best means of remedying this fault is to lead children to form the habit of using the dictionary. Every child in the fifth grade and above should possess and use a dictionary. It should be used both at the desk and in the class to learn the mean- ings of all new words and to study the different colorings and connotations that belong to words already learned. The ingenious teacher will devise interesting methods of doing this work. Too great emphasis cannot be placed upon it as a necessary part of language development. In choosing a dic- tionary for use in elementary schools great care should be exercised to get one whose meanings are definite and not mere svnonyms. 16 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Diagramming and Parsing In most schools, particularly in rural schools, too much time is spent in diagramming and parsing. With reference to the former, it is not possible to make any exact statement as to the amount that may profitably be done, for the teacher will have to make the prescription suit the patient in each indi- vidual case. Some children will ,need much of it ; others may soon put it aside. It is a work that should be discarded by the class as soon as the con- structive imagination can grasp abstract relationships without the aid of the diagram. Some children think almost entirely by images — thing-thinkers ; others may cast the image aside and get the thought directly by abstract thinking — idea-thinkers. The former class needs the diagram constantly; the latter may discard it perhaps early in the eighth grade. The teacher should therefore know the thought habits of her children, and she may then eliminate much of the time wasted in diagramming. Parsing is a necessary evil, but it is a danger- ous instrument in the hands of a poor teacher. It develops logical thinking and accm-acy of speech, but the time spent in doing this work, especially in rural schools, should be reduced by one half. If the language facts are taught inductively and under- standingly, there is little need of parsing work except INTPvODUCTIOK 17 as a kind of closing test. Let the teacher have her classes parse one fourth or one third of the words assigned for that work in the various places in the text which the class is using, and then let her test the knowledge of the pupils by some other method. Words for parsing at sight may be picked out at random from the preface, introduction, or elsewhere, or specific questions in regard to irregu- larities in the use of certain words taken at random may be asked. This will avoid the monotony of much parsing, and at the same time mil develop thought power. The Literary Society and the School Paper A society to meet twice a month (on Friday afternoon perhaps), in which debates, plays, memo- rized selections of prose or poetry, original stories, etc. may be presented, is a wholesome adjunct to the more theoretical language work of the class- room. This not only offers a place where the child may practice the language facts learned in the reci- tation, but motivates language work and develops great interest. Children should have opportunities to perform more pretentious feats of language than those which the classroom affords ; during the prepa- ration and performance, pupils will unconsciously acquire good habits of language and a ready expres- sion before an audience. 18 LANGUAGE AYORK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS The literary and debating society is especially effective in village and rural schools, for it serves as a beginning around which various forms of social activity may spring up. It may be difficult to de- velop a live society of this kind in city schools. In many schools a weekly or monthly paper is published by the children. This enterprise is more likely to succeed in towns of four thousand or over. And yet the writer has seen a niost attractive and successful little paper of this kind printed in a school of only three hundred pupils. Standards of Achievement Sound pedagogy and scientific method demand that teachers shall be able to measure by some definite standard the progress of their pupils. Effi- ciency in teaching language demands that there shall be in every grade a definite program of action and a means of determining when the desired results follow. In langliage work such a system of measure- ment is difficult to outline, because the standard to be reached includes not only knowledge of many principles but the ability to put these into practice in oral and written language ; and yet it is very essential that every teacher should have some such system. Under Purposes and Aims at the begin- ning of the matter in each grade the general stand- ards for the year's work are given, while at the INTRODUCTION 19 close, under Technical Matters, are found the gram- matical principles, including capitalization, punctua- tion, etc., that should be mastered both in theory and in practice. For the purpose of testing the progress in oral and written speech the writer recommends very highly Thompson's " Minimum Essentials in Language." ^ Each of these sheets contains from one to two hundred questions, which were selected, graded, and tabulated after several years' experiment. A Final Word to the Teacher The outlines and terminology of this book are for the guidance of the teacher only, and for this reason they could have no meaning for the pupil. The discussions frequently contain such terms as ' ex- position,' ' narration,' ' unity,' ' time sequence,' etc., but these terms should never be used in directing the work, unless it be in the eighth grade, where their use would prepare the pupil for the first year's work in the high school. This explanation gives the reason for what will seem to be an undue emphasis placed, in this book, on the forms of discourse, w^hen the more important thing is their functions. 1 Published by Ginn and Company, Boston. 25 cents for 100 sheets. LANGUAGE WORK BY GRADES GRADE ONE I. ORAL LANGUAGE WORK Original Expression. 1. Conversation Exercises. 2. Observation Lessons and Reports. 3. Story-Telling : (a) Reproductions ; (h) Creations of Fancyo Imitative Expression. 1. Memorizing Work. 2. Dramatization. 3. Language Games. IL WRITTEN LANGUAGE WORK Original Expression. 1. Single Sentence AVork. Imitative Expression. 1. Copying Work. 2. Dictation Exercises. III. GENERAL AVORK Desk Work. 1. Word Cards. 2. Letter Cards. Technical Matters. 23 PURPOSES AND AIMS The purpose of language work in the first grade is to stimulate thought and feeling, and to broaden and enrich the child's vocabulary that he may give expression to these mental states in correct phraseology. Oral expression is at this stage the child's cliief means of expressing his growing intellectual life, and it is the busmess of the teacher in this grade, therefore, to concentrate her efforts upon this part of the work. All very common errors in language should be unceasingly, and yet kindly, corrected, that some definite progress may be made in this direction. Making correct and complete statements should become a fixed habit before the second year's work is begun. Very little written composition should be attempted this year, certainly not before the last two or three months. After the first few weeks of school, however, some written work, consisting of copying words and sentences from the board or from the reading lessons, may be done on the blackboard or with soft pencils on unglazed paper. By the close of the year the child should be able to write his own name and home address, and to take very simple dictation work. Let the teacher remember that the expres- sion of thought must be open and frank if it is to be of any value in language development, and consequently that the first step here will be to win the friendship and complete sympathy of the children. 24 GRADE ONE I. ORAL LANGUAGE WORK Original Expeession" 1. Conversation Exercises. The ability to think accurately and to give correct expression to his thoughts is the most important possession the child can have. The first duty, therefore, that confronts the teacher in this grade is to assist the child to take the first steps toward this end. At first this can be done best by drawing out in the form of free and general conversation the expression of thought on matters closely connected with the life and interests of the children. For the first two weeks, or perhaps longer, no other kind of language work should be attempted. The method used in this work should be to elicit simple and spontaneous statements from the chil- dren, both by suggestion and by question, until by degrees they are led to direct their remarks to each other. At first the teacher should not be too care- ful as to the order and conciseness of what is said. The questions asked by the teacher should always be such as demand specific answers. That she may be successful in developing freedom and spontaneity, 25 26 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS the teacher should take advantage of every oppor- tunity to converse with the small children before school each morning, on the playground, and on the way to and from school. This will develop a bond of sympathy between teacher and pupil, and will help to break down the barrier raised by timidity on the part of the child. The teacher should always Ije sympathetic in her atti- tude, and the children should never be allowed to get the idea that the conversation period is a regular language exercise. For this reason the correction of mistakes in this and all other exer- cises of the day should at first be done sparingly, and largely by examj)le. Un- suspected openings may be found for substituting the correct for the incorrect form, thus winning the child's ear to the correct expression and leading him to use it unconsciously. Later in the year, however, a few of the commonest errors should be chosen for unceasing correction. Such mistakes as the following will very likely be heard : ' come ' for ' came,' ' seen ' for 'saw,' 'have got ''for 'have/ 'git' for 'get,' ' don't ' for ' does n't,' ' ain't ' for ' am not,' ' is n't ' CONVERSATION SHoULO HE GIN WITH PETS AND PLAY THINGS GEADE ONE 27 or ' are n't,' double negatives, plural nouns with singular verbs, etc. In the child's speech a very important goal to be reached is complete, full state- ments in recitations. The teacher should lead the way by constantly speaking in this manner and by assisting the children to do likewise. The following suggested grouping of subjects suit- able for use in the conversation exercises is made in order to give the teacher assistance in begin- ning the work. Other subjects suited to individual localities may be added by the teacher as she thinks best. a. The home : what father, mother, brothers, and sisters are doing ; animals on place ; pets ; playthings. h. Growing things : corn, cotton, wheat, oats, potatoes, and all the things that grow in field, orchard, or garden ; flowers, shrubbery, trees, and weeds, both wild and domestic, in yards and on roadsides. c. Animals: domestic, such as the horse, cow, dog, hog, sheep, etc. ; wild, such as the rabbit, squirrel, opossum and, after the circus, the lion, elephant, giraffe, etc. d. Birds (all in the community) : color, songs, habits of life, good or bad for fruits and crops. e. Holidays and seasons : Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Lincoln's Birthday, and "Washington's Birthday ; fall, winter, spring. /. Pictures of action and of animal life, such as those of Bonheur, Landseer, and ]\Iillet and the best illustrations of Mother Goose, may be found interesting in this grade. Little description work with pictures should be done before the second grade. g. The teacher should occasionally lead the conversation into a discussion of good manners (such as correct behavior at 28 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS table, courtesy to women and girls, consideration for old people and younger children) and personal neatness (care of the teeth, nails, shoes, and hair, and attention to details of dress, etc.). 2. Observation Lessons and Reports. Children should be taught early to see things in the world of nature and art, and to describe and make statements about them. After interest has been aroused, in the conversation period perhaps, about some object closely related to the life of the children,. they may be asked to observe it carefully for a day or two. The result of these observations should then be given in the form of oral reports in the language class. These reports should be given in a free and open conversa- tional style, assisted perhaps by an occasional ques- tion from the teacher. Later in the year, reports consisting of several well-connected sentences may be expected. This is a good place to teach many facts about nature study, agriculture, domestic science, and the various manufacturing and industrial activities. The method of presentation should be varied. In addition to the plan outlined above, the following devices may be found suggestive : a. Have the children go to the windows or to the front door for a moment. When they return, have them report what they have seen. Complete statements should be required in these reports. h. Have the children observe things in the school- room by asking them to name all the flowers in the vases or to name the prettiest thing in the room. GEADE ONE 29 c. To test the imaging power' of the children, ask them without previous notice to tell what they saw on the way to school or at the county seat on the last visit, what they ate the day before at supper, etc. d. Large pictures that deal with subjects closely related to child life may be used for this pm-pose. The child should be expected merely to tell what he sees, and not to describe the objects except in a very general way. Only scenes of life and action should be used, such as the animal pictures of Bonheur and Landseer, and those of Millet which give scenes of action, as " Feeding her Birds." 3. Story-Telling. The story is one of the most effective instruments in the hands of the teacher in the lower grades. The telHng of reproduced and original stories increases the ability to do two things, for, in addition to the increased power of expression gained in this way, the child's imaging power is greatly strengthened. After a preliminary discussion of characters and principal ideas involved, a story is told, sometimes read, to the children, after which they are led to discuss it and ask questions about it. Reproduction should never be expected until the children can ask intelligent questions about the story and have a single complete impression of it as a whole. After new stories are learned and repeated, frequent opportunities should be given the children to tell those they liked best. Correct language and com- plete statements should be a goal throughout, and 30 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS yet the most important thing to be developed is vivid imagination, which leads the children to enter heart and soul into the story, and to tell it so as to make others enter into it in the same way. Only short stories are suited to the work in this grade. By the end of the year each pupil should be able to tell in a pleasing manner several stories from beginning to end. The children should be .encouraged to tell these stories to their fathers and mothers at home. As has been in- dicated above, the story work affords an excellent oppor- tunity for training the constructive imagination. To this end children should be encour- aged to tell stories constructed entirely by them- selves. They may be asked to imagine they are, for example, a lion in the woods or a flower in the yard or schoolroom, and to tell little simple stories in keeping with the objects impersonated. Another simple device is to have the children hide their faces in their hands on the desks and dream for a few moments. The dreams are then told in the form of stories. In this work care should be exercised A STORY ALWAYS HOLDS THE ATTENTION OF CHILDREN GRADE ONE 31 to keep the children from indulging in flights of imagination that are wild and hurtful. The stories that apj^eal especially to children in the early grades are Grimms' fairy tales, Hans Andersen's stories, Mother Goose rimes, and the mythological stories and folk tales of many lands. Stories of Indian and primitive life are j)leasing to children, while those that teach lessons of good man- ners and morals, and of hygiene and personal habits of cleanliness etc., should also be given a place. The following stories, from the above sources, are especially suitable for use in this grade : Jack and the Bean Stalk. Little Eed Riding-hood. The House that Jack Built. Jack the Giant Killer Tom Thumb. The Shepherd Boy. Cinderella. The Hair and the Tortoise. The Fox and the Grapes. The Crow and the Pitcher. The Lion and the Mouse. The Little Red Hen. The Three Bears. Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp. The Fox and the Cat. The Wolf and the Lamb. The Dog in the Manger. " The Lion and the Mouse," one of ^sop's fables, is given below ^vith a suggestive series of questions that may be used in introducing a discussion of the story after it has been told to the children. THE LTOX AXD THE MOUSE A lion lay at full length one day, sleeping under a shady tree. Some mice, in scrambling after crumbs that he had dropped, awoke him. Laying his paw upon one of them, he was about to kill it, when the little animal cried, '' Oh, please, 32 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS sir, don't kill me ! If you will only spare my life, I will do as much for you sometime." The lion smiled and let him go. Not long after that some hunters spread a net in the woods in such a way that the lion ran into it and could not get out. The more he struggled, the closer were the strong cords drawn about him. The mouse heard him roar and ran to his aid. "Lie still awhile and I will get you loose," said he. Then with his sharp teeth he soon gnawed the ropes in pieces. "You smiled at me once," said he, "because you thought I was too small to save your life. But have n't I kept my promise ? " QUESTIONS Why did the lion lie down for a nap? Was it in the morning or in the evening? How do you suppose the little mouse felt when the lion caught him ? What did the other mice do ? Do you suppose the lion thought the mouse would ever be able to save his life? Tell what the little mouse probably said to the lion and later to the other mice when the lion let him go. Do you think he was very happy ? AVhy could n't the lion free himself from the net ? Who spread the net ? AVhat would the hunters have done with the lion if the mouse had not freed him? Was the little mouse glad to help the lion? Why? How did he set the lion free? Did you ever notice how sharp the teeth of a little mouse are? Did you ever see a garment at home that mice have eaten holes through? What do you suppose the lion said to the mouse ? Imitative Expression 1. Memorizing Work. Poetry is the form in which the literature of every people has first appeared. It is therefore one of man's natural means of expressing the music in his soul, and for this reason it appeals to child nature more than prose. The kindergart- ners have taught us, through their emphasis on GRADE ONE 33 rhythm, that the memorizing of poetry is but devel- oping a natm-al feeling for rhythm that will later grow into a love for music -and poetry. The study and memorizing of poetry, moreover, affords an excellent introduction to the study and appreciation of literature, and stores the child's mind with beau- tiful phraseology that will be quite sure to have a good influence upon his language in after life. LITTLE BOY BLLK Pictures, or crude drawings made by advanced pupils, may be used in memorizing or story-telling Only short poems, such as " Jack Horner," " Little Boy Blue," " Old King Cole," or Stevenson's " The Rain " and " At the Sea-side," should be used at first. Before the poem is read or recited, it is sometimes well to tell a short improvised story bearing on the thought of the selection. This will arouse interest, secure attention, and put the imagination to work. The poem should be repeated or read several times, with short discussions after or dming each reading. 34 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS to lead the children to understand the thought and image the pictures contained in the poem, for the poem is taught for its ■ thought as well as for its rhythm. The teacher should make careful preparation for this work by reading the poem aloud until she can recite it with effect and be at ease before the class. The memorizing and repeating will have to be done line by line, the rate of progress being deter- mined by the teacher. No more than one stanza should be attempted in one day. The method of reciting should nearly always be individual. If the teacher can find a picture illustrating the general idea of the poem, it would be well to hold it before the eyes of the children as they memorize, to inten- sify the mental images being formed ; or they may be asked to close their eyes and lay their heads upon the desks while the teacher repeats the poem for the same purpose. The best verses for memory work in the early part of the year are the Mother Goose rimes, such as Little Jack Horner Hey Diddle Diddle Old Mother Hubbard Jack and Jill Old King Cole This Little Pig went to Market Little Boy Blue Humpty Dumpty Later such as the following may be learned : Stevenson, R. L. : The Wind ; The Rain ; Where Go the Boats. RossETTi, Christina ; Who has seen the Wind ; Boats Sail on the Rivers. GRADE ONE 35 TE>rNYSOx, Alfred : Little Birdie. Watts, Isaac : The Busy Bee. Field, Eugexe : The Rock-a-by Lady ; Wynken, Blynken, and Nod. Browning, Robert : Pippa's Song (from " Pippa Passes "). KixGSLEY, Charles : The Lost Doll. Poems which are significant at certain seasons, or on special days and occasions, such as fall, winter, x^c/^77t/fU/L/7m FIRST-GRADE ORIGINAL C0:\IP0SITI0N. SIXTH AND SEVENTH MONTHS Christmas, after a snow or frost, etc., should be used at such times. vSelections that call the attention of the child to the beauties and grandeur of nature should also be given a place. Two poems are given below with suggested sets of questions that may be used to arouse interest in the poem, to teach the thought involved, and to intensify the mental pictures contained. 36 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS LITTLE BOY BLUE Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn ! The sheep 's in the meadow, the cow 's in the corn. Where 's the little boy that looks after the sheep ? He 's under the haystack, fast asleep. Will you wake him ? No, not I ; Eor if I do, he '11 be sure to cry. — Mother Goose QUESTIONS Why is the little boy called Boy Blue? Where does he live? What work has his father given him ? Where should the sheep be ? Where should the cow be? What harm will they do? Where is Little Boy Blue? What tells you he is in the country? What time of the year do you think it is ? Why ? How does the farmer care for his sheep and cows in summer? THE RAINi The rain is raining all around, It falls on field and tree, It rains on the umbrellas here. And on the ships at sea. — Robert Louis Stevenson QUESTIONS Who is talking in the poem ? Where is he ? What does he see ? (Here have the complete picture described — the little boy inside standing at a window, looking out across a field with a tree in it to a street where peoj^le are walking and across to the ships on the ocean.) Shut your eyes and see the picti^re. Imagine you hear the raindrops. What does the rain fall on ? Tell me about a trip you took in the rain. 2. Dramatization. Stories and poems in which the dramatic element predominates may be rendered in the form of plays with great profit and delight 1 Used by permission of Charles Scribner's Sons. GRADE ONE . 37 to the children. This work has, within the past ten years, come into special prominence in the primary grades as an approved type of language >\^ork. The imitative and play instinct is especially strong in children. In allowing this instinct to assert itself the teacher will do much to develop the imagination and to assist the child in overcoming much of his timidity and self-consciousness, which are likely to MOTHER GOOSE PLAY GIVEN BY FIRST-GRADE CHILDREN be abnormal during the first year at school. The success of the work depends on the perfect freedom exercised by the children. The story to be dramatized should be read aloud by the teacher two or three times. This should be followed by a discussion of the thought and charac- ters involved. The children should be led to decide what characters are necessary to act the play and how it may be staged in the schookoom. Where 38 LANGUAGE AVOKK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ^variations or additions are to be made in the dia- logue, the children should be led to do the work ; or, in a play based on a story that does not have any dialogue in it, the dialogue may be entirely made up by the children. Originahty should be exercised in ^ this work, and the extent to which this shall be done should steadily in- crease from grade to grade. Two renderings of the play, with new actors the second time, are sufficient for the first day. This ought to be re- peated the next day, or perhaps a little later, and again in a week or so, that the play may be thor- pleasingly without BAA, BAA, BLACK SHEP:P oughly mastered and given prompting. If the play is rather long, a single act is enough to be attempted each day until the whole is ready for presentation. The teacher must remem- ber that at the beginning only very short and simple rimes or stories should be used. GRADE ONE 39 Much interest may be aroused by having the children impersonate the characters in the reading lessons that contain considerable direct discourse. They will at first act the parts as they read them, and later, if the selection is interesting and not too long, they may dramatize it. There are on the market only a few books which contain plays suitable for the lower grades. For a list of such books see page 257. Mother Goose rimes, ^sop's fables, Grimms' tales, and other fairy stories are especially good for this work. Nearly all the readers in the lower grades contain selections that may be dramatized. Two short rimes are dramatized below as prac- tical examples of this work : BAA, BAA, BLACK SHEEP Baa, baa, Black Sheep, Have you any wool ? Yes sir, yes sir, Three bags full. One for my master, And one for my dame. And one for the little boy Who lives down the lane. Preliminary Steps : After learning the rime the children are led to decide what characters are needed for the play and what chil- dren shall represent these characters. The most convenient place in the schoolroom is chosen for the play, and the staging is decided upon. Characters : Black Sheep, Little Boy, Little Girl, and several other Children. 40 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ScENK : A group of Children playing on a lawn (space in front of the teacher's desk) as Black Sheep is seen walking up the road (aisle). Black Sheep. [ Walking down the voadT^ Baa, baa ! Little Girl. Oh, I hear a sheep ; let 's go see him. [Little Boy and Little Girl run to the gate.'] Little Girl. Good morning, Black Sheep. Little Boy. Good morning, Black Sheep, have you any wool? Little Girl. Have you much wool ? Black Sheep. Yes ma'am, yes sir, three bags full : one for my master, and one for my dame, -and one for the little boy who lives down the lane. Little Boy. Won't the master be glad ! Little Girl. Yes, and the dame will make a nice sweater and a warm dress out of the wool. Little Boy and Little Girl. \_Clap2jlng their hands'] l"ou are the best sheep in the world ! Black Sheep. \_Starting down the road] Baa, baa ! Little Boy. Good-by, Black Sheep. Little Girl. Come back to see us sometime, Black Sheep. Good-by. Little Boy and Little Girl return to lawn and rejoin Chil- dren at play. All the Children then return to seats. LITTLE BOY BLUE Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn ! The sheep 's in the meadow, the cow 's in the corn. Where 's the little boy that looks after the sheej) ? He 's under the haystack, fast asleep. Will you wake him ? No, not I ; For if I do, he '11 be sure to cry. Preliminary Steps: The story is introduced and the characters are chosen in the manner shown in the jjreceding play. Characters : First Child, Second Child, several boys for Cows, several girls for Sheep, Little Boy Blue, a Dog. GRADE ONE 41 Scene : A meadow in one corner of the room ; a cornfield in the opposite corner. Four chairs with backs inside for the haystack in the meadow. Little Boy Blue lies asleep on two of these chairs. The girls in the corner which represents the meadow ; the' boys in the opposite corner, which represents the cornfield. A SCENE FROM LITTLE BOY BLUE Played on the lawn in front of schoolhouse by first-grade children First Child discovers sheep in the meadoiv and cow in the corn. Walks about the i-oom, calling Little Boy Blue First Child. Little Boy Blue, Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn; the sheep's in the meadow and the cow's in the corn. [First Child meets Secoxd Child.] First Child. HaYe you seen Little Boy Blue an}- where ? Second Child. Yes, he is here under the haystack, fast asleep. First Child. Will you wake him, please ? Second Child. No, not I, for if I do, he'll be sure to cry. 42 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS First Child. I will, then. [Goes to Little Boy Blue and shakes htm'] Little Boy Blue, Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn ; the sheep 's in the meadow and the cow 's in the corn. [Little Boy HhVKJumjJS iqy and, after riibh'my his eyes a inoment as if crying, blows his horn.] Little Boy Blue. Toot-toot, toot-toot. \_A hoy (the Dog) rushes first to one corner and then to the ot/ier, driving the shee]) from the meadow and the cow from the corn. The children all retire to their seats.] (The three parts, First Child, Second Child, and Little Boy Blue should now be assigned to three other children and the play be given a second time.) 3. Language Games. Didactic teaching seldom reaches the young child, because a natural interest is hard to arouse in this way. The most effective efforts at this stage are those that utilize the play instinct in child life. Nearly all growth in language power comes when the interest is high, as it is when the play element is introduced into school work. For these reasons the language game is a most effective means of getting children to speak correctly without knowing that this is the teacher's purpose. It is intended merely to supplement the regular lan- guage work, and should be looked upon by the chil- dren as play and nothing else. It may be effectively used in the first three grades and sometimes in the fourth, and is so planned that every child in the class may have a part in the play work. The teacher should keep a record of the common- est mistakes made by the children and should plan GRADE ONE 43 the games so as to correct these. The following mis- takes will very likely be heard: 'come' for 'came'; ' seen ' for ' saw ' ; ' set ' for ' sit ' ; ' done ' for ' did ' ; 'run ' for 'ran' ; ' laid ' for 'lay' ; ' has rang' for ' has rung ' ; ' ain't ' for ' is n't,' ' are n't,' or ' am not ' ; 'I've got' for 'I have'; 'It's me' for 'It's I'; ' them' for ' those' ; double negatives; plural subjects with singular verbs. These language games, each of which can be played in a very few minutes, may be used to fill in at any odd time. The best results are achieved if the chil- dren are allowed to play the games as a reward for work well done or as a means of recreation. There are on the market only two books that outline for the teacher's use games of this character (see p. 256 for the names of these). To correct ' Aint.' One child is asked to think of a word, as, for example, 'cat.' He says, "I am think- ing of a word that rimes with ' cat.' Jim, what is it?" "Is it 'rat'?" is the reply. "No, it isn't ' rat,' " rephes the leader. He continues giving this answer until some one guesses the word he has in mind, which may be ' fat,' or ' mat.' The child that guesses the word becomes the next leader. To correct 'It's Me' After the game is explained to the children, one child is asked to leave the room for a moment. While he is out, let someone move the teacher's bell or eraser. The child is called back and begins asking, " Who moved the bell ? Was it you. Will ? " The answer is probably, " No, it was 44 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS not I." The questions are continued until the right person is asked, when the answer is, '' Yes, it was I." Another child is then asked to leave the room and the performance is repeated. This game may be varied in such a way as to emphasize the use of all the nominative cases of pronouns after copulative verbs. LANGUAGE GAME TO CORRECT 'HAVE GOT' To correct ' Have Got! The children may be asked to bring to school some morning as many flowers, weeds, or bits of shrubbery as they can. These are placed on a table, and each child is asked to pick up one of the plants. When this has been done, they are asked to tell, one by one, what plant they have. The answers will be such as " I have a rose" or " I have a ragweed." This is good nature-study work. In an observation covering two months the critic teachers in one of the largest normal-school training GRADE OXE 45 schools in the United States found the following mistakes common among the children in the first three grades : 1. Objective case used as subject of finite verb: Henry and me are going. 2. Objective case after copulative verbs with sub- ject nonnnative : It is me. Was that Mm ? 3. False agreement of subject and verb : The boys is gone. 4. False agreement of pronoun and antecedent : Every boy got their apple. 5. Adjectives for adverbs : She sees good. 6. Nominative case after transitive verbs : She told Mary and /. Who did you see? 7. Nominative case after prepositions : He gave it to you and /. 8. Errors in verb forms : ' Seen ' for ' saw ' ; ' lay ' for ' lie ' ; ' done ' for ' did ' ; ' sung ' for ' sang ' ; ' knowed ' for ' know ' ; ' brung ' for ' brought ' ; ' come ' for 'came'; 'don't' for 'doesn't'; 'ain't' for 'isn't' or ' are n't.' / II. WRITTEN LANGUAGE WORK Origestal Expression Not until the latter part of the year should the child be expected to put into written form any state- ments of his own composition. After he has learned to write a little by copying words and sentences from the board or from the primer, and has made up 46 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS original sentences with letter cards and word cards, he may be led to write short sentences of his own com- position on the board or with soft pencil on unglazed paper. A story or poem previously learned may offer ideas for the sentences. Pictures of action and of f FIRST-GRADE COPYING WORK. FIFTH MONTH animal life may also be used for this purpose. In this work the child should always be required to use script. Imitative Expeession In this grade the child should learn to write his own name and home address. After a few months he should also have considerable practice in copying script sentences from the l^oard or from tlie j^rimer. Toward the close of the year short sentences may be \\ ^, nfili i/lijiu J.MiirOojyMjiiJ fi 0, ^j-uhljfj lunmtj. FIRST-GRADE OIUGINAL COMPOSITION WORK. EIGHTH MONTH 47 48 LANGUAGE WOEK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS dictated to the children by the teacher. These sen- tences may be written on the board or on unglazed paper. III. GENERAL WORK Desk Work 1. Word Cards. After the children have learned a number of words in the early part of the year, sentences may be composed at the desks with cards I^aJuCJCtx^ cJA^^-^t^-\juy^ oon^y^jiJCo HECTOGRAPH AND COPYING WORK. SIXTH MONTH, FIRST GRADE GKADE ONE 49 on which these words are written or printed. Any teacher can make in a short time enough of these cards for a small class. They may be made out of man- ila paper of postal-card weight, which costs only five cents a square yard, or eight cents for heavier weight. The following directions give in detail the method of making word cards : " Take a piece of manila LITTLE BOY BLUE Desk work with scissors paper and mark it off with a pencil into spaces one by one-half inch. In the spaces write with pen and ink the words as they are learned. Make at least as many duplicates of this sheet as 3^ou have pupils. Cut up the sheets. Put each full set of words, with a number of duplicates, into an envelope or a spool box, upon which you have written the child's name. 50 LANGUAGE AVORK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Add to these sets as the list grows. Words that begin with capitals in the sentences given on the blackboard or strips should appear in the same form on the cards. The word with the small initial letter (if it is not a proper noun) can be given later." In rural schools where four or more grades are taught by one teacher the work may, as a rule, be inspected at the desks by older pupils. This will a a a a a a A B A A A A A h b lb b b b B B B B B c c c c c c C C C C C C d a d d d d D D D D D D e e e e e e E E E E E E Front Back LETTER-CARD SHEET The best letter-card sheets have capitals on one side and small letters on the other save the teacher much time. After pupils can read print well, desk work may be provided by cutting up old readers that contain large print. Before being cut up, the printed page should be pasted on stiff paper to give it greater firmness. 2. Letter Cards. After the children have learned to read simple sentences and know the letters of the alphabet, they may spend some of their spare time at the desks, building up short sentences with letter GRADE OXE 51 cards. At first the sentences should be copied from the board or from the j)nmer. Short rimes learned by the children may also be used. Toward the latter part of the year the children may compose original sentences suggested by some story or rime previously learned, or even by a picture of action or of animal life. an amiiiB am m SnOQ QIBKKni Q DO OB j BED -QBB msa tswssn i FIRST-GRADE WORK WITH LETTER CARDS, CORRELATING LANGUAGE AND NATURE STUDY The letter-card work is an excellent way to intro- duce spelling in the form of play, for no misspelled words should be passed without correction. All sen- tences must begin with capital letters (cards may be obtained that have capitals on the reverse side, and the teacher can simply turn the first letter over to correct this mistake), and a period should always be placed at the close. By the plan suggested above . mtsBBomm ;-'" 'OQOIID aOQQ ' mm mwm msmmmmmm 'msmm mmm mmmm jasQ mm QISi Dili': nmi'^"^' i- ■aWSG a ^ ago B en FIRST-GRADE WORK WITH LETTER CARDS, CORRELATING LANGUAGE AND NATURE STUDY 52 GRADE ONE 58 for the word cards, the teacher can in a sliort time make enough of these cards for a small class. The printed cards will cost only from six to ten cents for each pupil (for information as to where these cards may be purchased see p. 256). Technical Matters Under this heading will be given from grade to grade such technical matters as the child should, during the year, learn to use correctly in his oral and written language. 1. Capitals : at the beginning of each sentence, the pro- noun ' I,' and the first letter in each word of the child's name and home address. 2. Punctuation : period at the end of each sentence. 3. Verb forms : correct use of ^ is ' and ' are,' ' was ' and ^ were,' and all forms that are commonly misused. GRADE TWO I. ORAL LANGUAGE AVORK Original Expressiox. 1. Conversation Exercisfs. 2. Observation Lessons and Reports. 3. Story-Telling. 4. Small Beginning in Oral Narration of Real Experiences, Descriptions, and Simple Exposition. Imitative Expressiox. 1. Memorizing Work. 2. Dramatization. 3. Langnage Games. IL WRITTEN LANGUAGE WORK Ui;i(iixAL Expressiox. 1. Simple Sentence AVork (early part of year). 2. Small Written Compositions: (a) Simi:)le letter form : (6) Com- positions involving Narration, Description, and Simple Exposition. Imitative Expressiox. 1. Copying Work. 2. Dictation Exercises. in. GENERAL WORK Desk Work. Vocabulary Work. Techx^ical Matters. 5.5 PURPOSES AND AIMS As outlined in tlie first year's work, oral language should receive tlie greater emphasis this year. The work to be done here is very similar to that outlined for the first grade, the chief difference being that the extent and intensity are somewhat increased. ^Jlie purpose of the year's work is, therefore, to develop the ability to think to a definite end and to express thought in reasona])ly correct language. By the end of the year the child should be able to speak or Avrite four or five logically related statements on one subject. In the written work a kno\\'l- edge of certain matters pertaining to capitalization, punc- tuation, and form should be demanded. The \vork of correcting bad habits of speech in all recitations should be kept up unceasingly by the teacher. The correlation of nature study, hygiene, history, local geography, etc. Avith language work should be more systematically intro- duced in this grade than was possible in the first year. If the language work of this year is a success, a steady development of originality and spontaneity in thought and its expression will be seen. 56 GRADE TWO I. ORAL LAXGUAGE AVORK Okiginal Expreksiox 1. Conversafion Exerckes. Conversation exercises should be continued this year along the lines sug- gested in the first grade. In this grade, however, the exercises are more definitely planned to achieve certain given ends. Special periods may be devoted to discussions of matters of general interest to the children, such as the circus, the county fair, the first frost or snow, the overflowing of the river, Christ- mas, etc. Matters connected with good manners and correct personal habits should also be given a place here. In the discussion of these various subjects effec- tive correlation of civics, hygiene, local geography, history, etc. may be obtained. In this grade conversation is both a means and an end. Besides its purpose described above, it is the means by which the various types of language w^ork, as well 'as the recitations in all other branches, are introduced. Better results will be achieved in all of the recitation work throughout the eight grades if the teacher can make the pupils lose sight of the formal side of the recitation and feel that they are 57 58 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS simply talking with the teacher and with each other about the various topics that arise. Correct and complete statements should continue to be the goal here, as in all grades throughout the course. In each sentence the teacher may make cor- rections by giving the child the cor- rect form, or the statement as it should have been made, and requir- ing him to repeat it in tliat form. 2. Observafion Lessons and Be- jjorfs. The work begun in the first grade should be continued in the second grade. The reports should be given in free con- versational style, producing simple work in narration, description, and exposition. The life and industries of each community will afford abundant material for observation in this work. The world of nature affords great opportunities for training in observation, while in rural districts much elementary knowledge of PICTURES WILL DEVELOP GREATER IN- TEREST IN CONVERSATION AND ORIGINAL STORY COMPOSITION GRADE TWO 59 agriculture and farm activities may be taught in this way. Pictures may be effectively used in this work, as suggested in the first grade. More detailed descriptions of the objects in the pictm^es should be expected here. 3. Story-Tdl'uKj. The directions given for this work in the hrst grade will, with some exceptions, SECOND-GRADE COJsWERSATION AND ORAL EXPOSITION Subject, flowers, which have been gathered at recess serve equally well here. The language should be more correct and the sentences more carefully formed. Stories of greater length may be learned, and the children should show a better grasp of the story as a whole. The stories should be thoroughly studied, and for this reason too many of them should not be 60 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS attempted. It would be well to dramatize nearly all the stories learned during the year. Whenever possi- ble, it is very interesting and profitable to have the children illustrate the stories by drawings, clay model- ing, cuttings, etc. This is especially desirable when the stories are written by the children. It is important that some attention be given to the telling of original stories during this year. Pic- tures of stories previously learned may furnish the characters and even the ideas for the new story. A good plan is for the teacher to read a few lines of a new story and have different children suggest a possible conclusion for it. The sources of stories to be used in this grade are almost the same as those indicated in the first grade. Stories from ^sop, Grimm, and Andersen, and folk stories and mythological tales, are most suitable. Stories that have been read in the regular reader or in supplementary readers may be used in this work, while those learned during the previous year should be repeated from time to time. The following stories are, in length and subject matter, suitable for use in this grade : ^sop : The Two Frogs, The Grasshopper and the Ant, The Mice in Council, The Eox and the Crow, The Wind and the Sun, The Rat and the Elephant, The Wolf and the Lamb. AxDEKSEx : The Daisy, The Fir Tree, The Flax, The Ugly Duckling, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Snow Man. Grimm : The Queen Bee, The Six Swans, The House in the Wood, Briar Rose, The Elves and the Shoemaker. Bible : Daniel in the Lions' Den. GRADE TWO 61 LoNGP^ELLow, H. AV. : Hiawatha's Cliildliuod. Miscellaneous : Robin Hood, Alexander and Bucephalus, The ]>lind Men and the Elephant, The Story of AVilliani Tell, Bruce and the Spider. The following outline suggests a possible method of introducing to the children the story " Little Red Riding-hood." Children, did you ever see a little cloak with a hood on it ? I think they are warm and jiretty, don't you ? I used to have one when I was a little girl. Would you like to hear a story about a little girl just about your age that had a pretty cloak with a little red hood on it ? Well, I will tell it to you. (Here the story is told. Here and there as the teacher proceeds she will stop to ask a question or two to keep the attention and to impress the details of the story. Whenever possible it is always better to lead the children to ask some of the questions and to discuss the story. The following questions are such as the teacher might ask as she tells the story.) Don't you think this little girl's grandmother was good to give her this pretty cloak and hood? Why did they call her Little Red Riding-hood ? Do you think she was glad to go to her grandmother's ? Why ? Did you ever see a wolf in a circus ? No ? Well, a wolf looks something like a large, shaggy dog. Would you like to meet one in the woods ? Do you think she was afraid when she met him? If she had been, would she have stayed to gather flowers after he left her ? What would you have done ? Are n't you glad the men came in time to save Little Red Riding-hood ? Do you think she ever went through the woods alone again ? Do you like the story of Little Red Riding- hood ? You do ? W^ell, you may learn it, so that you can tell it to your mother and father at home. 4. Oral Coynjmsition. Complete oral compositions, consistins; of from three to live statements, nuvv be 62 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS expected by the close of this year. While this work will generally be followed by written work on the same subjects, the former should be deliberately planned as an end in itself. Before the completed product is reached, much preliminary conversation and observation will l)e found necessary in order to arouse thought and to bring out the interesting and important ideas that should find a place in the fin- ished work. To develop the ability to arrange the statements in pleasing and logical sequence, the teacher should frequently, in the early part of the year, write on the ]3oard a series of questions the answers to which give the desired product. The child will read the questions silently and then answer them orally. In this work much valuable information about nature, agriculture, home arts, and the industrial interests of the community may be taught. The various kinds of subject matter involved in these little compositions may, for the convenience of the teacher, be outlined as follows, the names ' narration,' ' description,' and ' exposition ' never being used in directing the class- room work : a. Narration. Stories are especially pleasing to children. From the repeating of stories heard or read it is only a short step to the telling of actual experi- ences. This work should therefore be closely asso- ciated with story-telling. To this end the watchful teacher will take advantage of every happening of interest in the life of each child. It may be a visit to a relative at a distance, a fishing trip, a picnic, an (IRADK TWO 68 afternoon in the park, a party at a friend's iionie, a day's work, or any other happening of interest. b. Description. Work in description, wliich was attempted in the hrst grade on a very small scale only, may now be made interesting and profitable to the children. Whenever possiljle, the object being described should be placed before the eyes of the chil- dren, though this is not absolutely essential. The schoolroom offers a variety of objects with which to be- gin ; later the chil- dren may describe things seen in a few moments spent out of the school- room for recreation or for observing the state of the weather. Pictures of animals and of action, or colored pictures of birds, plants, etc., may be found useful (for a list of suitable pictures see p. 263). The ol^ser- vation lessons Avill offer much material for this work. c. Exposition. The kind of exposition that will be attempted in the lower grades is that which presents, in a simple way, interesting facts of general informa- tion about a subject closely associated with the life of the children. Whenever possible the objects should >ij uM) liUADE STEXCIL WORK Done in connection with a written repro- (lurtion of ^Esop's fable "The Fox and the Crow " 64 LANGUAGE WORK IX ELEMENTAKY SCHOOLS be before the eyes of the cliildreu as tliey talk about them. Where this is impossible, pictm^es may supply the lack. An ear of corn, for example, may be used to develop a dis- cussion as to the uses of corn, meth- ods of preparation for food, where grown, how mar- keted, etc. After general discussion in free conversa- tional style, in- dividual children should 1)6 asked to give, in a ie^Y statements, some of the interesting points that have been brought out. Such subjects as how to sj)in a top, how to weave a mat, how to study a spelling lesson, may be given a place in this w^ork. Imitative Expression 1. Memorizhuj Work. This w^ork should be con- tinued according to the directions given in the first grade. Selections of greater length and more diffi- cult subject matter may be gradually introduced. SHOEING THE BAY MAKE (After Landseer) Pictures of familiar scenes are effective in primary ]ano:uage work GRADE T\^■() 65 The children should frequently be allowed to repeat poems learned during the preceding year. This may be done when some idea brings to mind one of these poems. The following poems are suitable for memorizing in this grade : .Shekmax, F. D. : Daisies. Stevexsox, E. L. : Autumn Fires ; Winter Time. Jacksox, H. H. : September. Texxysox, Alfkei) : The Bee and the Flower; The I'Avd and its Xest. CooLiDGE, SusAx : How the Leaves Came Down. Allixgham, William : Robin Redbreast. Field, Eugexe : The Sugar Plum Tree. Cooper, Geokge : Autunni Leaves. Rossetti, Chkistixa : ^Milking Time. For literary gems and poems see Appendix J 5. The following is a lesson plan for the teaching of a poem suited to this grade : TCLirs Cold and crimson tulips. Lift your bright heads U}), Catch the shining dewdrops In your dainty cu])S. If the birdies see you W^hile they 're flying by, They wiU think a sunset Dropped from out the sky. 1. The teacher reads the entire poem, asking such questions as the following : How many of you have seen tulips ? What shajie are they ? Show us with your hands the shape of the 6C) LANGUAGE \\'OKK IX ELEMENT AEY SCHOOLS tulip. Can you think now why we say, " Catch the shining dew- drops in your dainty cups " ? How does the dew look when you see it early in the morning on the grass ? ^Vhy Avill the birdies think the tulips look like " a sunset dropped from out the sky " ? 2. The teacher rereads the stanza (usually twice) to the children and has them close their eyes to form the pictures suggested by the poem as it is read. 3. The children are then asked to describe the pictures. The result will be something like this : " I saw a beautiful house in the center of a large yard, and on one side of the house was a big tulip bed. All of the tulips were red^ and yellow and were holding their heads up. They were shaped like dainty cups, and in the cups were dewdrops which were sparkling. After a little while a number of birds flew over and stopped a few seconds as if they were looking at the tulips." One child may not see all of this in his pictiu-e, but he will see some part of it, and another child another, etc. At times when it seems difficult for the children to make the pictures, the teacher might say, " This is the picture which this poem brings to my mind," proceeding to give it. 4. The first two lines are read once or twice to the children : Gold and crimson tulips, Lift your bright heads up. Have the children repeat these lines first in concert, and then individually. 5. The next two are then read to the children : Catch the shining dewdrops In your dainty cups. Have the children repeat these lines as before. 6. The teacher reads the four lines together and has the children repeat them as suggested before. The last four lines are then taken up in the same manner. After this is done, the whole poem is repeated in concert and individually. Most of the re]>etition should be individual, as it enables the teacher to be sure that the children are getting the poem correctly. GRADE TWO 67 7. This ends the class work on the poem, but it should be repeated often. If some child brings a tulip to school, the teacher may say, '' Of what does this tulip make you think ? " " Yes, it brought the poem about the tulips to my mind ; let us say that poem." 2. Dramatiza- tion. The dii-ec- tions given for this work in the first grade will, for the most part, serve equally well here. Only short and simple stories should be drama- tized, although of course they may be a little longer than those played in the first grade and, in addition, the pla}dng should be more realistic. Greater orig;iual- ity in making THIS Lrrn.E faiky is ir:A<;i:i; Td n- THE WONDERFUL THINGS SHE DID Wl HER WAXD IX THE PLAY LI. TH changes and ad- ditions in the dialogue and in adding new characters should also be expected with children of this age. Two kinds of stories may be played in this work. The first and simplest is the story that contains all 68 LAX(;UAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS or nearly all of the dialogue. The other kind is that in which very little direct discourse appears, making it necessary for the children to invent the dialogue for the play. In all cases the sequence of the origi- nal, and as much of its phraseology as possihle, should be preserved. At first very little dialogue should be allowed ; in fact, the children should speak only what they cannot act. Later, more extensive dialogue will be the rule. Nearly all the stories learned should be dramatized and made more real to the children. Here, as in the first grade, fables, legends, folk stories, etc. are most suitable for the play work. The following fables from ^Esop are simply suggestive : The Echo. The Shepherd r>oy who cried Wolf. The Dog in the Manger. The Fisherman and his "Wife. The Two Frogs. The Crow and the Pitcher. The following is a practical illustration of the dramatization of ^sop's fable "The Shepherd Boy," in which several new characters are added, and in which the dialogue is almost all new. If the story has not been previously learned, the teacher will read or relate it perhaps twice, asking, after the reading or reciting, some such questions as the following : What did the shepherd boy do ? How did he try to amuse himself ? What do you think the villagers said when they found out the boy was playing a joke on them? GRADE TWO (J9 Did tlaey take it so well the second time and the third time ? What happened when the wolf really did come ? What did the wise man say to the boy ? THE SHEPHERD BOY There was once a shepherd boy who tended his sheep in a pasture not far from a dark forest. He was told to cry for help if the wolf appeared. It was rather lonely for him all day, so he decided he would amuse himself in some way. He thought it would be fun to cry " Wolf ! wolf I " and see the vil- lagers who were cutting wood near bj^ come running to his help. Three times the villagers were startled thus and ran to the boy's help, only to be laughed at. Finally the wolf really came, but when the boy cried loudly for hel}>, the men did not respond, thinking it was another joke. And so tlie wolves killed and ate a number of the sheep. A wise man of the village said to the Ijoy, "The truth itself is not believed From him who often has deceived." Characters: The Boy, several small children for Sheep, two or three boys for Wolves, several boys for Villagers, the Wise INIan. Scene : Pasture to right of teacher's desk, where the boy and sheep are seen ; the woods and villagers in the rear of room to left ; woods and wolves in rear of room to right. Boy. It 's very lonesome around hei'e. I believe I will have some fun. I will cry " Wolf ! " and see the men rush out of the woods to help me. [ Cries^ Wolf ! wolf ! Villagers. \_Rushlng iip'\ We see no wolf. Why did you deceive us in this way ? Boy. \_Smilmg'\ I wanted to have some fun. [Villagers reti(ni.'\ Boy. Help ! help ! the wolf is coming. [^Onljj three Villagers come.'\ 70 LANGUAGE AVOIIK IX ELEMENTAlfY SCHGUL.S Villagers. J^Anffr;/'] This is the second time you have de- ceived us. We will not believe you if you call for heljD again. [Villagers retire.'] Boy. Help ! help ! The wolf ! the wolf ! \_Only txoo Villagers vnme fJils time.] Villagers. You are a bad boy. AVe will not come to help you again. [Villagers retire.] Boy. This is lots of fun. [ Wolves (/row/.] There come the wolves, sure enough. Help ! help ! The wolf ! the wolf ! [_The Boy rushes to the woods lohere the Villagers are. The Wolves rush up and earrij off several of the Sheep.] Boy, Why did n't you come when I called ? The wolves are killing the sheep. Wise Max. The truth itself is not believed From him who often has deceived. ^All retire to seats.] 3. Language Games. Language games may be con- tinued in this grade with much interest and profit. In addition to the game whose purpose is to correct certain definite mistakes in speech, others of a more general nature may be introduced. The reader will find on page 256 the names of two books from which suitable material may be chosen for the work. The following are examples of games that may be used in this grade. a. Corrective Games. Some of the games played in the first grade may be repeated here. New ones in- tended to correct mistakes commonly heard among the children in this grade should be introduced. The following game will help to fix ' I have ' for ' I have GRADE TWO 71 got': xV child is sent from the room. A piece of chalk or other small article is placed in the hands of some child in the class, and each child is asked to hold his hands as though he had the hidden article. The child that retired is recalled and asks, "John, have you the chalk ? " He receives the answer, " No, I have n't - ■^p^j l^jFil^^H w^Jr^i i^ ^m. I ^^^^^K c9I^^^K' Si^^^^H Wi 1 [fc* MafMf #^^f iili2. fl^g^l LANGUAGE GAME TO CUKKECT HAVE GOT" it," until the person who has it is guessed. This child then retires and the game is repeated. h. llHiat is it ? This game develops logical thought and expression. The teacher says, " Children, I am thinking of something. What is it?" Questions that require the answer Yes or No are asked, and they must be such as narrow the field of possibilities, as "Is it in the yard ? in the schoolroom ? on the teacher's table? black? round?" etc. The teacher's answers 72 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS should always be full statenieuts which may serve as models for imitation. When the object is located and named, the game may be repeated several times. c. Picture Game. After a number of pictures have been used in various kinds of language work and are known by name, the children may use them to play a game of description. After each child has chosen a picture and has studied it carefully for a few moments, the pictures are hidden or turned over. Each child in turn will be given an opportunity to describe the picture he chose, and the class will try to guess which one it was. In order to make the game interesting, the children should know by name at least eight or ten pictures. II. WRITTEN LANGUAGE WORK OllIGINAL ExPFvESSIOX 1. ^Sentence Work. In this grade it may Ije necessary to spend two or three months in learning to compose the single, complete sentence. This will be a continua- tion of similar work attempted toward the close of the first year's work, and will go hand in hand with letter-card work, which should be continued during the first half of the second year. After a sul)iect lias been talked about in the class for a few moments, always with an object or picture before the eyes of the children if possible, some of the class are sent to the board and the others are asked to write at their seats. The chief object is to have a single complete state- ment written on the sul^ject, but after a time the GRADE TWO 73 childreu will begin of tlieir own accord to compose more than one sentence. The requirements in capital- ization, punctuation, etc. set for this grade should be taught in connection with this w^ork. Misspelled words should always be corrected. The expression of thought in complete, correct statements, however, is the chief purpose of the work. All misspelled words should l)e written on the board as a basis for a spelling lesson later. 2. a. Letttr-Writiiuj. Toward the latter part of this year a small beginning in the mastery of the simple letter form should l)e made. Tn this grade the body of tile letter will usually consist of about three or four sentences. From half to three fourths of the little attempts at w^ritten composition work, involv- ing narration, description, and simple informational exposition, should be in letter form. Subjects dis- cussed in the observation reports and conversation periods will offer material al^out which to write. The letters may be addressed to father, mother, teacher, a classmate, or anyone else. The folloAving letter form shows the extent of the requirements for this 3'ear. Dear Mary, Your friend, j\[abel Smith h. Shnple JBeguuiintjs at Xarration. IkscriptloH. and Exposition. After the letter-card work and the 74 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS composition of simple statements have developed a fair ability in constructing sentences, the children may be expected to write little compositions of from three to five sentences on one subject. The child will take great pride in preparing a little composi- tion that is to be handed to the teacher. After the A^on^ SECONIVGRADE ORIGINAL COMPOSITION oral discussion, which should always precede the written work, has put the child in possession of many facts connected with the subject, the teacher may write several questions on the board. The pupil, b}^ answering these, will have his statements arranged in logical sequence. The following is a suggested series on the subject, "My Father's Horses": How many horses has your father ? What color are they ? GRADE TWO 75 HoAV does he use them ? Do you ever ride on any of them ? ^ What do they eat ? ^^'ho takes care of them ".' Do you like horses ? After the preliminary oral work the children should mention the words which they wish to use in the written work and which they cannot spell. These lAJji- .AJW^hjuL (TV-Ay JrC/Lo^^ jl^ lUlCto^ Kj^'rUi..^yy^ \jy^ ..yLMiJLA jVi^JL.,'^--^^ (?-;^L-£^rt^ <3-Vt.6l IxX .X^r-u^^^-U^ .c-v^ JiJ^jL^yy^ a- ^J^jt_£jy (Xyr'-cL ou/tain. ^V-6'C><-'v-uci -v-^^ "'—JXur- oLl^~aA fX'-v—u^ u/C &~njL Q,<^■t'^'^ SECOXD-GRADE ORIGINAL COMPOSITION, LANGUAGE AND NATURE STUDY CORRELATED are placed on the board, that misspelled words may be as few as possible. The children should be tanglit to leave blank spaces for words they cannot spell. The papers should be taken up, and all mistakes of importance and those that are common to several 76 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTAllV SCHOOLS papers should be discussed with the class. The habit of placing the subject in the proper place in the center of the paper at the top, and of indenting the first line, should be formed from the first. The letter form should be used most of the time in all of the written work. For the requirements in capitalization, punctuation, etc. see Technical Matters, page 79. The subject matter of these little compositions will consist of narration, description, and informational exposition, as outlined in the discussion of oral com- position work. Some work in observation reports and in writing stoi'ies, both original and reproduced, may also be given here. Full directions as to the choice of subjects for written composition work were given in the discussion of the oral work. Imitative Expression 1. Copying Work. This work, usually done at the desks, gives practice in language and writing. As a language drill this work tends to impress correct usage. Sentences and sliort passages taken from the reader, and poems that are being memorized, may' be copied by the children. From time to time sentences may be placed on the board with blank spaces left, in which ' was ' or ' were,' ' is ' or ' are,' ' a ' or ' an,' ' has ' or ' have,' ' saw ' or ' seen,' ' took ' or ' taken,' etc. are to be inserted when the sentences are copied. Words and expressions incorrectly used by the children should be made the basis of this kind of copying work. (JKADE TWO 77 2. Dictation Work. This exorcise teaches correct usage through the eye and the ear as well as through the motor images required in writing. It will prove G \)1*?\X CtW^ Xl^ OtH)iV\\ AMxd\ m5T(\ . KEPKODUCED STORY. FIFTH .MoXTII, SECOND GRADE a valuable aid in written composition Mork. Sen- tences containing troublesome words, and the correct forms of words and jjhrases incorrectly used by the children, should be composed by the teacher or chosen 78 LANGUAGE AVORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS from some good source. They should be read clearly and slowly ouce or twice, and the children at the board and in the seats are expected to write them from memory. For this work the board should be used most of the time, and, in order that the chil- dren may not be tempted to copy, it would be well to give a different sentence to each child at the board. Frequent drills in this work are necessary. The sen- tences should be corrected by the children themselves if possible. The teacher should keep a record of the words most commonly misused by the children, and let them apjDear often in the sentence dictated. III. GENERAL WORK Desk Work The use of letter cards, which formed so prominent a part of the language w^ork in the first grade, may be continued during the first half of this year. After the reQ;ular lans-uage lesson the children niav be asked to compose at their desks with the letter cards two or three sentences on the subject discussed in the lesson. If there is not enough room on the board for all the children to write the sentences, half of them may remain at their desks and compose their sentences with letter cards. Later in the year ]3encil and paper may be used instead. All sentences com- posed with the cards should be corrected as carefully as those on the board. As suggested above, the copying work is done as language desk work. Children may prepare at the GRADE TWO 79 desks illustrative material for written stories, suck as drawings, stencil Avork, paper cutting, etc. Vocabulary' Wokk In this grade an indexed blank book in which the teacher will write the new words learned from day to day should be kept by each pupil. The pupils should be urged to practice writing these words on paper or on the board at odd times. Drill in the meaning and use of these may be given from time to time, and when the pupils need a word, they should be required to find it in their homemade dictionary. Technical Matters In addition to the points outlined under this head in the first grade, the following should be mastered just as early this year as possible : 1. Capitals : the beginning of each line of poetry ; the word * ' ; the first letter in the names of days of the week, months, persons, and places, and in common abbreviated titles, as ' Mr.,' ' Mrs.,' ' Dr.' 2. Pttncttiation : a. Period : after ver}- common abbreviations, as ^ ]\Ir.,' 'Mrs.,' 'Dr.'; after initials. Ji. Question mark': after interrogative sentences. c. Comma : after the salutation and closing phrase in letters. i1. Quotation marks : with unbroken quotations. 3. Form : proper placing of headings in compositions, and indentation of first line ; simple letter form. 4. Phirals : ordinary formation by adding s and es. 5. Correct Usage: 'a,' 'an'; 'has,' 'have'; 'to,' 'too,' 'two'; ' there,' ' their ' ; ' is,' ' are '; ' was,' ' were,' etc. GRADE THREE I. ORAL LAN(;UAGK WOKK OpaoixAL Expression. 1. Conversation. 2. Observatiou Lessons and lieports. ;]. llecitati(jn by Topics. 4. Story-Telling. 5. Oral Compositions involving Narration, I)esc-rij>ti(in, Expo sition, and Argnnient. Imitative Expukssjox. 1. Memorizing Work. •J. Dramatization. '■). Langnage (James. ir. WKITTEX LANGUAGE AVOKK Okkjixal Expkkssk »x. 1. Letter-AVriting. 2. Observation Reports. 3. Compo.sitions involving Narration, Description, and Expo- sition. I :\I ITA TI VE EXPKESSK ) V. 1. Copying Work. 2. Dictation Exercises. in. GENERAL WORK Vocabulary "Work. Technical ^Matters PURPOSES AND AIMS 111 this grade written language work becomes more im- portant, but its growing prominence should not put oral work in the background. Systematic instruction in oral language should be kept up here and throughout the whole course. Stated written exercises" involvuig the para- graph as the unit of expression should be given about twice each week, while some written work sliould be done almost every day. Of the various forms of written work the letter is the most important, for m the majority of cases it is the form in which the little narrations, descrip- tions, and expositions should be written. About one page of note paper is the standard of achievement for the com- position work this year. In all language work the children should begin to give evidence of a language conscience as to correctness of speech and elegance of phraseology. The child's eiforts to express his thoughts at any time should be regarded as composition and guided accordingly. For this reason the language used in all recitations should be given careful oversight. Eternal vigilance is the price of safety in this matter here as well as in all other grades. GRADE Til UK 1^] I. ORAL LANGUAGE WORK Orioixal Expression- 1. Conversation. In this grade and above, conver- sation will be a means rather than an end in itself. It will be the means by which the regular language work, as well as tliat of all recitations, will be intro- duced and conducted. The language used by the children in conversation should be watched more closely than ever before. As in the second grade, periods may occasionally be devoted to the discussion of matters brought before the class in the observation work, or of matters of general interest in the com- munity. These periods should be without previous notice, unless some investigation is necessary. 2. Observation Lessons and Beports. This work is a continuation of that suggested, under this heading, for the first and second grades. In this grade more difficult subjects are assigned and more careful obser- vation is required. In addition, great care should be taken to keep the children from confusing fact and fancy. It is well that the children should see in the drifting clouds a hkeness to floating ships or snow- capped mountains, but there is little place for the 83 84 LANGUAGE WOKK IX ELK.MEXTARY SCHOOLS iiiiagiiuition in recording, for exaiiiple, the Iialjils of a bii'd — the location and character of its nest or the way the mother bird cares for the yonng. In the choice of subjects the teacher should l)e guided by the various interests and industrial activ- ities of the community. The out-of-door world is always an inexhaustible source of material for obser- vation work. For example, the activities of the civic league (which is concerned with the cleanliness and sanitation of tlie connnuuity) and of the Audu])on Society (which has for its object the study and pro- tection of ])ird life) are interesting and of great value to the child as a citizen. Such activities are wide in scope and will vary greatly with different connnrmi- ties. It is not necessary that societies should lie organized among- the children, but it is well for them to make reports on their observation, investigation, and study along these lines. 3. Recitation hy Topics. Toward the close of the year a small beginning in having the children recite by topics may be made. This will be a good drill in expressing ideas in logically connected statements. The work will be more spontaneous if in the begin- ning the child is allowed to choose his own sub- ject; later the teacher will always assign the topics. This method of recitation may be used in reading, in observation reports, and elsewhere. Explanations of the processes followed in solving examples in arith- metic furnish a good drill in making statements in logical order. (rKAI)E TIIKEE 80 4. Storij-Tdlhuj. The learning and retelling of classical stories should Ije continued in this grade, but work in original creation should by degrees be given a place. Literature, pictures, and characters taken from nature will ])rovi(le suitable material for the original story. At least one long story, which is made up of successive, well-defined units, should l)e read and told bv each child duriniJ" tlic vcar. " Tlie IMAXY rXTERESTIXG ro:\rP(lSrTION SUB.JECTS HERE King of the Golden River," by Ruskin, is sug-Q-ested for this grade. In the story-telling the teacher should make the story her own and tell it to the class again and again. After learning the story in this way, the children should be asked to repeat it many times. Children never tire of good stories well told or of telling the same one over and OA'er. As in the pre- vious grades, not more than six or eight stories should be taught during the year for the purpose of 8G LANGUAGE WOEK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS reproductiou. The teaclier may tell many others, ho^vever, to teach lessons of various kinds. The story work of this grade should include some stories from the following sources : the fairy tales which teach truths but not facts ; the old folk stories which deal simply with the philosophy of life ; and the modern animal stories from Thompson Seton, Uncle Remus (Joel Chandler Harris), Long, and Kipling. These animal stories, through language, style, and form, are very interesting to children because they humanize the animal characters. These stories are edu- cative in the broadest sense, much of our best litera- ture being based upon them. The stories of grand operas also are, in many cases, taken from folklore. The following stories are suitable material for this grade : ^sop : The Fox and the Goat ; The Hare and the Tortoise. Ababiax Nights : Sindbad the Sailor ; Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp ; The Fisherman and the Genie. Andersex : The Beetle ; The Snow Man, Grimm : Strong Hans ; The Elves and the Shoemaker. Dasext : ]>oots and his Brothers ; Why the Sea is Salt ; The Land East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Mabie, H. W. : The Death of Balder; Thor's Journey to Jotunheim. Setox, Ernest Thompson : Johnny Bear. Kipling, Rudyard : Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. Greek Mythology : Venus and Adonis ; The Golden Fleece ; Ulysses and the Bag of Winds. Bible : Stories of David and Samuel. 5. The task of leading children to make several connected statements on a given subject was begun GKADE THllEE 87 iu the second grade and should be continued and enlarged here. Although written work will usually follow, the oral work should be planned as a distinct end in itself. Too little attention has been paid to oral language work in the past, and as a result a very necessary language power has been lost. From four to six statements will be the probable length of the composition, and yet quality rather than quan- tity should be the aim. For the convenience of the teacher the w^ork may be grouped under the follow- ing heads, but, as stated before, the terms ' narration,' 'description,' and 'exposition' should never be used in directing the work. a. Narration. The suggestions made for this work in the preceding grade will be useful here. Experi- ences of other persons may be related by the children in this grade, war stories or stories of life in earlier days, told by father or grandfather, being examples. The children may be allowed to tell a few imaginary experiences to train the imagination and to develop constructive ability. h. Description. The suggestions made iu the preceding grade will be useful here. The work of describing objects and scenes from memory may be enlarged. This will be closely related to the work of making reports on observations. Any of the pictm^es suggested for primary grades, on page 263, may be used in this work. c. Exposition. The work outlined for the preced- ing grade should be continued, with a proper increase 88 lax(;iv(;k work ix elementary schools in intensity and extent. Exposition in the lower grades will necessarily be very simple. One form of oral composition that may be introduced in this grade with interest and profit is the simple argument. Either individuals or sections of the class may be allowed to oppose each other. For full directions as to the conduct of this work see the discussion under Aru;ument in the next two trades. IIEIJ^^^I HHhhh TKLLIM, lluW TU I'LAV (lAMES IS A GOOD WAY TO IXTKODL'CE EXPOSITION Imitative Expkessiox 1. Memorizing Work. The memorizing work should be continued in this grade, and the method suggested in the preceding grades will be found useful here. The selection should be read or i-ecited by the teacher, and the memorizing will be done by hearing, not by reading, the poem. Concert repetition should be less frequent than in the preceding grades. Greater stress should be placed on the interpretation and GiLVJJE THREE 89 "understaudiug of the poem, and tlie reciting .sliould lie with l^etter effect. The work of memorizing will be slow, a part of from four to eight class periods being required to teach a poem of eight stanzas. Not more than four or five poems, one jjsalm, and twelve gems should l)e taught during the Aear. Poems and gems learned the preceding year may l)e repeated prolital)ly from time to time. In reading, it may be found helpful to have the children occasionally read the poems they have already memorized or are memorizing at the time. See Appendix B for suitable material in both poems and gems. The following list gives the teaclier a wider range of choice : AViGGix, Kate D. : Oiveii Tliiui;',s CtvowIiil;'; An Apple Orchai'd in the Spring-. Shermax, F. I). : The Four Winds ; Se})teHil)er : Kriss Kringle. KiLEY, J. W. : A 8ong ; Little Brook. LoisrGFELLow, H. W. : Hiawatha's Childhood; The April Shower. Stevexsox.E.L. : "Winter Time: The Wind; ^Nly Bed is a Boat. Texjstysox, Alfred : Sweet and Low ; The Snowdro}). WiiiTTiER, J. Ct. : The Corn Song ; The Barefoot Boy. KixGSLEY, Charles. : The Lost Doll. EossETTi, Christixa : Who has seen the Wind ? Browxixg, Robert : Pippa's Song. Wordsworth, Willia:m : To a Butterfly. Sted:max, E. C. : What the Winds Bring. Allixgham, William : Robin Redbreast. , Field, Eugexe : Japanese Lullaby. Gary, Alice : Autumn. Bible : Psalms i and xxiii. 90 LANGUAGE WOTJK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 2. Dramatization. Stories or dramatic poems longer than those played in the second grade may now be used. The average length should be about twenty bits of dialogue. More liberty in adding characters and in changing the direct discourse should be allowed and expected, while dialogue parts may be added for characters that appear in the story only in the third person. Not more than three or four THE DULLER, HIS SON, AND THEIR DONKEY, A THIRD-GRADE PLAY finished plays should be attempted during the year. Reading lessons in which much dialogue appears may be effectively recited in semidramatic form. Certain children will assume certain roles and will read, with some little attempt at action, the dialogue assigned to the corresponding characters. Dramatic readers, names of which appear in Appendix A, may be used for the dramatic work of this type. The history work of the year may culminate in a play. If this GKADE THREE 91 has been on Norway, let the Norse heroes be the characters, and let their characteristic customs and habits suggest the action. Or, if Kentucky has been the subject of study, let the pioneer life furnish characters and a plot. Another type of dramatic work, less studied and more spontaneous than that outlined above, may ALL THE CHAKACTKKS IX 'SLEKPINrt BEALTY" ASSEMBLED FOR PICTURE often be used with profit in this grade. This is some- times called spontaneous dramatics. A story with which the children are thoroughly familiar is chosen. It may have been part of the reading work of a pre- vious 3^ear or it may be altogether new to the children. With only a very little preparation as to characters and staging, and with none as to the language to be 92 LAXCJUAGE WOIIK IX ELEMEXTAKY SIJHOOLS used, the class is asked to play the story. The story slioidd be short, aud the incidents tew and well- defined. A few pertinent questions may be asked by the teacher if the class is not at its best, but as a rule very little discussion should precede the play. New- actors may be chosen for a second rendering, but usually only one })erformance of a story is given. Most of the stories learned in the story-telling work sliould l)e dramatized. The , following stories, mostly from ^-Esop, are suggested as suitaljle for use in this grade : The Shepherd Boy. The Cat and the Eox. The IJear and the Tomtits. The Have and the Tortoise. The Fox and the Crow. The Echo. The Monkey and the Chestnuts. The Wolf and the Crane. The Lark and the Farmer. The Town Mouse and the City INIouse. Orpheus and Eurydice. Aurora and Tithonus. The Lark and the Rook. Laucis and Philemon. Apollo and Hercules. 3. Lruuiaafie Games. The work of correcting com- mon errors in the speech of the children by simple little games should be continued to some extent in this grade. The method of conducting the work has been outlined in the first two grades. The teacher should keep for this purpose a list of common errors GRADE THREE 93 made in class, on the playground, and elsewhere. Many suitable games may Ije found in the two books mentioned under this heading in the first grade. II. WRITTEN LANGUAGE WORK Okigixal Expkessiox Subjects assigned for written work should always be discussed with the children Ijefore they are asked to begin writing. This is done to put them in pos- session of the ideas and words needed. After the oral discussion, words that the children cannot spell should be written on the board. The papers should be read over and corrected so far as possible l^efore they are handed in ; or, if the work is done at the l^oard, as it should be much of the time during the early part of the year, each child should correct his work before the other children are asked to help him. At first the papers may be corrected by the class, each child correcting another's paper. Later the teacher should correct all papers and discuss typical mistakes with the class. The corrections should always cover all mat- ters of capitalization, punctuation, etc. outlined for this and preceding grades. Notice should also be taken of misspelled words, badly chosen words, and mistakes in syntax. Children should also l)e led to see points of excellence. The following are a ie^v sucli points : 1 . Well-chosen words. 2. New words used for the first time aud spelled correctly. 94 LANGUAGE W(3KK IN ELEMENTAEY SCHOOLS 3. Beautiful thoughts. 4. Correct use of technical points, as a contraction, a hyphen, etc. 5. Expressions that show pictures, if the form is description. 6. Expressions that tell stories, if the form is narration. 7. The general appearance of the product, as to neatness, straight writing, etc. CUTTING, CLAY MODELING, ETC. FURNISH SUBJECTS FOR SIMPLE DESCRIPTION AND EXPOSITION From three to five sentences may be expected at first, and by the end of the year a page of note paper should be written on one subject. At no time, how- ever, should the child be asked to write a definite amount. Two periods each week should be devoted GPvxVDE THREE 9o to the writing of regular compositions, while some written work should Ije done every day. The follow- ing division of the written work is for the con- venience of the teacher ; the terms ' narration,' ' description,' and ' exposition ' should never be nsed in directing the work in the classroom. 1. Letter-Writing. The letter appeals to children because it fm-nishes an audience. For this reason at least half the little narrations, descriptions, and expo- sitions written by third- and fomth-grade pupils should appear in this form. Frequently the written observation reports may also l^e put in letter form to add interest to the work. The first letters this year should be written in the form suggested in the pre- ceding grade. By degrees the date and place of writ- ing should be added, and some direction in the matter of addressing envelopes should be given. Toward the close of the year each pupil should write and send through the. mail at least one letter to some relative or friend. These letters should be submitted to the teacher for correction before they are mailed. The following; letter form should be mastered bv the close of the year. Louisville, Ky. May 16, 191.-) Dear Henry, Your friend, Howard Smith 9»i LAKGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS J^W^^; y 2. Observdfioii Ia'shohs and L'rjjoiis. 'I'lie reports on observation and investigation assigned to the class may frequently be put into written form. This, of course, will always follow the oral work. These reports will contain elements of description, exposition, and even narration, o. In all work in composition some (me of the regular forms of discourse will be predominant. Narration and description will be found suited to every grade, while only the simplest form of exposition is to be attempted at this stage. The following outline shows the different kinds of subject matter that should Ije given a place in tlie written work of this grade : a. Narration. After the children have been led to tell experiences that they have had or have heard others relate, they may be asked to put some of the short ones into wa^iting. Stories of fancy, learned in the story-telling work, may also be used in this way. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES Hecto<;raph work accompanying writteii leproduced story GKADE TIIKEE 97 Attempts at coniposiug .shuit oiigiual stories sliould be encouraged. h. Description. The oral description done in this grade should lead to written work of the same kind. This will perhaps demand a greater degree of accu- racy in observation and in recording details. Pictures are especially useful in this exercise. The observation work mentioned alxjve will call attention to the fact that nature furnishes an abundance of subject matter for description. c. Exjjosifmji. Tlic oral work in the simple kind of exposition that is attempted in the knver grades — that which relates interesting facts about familiar objects — should be followed occasionally Ijy written work. This form of exposition is not ditticult and develops nmcli interest in mam" connnon thing.s. iMriATlVE EXPIIESSIOX 1. Copijiiuj Work. The w^ork outlined in the pre- ceding grade should be continued throughout this year. Poems, memory gems, and selections from the reading lessons may be copied at the desk as a ])art of the assignment in WTiting. Passages that contain words and expressions which the children have a tendency to use incorrectly should be chosen for this work. 2. Dictation Exercises. This exercise is more effec- tive and more necessary here than in the first two grades. The discussion in the preceding grade gives suthcient directions as to the method of conducting 98 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS the work. In this and in higher grades more of the sen- tences may be written on paper at the desks though the board should be used most of the time. As in the other grades, the teacher should make notes of the common errors in the speech of the children, and let the correct usage appear in the sentences dictated. As shown below under Technical Matters, these exer- cises may be used to teach correct usage in all matters mentioned under that heading from grade to grade. These exercises may be used to fill in odd moments. IIL GENERAL WORK Vocabulary Work Some such plan as the one outlined in the second grade may be adopted for this grade. The ingenious teacher will develop some good method of carrying on this very important work. Technical Matters In addition to the attention paid in the composi- tion work, and in reading recitations, to the points outlined under this heading from grade to grade, some more specific work may be done to make pupils more familiar with them. Briefly stated, this work may consist of (a) observation of the points outlined in the various textbooks used, (h) board work with both teacher and class dictating, and (c) seat work. For example, suppose that the new point to be taught is the possessive singular. Let the class find many GRADE THKEE 99 instances of its use in various books, giving the mean- ing in each case, followed by the form. Follow this with board work, the teacher dictating phrases and short sentences containing the possessive singular. When this has developed a good understanding of the principle, further dictation work may be given at the desks, not only as a repetition, but as a test. Never let any formal rule be required of pupils in this grade. The following matters, in addition to those out- lined in the two preceding grades, should be mastered by the close of the year. 1. Ciipifuls : tirst letter in all eoinmon titles, in all proper names, and in diveet (inotations. 2. I'unctuatltni : a. Period : with abbreviations. h. Comma : in dates ; in series of words ; after cases of address. c. Apostrophe : in possessive singular and in a few most common contractions, as * it's,' ^ can't,' etc. d. Hyphen : in dividing words at ends of lines. 3. Abbreviations : names of months, the home state, and a few surrounding states ; ' doz.,' ' lb.,' * qt.,' ^ ft.,' ' yd.,' 'ct.,' and such others as are needed in arithmetic or in any other work of the grade. 4. Plurals : few irregular plurals met in reading work, such as ' mice,' ^ men,' ^ children,' ^ oxen,' ' leaves,' etc. 5. Possessives : Possessive singular. Best usage shows .s'.s, as * James's,' except where last s^dlable begins with an s sound, as * Moses.' 6. Address : pupil's name and address, and that of parents and relatives, with correct punctuation. 7. Form : the single paragraph, indention, margin, et& GRADE FOUR I. ORAL LANCiTAGE WORK Origixal Expkessiox. 1. observation Lessons and Rcjiorts. 2. Recitation by Topics. 8. Story-Telling. 4. Argument. 5. Xai'ration. 6. Description. 7. Exposition. Imitative Expression. 1. Memorizing Work. 2. Dramatization. IL WRIITEX LANGUAGE WORK Original Expressiox. 1. Letter- Writing. 2. Narration. 3. Argument. 4. Description. 5. Exjiosition. 6. Verse-AYriting. Imitative Expression. 1. Copying Work. 2. Dictation. III. GENERAL WORK Dictionary and Vocabulary Work. Technical Matters. 101 PURPOSES AND AIMS Tlie tendency to emphasize written work and to neglect the oral in this grade and in higher grades is based upon a false ideal. Constant drill in oral language is of paramount importance here as well as in the lower grades ; it should not consist merely in attention paid to the cor- rectness of the language used by the pupils in the vari- ous recitations, but should include serious and definitely planned work in narration, description, exposition, and argument. The ability to think accurately and effectively must go hand in hand with expression. The teacher should keep constantly in mind that without impression there can be no expression worth while. In this grade introduction to certain grammatical principles should be made. The children should master these principles not by learning definitions and rules, but by learning to recognize the grammatical forms as they appear in the compositions or reading lessons. An outline of these principles is given under Technical Matters at the end of the discussions in this grade. 102 GRADE FOUR L ORAL LANGUAGE WORK Original Expeessiox 1. Observation, Lessons and Reports. This work should be continued and enlarged in this grade. Subjects that demand more accm^ate observation should be assigned, and more detailed reports are to be expected. In addition to the knowledge gained in actual observation, the children may learn much about the subjects mider consideration b}'^ using books of reference and supplementary readers, which every school library should contain. The language of the oral report should be carefully watched and corrected ; on the other hand, it should be approved and appreciated when it shows strength and fitness. 2. Recitation hy Tojyics. The work of reciting by topics is usually begun during the latter part of the thu"d year. It may be found profitable in geography and reading classes, observation rej)orts, and else- where. In language development the ability to think logically and to express thought in correct and prop- erly connected statements is of the greatest im- portance. This is the chief pm^pose of the topical recitation. It should never be used in more than 103 104 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS one third of the recitations in a given subject, and each child should be required to prepare all the lesson and not simply that part upon which he is to recite by topic. The children may occasionally be allowed to choose their own topics, either at the time of assigning the lesson or at the recitation; FOURTH-GRADE CHILDREN STUDYING CERTAIN WEEDS, I'KEl'AK- ATORY TO ORAL DESCRIPTION AND OBSERVATION REPORTS or the topics may be assigned by the teacher after the class has assembled. 3. Stor/f-TeUhuj. The work in this grade Avill l)e largely a continuation of that outlined for the pre- ceding grade. There are three distinct types of stories that should be attempted, as follows : a. Repeated Storj/. The simple repeated story is the principal kind used in the first three grades. (I KADI': Koi'IJ lOo Here and in the liiuhei- u'lades the children should usually find the story for themselves. The Vjest plan is to have an occasional period when the children may tell the class the stories they have learned. This gives an incentive for outside reading, and ])ro- duces greater power to retain ^v]lat is read. Mueli knowledge of history may be gained in this way, while stories of ti'avel or of life in other ])arts of the world will teach many fa(;ts of geography. Bible stories are always interesting and should hud a place here. At least one long story should l)e read and learned in this grade. For this story the following- are suggested : " The Trojan War," " The Adventures of Ulysses," " Robinson Crusoe," " The Swiss Family Robinson." The opening exercises of the day, whicli should be the livest work of the day, may occasionally be devoted to the story work. Ij. Reconstructed Storij. Much interest in the stor}' work may he developed by having the children impersonate certain characters in stories they have learned, and tell the stories as they imagine those characters would have told them. For example, after the children have learned the story of " The JSIonkey and the Chestnuts," let one child tell the story as the monkey would have told it, and another as the cat would have told it. A complete change in the pronouns used will l)e found necessary. Fables are especially suitable for this work, which is a good training of the imagination and a preparation for the dramatization of stories. 100 LAKGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ('.. (h'iyinal >^fo7'j/. Creative work should be empha- sized in this grade and in higher grades. Ideas as to plot and characters may be drawn from literature, from pictures, and from nature. The first products should be the result of the comlnned efforts of the whole class, each child suggesting an idea. Later, stories created by individuals are to be expected. An excellent form in which the original story may appear is the impersonation, in which the children are asked to imagine they are objects of various kinds, and tell stories in keeping with the character of the objects represented. For example, a child may impersonate a flower in the room or in the yard, the teacher's bell or clock, the pet dog or cat, etc. In this work care should be taken to keep the imagination of the child within proper bounds. The sources of stories suggested in the preceding grade may be drawn upon for material here. For the repeated and reconstructed story the following are suggested : Grimm : The Frog Pvinee ; The House in the Woods ; The Fox and the Cat. Andersen : The Snow Queen ; The Flax ; The Fir Tree. Hawthorne, Nathaniel : Cadmus and the Dragon's Teeth; Midas and the Golden Touch. Craik, Dinah Maria (Mulock) : The Little Lame Prince. Kipling, Run yard : Mowgli's Brothers ; Kaa's Hunting. Harris, Joel Chandler: Daddy Jake, the Runaway ; Why Mr. Billy Goat's Tail is Short. Field, Eugene: The Coming of the Prince; The Angel and the Flowers. GRADE FOUR 107 ScuDDER, Horace : The Flying Dutchman ; St. George and the Dragon. Seton, Ernest Thompson : Biddy and Randy. Bible : The Story of Abraham ; the Story of Ruth. 4. Argument. A good development in the ability to think logically and to appreciate the relation be- tween cause and effect in events and conditions may be produced by a simple form of argument. Some FOURTH-GRADE ORAL ARGUMENT Note leaders standing well-balanced subject is chosen, and the children are asked to make points in favor of either side. Oppor- tunity should be given to any who desire to refute a point made. The teacher should always hold the children to the discussion of one point at a time. The class may be divided into two groups, each tak- ing one side of the subject to defend. A leader is 108 LANGUAGE WOKK IN ELEMENTAKY SCHOOLS chosen for each group, and he has the right to call to his assistance any of his team-mates. The teacher keeps a record of the points successfully made on each side and announces the winner at the close of the debate. Arguments in the dialogues of stories and poems may be used as the basis of this work. The conversation Ijetween Cinderella and her step- mother about the attendance at the ball, and the debate between the mountain and the squirrel in Emerson's fable, are examples of material from this source. The following subjects of a general nature are suggested for argument here and in the higher grades : Life ill the city is more pleasant than life in the country. The house fly is more injurious to man than the mosquito. Automobiles are more useful than horses. Farms produce more wealth than factories. Birds are more injurious to growing things than insects. Winter affords more and greater pleasures than summer. Education is more valual:)le than riches. The following outline gives the points made on both sides of the subject " City Life offers More Advantages than Country Life " by a fourth-grade class. The points were taken down and arranged by the writer. Affirmativp: 1. Better schools : longer terms ; better buildings and equip- ment ; better teachers ; one teacher for each grade. 2. More educational opportunities : museum ; libraries ; art galleries; Y.M.C.A. ; manufactories; picture shows; theaters; prominent people. GKADE F(.)UK 109 3. ]\Iore conveniences : electric lights : gas ; water works ; sewerage. 4. Better times : picture shows ; Y.M.C.A. ; baseball and games ; playmates near. 5. Loneliness of country : neighbors far away ; few amuse- ments ; playmates few and not near. 6. Bad roads in country as opposed to good streets and sidewalks in town ; oil lamps, as opposed to electric lights or gas. lu'fiitiifuin 1. Can study nature in towns in gardens, parks, and b}- excursions and picnics. 2. Just as good spoi'ts in town — tennis, track meets, base- ball, athletics at Y.M.C.A. ISTegative 1. Have fun in country : riding horses ; fishing ; hunting ; more pets ; games better. 2. Learn nature : seeing and studying insects, birds, trees ; spend much time in woods ; farming deals with nature. 3. Healthful : fresh air ; outdoor exercise ; no dust and smoke ; go to bed early and get up early ; cleaner than city. 4. All boys can learn a trade (farming) easily. 5. Have more and fresher things to eat, without buying them. 6. Develops goodness, honesty, kindness. Befutatlon 1. Country has better Y.M.C.A. in the out-of-doors. 2. Better that people should not have so many amusements. 3. Country children get more education of a better kind. 5. Namitioit. The telliug of stories that have been read or heard should lead to the narration of actual experiences. This work will be a continuation of that done in the preceding year. Here the narration no LANGUAGE WORK IX ELE:\rEXTARY SCHOOLS should give more details, and the language should be more mature in sentence structure. Picnics, fish- ing or camping trips, excursions on the river or to the country, visits to relatives and friends, etc., are subjects which will prove interesting for narration. 6. Description. This will be a continuation of the work of the preceding year, with increased demands as to number of details, accuracy, and length of the compositions writ- ten. Care should be taken to have the children form the habit of mak- ing clear mental pictures. Pictm^es are still effectively used in this work. Objects and scenes from nature fur- nish the best ma- terial here, and for this reason description is closely associated with the observation lessons and reports. Some time may be spent in having pupils describe scenes portrayed in literature that has been read or studied in the class. 7. Exjjosition. The simple form of exposition, in which the children are led to state general facts of interest about subjects closely related to their lives. gy:mxastic games are good subjects for exposition GRADE FOUE 111 should be continued in this grade. In addition, some time may be devoted to a more difficult form, that of naming in order the successive steps in a process. The following subjects demand this type of expo- sition : how to play tennis, baseball, or other games ; how to plant and cultivate corn^ tomatoes, etc. ; how to build a bird box ; how a bird .builds a nest ; how to make roller skates. This kind of exposition af- fords good training in logical thinking and subsequent expression. Imitative Expression 1. Memorizmg Work. The work of the preceding grades should be continued. The poems should still be read or recited by the teacher, to avoid the un- natural expression that would result if the children should memorize the selections from the printed page. For this reason the poems should be chosen fi'om some som'ce other than the reader used by the class. Careful attention should be given to the thought expressed in the poem. The memorizing should be done in small bits, — perhaps only a line or two at a time, — to avoid slurring and bad pronunciation. It is unwise to prompt children in the repetitions ; they should be asked to make a new start when they fail to remember, or some other child may be allowed to repeat the lines. From six to eight poems and from ten to fifteen memory gems may be memorized during the year. A psalm and perhaps a familiar old hymn may be added to the year's work. The children should 112 LAXGUA(JE WOPvK IN KLKMKNTAKV SriIOOLS be given frequent opportunity for the repetition of selections nieniorized during previous years. Sufficient material in the form of poems and gems may be found in Appendix B. The following selec- tions will give a somewhat wider range for choice : Allixgham, Willia^m : Fairy Folk. Field, EuciEXK : The Night Wind. Jackson, Helen Huxt : Down to Slee]). Longfellow, H. W. : The Village lUacksmith ; The AVreck of the Hesperus. Tennyson, Alfred: The Brook; Sweet and Low. Whittier, J. G. : The Frost Spirit. Browning, Elizabeth Barrett: A rhild"s Thought of (lod. Trowbridge, J. T. : Evening at the Farm. Bryant, W. C. : Eobert of Lincoln. HowiTT, Mary: The A^oice of Spring; Old Christmas. Wordsworth, William. : The Daffodils. Hemans, Felicia Dorothea: The Landing of the Pilgrims. Macdonald, George : The Wind and the Moon. Emerson, R. W. : The IVIountain and the Squirrel. 2. Dramatization. Increased originality in adding new characters and new statements in the dialogue should be expected in the dramatization work this year. By the close of the year the dialogue for a short original play may be worked u]) entirely by the children and played in finished form. For this pur- pose a story having little or no dialogue should be used. Each child may be asked to prepare a little play, and from these plays one may be chosen and built up in the class. Sometimes the play is w^orked out wholly in the class, each child suggesting ideas as to characters and dialogue. (;1JA1)E FOUR 113 Considerable drill in the more spontaneous kind of play work, which was described in the preceding grade, should be given. As suggested in the preceding grades, reading lessons in wliich much dialogue appears may be acted as they are read, to secure more natural ex- pression and to develop greater interest. Since acqui- sition is most likely under the stress of interest, this work A\ill ])e a valuable aid in the reading- work. SCHOOL FAIRS OFFEK EXCELLENT 8LB.JECTS FOK XAKKATloN, DESCRIPTION, AND EXPOSITION During the year three or four plays should be worked up in finished form. One of these should be an original play. Examples of plays of this kind may be found in Appendix C. These formed a part of the regular language work of the classes that pre- pared them. Most of the stories learned in the story-telling work should be dramatized, either spon- taneously or in a finished form. These stories are the chief source of material fur the play work. 114 LAXGUAGE WOEK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 11. WRITTEN LANGUAGE WORK Original Expression Here and in higher grades the composition work should begin to develop logical thinking and a care- ful balance between thought and its expression. The child should be led to develop not only strength and spontaneity of thought but clearness and accuracy of expression. The work, to be effective, must touch the child's life and interests. So far as possible the children should be made to forget the mechanical side of their writing, that they may be able to give themselves over wholly to the thought side of the work. In speaking of the compositions the teacher should never use the terms ' narration,' ' description,' and ' exposition ' ; they are used in these discussions only for the convenience and guidance of the teacher. The following specific directions for the conduct of the work may be found helpful and suggestive : 1. Prtimration and Method of Conduct. After the oral discussion of the subject, which should always precede the written work, the children should be given an opportunity to ask questions about the subject. "Words which the children desire to use and which they cannot spell should be written on the blackboard, to avoid, as far as possible, having misspelled words in the written work. These words may be used the next day as the basis of a spelling lesson. The children should be directed to leave blank spaces in the composition for words they GRADE FOUR 115 cannot spell. A definite time limit should be set for the work, to prevent lazy habits of thought. Each child should read over and correct his paper, as far as he can, before it is handed to the teacher. It may be well for the teacher to spend a portion of the composition period in writing a paragraph on the subject on whicli the class is working. This leads the children to feel that the work is worth A DAY TX THE WOODS WILL PRODUCE MANY DESCRIPTIONS AND EXPOSITIONS while, shows them a model of a well-written para- graph, and keeps them from asking many needless questions while they are writing. 2. Method and Extent of Correction. The papers should be carefully corrected by the teacher, but many teachers have found that, unless the composi- tions are very good or need special criticism, they need not be handed back to the children in this grade. Only the most common mistakes, and those 116 LANi;i) Study • In this grade some knowledge of the formation of words by the addition of prefixes and sulhxes should l)e gained. This will assist the child to increase his usable vocabulary, and will tend to make ^vords really " signs of ideas " to him. This work may be done in the spelling lessons, and examples of the point under consideration should be collected from words found in the readino; lessons or elsewhere. The meanino; of a few of the commoner Anglo-Saxon, Latin, and Greek prefixes and suffixes used in forming English words ma}' be taught this year. These forms are studied for tlieir meaning only ; hence the teacher should have little, if anything, to say of the source from which they come. The following are suggested : Prp:fixe.s Anglo-Saxon : fore- (before), forete\\\ mis- (wrong or "wi'ongly), ?// i*-behave ; over- (over), oveAodk. Latin: ante- (before), antecedent; po-^t- (after), ^>os^script ; jtre- (before), j9?'efix ; trans, tra- (across), transiev ; re- (back, again), return, renew. Greek : anfl- (against), anflse]}tic ; 2^>'o- (before), j9?'ogram. GRADE FIVE 14. Suffixes Anglo-Sao:on : -man, post/y/an ; -sh'qj, 'AMthovship ; -fid, wonder/*«i?; -less, fear/e6's ; -like, saintlike; -isli, woman t-vA. Latin : -er, -or, archer, doctor ; -ess, godd^'.s.s- ; -fij, cruel^// : -able, -ble, sulohle, soluble ; -ft/, niagni///. Greek: -ism, i'epublican«.s'w ; -i.s^, art<.si^ ; -is:e, hiuiuuia-t'. Some attention should also be paid to the study of hoiuonyms, synonyms, irregular A^erbs, etc. HOMOXV3IS pray, prey red, read vale, veil creak, creek need, knead herd, heard lesson, lessen mail, male night , knight bare, bear rain, reign coarse, course soul, sole plain, ])lane lKKE(iL:L.\K YekBS bow. bough, etc. come came come see saw seen take took taken lie lay lain lay laid kid throw threw thrown go went gone sit sat sat do did done Avear woi'c worn Technical ^Iatters In addition to the points outlined under this head in previous grades, the following should be taught during the year in connection Avith the Aarious kinds of language Avork : 1. Capitals: 'North,' 'South,' etc. (as part of the country and not as points of the compass); names of objects personified. 2. Punctuation : a. Comma: after 'yes' and 'no" in answers; to mark oil clauses and phrases. 146 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS h. Quotation marks : in broken quotations. r. Hyphen : in compound words. 3. Abbreviations: 'Hon./ 'Gov./ 'M.D./ ^ Jr./ 'Sr./ 'Supt./ 'Maj./ 'Kev./ etc. 4. Contractions: additional words, as 4s n't/ Hhey '11/ " they 're/ ' could n"t/ ' can't/ etc. 5. Gra.mmatiifil principles : a. Noun : object of verb ; object of preposition ; coni- })0und nouns ; possessive plural of nouns like ' negro/ ' mulatto/ ' ])otato/ etc., of couqxnind nouns, of words endin,^- in /' or /V cha"nging- to n-s (fifteen in all), and of otlin- irregular nouns, as 'men,' ' geese,,' ' children/ vie. b. Pronoun : distinguish kinds, beginning Avith the use of the relative clause ; objective case. c. Adjective : simplest form of comparison. ) Book Reviews; (f) Current Jh-ents. 3. Narration. 4. Description. 5. Exposition. 6. Argument. 7. Talks from Outlines. Imitative Expression. 1. Memorizing Work. 2. Dramatization. II. WRITTEX LAXGUACiE WORK Original Expressiox. 1. Letter- A^'riting. 2. Xarration. 3. Description. 4. Exposition. 5. Argument. 6. Verse- Writing. 7. Diary. 8. Preparation of Outlines. Imitative Expression. 1. Dictation. in. GENERAL WORK Use of Dictionary. Word Study. Technical Matters. 147 PURPOSES AND AIMS The ideals that shape the work of this grade are about the same as those outhned for the preceding year. The problem of building a usable vocabulary by the use of the dictionary and by the definite study of word formation be- comes more serious here, and certain important principles of grammar should be taught, by use rather than by definite rules. The ability to speak without preparation several logically connected sentences on a given subject should be expected in pupils of this grade, while short talks h-oni outlines should be given an important place. The language of the recitations, both oral and ^viitten, should show a marked growth in maturity of thought, in correctness of idiom and of grammatical construction. As emphasized before, the language of all recitations should be carefully criticized, so that a more correct use of words and better sentence structure may be secured. In all the language work of this grade the definite aim should be to relate the child's classroom work to the actual life he is living. The description and observation work should center about home activities and objects closely associated with the child's environment. Real letters should be written for definite purposes ; subjects for argument should touch community industries and prob- lems ; and exposition should take up subjects connected with household arts, everyday games, and the industrial life of the community. 148 GKADE SIX I. OKAL LANGUAGE WORK Oeigixal Expression 1. Reeitation hif Topics. In this grade the recitation by topics tends to make children speak more clearly, coherently, and logically. It may be used here in geography, physiology, history, nature study, and reading lessons, and in oral reports. When the topic is assigned before the recitation, an outline made by the pupil may occasionally lie used. It is better in this grade to assign the topics after the class has assembled for the recitation. 2. Oral JiejM))ix. The oral reports in this grade may be divided as follows : a. Observation Reports. This work has been sutti- ciently discussed in former grades. It is very impor- tant in all the grades, not only as a language exercise but as a means of developing habits of observation. Mental pictures formed by children of this grade should show a greater degree of clearness, and the language of the report a corresponding growth in matm'ity. h. Book Reviews. Children should be taught to read books in such a way as to be able to make an 149 ViO LANGUAGE W UKK i^■ ELEMEM'xVKV .SCHOOLS iutellioeut review of their contents. A small amount of such work may be attempted this year, at least two books suitable for work in this grade being read at liome and reviewed before the class by each pupil dur- ing the year. In the same way, magazine and news- paper articles of value may be read and reviewed l)efore the class. The child may be allow^ed to use an outline of the contents of the book or article. The following books are suggested for this work in this grade : Aldrich, T. 1>. : ^'he Story of a Bad Boy. Fkanklin, Bexjamix : Autobiograph}' Alcott, Loui.sa M. : Little Women. Cooper, J. F. : Last of the Mohicans. Hughes, Thomas : Tom Brown at Rugby. Hale, E. E. : The jNIan withoiit a Country. c. Ciurent Events. Children should be led to take an interest in matters of general interest that happen from time to time either in the immediate locality or an^^where in the outside world. In the language period, time should frequently be devoted to reports on such events. The opening exercises of the day may occasionally be devoted to this work, and some- times all the children in the school should be m^ged to take part. A connected report on some matter of special interest may be secured by assigning topics to several pupils beforehand. This work may be made more interesting by leading the class to ask questions about the topic imder discussion. Current events often offer good subjects for arguments or GEADE SIX 151 debates. They should find a place on the program at least once a week. 3. Narration. In addition to the narration work outhned in the preceding grade, many of the facts of history may be taught here by continuing the stories of great men, of discoveries and inventions, of life at various times, etc. The legend and myth should continue to have a place in the story work. Stories of King Arthur and his knights, and of Greek and Roman legendary heroes, are good to use here. Bible stories are still interesting in this grade. These stories should usually be read l^y the children, but the teacher may occasionally read or tell the class a story and ask for a repetition. The three t;)^es of stories mentioned in the pre- ceding grade may all l)e continued here. The recon- structed and original stories, however, are more important than the repeated story, because they demand more thought. Special emphasis ought to be placed on the original story, which should occa- sionally be put in written form. After considerable time has been devoted to this work, the class may compose a story as a cooperative work and allow the lower grades to use it. The story work will naturally lead to original nar- ration of actual experiences. Children in this grade should be able to tell pleasingly, and with proper time- sequence, experiences that they have had or about which they have heard. Experiences in industrial work, such as making benches for the playground or 152 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTAilY SCHOOLS ventilatiug boards for sclioolrooiu windows, repairing window shades, and laying off a baseball diamond, may be related. Correlation with geography may be effected by having the children tell stories of imagi- nary trips, describing the people and their dress and the crops, vegetation, rivers, and other matters of interest in the countries visited. An imaginary trip in an aeroplane, or on a train, or ]jy ship, from New York to San Francisco, London to Rome, or Pekino- to Calcutta, would l)rino; out nianv inter- esting facts. 4. Description. The different types of description outlined in the preceding grade should form the basis of the work here. At this stage much attention should be given to the unity and coherence of the statements and to the order in which the details are given. The children should be taught that all details are not of equal rank, and that the order of procedure should be from wholes to parts, the parts being given in the order of their prominence and importance. Selections of model descriptions taken from standard sources should be read to the class from time to time, or members of the class may be allowed to give from memory a bit of description from some such source, following the original as closely as possible. Children should also study good descriptions for themselves, selecting them occasionally from sources other than their textbooks. This work may be correlated with geography by having the children describe local landscapes or remote scenes referred to in reading GRADE SIX ir,.s lessons, or with history by taking as subjects battle- fields and historic buildings and places, liuskin's descriptions of Europe, and those of Hawthorne in " Our Old Home," are good models of description. The picture game suggested for use in the preceding grade may be played with intei-est lieiv. This game may be varied l)v haviny; a familial- ul/u'ct des('ril)ed THE ^rOKE INTEUESTIXG rHIC SUBJECT THE BETTER THE COMPOSITTOX by one child, after which tlie rest of the class are to guess what the object is. The observation reports will be largely description work. "). Eiqjosition. The work outlined for the preced- ing grade should be continued and enlarged here. Increased attention should be paid to the unity and coherence of the subject matter of the composition. Subjects used in this grade should usually be con- crete, such as the value of railroads to a country : 154 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS how to play tennis ; how to make ventilating boards for schoolroom windows ; the value of good roads to a country ; birds, useful and destructive. Occasionally an abstract topic may be introduced, such as honesty in examinations, or a girl's duty to her mother in the home. 6. Argument. The ideas suggested for this work in the two j^i'eceding grades will give general direc- tions for it here. The subjects used should demand more thought, and the discussion of them should be- gin to show a reasonable insight into such matters as the social and economic life of the community. Such subjects, then, as the following will be found espe- cially suitable for use in this grade : Should we demand cleaner grocery stores ? Should every home be forced to have a garbage can? Should a man who owns no property be allowed to vote? Current events, history, and physiology will offer many interesting subjects for this work. Single sentences making one point in the argument should gradually lead to several sentences giving logical reasons for each point made. Children may be allowed to talk from outlines prepared before the recitation. 7. Talks from Outlines. The oral work in almost all the preceding types of composition may occasion- ally be given from outlines prepared by the pupils before the recitation. The speaker should always face the class, and his classmates should be asked to make kind and specific criticisms of both good and bad points in the subject matter and delivery. GRADE SIX Imitative Expeession 155 1. Memorizing Work. The work of the preceding grades should be continued here. Poems, memory gems, and longer prose selections, including a psalm, should be the basis of all this work. An old hvmn ALL SCHOOL ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE DRAWN UPON BY THE LANGUAGE TEACHER may be substituted for the psalm. For prose selec- tions, extracts from famous speeches and from such standard literature as Irving's "Sketch Book" and Hawthorne's "Twice Told Tales" may be used. The teacher should be careful to choose some poems that deal with subjects of natm-e, and others containing an element of narration. It is well to correlate the poems learned Avith the month or season of the year. 156 LANGUAGE AVOliK IX ELEMENTAKY SCHOOLS At least eight poems, twelve nieinoiy gems, and four jDrose selections should be memorized and recited during the year. The selections should always be studied in the reading lessons before memorizing is begun. Frequent opportunity to repeat selections learned in previous years should be given. Poems suitable for use in this grade may be found in Appendix B. The following are suggested, in order that the teacher may have a wider range of choice : Longfellow, H. W. : The Buildei-s ; Christnias r>ells. Holmes, 0. W. : Old Ironsides. Bryant, W. 0.: Song of Marion's ]\[en. Texnyso-V, Alfred: The I>ugle Song. Drake, J . R. : The American Flag. Wolfe, Charles : Burial of Sir John Moore. Emerson, R. W. : Concord Hymn. Whittier, J. (t.: Barbara Frietchie. Lowell, J. R. : The Heritage. Keats, John: Autumn. . Burns, Robert: My Heart's in the Highlands. Finch, F. M. : The Blue and the Gray. Hemans, Felicia Dorothea : Lauding of the Pilgrims. Hood, Thomas : The Song of the Shirt. Key, F. S.: The Star-Spangled Banner. For the prose work, short selections from the fol- lowing may he used : Lincoln, Abraham: Gettysburg Address. Henry, Patrick : Speech before the Virginia Convention. Hawthorne, Nathaniel: A Rill from the Town Pump. Stephens, Alexander H. : On the Restoration of the Union. Iuyix'^g, Washington: The Broken Heart. JJacon, Francis: Essays — Of Nobility ; Of Wisdom. Bible: Belshazzar's Feast; Book of Daniel; Psalm xix. GKADE SIX 157 2. Dramatization. The work of the preceding year should be continued here with longer j^lays and more originalit}^ in arranging the dialogue and in the stag- ing preparation. Reading and history lessons may be dramatized with great interest and profit. This will enable the children to enter more fully into a sym- pathetic understanding of the lesson, especially in the case of historical incidents. At least three finished plays, one of which should be an original one, may be worked up during the year. It would Ije well to present at least one of these in public. '' The Flower (^ueen," an original play written by a sixth-grade girl, is given in Appendix C of this book. II. WRITTEN LANGUAGE WORK Oeiginal Expressiox The directions given in the two preceding grades for the conduct of written composition work may, with a few changes and additions, be used for the work here. In this grade children should l^e led to make definite outlines of the subject matter l^efore they begin to write. These outlines should generally contain the following heads : [a) introductory and ex- planatory statements; {h) points to be taken up in the main discussion ; and (c) concluding, or summariz- ing, statements. The selection and arrangement of material should be guided largely by models taken from good literature. Sucli selections may occasion- ally be outlined and the arrangement carefully noted. 158 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS In the work of criticism special emphasis should be placed on sentence structure, on the best methods of improving bad sentences in structure and choice of words, and on testing the whole composition for unity and coherence. All regidar compositions should be THE MAY FESTIVAL No dearth of composition subjects in this school for days corrected and returned to the writer. Very poor ones should be rewritten. The following signs of mistakes may be added to those suggested in the preceding grade : 1. Bad choice of words : Word underlined, and ' Cli. of W.' placed in the margin opposite, or above the word. 2. New jyoraffnqjh : Paragraph mark (1[) put in margin or at place where new paragraph should begin. If the paragraph is made where one should not be, ' No If ' may be written in the margin opposite. 3. Thought not clear: Statement underlined and several ?' s placed above. GRADE SIX 159 The compositions this year should fill about one page of letter paper and should consist of from six to ten sentences. All kinds of composition work should frequently appear in letter form. Illustrative pictures made with colored pencils or water colors should accompany the written work whenever possible. The compositions should be written in ink, and the pupils L t jkt Ib^^> . r^^ fc-?' f » ^ Tirt ir u I* *^fi f^'r : ^^^'^BPT ' ml ^ '--^ Id ^ ^ 2!>ib-^*j^i i ■ ^^^^•^ :-.,.- ^m ^^^^£SSteH'^JM tr-^««rJ33l ,.^.. i'.^ -^L ^^■I^L^''?)&^ rja^ ^^^Pt^^^bupb^^*^ ^■PP^^ 'Si %^Sv^p^ i>kki'ai;ati(»x fou the barbecue offers ixterestinu sub.tects for coinipositioxs should all use the same kind of paper. Some oppor- tunity for impromptu composition should be given every day, while one regular composition is the usual requirement for each week. It may be necessary to spend portions of several periods in studying models from literature, for preliminary written work, and for oral discussions. The actual writing of the com- position should be done at the desk or at home. 1(50 LANGUAGE WOKK TN ELEMENTARY sr^HOOLS The following are the kinds of written composi- tion that are suggested for this year's work. In con- ducting the recitation technical terms should not be used by the teacher. 1. Letter -Writinf/. Drill in perfecting the com- plete letter form, as outlined in the j)receding grade, should be continued throughout the entire year. The work should be kept closely related to real life In' having the children write letters, of invitation and sympathy, and business letters ordering books or supplies for the school or for private use. Some correspondence with friends and relatives at a dis- tance should be encouraged and directed to some extent, and the preparation of the cooperative letter to the sixth-grade language class of another school may be made very interesting to the children. The various kinds of composition outlined on the following pages should appear frequently in the form of letters. 2. Narration. The repeated and reconstructed stories which were outlined in detail in oral language work for this grade, and the two preceding, are most suitable for oral work, and yet when they are short enough they may occasionally be put into written form. After considerable effort has been devoted to the study of the structure of the story (the plot, time, and causal sequence, the vnho, the when, the ivhere, and the irhat), and after some practice has been given in the telling of purely original stories, the children should be led to use constructive imagination in put- ting these into written form. The story may be the (;kai)e six 161 product of the combined efforts of the class, the plot and characters being suggested by some member of the class or by the teacher. Good stories from literature may be studied a,s a preparation for the writing of original stories suggested by them. The stories should be illustrated whenever possible. THE ANGELUS (After Millet) Good pictures are a valuable asset in lauuuaiie work As indicated in the discussion of oral narration, the story will lead to the narration of actual experi- ences. These should frequently be put into writing, to develop greater exactness in language and details. 3. Description. The general directions given in the paragraph on oral description may be followed here. 162 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS XO PUBLIC DRINKING CUP HERE A chance to correlate lane:ua£^e and sanitation When posvsible, written descriptions should be illus- trated. This will lead the children to appreciate art and its expres- sion in paint- ings. Cartoon work of an el- ementary sort, done with an ordinary lead pencil, may be undertaken as an accompani- ment to per- sonal descriptions. Before beginning this work the pupils should make a collection of cartoons for study. 4. Exi^sition. The directions in the paragraph which deals with oral exposition in this grade will be found sufficient for the work here. A very few simple abstract subjects may be used this year, but not till they have had a thorough discussion beforehand in the oral work. 5. Argimient. The preparation of outlines indicat- ing the leading points on both sides of an assigned subject may occasionally be prepared by the children SCHOOL GARDENS FURNISH MANY SUB- -TECTS FOR DESCRIPTION AND EXPOSITION GKADE SIX 168 before the oral argument. The teacher will have to assist the children considerably in this work. After the oral argument, it may be well sometimes to ask the children to write in logical order the arguments presented on one or on both sides of the question. 6. Verse-Writuuj . The work suggested in the two preceding grades should be continued here. The teacher should be quick to detect any special abihty in verse composition and to encourage its possessor. Some simple instruction in showing the structure of several of the simplest meters found in poetry familiar to the children may be given in this grade. This will be easy to do where children have received some systematic training in vocal music. 7. Diary. The work suggested for the preceding year should be continued during this year. The ability to say much in a few words — which keeping a diary develops — is a very valuable possession. 8. I^ reparation of Outlines. As suggested in pre- vious discussions in this grade, time may be profitably spent in leading children to make outhnes of the subjects on which they are to give talks in the oral language work. Written compositions will have more unity and coherence if outlines of the thought are made before the w^riting is beg-un. Outlines of the subject matter in the various lessons of the day should frequently be made. This work is especially useful, because it teaches the child to pick out the important ideas on a printed page. These outlines, which should be memorized, may be placed on the 164 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS board by the teacher as the children give tlie thought of a paragraph which they have read. Or the chil- dren may prepare them alone, at their desks or at home. The pupils should occasionally be asked to make outlines of their reading lessons at home and present them at the recitation or to the teacher for review. This is a splendid incentive to a study and appreciation of literature. Biographies are especially good for outline Avork and for talks from outlines. Lmitative Expression Dictaf(0)i. Dictation exercises are still important and necessary, and should be carried on in the man- ner suggested in preceding grades. Special attention is called to the devices suggested for the work in the fifth grade. The exercises should always be quick and interesting, and should never be allowed to drag. All matters outlined under Technical Matters in this grade and lower grades should be thoroughly tested in this way. At least two short exercises each week should be devoted to the work. III. GENERAL WORK Use of Dictionary The teacher should see that the pupils are pro- ficient in the work outlined in the preceding grade. The following suggestions are made for further instruction this year: GKADE SIX 1^15 1. Give further practice iu the use of diacritical marks. 2. Give practice in finding the meaning best adapted to words in particular instances, l^oth from the meanings suggested in the dictionary and from the thought of the sentence and passage. 3. Teach children to use a pronouncing gazetteer, a pronouncing biographical dictionary, etc.^ 4. Teach the meaning of the abbreviations follow- ing words, such as ' v.t.,' ' v.i.,' ' n.,' ' a.,' ' adA^.,' etc. Word Study This work should be continued along the lines indicated in the preceding grade. It may be divided as follows : 1. Homonyms, Synonyms, and Antonyms. Special attention should be given to synonyms and anton3nns. Lists of these, made as they occin- in the regular studies, should be kept by the pupils. A suggestive list of homonyms was given in the preceding grade. The following are similar hsts of synonyms and antonyms : Synonyms allow, permit deny, dispute noted, famous compare, contrast argue, dispute invent, design obtain, acquii-e cash, money fear, terror vocation, occupation accept, receive different, unlike 1 The old edition of Webster's Unabridged contains also, in an appendix, a list of noted names of fiction. In the new edition these are found in their proper places in the text. 1G6 LANGUAGE AVOKK IX ELEMENTAlii' SCHOOLS AXTOXYMS easy, difficult rare, frequent fixed, changeable interior, exterior together, asunder friendly, hostile persuade, dissuade urban, rustic barren, fertile mild, severe sullen, cheerful natural, artificial 2. Derivation, Some time should be spent this year in teaching the derivation, or history, of words. The derivation of such words as the following will be found interesting, and this knowledge will give them a more vivid meaning : ' citizen,' ' military,' ' circus,' ' veto,' ' exit,' ' benefactor,' ' admit,' * posse,' ' album,' etc. Derivation work includes the study of j^refixes and suffixes. The meaning of the forms rather than the source should be emphasized in this grade. The following are suggested for study this year : Prefixes Anglo-Saxon: out- (beyond), oiit(\.o; iin- (not), -imskilled; under- (beneath), tindercut. Latin: ad- (to), arfhere; con- (with, together), condole, convene ; contra- (against), contradict ; ex- (out, from), exhale, ea;clude ; sub- (under, after), si«&scribe. Suffixes Anglo-Saxon: -fold (times), tenfold ; -wise (manner), like- wise ; -loard (direction), downvjaxd. Latin : -age (act, condition), marrifl//e ; -ant, -ent (adj. being ; noun, one who), \\g\\a7it, assistant, subserviewi, agew^. GliADE SIX 167 3. General. The teacher should continue the drill on irregular verbs and on the correction of all misused words, such as ' like ' for ' as,' ' if ' for ' whether,' ' how ' for ' what,' etc. Lists of new and difficult words may be selected from the various lessons of the day and used for oral and written drills in spelling, though the value of this is seriously questioned. Technical ]Matters In addition to the points outlined in previous grades under this head, the following should be taught dur- ing the year in connection with the various kinds of lano;uao;e work : 1. Capitals: in titles of books, names of political parties and religious denominations, titles followed by names of individuals, etc. 2. Punctuation: a. Comma : preceding short direct quotations, to set off explanatory phrase or modifier, to indicate slight pause in reading. h. Period : in decimal numbers. r. Colon : preceding long quotations and enumerations. <1. Semicolon: in compound sentences. o. Ahhreviations : all im|)ortant ones met in any of the sub- jects of the year, such as those of states, countries, etc. in geography; also 'C.O.D./ ^D.D.,' ^Uty.,' 'N.B.,' Wiz.,' ^Messrs.,' 'Vol.' 4. Grammatical principles : a. Noun: object and indirect object. h. Pronoun : simple uses of the three kinds ; object and indirect object. 1G8 LANGUAGE WOKK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS c. Vei'b : idea of voice, cauxiliaiies, simple conjugation work ; frequent drill on irregular verbs. (/. Conjunction : distinguished according to use in complex and compound sentences. e. Sentences: (1) complex, which will include expanding word and phrase modifiers into clause ; compound, both coordinate ideas with '■ and ' and adversative Avith ' but ' and ^ yet.' (2) declarative, interroga- tive, imperative. The so-called exclamatory sentence always belongs to one of these classes. GRADE SEVEN I. ORAL LANGITAGE WORK Original Expression'. 1. Recitation by Topics. 2. Oral Reports and Talks fnuii Outlines. 3. Narration. 4. Description. 5. Exposition. 0. Argument and Deliate. Imitative Expuessiox. 1. ^Memorizing "Wmk. 2. Dramatization. II. AVRITTEN LANGUAGE WOUK Orioixal Expressiox. 1. Letter-Writing. 2. Narration. 3. Description. 4. Exposition. 5. Argument and Debate. T). Verse-Writing. 7. Diary. 8. Preparation of Outlines. Imitative Expressiox. 1. Dictation. in. GENERAL WORK Use of Dictioxary. Word Study. Techxical Matters (including English Grammar). 169 PURPOSES AND AIMS The work of this year should show a steady increase in thought power and in the abihty to use the mother tongue correctly. Pupils here should show a greater abihty to criticize the language productions of the class, and a more analytical attitude toward all kinds of school work. Books of reference should be used with greater freedom, and the children should show a marked tendency to investigate for themselves. In this grade special emphasis should be placed on talks from outlmes given before the class and school. Grammatical principles, of a difficulty suited to the pupils, have been taught in connection with the com- position and otlier kinds of language work in all the grades thus far. This work will be continued in the gram- mar grades in the same way, although in many schools it is still thought well to devote a period occasionally to the teaching of some of the more difficult grammatical principles. When this is done, the method used should be mductive, leading the children to make all the defini- tions in original, simple language before any notice is taken of the statements in the text. This work should develop m children a greater ability to think accurately and incisively. The study of literary models, together with derivation and word study, should produce better diction and greater facility in the expression of thought. All the composition work of the year should be dignified by some definite motive or purpose. Originality and self- direction in the language activities should be the chief object of the year's work. 170 GRADE SEAMEN I. ORAL LA^^GUAGE WORK Original Expression 1. Recitation hi/ Tojncs. The method of reciting by topics becomes a more effective training in lan- guage power here than in the preceding grades. It shoidd, however, be used with caution, for it has its dangers. It may be used profitably in from one fourth to one third of the recitations in history, geography, physiology and hygiene, civil government, reading, agricultm^e, domestic science, etc. At first the pupil may follow a w^ritten outline, but later he should hold the main topics in mind and give them in proper sequence without reference to the outline. This is especially valualjle in summarizing the main jDoints of a lesson. 2. Oral Iiejjorts and lalks from Outlines. Greater emphasis should be placed on this work in this grade than in the preceding grade. In addition to the reports outlined there, talks on personal experiences, reviews of speeches or lectm-es heard, etc. ma}^ be given. In science work, for example, an experiment may be described, as How we made a barometer or How we show that a rise of mercuiy in the barometer indicates increased air pressure. The 171 172 LANGUAGE WOEK m ELEMENTAKY SCHOOLS writer recently heard interesting reports of lectures on " Robert E. Lee " and " Forests in the Rockies " given by seventh-grade puj)ils. Some child may be appointed to hear a lecture or a sermon and give a report to the class. Sometimes it may be advisable to have children give these reports before the whole school. The work of preparing outlines for these talks, which was begun in the last grade, should be emphasized here. The teacher should assist in the preparation of the first outlines. This Avill he a good 2^1'epai'^fioiT^ foi' f^Lie written argument work and the debates of the literary society. The following books are recommended for book reports : Whittikk, J. G.: tSnow-Bouud. Scott, Waltkk : Lay of the Last Minstrel. Dickens, Charles : The Cricket on the Hearth. Longfellow, H. W.: Evangeline; The Song of HiaAvatha. Hale, E. E. : The Man without a Country. Hawthorne, Nathaniel : Twice-Told Tales (selections). ScuDDER, H. E. : George Washington. Church, A. J. : The Story of the Iliad. See list in preceding grade. o. Nar ratio}!. 'J' he work of the preceding grade should be continued and enlarged during this year. The reproduction of stories from history and liter- ature should be especially emphasized in this grade. Stories taken from the Bible and from the mythol- ogies of various peoples are still good and should be given a place. Reconstructed and original stories should be composed, as suggested in the preceding GRADE SEVEX 173 grades, but the emphasis should be placed on the latter. More emphasis than ever should be placed on the narration of personal experiences. The cor- relation of language work mth geography, history, agriculture, etc. may be effected by having the chil- dren relate real or imaginary experiences in the work of these subjects. For example, a seventh-grade geog- raphy class in a certain school decided that each -V4 mMitmi i t \ !f r CAMPING EXPERIENCES FURNISH GOOD SUBJECTS FOR DESCRIPTION AND NARRATION member of the class should visit an irrigation worlv under construction in the locality. A week later, after ample time for observation and investigation in books of reference, each pupil told the story of his visit, comparing the ideas he gained with those of the other members of the class. In this grade the telling of stories should have some social motive. For example, a story may be told to some grade that has not lieard it, or it may 174 LANGUAGE WORK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS be told as a part of some program. Pupils of this age begin to be more self-conscions, and no longer enjoy telling stories in the class as they did in the lower grades. If the work has a real purpose, how- ever, it interests them. It must have a dignity which it has not called for before — the dignity of definite motive or j^urpose. 4. Description. The work in oral descrijDtion will, for the most part, follow the outline given in the two preceding grades. A proper increase in details and improvement in unity and coherence should be de- manded here. The oral reports on observation work will continue to offer fine opportunity for description work. Special emphasis should be placed on the study of descriptions of j)ersons, scenes, and characters in lit- erature. In this way good models may be brought to the attention of the class. These selections should be read and reread by the class until they are thoroughly appreciated. A certain class had read and enjoyed the descriptive passages of " Rip Van Winkle " and " The Great Stone Face." After a field trip among some near-by hills in the autumn, the children asked the teacher to let them write about the hills. Excel- lent descriptions came spontaneously, without any thought of the vocabulary required. Too much evi- dent attention to such things as vocabulary and form sometimes defeats the very purpose of the work. If the impressions are properly associated, the expres- sion will come when needed. GRADE SEVEN 175 5. Exposition. The work of the preceding grade should be continued and enlarged here. The introduc- tion of subjects demanding abstract thought should be attended with caution. Subjects having to do with moral and ethical duties of a simpler nature and with rights of individuals may be introduced to some ex- tent in this grade. The attention of the class should be called to good models of the various kinds of expo- sition found in good literatm^e. Emphasis should also be placed on the making of outlines before the class recitation. Too much of this work should not be at- tempted, and it should not be too formally handled, for seventh-grade pupils dishke formality. Children should be led to read extensively and to think much about the subjects assigned for this work, in order that much apperceptive material may be stored up for future use. This should be done especially with sub- jects that deal with processes and activities, such as the making of pottery, how to make bricks, how to protect birds, how golf is played, etc. 6. Argument and Debate. The argument in this grade should lead directly to debates in class and to a kind of primary literary and debating society, which every school should try to maintain. It should develop the power of quick and accurate thought while on one's feet, and ready expression under fire. Outlines of the leading points to be made on both sides of the subject should be prepared before the recitation period, while some subjects may be debated in the class with- out previous notice. Methods for the conduct of the 176 LANGUAGE WOKK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS work have been given fully in preceding grades. In this grade two members of the class may be asked several days ahead to be ready to defend the two sides of a question, and after these have given their talks, the class may act as judges and then enter into a general discussion of the subject. The teacher should LANGUAGE AND DOMESTIC SCIENCE SHOULD BE CORRELATED IN THE UPPER GRADES always summarize the points made in the discussion, in order that erroneous ideas may not be left with the children. Imitative Expression 1. Memorizing Work. The work of former grades is to be continued here. At least six poems, one psalm, twelve memory gems, and four prose selec- tions should be memorized during the 3^ear. Quality, GRADE SEVEX 177 however, and not quantity should guide the teacher in directing the work. The selections should always be studied in the reading lessons before they are memo- rized. As in other grades, the material should be selected with these aims in view : (1) to teach the child to appreciate nature — for example, "Snow- bound" develops a love for winter and country life, while poems of the sea appeal especially to children near the ocean or lakes; (2) to broaden the child's experiences, connecting them always with his past life. Selections used should ordinarily be suited to special seasons and events. Frequent opportunity to repeat selections learned in previous years should be given. Suitable poems and gems are to be found in Appendix B. The following poems and prose selec- tions are suggested, in order that the teacher ma}' have a wider range of choice. Kiplixct, Ruuyard : Recessional. Texxysox, Alfred : Charge of the Light Brigade : Sir Galahad. Bryaxt, W. C: The Death of the Flowers; Thanatopsis ; The HiuTicane. Wordsworth, Willia^e : The Solitary Reaper; Fidelity. Emersox, R. W. : The Humble-bee ; The Snow-storm. MooRE, Thomas : Oft in the Stilly Night. Brooks, Phillips : A Christmas Carol. Whittier, J. G. : The Eternal Goodness ; The Yankee Gypsies. Scott, Walter : Soldier, Rest ! Browxixg, Robert : The Patriot. Stevexsox, R. L. : A Visit from the Sea. 178 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Longfellow, H. W. : The Ship of State ; The Arrow and the Song. Lowell, J. R. : The Finding of the Lyre. Riley, J. W. : The Name of Old Glory. Carroll, Lewis (Dodgson, C.) : A Song of Love. Lang, Andrew : Scythe Song. Stedman, E. C: The Cavalry Charge. The following prose selections, together with those suggested for this work in the preceding grade, may be used here : Bible : Psalms xlvi, Ixvii ; Ecclesiastes xii. Longfellow, H. W. : Spring ; Summer ; Autumn (selections from " Kavanagh "). Mabie, H. W.: On Books (from '" My Study Eire "). Porter, Horace: Abraham Lincoln (selections). Choate, J. H. : The Pilgrim Mothers (selections). CoNKLiNG, RoscoE : Specch nominating U. S. Grant (selections). 2. Dramatization. The work outlined in preceding grades should be continued with increased demands as to originality and expression. Much interest may be developed in the reading and history lessons by having the children dramatize selections or scenes that lend themselves to such treatment. To secure greater naturalness of expression the regular reading lessons may frequently be put aside for selections from the dramatic readers. At least one original play should be the product of the combined efforts of the class during the year. As a preparation for this work, one or two good plays should be carefully read and studied as models of GKADE SEVEX 179 dramatic perfection. Shakespeare's " As you Like It" or " Twelfth Night," or Sheridan's " The Rivals," may be used for this purpose. The importance of the problem as the chief thing in a plot, the entanghng elements, the point of highest interest, and the unraveling of the plot are all apparent. The class will appreciate these important points if tlie play is GOOD ROADS DAY — A SOURCE OF MAN \ I.Xl' AND DESCRIPTIONS studied properly. In writing both plays and original stories the study of a model is very essential. In addition to the original play, at least two or three adapted ones should be worked up dming the 3'ear. One of these should be given on some public occasion. This work, as outlined in preceding grades, will be the result of the united efforts of the class. In this grade a single child may occasionally prepare an acceptable adapted, or even an original, play. 180 LANGUAGE WOKK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IL WRITTEN LANGUAGE WORK Original Expression The directions given for written composition in the two preceding grades will serve, for the most part, for the work here. In this grade more empha- sis should be placed on the preparation of outlines ; in fact, no composition should ever be written in the grammar grades without an outline, to insure logical arrangement of subject matter. Children should show not only an increased vocabulary and a broader range of ideas, but a greater knowledge of the technique of language and an ability to think more accurately. Progress along these lines will be aided by the analysis of illustrative selections from good literature. Special attention should also be paid to paragraphing, which will necessarily accom- pany the work of outlining subjects. Some written work should be done almost every day, while one regular composition of three or more paragraphs should be handed in each week. Prelimi- nary work (including, perhaps, the reading of a model selection and some assistance in the making of an outline) may be done on Friday, if the compositions are to be handed in on Monday. At the recitation on that day the compositions may be exchanged among the pupils for criticism. The next day they should be returned to the teacher, who will then correct them, preparatory to the discussion in the class on Wednesday. It may be found necessary, for GRADE SEVEN 181 lack of either time or ability on the part of the stu- dents, to demand only two compositions each month. In this event much practice in writing short one- paragraph productions should be given. The regular compositions should always be written in ink and on paper of uniform size and grade. The teacher should always remember (1) that the child's attention should be kept on the thought CHILDKEX SHOULD BE LEJ) To DISCUSS AND \Vl;lli: A\:< ment expected from the previous seven years' study in language if he cannot do this work satisfactorily. It may be used this year in history, geography, physiology, reading, nature study, etc. 2. Ohservation Reports and Talks from Outlines. Greater emphasis should be placed this year on talks on books, magazine and newspaper articles, observa- tion, and general matters. After reading a book or a magazine article the child should be able to give, in concise, logical statements, the thought it contains and to appreciate and criticize the style of the writer. Little digressions to discuss characters and scenes may be allowed, but care should be taken to preserve the unity of the original. Finished language and an easy delivery should characterize these attempts if 195 196 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS the child has reached the standard to be expected at this time. These reports should occasionally be made before the whole school, not only for the benefit of the child but for the purpose of giving the school valuable information. This work may be done at the opening exercises of the day. Many valuable facts in PUBLIC HEALTH EXHIBIT T ON BY COUNTY BOAROSJMEli OTV HEALTH DEPARTMEN ■lt^SWta«bta»«(iilosi5 Sociiu. Under the Auspices ot TheOefferson Coupty Fiscal Court. I non.jmxx «w!»«tftsiNGER, S«,t.; R (3 DORSE Y , ^ WMEELEf* ANK UaCHEP - SULLIVAN fOROE BERRY E>SE»M"T"! THE LIVE TEACHER WILL USE IN LANGUAGE WORK INFORMATION OBTAINED AT PUBLIC HEALTH EXHIBITS nature study, agriculture, home economics and sani- tation, personal hygiene, public and private morals, etc., may be taught in this way. Increased emphasis should now be placed on the maldng of outlines from which to speak. Further suggestions for this work are found in the two preceding grades. The follow- ing books are suggested for review and report work : GRADE EIGHT 197 Scott, Walter : The Lady of the Lake ; Ivanhoe ; The Talisman. Cooper, J. F. : Deerslayer. Goldsmith, Oliver : Vicar of Wakefield. DicKExs, Charles : A Tale of Two Cities. Shakespeare, William : The Merchant of Venice. Eliot, George : Silas Marner. Vergil : J^neid (translated by T. C. Williams). Homer : Odyssey (translated by George H. Palmer). Morse, J. T. : Abraham Lincoln. Lawler, T. B. : Story of Columbus and Magellan. See list in two preceding grades. 3. Narration. The story work in this grade should be correlated with history, literature, and reading. Some long stories that have been read at home or at school may be repeated to the class, as suggested in the preceding paragraph. The historical novel may be given a place here, as well as such stories as the Iliad and the iEneid. Much emphasis should also be placed on the telUng of original stories and actual experiences. Some social motive should be given to the work wherever possible. For example, let a member of the class read a story and repeat it to a class in the primary grades for their pleasure or use. The directions for this work in the preceding grade will be helpful here. 4. Description. The work of the preceding grade should now be continued and extended. More logical arrangement of details should be expected and de- manded, and the language used should enable the hearer to get a much clearer picture of the thing 198 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS described. Good descriptions from literature should be frequently read by the pupils. Attention should be called to figures of speech often used in this type of composition, in order that the children may un- consciously use in their own descriptions those that are most effective. Special attention should be given HOW TO SET A TABLE FOR A BANQUET — CORRELATION OF LANGUAGE AND DOMESTIC SCIENCE to the description of pictures in both poetry and prose. Good pictures are always useful material for this work. The work outlined in the preceding grade offers many suggestions that may be used in this grade. 5. Exposition. Exposition is the most difficult form of discourse, and for this reason it is more important here than in any of the lower grades. GRADE EIGHT 199 Abstract subjects dealing with moral and civic duties may be introduced here and seriously handled. Sub- jects having to do with various processes of farm activities or business life, such as the preparation of a seed bed, the cultivation of corn, how to apply for a position, etc., are especially good here. This work should lead to much reading in reference books and to serious investigation out of school hours, which will tend to produce independence and self-direction in acquiring knowledge. Outhnes of the matter to be presented orally to the class, or to the school as a whole, should always be prepared before the recita- tion. Much of this work should be presented before the literary society which is often found in schools, especially in rural schools. Some suggestions for this work were made in the paragraph on exposition in the preceding grade. 6. Argument and Debate. As was suggested in the preceding grade, talks on the affirmative and negative sides of a subject should be given from time to time before the class. The work this year will be much more mature, and it should give evi- dence of deeper insight into matters connected with the subjects used. A regular debate on some subject of general interest may be held between two mem- bers of the class. This is good practice for the real work of the debating society, which every school should maintain. Outlines of the argument should always be prepared before presentation. Impromptu debates should frequently be held, in order to develop 200 LAJs^GUAGE WOEK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS quickness in thought and the abihty to think and to express thought without preparation and under fire. Much emphasis should be placed on this work. Imitative Expression 1. Memorizing Work. The work of the preceding grades should be continued here. In addition to the memorizing of new selections this year, the teacher should give the children oj)portunity to review and repeat many of those learned in the grades below. The child should be sent on into the high school or into active life with his mind well stored with the great thoughts of the present and of the past. The amount of new matter to be memorized should be about six poems, twelve memory gems, one or more psalms, and three or foiu: prose selections of suitable length. Suitable poems and memory gems are given in Appendix B. The following selection of poems and prose is given, that the teacher may have a wider range of choice : Poems Riley, J. W. : The Name of Old Glory ; Love's Prayer. Bryant, W. C. : Thanatopsis. Byron, Lord : The Ocean (Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Canto IV, clxxix-clxxxiv). Lanier, Sidney: The Marshes of Glynn. Longfellow, H. W. : The Building of the Ship ; The Rainy Bay. Lowell, J. R. : Ode to Freedom ; The Singing Leaves ; The Present Crisis. GEADE EIGHT 201 Texnyson, Alfred : Crossing the Bar ; In Memoriam (selections). PoE, E. A. : The Eaven ; The Bells. ri>-cH, F. M. : The Blue and the Gray. Bkowxixg, Eobekt : Pheidippides. Taylor, Bayard : The Song of the Camp. Whitmax, Walt : Captain ! My Captain ! Howe, Julia Ward : The Battle Hymn of the Eepublic. Wordsworth : Hart-leap Well ; The Eainbow (" My Heart Leaps Up "). Vax Dyke, Hexry : The Angler's Eeveille. Prose Bible : Sermon on the Mount ; Paul's Speech before Agrippa; Psalms cxii, cxxxviii. Burke, Edmund : On Taxing the Colonies (selections). Bright, Johx : Britain and America. Hay, Johx : Eulogy on William INIcKinley. IxGERSOLL, Egbert : Speech at the Grave of his Brother. Clay, Hexry : Farewell Address to the Senate. 2. Draynatizatlon. The work of the previous grade should be continued, with a proper increase in de- mands as to originahty and histrionic alDihty. The material for the plays should be drawn largely from the work in history, geography, and literature. Eighth-grade children should be al)le to arrange and present a play with only a little help from the teacher. The gu-ls should make the costumes, and the stage should be prepared and the scenery secured by the boys. This will be an excellent correlation of dramatic work and industrial activities. As sug;s;ested in the preceding grade, one or two good plays should be 202 LANGUAGE WOKK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS seriously studied by the children as a preparation for this work. Children who show special ability in the writing of plays should receive encoui-agement and direction from the teacher. The reading of selections from dramatic readers is helpful in securing natural expression, and this work, which was begun in pre- ceding grades, should be continued here. At least one original play should be the result of the combined efforts of the class during the year. In addition, two adapted plays should be brought to a finished form, and opportunity for a public presentation of one or two of these should be given during the year. II. WRITTEN LANGUAGE WOEK Original Expression Little need be added here to what has been said about the written composition work in the preceding grade. If the work of the preceding grades has been thoroughly done, ease and accuracy in the expression of thought, and ability to handle correctly all the ordinary matters connected with the technique or mechanics of written language, should be evidenced before the close of the year. The careful analysis of selections from the works of our best writers should be continued with increased emphasis. Students in this grade should be able to correct each other's com- positions, in order that the work of marking errors may require little of the teacher's time, and that she may have more opportunity for helj^ful, constructive GRADE EIGHT 203 Training School News Vol. I. BOWLING GREEN, KY., MAY 8, 1914 No. 5 " A TKIP TO LOUISVILLE. Last Thursday inorniiig Marjorie, Mar- garet and Jennie Vee were forced to get up earlier than usual to catch the flve- lifty train to Louisville. They arrived there about 9 a. m., and took a car up to the " Seelbach Hotel " to engage a suite of rooms, than which they found noth- ing "suiter." While in the city they attended all the K. E. A. meetings ex- cept two. Also they went to several of the theatres. On a shopping tour to the "Ten Cent Store," ^Margaret got lost. She became so fascinated by the beauti- ful articles around her that she became separated from the others. They grew very uneasy and notified the policeman about her. About Ave o'clock that after- noon a policeman entered the hotel dragging the weeping IMargaret at his beels. They decided one morning to race down the stairs and JNIarjorie, regardless of the fact that she was in the Seelbach Hotel, won the race by sliding down the banisters. Away from Miss Graves' eagle eye the girls made many grammatical mistakes, such as : " I ketched it." — Marjorie. " I have rode up in the elevator all day." — Margaret. CURRENT EVENTS. Villa declares he does not want to be president. He fights only to give free- dom to ^lexico. Officers of Huei-ta's army plan to over- throw the dictator and loot the capital. Carranza's refusal to participate in mediation will not end the attempt to I'estore peace in Mexico. Villa is said to be Wilson's choice for President. Senator Lippitt introduced a resolution asking the President for verification of the report that he favors Villa for President of Mexico. Wm. Claypool. SPORTING NEWS. Last Saturday the Training School and Ogden baseball teams met again for the honors, each side having won one victory over the other. When the umpire called " play ball," the faces of all the players wore a determined look. Ogden took first bat and secured four nins that inning. Then it Avas the Training School's time to bat but they had little success. The second time the Training School came to bat it looked bad for them, the score being 1 to 11, but when that inning was over the score was 12 to 11 in favor of the Training School. The Training School changed pitchers but it was useless for Ogden secured five runs. In the last innings each side scored one or two runs each inning, and when the game was over, the score was 24 to 20 in favor of Ogden. Batteries for Ogden, Love and Grimsley ; for Training School, Hinton and Larmon. J. G. A POEM. " A trip to Louisville was took, And when the train went over a brook, JNIarjorie raised up and tried to hook. The conductor's note book." — Jennie Vee. SCHOOL PAPER MAINTAINED BY A SCHOOL OF THREE HUNDRED PUPILS 204 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS criticism. Impromptu composition with a time limit should often be required. Compositions that contain many errors and are carelessly written should be rewritten. Full directions as to the proper conduct of the written work are given in the discussion of the subject in the preceding grade. Where a school paper is maintained, eighth-grade children should be allowed to submit to it their written compositions. This will furnish a strong incentive for the work. If the high school has a paper, the eighth-grade teacher should strive to bring the work of her children to such a standard that some of it will be accepted by this paper. The following are the suggested forms of discourse for this year's written composition work. In this grade the teacher may use, as a preparation for the high school, such technical terms as ' exposition,' ' unity,' etc. in directing the work. 1. Letter -Writing . The work of this year should round out and complete the pupil's acquaintance with all ordinary kinds of letters, and it should be made very practical. To this end much practice in writing various kinds of business letters should be given. Good models of all kinds of letters may be studied with profit. The teacher should ask the children to allow her to criticize some of their real letters, in order that the knowledge gained in school work may be correctly applied in outside life. The children should be taught to remember that in social let- ters the smallest details are appropriate, but that in GRADE EIGHT 205 business letters statements should be short and to the point. A cooperative-grade letter, which was sug- gested in the three preceding grades, may be sent to the eighth grade of another school. In some schools much interest and profit have been derived from having a little make-believe post office in the school- room. The teacher should strive to make each child who leaves this grade an adept in writing neat and correct letters, for a letter is the evidence by which the receiver judges the writer's education and culture. 2. Narration. The directions given for this work in the preceding grade may be followed equally w^ell here. Emphasis should be placed on the writing of short stories and of personal experiences. A good preparation for the work is the criticism, as to plot, dialogue, climax, setting, interest, etc., of stories from the pens of masters such as Irving, Haw- thorne, 0. Henry, Bret Harte, and others. Supple- mentary and regular readers will furnish suitable material for this purpose. The story work in the eight grades should discover in every school a few pupils who may later be able to write short stories of merit, and such talent should be encouraged and directed by the teacher. A motive should be given to the work whenever possible. 3. DescrijJtion. The work of the preceding grades will be continued here. Children in this grade are better prepared than are those in the seventh grade to study good models of description, many of which are found in George Eliot's " Mill on the Floss," 206 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Irving' s " Legend of Sleepy Hollow," Tennyson's " Enoch Arden," etc. The chief points of excellence in a descri^jtion are logical arrangement of details in pass- ing from wholes to parts, vividness, and preservation of a constant point of view. The writ- ten composition should be illus- trated by original drawings when- ever possible. 4. Exposition. The discussions of exposition in the preceding grade and of oral ex- position in this grade will give directions for the work here. The oral work may lead to the writ- ing of essays on subjects already outlined for talks. Similar essays may follow extended observations, investigations, and reading. Interpretation of short poems, memory gems, or prose selections should also form a part of the work. Exposition is difficult, and the teacher should not expect too much of her pupils. DKAWING MADK \\\ AX ElGHTH-d KADI': GIRL TO ILLUSTRATE HER OWN WRITTEN DESCRIPTION GRADE EIGHT 207 5. Argument and Debate. The chief emphasis in this work is to be placed on the oral work. It may be well, however, to have pupils occasionally w^rite out in full the argument on one side of a question. This written composition may be memorized and given as a part of a regular debate before the class or in the literary society if one is maintained. Special empha- sis should be placed on the preparation of outlines of subjects for debate. 6. Verse-Writing . This work should be encouraged and directed as indicated in preceding grades. Pupils who show special ability along this line should be given individual help and encouragement. Much meniorizing and study of poetry in all the lower grades may reveal in some pupils a decided talent for writing verse. 7. Diary. As suggested in the three preceding grades, the teacher may with great profit to the children direct the keeping of a diary by each child. Directions for the work are given in those grades. 8. Drejmration of Outlines. In all the forms of discourse an outline of the line of thought to be fol- lowed may profitably be prepared before the actual work of composition is begun. This exercise was sug- gested in the two preceding grades, but it is more important and profitable here. It is hardly possible to get logical compositions in any other way. The work may be enlarged to embrace outlines and summaries of the matter in history, geography, and reading lessons, or in magazine and newspaper articles. 208 GRADE EIGHT 209 Imitative Expression 1. Dictation. The dictation exercises this year should test the child's knowledge of all matters touch- ing the mechanics of written language that have been learned in the first seven years. The method of conducting the work has been outlined in preceding grades. At least two exercises each week should be devoted to the work. III. GENERAL WORK Word Study All the various kinds of word-study work that were outlined in the preceding grade, including deri- vations, prefixes and suffixes, synonyms, homonyms, etc., should be continued here. The study of deriva- tions and word-building from the standpoint of roots and prefixes should be especially emphasized. All the words built on two or three roots, with the various prefixes with which they are combined, should be found in the dictionary and arranged alphabetically. For example, on the two stems of mitto, "to send" {mitt and miss), no less than three hundred English words are built, as ad-m?'^, ad- miss-ion., com-mit, com-iniss-ion. In the same way mov and mot, from moveo, " to move," and pon and 2)0s, from |90?zo, "to place," may be used. Again, all of the w^ords beginning with certain prefixes may be found in the dictionary and tabulated. Many common 210 LANGUAGE WOKK IN ELEMENTAKY SCHOOLS prefixes are given under Word Study in the fifth and sixth grades. The derivation of difficult words found in the work of the grade, such as ' preposition,' ' con- junction,' 'submarine,' 'citizen,' 'tradition,' and 'post- pone,' may occasionally l^e worked out with the aid of a dictionary. In the language work of this grade the study THE CHILDREN MAY MAKE CRUDE, HUMOROUS DRAWINGS TO ILLUS- TRATE THEIR NARRATIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS of synonyms is especially useful in assisting the child to make a proper choice of words. The work of ac- quainting the children with something of the history of the English language — a subject which was intro- duced in the preceding grade — should be continued and emphasized here. GRADE EIGHT 211 Technical Matteks During this year the teacher should test the pupils carefully and thoroughly as to their knowledge of all matters connected with punctuation, capitalization, form, etc. that have been outlined from grade to grade under the heading of Technical Matters. This test- ing will be done in dictation exercises, in composi- tion work, and wherever an opportunity occurs. English Grammar This year's work in grammar should continue and enlarge upon that of last 3'ear. Complete analysis of sentences gradually increasing in difhculty, and the mastery of all useful matters connected wdth parts of speech, should be the chief work of the year. As in the preceding grade, sentences taken from the composition work should furnish a large part of the material for both kinds of study. It may be consid- ered a good plan to have the children keep, in a small notebook, sentences, taken from books, maga- zines, newspapers, etc., that illustrate various usages and principles discussed in the class. In order that principle and practice may be brought closer together, the children should be asked to observe their own lan- guage and that of others, to note the errors made. These errors, together with the correction in each case, should be written down and handed in to the teacher.^ 1 Teachers of language will get much practical help from a bulletin issued recently by the University of Missouri (Columbia, Missouri), Vol. 16, No. 2, entitled "A Course of Study in Grammar based upon the Grammatical Errors of School Children of Kansas City, Missouri." 212 LANGUAGE WOEK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS The teacher should always remember that the pur- pose of studying grammar is to develop the ability to speak and write the mother tongue correctly, to think accurately and incisively, and to interpret thought expressed in words. These results cannot be achieved by the old method of memorizing defini- tions and categories, by diagramming, and by parsing ad nauseam. For this reason the textbook should be used simply as a guide to logical procedure. As in the preceding grade, one or two recitations each week may be devoted entirely to the grammar work. The present-day tendency, however, is to dis- card the formal teaching of grammar. It may be thought best, therefore, to teach these principles largely in connection with the composition work and the study of hterature. The teachers in the Kansas City schools have prepared what is perhaps the sanest course in English grammar yet worked out. Outlines of this course may be obtained from the Superintendent of Schools, Kansas City, Missouri. The following outhne is suggested for the year's work in grammar : A. Analysis of Sentences 1. Thorough review of simplified analysis of seventh grade. 2. Complete analysis of sentences, separating phrases and clauses into their elements. 3. Careful study of subordinate clauses as to office — sub- stantive, adjectival, adverbial ; conjunctive words. 4. Similar study of phrases. 5. Continue limited use of diagram. GRADE EIGHT 213 B. Parts of Speech Thorough review of work of preceding grade. Teach all sub- divisions and inflections. Omit the ultratechnical and the useless categories. 1. Noun : a. Classes : proper, common, collective, abstract. h. Properties : case, gender, number. 2. Pronrjun : a. Classes : personal, relative, interrogative, demonstra- tive. h. Properties : case, gender, number, person. c. Special : restrictive and explanatory relatives ; relative and interrogative ' who ' and ^ what ' ; uses of ' it ' ; intensive and reflexive uses of personal pronoun. 3. Adjective : a. Classes : descriptive and definitive, with subdivisions. b. Comparison : ways of forming comparatives ; adjec- tives incapable of comparison. 4. Verb: a. Classes according to use : transitive, intransitive ; attributive, copulative. b. Classes according to form : regular, irregular. c. Properties : (1) Mood : indicative, subjunctive, imperative. (2) Tense : the six tenses. (3) Voice : active, passive. (4) Person : show that the verb has almost lost this property, in form if not in thought. (5) Number : same as in (4). d. Modified forms : infinitives, participles ; show double use. e. Conjugation : teach entire conjugation by having pupils construct all forms of the verb. Give no time to formal repetition. 214 LANGUAGE WOKK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS f. Auxiliaries : teach meaning and use, especially of ^ shall,' ' will,' ' can,' * may ' ; those that may be regular verbs also, 5. Adverb : a. Classes : time, cause, manner, place, degree, conjunctive. b. Comparison : ways of forming comparatives ; adverbs capable of comparison. 6. Conjunction : a. Coordinate and subordinate : classes of each ; classify coordinate conjunctions according to kind of clause introduced. LANGUAGE WORK IN RURAL SCHOOLS LANGUAGE WORK IN RURAL SCHOOLS The preceding pages of this book outline the lan- guage work of the eight grades as it should be done in all graded schools, whether rural or city. There are certain problems, however, that are peculiar to the rural school, where each teacher instructs from two to eight grades. In view of this fact, it may be well to offer some suggestions to the rural teacher, in order that she may be able to adapt the work of the preceding pages to her needs. Language work in rural schools should not be dif- ferent from that of city and town schools. It is true, however, that shorter terms and recitation periods make it difficult to cover the same amount of ground and to keep the same standard. The out-of-door world offers to the rural school a wealth of subjects for language exercises ; this should give the work a freshness that is hardly possible in the city school. In the rural school the term is being gradually lengthened, and at no distant day the country child may be able to go to school as long each year as his city cousin, but the length of class recitation periods will not be increased materially so long as each teacher is forced to instruct from two to eight grades. 217 218 LANGUAGE WOEK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Therefore the chief difficulty in language work, as well as in all other subjects in rural schools, is the short recitation period, which is caused by the neces- sarily large number of classes for each teacher. A partial solution of this problem is to comljine classes by alternating the work of the grades most nearly of the same advancement. The following outlines, giving the number of language classes and the prob- able amount of time for each, in -the several kinds of rural schools, are offered as a possible solution of the problem. One-Teacher School In the one-teacher school of eight grades the best scheme of alternation yet offered places from twenty to twenty-two classes on the daily program of recita- tions. This gives an average of from fifteen to eighteen minutes for each recitation. In the Ian- guage work only four classes are usually possible each day, as follows : First Class. First and second grades combined. Eighteen to twenty minutes. This time will have to be divided between the two grades during the first month perhaps, or until the first-grade children are able to take up the work with those in the second gi'ade. After about one month the two grades can easily recite together in conversation exercises, in story-telling, in dramatization, and, for the most part, in memorizing. Very little written work will be attempted with the first-grade children until the RUEAL SCHOOLS 219 latter part of the year. Written work in the second grade will therefore have to be done separately. Copying work and seat work with letter cards may be carried on with the two grades working together. Second Class. Third and fourth grades combined. Fifteen to eighteen minutes. Grade Three in odd years and Grade Four in even years. With judicious RETURN TO THE FARM (After Troyon) Pictures of rural life afford interesting subjects for rural-school language work adjustment the work of these two years may be alter- nated in all kinds of language work. For example, if in an even 3^ear the fourth year's work is to be offered to children some of whom are coming from the second year's work and some from the third year's work, the requirements may be reduced somewhat 220 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS for the benefit of those coming from the second grade. No loss of interest and development will be occasioned in this way by some repetition of third- year work if new material in the way of' stories, poems, and composition subjects is used. Verse- writing, dictionary work, argument, etc., which are suggested for introduction in the fomlh year, should be left over to the latter part of the year, or per- haps it would be better to postpone them until the next year. Likewise, when third-grade work is offered in its turn, and children are now to come into the class from the second grade and from the reduced fourth grade of the preceding year, a repetition of the various kinds of work done by the advanced children will be found satisfactory if new material is used. This same general plan will hold good in the following classes : Third Class. Fifth and sixth grades combined. Eighteen to twenty minutes. The work of these two grades may be alternated as suggested for. the preceding class, the fifth-grade work being offered in odd years and the sixth in even years. Fourth Class. Seventh and eighth grades com- bined. Twenty to twenty-two minutes. The work of these two grades may be alternated as suggested for the third and fourth grades above, the seventh- grade work being offered in odd years and the eighth in even years. RURAL SCHOOLS 221 Two-Teacher School Firnt Teacher, Grades One to Four First Class. First grade. Fifteen to eighteen min- utes. Regular work outlined for first grade in the section on Language Work by Grades. Second Class. Second grade. Fifteen to eighteen minutes. Regular work outlined for second grade in the section on Language Work by Grades. Third Class. Third and fourth grades combined. Eighteen to twenty minutes. The work of the two grades may be alternated as suggested for Second Class in the one-teacher school. The teacher should not adopt the scheme of alternation, however, unless the schedule of classes is crowded and unless the classes are small. Second Teacher, Grrades Five to Fight First Class. Fifth grade. Eighteen to twenty minutes. Regular work outlined for fifth grade in the section on Language Work by Grades. Second Class. Sixth grade. Eighteen to twenty minutes. Regular work outlined for sixth grade in the section on Language Work by Grades. Third Class. Seventh and eighth grades combined. Alternation is suggested here rather than with the fifth and sixth grades, because the pupils are fewer in number and the work of the two grades is more nearlv alike. See suQ;o;estion for Fourth Class in the one-teacher school. 222 LANGUAGE WORK IN" ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Three-Teacher School First xTeacJier^ Grades One to Three First Class. First grade. Fifteen to eighteen minutes. Regular work outlined for first grade in the section on Language Work b}^ Grades. ByVi fc". •*»^-"~j**''~'**" -"^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^■R? II "* |K> ■^^^^^^■K9y|L MK, ■• JUL. COUNTY SCHOOL FAIRS FURNISH LIVE TOPICS FOR NARRATION AND DESCRIPTION Second Class. Second grade. Fifteen to eighteen minutes. Regular work outlined for second grade in the section on Language Work by Grades. Third Class. Third grade. Eighteen to twenty minutes. Regular work outlined for third grade in the section on Language Work by Grades. Much time may be saved by combining the work of the second and third grades in story-telling, dramatiza- tion, memorizing, etc. RURAL SCHOOLS 223 Second Teaclier^ Grades Four to Six First Class. Fourth, grade. Eigliteen to twenty minutes. Regular work outlined for fourth grade in the section on Language Work by Grades. Second Class. Fifth grade. Eighteen to twenty minutes. Regular work outlined for fifth grade in the section on Language AYork by Grades. Third Class. Sixth grade. Eighteen to twenty minutes. Regular work outlined for sixth grade in the section on Language Work by Grades. Much time may be saved by combining the work of the fourth and fifth, and of the fifth and sixth, grades, particularly in observation reports, story-telling, dram- atization, memorizing, argument, and dictation; in fact, in most schools alternation may be effected in this way in all kinds of language work and this will lengthen the recitation periods. Tliird Teacher, Grades Seven and Eiglit, with perhaps Some High-School Work First Class. Seventh grade. Twenty to twenty-two minutes. Regular work outlined for seventh grade in the section on Language Work by Grades. Second Class. Eighth grade. Twenty to twenty- two minutes. Regular work outhned for eighth grade in the section on Language AVork by Grades. It would be well, especially if the classes are small, to combine much of the work in the seventh and eighth grades, as suggested in the third class of the preceding teacher. 224 LAKGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Four-Teacher School In the four-teacher rural school each teacher will probably have two grades to instruct. This will make it possible for each grade to have its language recita- tion of from fifteen to twenty minutes each day. The work of different grades may often be profitably combined, as suggested in the work of the three- teacher school above. General Direction and Subject Matter A fundamental duty of the rural school is, in addi- tion to giving instruction in reading, history, arith- metic, geography, etc., to train the child for the life he is to live, to develop in him a reverent appreci- ation of nature, and to instruct him in agriculture, home-making, etc. Language work in the rural school, therefore, should develop thought, encourage observation and investigation, and lead to correct and intelligent expression about rural activities, not, however, to the complete exclusion of matters con- nected with the life of the great outside world. No subject in the public-school curriculum lends itself so readily and effectively to the scheme of cor- relating practical instruction in nature and farm-life subjects with the regular branches of study as does language work. Every child in the rural school has his language lesson every day throughout the eight years of his public-school life. Subjects for these language lessons must be chosen by the teacher, and KURAL SCHOOLS 225 they should, for the most part, be closely related to the child's life and interests if the work is to be interesting and profitable. Nowhere can better or more attractive subjects be found than in the realms of nature study and agri- culture. Subjects chosen from the woods and fields are interesting because they are a part of the child's AX OPPORTUNl r\ I' I 1 ■ -URELATE LANGUAGE AND AGRICULTURE everyday life. In talking and writing about attri- butes, relations, and activities of objects in the world about him, such as birds, insects, plants, etc., the child, besides gaining valuable information, is adding to his language equipment not words that are mean- ingless, but words that are really " signs of ideas." Many of the new activities introduced into rural life in connection with agriculture and the home- making arts offer an abundance of material for lan- guage w^ork. Boys' com clubs and girls' canning clubs afford many desirable subjects for narration, 226 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS description, and exposition. School gardens and experi- mental plots, as well as experiments in bread-baking, the cooking of meat, etc., also furnish valuable material for language lessons. The poems and gems wliich are memorized should, in the majority of cases, BOYS' CORN CLUBS OFFER MANY INTERESTING SUBJECTS FOR ORAL AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE WORK touch nature and farm-life activities, while subjects for argument in the language recitation and for debate in the literary society should be taken largely from the same source. The school library should contain as many of the farmers' bulletins on practical farm-life subjects (issued by the United States Department of Agriculture) as may be useful to teacher and pupils RURAL SCHOOLS 227 in their research work. It should also contain some good works on agriculture, nature study, and domestic science. The various kinds of language work outlined grade by grade in the earlier part of this l^ook are as prac- tical for use in the rural school as in city and town schools. The only difference l^etween the work done in the two kinds of schools ought to be that in the choice of subjects for composition work the rural- school teacher should give the most prominent place to the rural-life subjects suggested in the outlines which follow this paragraph. She ought not to for- get, however, that the country child should frequently talk and write about the affairs and facts of hfe in the city, on the sea, in foreign lands, etc. The fol- lowing paragraphs are intended to be used in connec- tion with the outlines of language work by grades, given earlier in this book. They are written to give some guidance and help to the teacher who desires to give her language work a more distinctly rural flavor. 1. Conversation Exercises. As has been shown, simple conversation should be resorted to as a neces- sary means of developing thought and language power in the earlier grades. For subjects in this work rural life affords abundant material. The following outline is simply suggestive : a. Plant life: corn, cotton, wheat, tobacco, potatoes, oats, and all the products of field and garden ; flowers, weeds, and shrubbery, both wild and domestic ; trees, both wild and domestic, shade and orchard. 228 LANGUAGE WOKK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ^^\m^'*' b. Animal life: cow, horse, sheep, dog, rabbit, squirrel, and all others, both wild and domestic; birds, domestic and wild, such as bluebird, bluejay, chicken, turkey, hawk, etc. ; insects, useful and destructive, such as the cutworm, moth, house ant, wasp, fly, mosquito, etc. c. General : pets, playthings, home activities, holidays, the mail carrier ; the seasons ; clouds, snow, frost, hail ; food, cloth- ing, and questions of morals, manners, and personal hygiene. Pictures of ani- mals and of farm life may be used as a basis for these exercises. The list on the opposite page includes the names of many well-known pic- tm*es which make excellent subjects for conversations. 2. Narration. Personal experiences and stories should be told by the children in all grades. In the rural school these experiences will be associated largely with life on the farm and in the woods. It may be a fishing or hunting trip; an afternoon in the woods ; watching a mother bird build a nest or feed her young ; a successful experience in making bread, or gardening, or raising chickens. Boys' corn clubs, gMs' canning clubs, and work in caring for THE COUKTRY OFFERS BEAUTIFUL SUB JECTS FOR DESCRIPTION KUKAL SCHOOLS 229 experimental garden plots will afford many interest- ing subjects for narration. 3. Descrijjtion. This work should be done in all the grades, as outhned in the section on Language Work by Grades. The following outline suggests the kind of subjects that should be given a prominent place in rural-school language work : a. Agriculture: scenes of field, orchard, pasture, garden, and barnyard (sucb as salting sheep), the orchard in full bloom ; do- mestic animals under various conditions, such as eating, drink- ing, in harness, at play, etc. ; plants at various stages of growth ; school gardens, farm implements, hotbeds, cold frames, etc. b. Nature study : wild and domestic animals ; shrubbery ; weeds ; all trees in community ; forest and river scenes ; land- scape from home, schoolhouse, and elsewhere ; moon, sun, stars, sunset, sunrise, moonlight scenes, snow, rain, and storms. Pictures of rural life may be effectively used in this work. The following, which may be purchased from any school-supply house, are suggested for use : Grades Oxe, Two, axd Three Millet, J. F. : Feeding her Birds ; The Churning ; Shep- herdess Knitting ; The Gleaners. Adam, Jeax : The Cat Family. BoxHEUR, EosA : Ploughing; Flock of Sheep; The Horse Fair ; Family Cares. MuRiLLO, B. E. : The Melon-Eaters. Dagxax-Bouveret, p. A. : At the Watering-Trough. Laxdseer, Edwix : Shoeing the Bay Mare ; The Highland Shepherd's Home. DuPRE, Jules : The Haymakers ; The Escaped Cow. "Weber, Otto : Greedy Calves. Bretox, J. A. : Blessing the Fields. 230 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Grades Four, Five, and Six Taylor, W. L. : The Village Blacksmith. Millet, J. F. : Sheep Shearing. Landseer, Edwin : A Pair of Nutcrackers. Breton, J. A. : The Song of the Lark. CoROT, J. B. C. : Road through the Woods. Morgan, Jacques : A Heavy Load. MuRiLLo, B. E. : Fruit Venders. Troyon, Constant : Return to the Farm. Grades Seven and Eight Troyon, Constant : Oxen Going to Work. BoNHEUR, Rosa : Grazing Cow. Ruysdael, Jacob : Windmill. Millet, J. F. : Angelus ; Labor. Jacque, C. E.: The Sheep Fold. Raphael : Miraculous Draught of Fishes. Daubigny, Charles Francois : Spring. 4. Exijosition. Some kinds of exposition are very difficult and shonld seldom be attempted below the seventh and eighth grades. That form of it, however, which simply gives interesting information about subjects common to the life of children, or tells the how of games or simple actions, may be attempted in all grades. For example, if the subject offered to the class is corn, the discussion will probably touch upon such subjects as the uses of corn for food, where grown, how cultivated and harvested, relative value as a farm crop, choice of seed corn, etc. The details and intensiveness will of course increase somewhat with each grade. RUKAL SCHOOLS 231 The following outline is suggestive of the kind of subject that may be chosen for this work : a. Agriculture: Farm crops : as, cotton (as to appearance of plant, where grown, where and how manufactured into cloth, uses for clothing, thread, etc., value as a farm crop), wheat, corn, tobacco, oats, hemp, potatoes, fruit, vegetables, etc. Do- mestic animals, such as the cow, horse, hog, etc. — uses, value ^|^^HH9EI^^^<«^^^^^^ * 1 ;^'Si*2jafiJ?^i',| -^ ORAL WOKK JN i 'J^ \ EKSATION, BESrltli'Tln.N , A^]> EXl'uSlTlU>.'. SUBJECT, FLOWERS GATHERED AT RECESS on farm, care of, breeds, etc. Miscellaneous : farm accounts, hotbeds, good roads, irrigation, fertilizers, silos, erosion. h. Nature study: good and bad birds, weeds, insects; trees in the community, kinds, value for wood and shade, shape of leaves, kind of bark, etc. ; shrubbery, ilowers (wild and domes- tic) ; operations of nature, as snow, rain, sleet, hail, frost. The kind of exposition that demands the arrange- ment in logical sequence of the different steps in 232 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEISIENTARY SCHOOLS a process may be used in rui-al schools with great interest. The following outline suggests subjects for this type of exposition : a. Agriculture : preparation of soil for, and cultivation of, various ])lants ; harvesting, marketing, and preparation for use as food of grain crops, fruits, vegetables, etc. ; how a plant gets moisture and food from the soil ; various processes con- nected with corn and canning clubs ; prepara- tion of food, clothing, and fuel for winter; fence and road building, etc. b. Nature studij: how a bird builds her nest and feeds her young; how ants build homes and I^rovide for winter ; how various plants, flowers, and shrubs germinate and grow ; how the ripened fruit evolves from the bud ; how frost, hail, and snow form ; how clouds, mist, fog, and rain are produced ; how corn, cotton, wheat, tobacco, and other such plants are cultivated, harvested, and marketed. THE " HOWS " OF FARM ACTIVITIES ARE GOOD SUBJECTS FOR EXPOSITION 5. Argument. A form of language w^ork that is suitable for use from the fourth grade up is the oral argument. This work leads directly to that of the literary and debating society, which every rural KURAL SCHOOLS 238 school should maintain.^ The following subjects are suggested for use in rural schools : Life in the country is to be preferred to life in the city. Corn is a more profitable crop than cotton (or wheat, etc.). Birds are more injurious to farm crops than insects. The house fly is more injurious to the human race than smallpox. Strawberries are more profitable than the orchard. It is more difficult to cultivate corn than wheat. 6. Memorizing Work. The memorizing of j^oems and gems should be done in all the grades as out- lined in the section on Language Work by Grades. In the rural school selections should, for the most part, touch rural-life activities. Selections from the following list may be made when the teacher wishes to use a poem of this kind : Grade One Stevensox, E. L. : The Cow. Cary, Alice : November. Cooper, George : The Little Leaves. Tenxyson, Alfred : Little Birdie. Watts, Isaac: The Busy Bee. Butts, M. F.: Blow, Wind, Blow. Allixgham, William : Robin Redbreast. Mother Goose rimes. Grade Two Tenxysox, Alfred : The Foresters. Shermax, F, D. : The Daisies. Stevensox, R. L. : The Hayloft. 1 Full directions for the conduct of this work are given under this heading in the fourth and fifth grades, in the section on Language Work by Grades. 234 LANGUAGE WOKK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS CooLiDGE, SusAx : How the Leaves Came Down. Allingham, William : Robin Redbreast. RossETTi, Christina : Milking Time. Stevenson, R. L. : Winter Time. Grades Three and Four Wordsworth, William : To a Butterfly. Tennyson, Alfred : Tlie Snowdrop ; The Owl ; Song of the Brook. Stedman, E. C. : The Flight of the Birds. Jackson, Helen Hunt : September." Whittier, J. G. : The First Flowers. Lowell, J. R. : The First Snow-Fail. Bryant, W. C. : The Gladness of Nature. Longfellow, H. W. : The Village Blacksmith. Trowbridge, J. T. : Evening at the Farm. Grades Five and Six Riley, J. W. : A Canary at the Farm. Whittier, J. G. : The Corn Song ; The Huskers. Bryant, W. C. : The Planting of the Apple Tree ; October. NoRRis, G. P. : Woodman, Spare that Tree. Stedman, E. C. : Going A-nutting. Wordsworth, William : The Daffodils. Moore, Thomas : The Bird. Emerson, R. W.: The Humble-bee. Kingsley, Charles : Song of the River. Dickens, Charles : The Ivy Green. Keats, John : Ode to Autumn. Grades Seven and Eight Emerson, R. W. : The Snow-storm. Longfellow, H. W. : The Reaper and the Flowers ; A Psalm of Life. Holmes, 0. W. : The Chambered Nautilus ; The Last Leaf. EURAL SCHOOLS 235 Bryant, AV. C: A Forest Hymn; The Death of the Flowers. Burns, Robert : To a Mountain Daisy. Moore, Thomas : The Last Rose of Summer, Shelley, P. B. : To a Skylark. In the same way each child should learn from ten to fifteen small gems of literature every year. The teacher should see that a reasonable number of these A HIKE TO THE WOODS TO STUDY WILD FLOWERS FOR OBSER- VATION REPORTS AND DESCRIPTION deal with thoughts connected with nature and farm life. Selections may be made from the gems found on pages 265-272. The following are typical: In contemplation of created things By steps we may ascend to God. — Milton Nature makes her happy home with man Where many a gorgeous flower is duly fed, With its own rill, on its own spangled bed. Coleridge 236 LANGUAGE WOEK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS How blest the farmer's simple life ! How pure the joy it yields! Far from the world's tempestuous strife, Free 'mid the scented fields. — Everest happy if ye knew your happy state, Ye rangers of the fields ! whom nature's boon Cheers with her smiles, and ev'ry element Conspires to bless. — Somerville 7. Ohservation Reports. This work should be car- ried on in all the grades as outlined in the section on Language Work by Grades. A subject con- nected with nature or farm-life activities should be assigned for observation, and two or three days later an oral or a written report should be required from each pupil in the class. For children in the rural schools the number of subjects for observation is inexhaustible. 8. Verse- Writing. The principles and method of conducting the work of verse-writing have been dis- cussed in grades four to eight of the section on Language Work by Grades. The great out-of-doors surrounding the rural child is full of poetry, and he should be encouraged to give expression to the feel- ings that nature arouses in him. Good subjects are to be found on every hand. The falling of the leaves, the singing of the birds, the cattle grazing in the pasture by the brook, the trees swaying in the wind, the snowstorm, etc. are suggestive. The teacher will be agreeably surprised at the results of her efforts along this line. RURAL SCHOOLS 237 9. Talks from Outlines. In the last two grades pupils should be encouraged to give short talks, before either the language class or the whole school, from outlines on subjects of general interest touching rural-life activities. Such subjects as the following may be used for this purpose : the value of birds to a comnumity, how plants absorb moisture and food from the soil, the Babcock milk test, testing cows for tuberculosis, boys' corn clubs and what they have accomplished, the death toll of preventable diseases. 10. Diary. From the fifth grade up, children should be encom^aged to keep a diary, or record, of events and observations about matters in which they are very greatly interested. The diaries of country children will include such matters as observations of weather conditions, groM^th of plants in school or home experimental gardens, various experiences con- nected with corn and canning clubs, record of ex- penses and profits in raising poultry, vegetables, etc. For methods of directing the work, see the discussion of this subject in grades five to eight of the section on Language Work by Grades. Rural-School Libeaeies In every rm-al-school library there should be a col- lection of books of reference, supplementary readers, and bulletins issued bv state asTricultural colleges and the United States Department of Agriculture. These books and bulletins will be found very useful 238 LANGUAGE WOEK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS to both teacher and pupils for the reading and in- vestigation demanded l^y subjects that are being used in language work. One or two good reference books on agricul- ture, nature study, and domestic sci- ence are usually enough for prac- tical work. The folloAving lists are given in order that school authorities and the teachers in rural schools may be able to select from them the material that best meets their needs. The books may be ordered through any book jobber, or from the publishers, at a discount from the list price when a large number are purchased at one time. As a general thing books in rural-school libraries are not carefully selected. They are often either presented by well-meaning patrons or friends who do not understand the needs of such libraries, or chosen by equally ignorant teachers. The follow- ing pages will lead to a more intelligent choice if teachers will use them in making up lists of books. ^, i. —-■■i f * i \\ - THE LIBRAKV IS AN IjNIPOKTAKT ASSET IN RURAL-SCHOOL LANGUAGE WORK BUKAL SCHOOLS 239 I. BOOKS OF REFERENCE Note. In the bibliographies of this book, list prices are given. They are not guaranteed as correct, and responsibility for errors is specifically disclaimed. While every care has been taken to avoid mistakes, prices are given merely as approximate guides to those who have definite amounts to spend. Agkicultuke Eailky, L. H. Plant-Breeding. The Macniillan Company, Xew York. $1.25. Bailey, L. H. Principles of Agriculture. The Macmillan Company, Xew York. §1.25. Barto, D. O. Manual of Agriculture for Secondary Schools : Studies in Soils and Crop Production. D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. 50 cents. BuRKETT, Stevens, and Hill. Agriculture for Beginners. Ginn and Company, Boston. 75 cents. Davenport, E. Domesticated Animals and Plants. Ginn and Company. $1.25. DuGGAR, B. M. Agriculture for Southern Schools. The Macmillan Company, New York. 75 cents. DuGGAR, B. M. Fungous Diseases of Plants. Ginn and Company, Boston. $2.00. Fisher and Cotton. Agi-iculture for Common Schools. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. $1.00. GoFF and jNIayxe. First Principles of Agriculture. American Book Company, New York. 80 cents. Hemenway, H. D. How to Make School Gardens. Doubleday, Page & Company, Garden City, N.Y. $1.00. Hopkins, C. G. Soil Fertility and Permanent Agriculture. Ginn and Company, Boston. $2.25. LoDEMAN, E. G. Spraying of Plants. Tlie jMacmillan Comjiany, New York. $1.25. Meier, W. H. D. School and Home Gardens. Ginn and Company, Boston. SO cents. Plumb, C. S. Types and Breeds of Farm Animals. Ginn and Company, Boston. $2.00. Robinson, J. H. Our Domestic Birds. Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.35. 240 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Sargent, F. L. Corn Plants : their Use and Ways of Life. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 75 cents. Sheldon, J. P. The Farm and the Dairy. The Macmillan Com- pany, New York. $1.00. Waters, H. J. The Essentials of Agriculture. Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.2.'. A\'iLLiAMs, Dora. Gardens and their Meaning. Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.00. Nature Study Bergen and Caldwell. Practical Botaiiy. Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.30. Burroughs, John. Squirrels and Other Fur-Bearers. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 60 cents. Crosby, W. O. Common Minerals and Rocks. D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. 60 cents. CuMMiNGS, H. H. Nature Study by Grades. American Book Company, New York. Primary grades, $1.00 ; lower grammar grades, 60 cents ; higher grammar grades, 75 cents. DiCKERSON, M. C. Moths and Butterflies. Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.25. Hawkes, Clarence. Tenants of the Trees. The Page Company, Boston. $1.50. Hodge, C. F. Nature Study and Life. Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.50. Jackman, W. S. Nature Study for Grammar Grades. The Mac- millan Company, New York. $1.00. Long, W. J. Ways of AVood Folk. Ginn and Company, Boston. 50 cents. MoRLEY, M. W. Butterflies and Bees. Ginn and Company, Boston. 60 cents. Roth, Filbert. First Book of Forestry. Ginn and Company, Boston. 75 cents. Stickney and Hoffmann. Bird World. Ginn and Company, Boston. 60 cents. Weed, C. M. Farm Friends and Farm Foes. D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. 90 cents. RUKAL SCHOOLS 241 Wilson, L. L. Xature Study in Elementary Schools. The Mac- millan Company, Xew York. 90 cents. Wood, C. D. Animals : their Relation and Use to Man. (iinn and Company, Boston. 60 cents. Domestic Science Conn, H. W. Bacteria, Yeasts, and Molds in the Home. Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.00. DoDD, H. C. Healthful Farmhouse. Whitcomb and Barrows, Boston. 60 cents. Flagg, E. p. Handbook of Home Economics. Little, Brown, and Company, Boston. 75 cents. Greer, Edith. Food — What it Is and Does. Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.00. Hunt, C. L. Home Problems from a Xew Standpoint. Whitcomb and Barrows, Boston. $1.00. Lincoln, M. J. Boston School Kitchen Text^Book. Little, Brown, and Company, Boston. $1.00. Richards, E. H. Handbook of Domestic Science and Household Arts for Use in Elementary Schools. The ^lacmillan Company, New York. $1.00. Richards, E. H. Sanitation in Daily Life. Whitcomb and Barrows, Boston. 60 cents. Sherman, H. C. Chemistry of Food and Xutrition. The Macmillan Company, Xew York. $1..50. Wardall and White. A Study of Foods. Ginn and Company, Boston. 70 cents. IL FARMERS' BULLETIX'S The following bulletins, with several exceptions, noted in each case, are issued by the United States Department of Agriculture and will be sent free on request. Letters should be addressed to the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. Corn Bulletin Xo. 199. Corn Growing. Bulletin Xo. 229. The Production of Good Seed Corn. Bulletin Xo. 253. Germination of Seed Corn. 242 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Biilletiii No. 272. A Successful Seed Corn and Hog Farm. Bulletin No. 298. Food Value of Corn and Corn Products. Bulletin No. 303. Corn Harvesting Machinery. Bulletin No. 313. Harvesting and Storing Corn. Bulletin No. 409. School Lessons on Corn. (Contains in appro- priate places in the text a full list of books and bulletins on corn subjects.) Potatoes Bulletin No. 35. Potato Culture. Bulletin Nos. 56 and 316. Potato Scab." Bulletin No. 91. Potato Diseases. Bulletin Nos. 251 and 320. Potato Spraying. Bulletin No. 295. Potatoes as Food. Poultry Bulletin No. 41. Fowls, Care and Feeding. Bulletin No. 51. Standard Varieties of Chickens. Bulletin No. 64. Ducks and Geese. Bulletin No. 141. Poultry Raising on the Farm. Bulletin No. 182. Poultry as Food. Bulletin No. 200. Turkeys, Varieties and Management. Bulletin No. 287. Poultry Management. Daikyikg and the Daiky Herd Bulletin No. 32. Silos and Silage. Bulletin No. 42. Facts About Milk. Bulletin No. 55. The Dairy Herd. Bulletin No. 63. Care of Milk on the Farm. Bulletin No. 106. Breeds of Dairy Cattle. Bulletin No. 114. Skim Milk in Bread-Making. Bulletin No. 166. Cheese-Making on the Farm. Bulletin No. 241. Butter-Making on the Farm. Bulletin No. 348. Bacteria in Milk. Bulletin No. 363. The Use of Milk as Food. Bulletin No. 413. The Care of Milk and its Use in the Home. RURAL SCHOOLS 243 Farm Animals Bulletin No. 55. The Dairy Herd. Bulletin No. 96. Raising Sheep for Mutton. Bulletin No. 106. Breeds of Dairy Cattle. Bulletin No. 159. Scab in Sheep. Bulletin No. 170. Principles of Horse Feeding. Bulletin No. 179. Horse Shoeing. Bulletin No. 205. Pig Management. Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station, Madison : Circular No. 23. A Catechism on Bovine Tuberculosis. Insects on the Farm Three Insect Enemies of Shade Trees. Insect Enemies of Growing Wheat. The Usefulness of the American Toad. The Gypsy Moth. Insect Enemies of the Grape. The Larger Corn Stalk Borer. The Clover Root Borer. The Plum Curculio. The Grasshopper Problem. The Colorado Beetle (Potato Bug). Mites and Lice on Poultry. Horticulture Bulletin No. 87. Orchards, Clover Crops, and Cultivation. Bulletin No. 113. The Apple and how to Grow it. Bulletin No. 151. The Home Fruit Garden. Bulletin No. 181. Pruning. Bulletin No. 198. Strawberries. Bulletin No. 213. Raspberries. Bulletin No. 283. Spraying for Apple Diseases. Bulletin No. 293. Use of Fruit as Food. Bulletin No. 99. Bulletin No. 132. Bulletin No. 196, Bulletin No. 275. Bulletin No. 281. Circular No. 16. Circular No. 67. Circular No. 73, Circular No. 81. Circular No. 87. Circular No. 92. Weeds Bulletin No. 28. Weeds, and how to Kill Them. Bulletin No. 86. Thirty Poisonous Plants. ■2U LANGUAGE ^YORK IK ELEMENTAKY SCHOOLS "Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station, Madison : Bulletin Xo. 179. The Eradication of Farm Weeds Ii'on Sulphate. Circular No. 19. The Control of Quack Grass. with School and Home Gardens Bulletin No. 154. Bulletin No. 218. Bulletin No. 2.5.5. The Home Fruit Garden. School Gardens. The Home and Veg:etable Garden. General - Bulletin No. 44. Commercial Fertilizers. Bulletin No. 85. Fish as Food. Bulletin No. 126. Practical Suggestions for Farm Buildings. Bulletin No. 134. Tree Planting on Rural-School Grounds. Bulletin No. 256. Preparation of Vegetables for the Table. Bulletin No. 270. Modern Conveniences for the Farm Home. Bulletin No. 317. The Farm Home. Bulletin No. 332. Nuts and their Uses as Food. Bulletin No. 342. Cooking Beans and Other Vegetables — A Model Kitchen. Bulletin No. 343. Cultivation of Tobacco in Kentucky and Tennessee. Bulletin No. 345. Some Common Disinfectants. Bulletin No. 375. Care of Food in the Home. Bulletin No. 389. Bread and Bread-Making. Bulletin No. 459. House Flies. Bulletin No. 468. Forestry in Nature Study. in. SUPPLEMENTARY READERS First Grade Burt, M. E. Little Nature Studies for Little People, Vol. I. Ginn and Company, Boston. 25 cents. Christy and Shaw. Pathways in Nature and Literature, First Reader. American Book Company, New I'ork. 25 cents. RURAL SCHOOLS 24o Dillingham and Emerson. "Tell It Again" Stories. Ginn and Company, Boston. .50 cents. Ford, X. W. Nature's Byways. Silver, Burdett & Company, New York. 36 cents. Kahn, Amy. Hours with Nature, Book One. Silver, Burdett & Company, New York. 20 cents. Lane, M. A. L. Oriole Stories for Beginners. Ginn and Company, Boston. 28 cents. Stickney, J. H. Earth and Sky, No. I. Ginn and Company, Boston. 30 cents. Second Grade Burt, M. E. Little Nature Studies for Little People, Yol. LT. Ginn and Company, Boston. 25 cents. Christy and Shaw. Pathways in Nature and Literature, Second Reader. American Book ComjDany, New York. 30 cents. Eddy, S. J. Friends and Helpers. Ginn and Company, Boston. 60 cents. Kahn, Amy. Hours with Nature, Book Two. Silver, Burdett & Company, New Y'ork. 25 cents. Stickney, J. H. Earth and Sky, No. TT. Ginn and Company, Boston. 30 cents. Strong, F. L. All the Year Round Series. Ginn and Company, Boston. 4 vols., each 30 cents. Warren, M. L. From September to June with Nature. D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. 35 cents. Third Grade Andrews, Jane. Stories Mother Nature told her Children. Ginn and Company, Boston. 50 cents. Bass, Florence. Nature Studies for Y'^oung Readers : Animal Life. D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. 35 cents. Bradish, S. p. Stories of Country Life. American Book Company, New Y^ork. 40 cents. Button, M. B. In Field and Pasture. American Book Company, New York. 85 cents. Hardy, A. S. Sea Stories for Wonder Eyes. Ginn and Company, Boston. 40 cents. 246 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTAKY SCHOOLS MoNTEiTii, John and Caholink. Some Useful Animals. American Book Comiiany, New York. 50 cents. Smith, A. H. Four-Footed Friends. Ginn and Company, Uoston. 50 cents. Walker, M. C. Our Birds and their Nestlings. American Book Company, New York. 60 cents. Fourth Gkade Baktlett, L. L. Animals at Home. American Book Company, New. York. 45 cents. Boyle, M. P. Outdoor Secrets. A. Flanagan Company, Chicago. 35 cents. Gould, A. W. Mother Nature's Children. Ginu and Comi)any, Boston. 60 cents. Kelly, M. A. B. Short Stories of our Shy Neighbors. American Book Company, New York. 50 cents. Long, W. J. AVood Folk at School. Ginn and Company, Boston. 50 cents. MoHLEY, M. W. In.sect Folk. Ginn and Company, Boston. 45 cents. Payne, F. O. Geographical Nature Studies. American Book Com- pany, New York. 25 cents. Spyri, Johanna. Heidi. Ginn and Company, Boston. 40 cents. Stokes, Susan. Ten Common Trees. American Book Company, New York. 40 cents. Fifth Grade Bergen, F. D. Glimpses at the Plant World. Ginn and Company, Boston. 40 cents. CoMSTOCK, A. B. Ways of the Six-Footed. Ginn and Company, Boston. 40 cents. Eddy, S. J. Friends and Helpers. Ginn and Company, Boston. 60 cents. Hawkes, Clarence. Trail to the Woods. American Book Com- pany, New York. 40 cents. JoHONNOT, James. Neighbors with Wings and Fins. American Book Company, New York. 40 cents. EUEAL kSCHOOLS 247 Long, W. J. A Little Brothei* to the Bear and Other Stories. Ginn and Company, Boston. 50 cents. MoRLEY, M. W. Little Wanderers. Ginn and Company, Boston. 30 cents. JMiLLKK, Margaret. My Saturday Bird Class. I). C. Heath & Co., Boston. 2.5 cents. Spyri, Johanna. Moni the Goat Boy. (iinn and Company, Boston. 40 cents. Stickney, J. H. Earth and Sky, Xo. IIL Ginn and Company, Boston. 35 cents. Sixth Grade Beal, W. J. Seed Dispersal. Ginn and Company, Boston. 35 cents. EcKSTROM, Fannie. Bird Book. D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. 60 cents. GiLMORE, A. F. Birds through the Year. American Book Company, New York. 50 cents. Hawkes, Clarence. Little Water Folks. Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York. 75 cents. JoHONNOT, James. Some Curious Flyers, Creepers, and Swimmers. American Book Company, New York. 40 cents. Long, W. J. Secrets of the Woods. Ginn and Company, Boston. 50 cents. Morris, L I). Travels of a Waterdrop, and Others. A. Flanagan Company, Chicago. 35 cents. Neediiam, J. G. Outdoor Studies. American Book Conii:)any, New York. 40 cents. Wyss, J. D. Swiss Family Boliinson. Ginn and Company, Boston. 45 cents. Seaenth and Eighth Ctrades Atkinson, G. F. First Studies of Plant Life. Ginn and Company, Boston. 00 cents. Ball, R. S. Star-Land. Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.00. Baskett, J. N. Story of the Birds. D. Appleton and Company, New York. 65 cents. Carpenter, F. G. How the World is Fed. American Book Com- pany, New York. 00 cents. 248 LANGUAGE AVORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Hehrick, S. M. Chapters ou Plant Life. American Book Company, New York. 60 cents. Keffer, C. a. Nature Studies on the Farm : Soils and Plants. American Book Company, New Y'^ork. 40 cents. Long, W. J. Northern Trails, Books I and IT. Ginn and Company, Boston. 45 cents each. Newell, J. H. Reader in Botany. Part I, From Seed to Leaf ; Part II, Flower and Fruit. Ginn and Company, Boston. 60 cents each. Stone and Fickett. Trees in Prose and Poetry. Ginn and Com- pany, Boston. 45 cents. Treat, Mary. Home Studies in Nature. American Book Company, New York. 90 cents. APPENDIX A GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY Note. In the bibliographies of this book list prices are given. They are not guaranteed as correct, and responsibility for errors is specifically disclaimed. While every care has been taken to avoid mistakes, prices are given merely as approximate guides to those who have definite amounts to spend. The books in the fonowing lists discuss the principles underlying the various kinds of language work outlined in the body of this book. GENERAL Carpenter, Baker, and Scott. The Teaching of English. Long- mans, Green, & Co., New York. $1.50. Chubb, Percival. The Teaching of English in the Elementary and the Secondary School. The Macmillan Company, New York. $1.00. Fitch, J. G. Lectures on Teaching (chapters on English). The jVEacmillan Company, New York. $1.00. George, A. J. Hudson's "Essays on English Studies " (pp. 19-52). Ginn and Company, Boston. 75 cents. Gesell, a. L. The Normal Child and Primary Education (pp. 159- 180). Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.25. Hinsdale, B. A. Teaching the Language-Arts. D. Appleton and Company, New York. $1.00. Hosic, J. F. The Elementary Course in English. The University of Chicago Press. 75 cents. KiTTREDGE and Arnold. The Mother Tongue, Book H (introduc- tion). Ginn and Company, Boston. 60 cents. Laurie, S. S. Lectures on Language, and Linguistic Method in the School. The Macmillan Company, New York. $1.00. 249 250 LA.NdUAGE WOKK IN P:LE.MEXTARY SCHOOLS Lincoln, L. I. Everyday Pedagogy. Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.00. McClintock, p. L. Literature in the Elementary School. Tlie University of Chicago Press. $1.00. McMuRRY, C. A. Special Method in Language in the Eight Grades. The Macmillan Company, New York. 70 cents. Metcalf, R. C. Language Work in Elementary Schools. The A. S. Barnes Company, New York. 1.) cents. O'Shea, M. V. Linguistic Development and Education. The Mac- millan Company, New York. $1.25. Parker, F, W., assisted by teachers of Cook County Normal School. Suggestions for Teaching Language. A. Flanagan Company, Chicago. 15 cents. Perdue and Griswold. Language through Nature, Literature, and Art. Rand-McNally & Company, New York. 45 cents. Indianapolis Course of Study in English for Elementary Schools. Wisconsin Course of Study for Common Schools. Sections on Language. STORY-TELLING Allison and Perdue. The Place of the Story in Primary Educa- tion. A. Flanagan Company, Chicago. 60 cents. Bryant, S. C. How to Tell Stories to Children. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. $1.00. Bryant, S. C. Stories to Tell to Children (introduction). Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. $1.00. Chubb, Percival. The Teaching of English in the Elementary and the Secondary School (pp. 43-46, 88, 186-187). The Mac- millan Company, New York. $1.00. Cody, A. S. Story Composition. A. Flanagan Company, Chicago. 15 cents. Dye, Charity. The Story-Teller's Art. Ginn and Company, Boston. 50 cents. Earhart, L. B. The Story in the Primary Grades. Teachers College Record, March, 1907. 35 cents per copy. McClintock, P. L. Literature in the Elementary School (chaps, iv- xi). The University of Chicago Press. $1.00. Partridge, E. N. and G. E. Story-Telling in School and Home. Sturgis & Walton Company, New York. $1.25. APPENDIX A 251 .Spalding, Elizabkth. The Problem of Elemeutary Composition (chap. iii). D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. 40 cents. WiGGiN and .Smith. The Story Hour (introduction). Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. |1.00. WiLTSE, S. E. The Story in Early Education. Ginn and Company, Boston. 50 cents. Wyche, R. T. Some Great Stories and how to Tell them. Newson & Company, New York. $1.00. MEMORIZING Bjjiggs and Coffman. Reading in Public Schools (pp. 128-139, 256-259). Row, Peterson & Company, Chicago. $1.25. Chubb, Percival. The Teaching of English in the Elementary and the Secondary School (pp. 48-53). The Macmillan Company, New York. $1.00. CoMPAYRE, J. G. Lectures on Pedagogy (Payne) (pp. 131, 447). D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. $1.75. Hosic, J. F. The Elementary Course in English (pp. 21, 46, 65, 76, 99). The University of Chicago Press. 75 cents. McClintock, p. L. Literature in the Elementary School (chap, xii). The University of Chicago Press. $1.00. McMuRRY, C. A. Course of Study in the Eight (irades (pp. 90-105). The Macmillan Company, New York. 75 cents. DRAMATIZATION Barxum, M. D. Dramatic Instinct in the Elementary School, Teachers College Record, ISIarch, 1907. 35 cents per copy. Bliss, W. F. History in the Elementary Schools (pp. 21-22, 34, 177- 193). American Book Comjiany, New York. 80 cents. Briggs and Coffman. Reading in Public Schools (pp. 92-104, 233-255). Row, Peterson & Companj-, Chicago. $1.25. Bryant, S. C. Stories to Tell to Children (pp. xxxvii-xli). Hough- ton Mifflin Company, Boston. $1.00. Chubb, Percival. Festivals and Plays (pp. 271-305). Harj^er & Brothers, New York. $2.00. F1NLAY-.T0HNSON, Harriet. The Dramatic Method of Teaching. Ginn and Company, Boston. §1.00. 252 LANGUAGE WOKK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Gesell, a. L. The Normal Child and rriuiary Education (pp. 144- 158). Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.2.5. Gilbert and Harris. Manual to Guide Books to English (pp. 35- ;39). Silver, Burdett & Company, New York. Sent free to teachers with the Guide Books. Hosic, J. F. The Elementary Course in English (pp. 21, G4, 74, 90). The University of Chicago Press. 75 cents. Lincoln, L. L Everyday Pedagogy (pp. 169, 170, 192). Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.00. McClintock, p. L. Literature in the Elementary School (chap. xiii). The University of Chicago Press. $1.00. Indianapolis Course of Study in English (1904) (pp. 25-26). COMPOSITION WORK Oral Arnold, S. L. Brief Outline of a Course of Study in Language and Grammar. Ginn and Company, Boston. 10 cents. Briogs and McKinney. A First Book of Composition. Ginn and Company, Boston. 90 cents. Bryant, S. C. Stories to Tell to Children (pp. xxix-xlvii). Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. $1.00. CiiUBB, Percival. The Teaching of English in the Elementary and the Secondary School (chap. viii). The Macmillan C^oni- pany. New York. $1.00. Carpenter, Baker, and Scott. The Teaching of English (pp. 127, 244-249). Longmans, Green, & Co., New York. $1.50. IIosic, J. F. The Elementary Course in English (pp. 18-22). The University of Chicago Press. 75 cents. McMurry, C. a. Special Method in Primary Reading and Oi-al AVork, with Stories. The Macmillan Comjaany, New York. 60 cents. Sweet, Henry. A Practical Study of Languages (chap. vii). Henry Holt and Company, New York. $1.50. APPENDIX A 253 Wkitten Baldwin, C. S. The Expository Paragraph aud Seuteuce. Long- mans, Greeu, & Co., New York. 50 cents. Batks, Arlo. Talks on Writing English. Houghton IVIifflin Com- pany, Boston. 2 vols., each f 1.30. Carpenter, Baker, and Scott. The Teaching of English (pp. 121-144, 327-341). Longmans, Green, & Co., Xew York. $1.50. Chubb, Percival. The Teaching of English (chaps, viii and xi). The Macmillan Company, New York. $1.00. Clapp and Huston. The Conduct of Composition Work in Gram- mar Grades. D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. 15 cents. Hanson, C. L. Two Years' Course in English Composition. Giun and Company, Boston. 90 cents. Hartog and Lang don. The Writing of English. Oxford L^ui- versity Press, New York. 60 cents. Hinsdale, B. A. Teaching the Language-Arts (chap. xiv). D. Appleton and Company, New York. $1.00. Lincoln, I. L. Everyday Pedagogy (pp. 147, 148, 154). Ginu and Company, Boston. $1.00. Spalding, Elizabeth. The Problem of Elementary Composition. D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. 40 cents. Wooley, E. C. Handbook of Composition. 1). C. Heath & Co., Boston. 80 cents. LETTER-WRITING Callaway, F. B. Studies for Letters. American Book Company, New York. 50 cents. Carpenter, Baker, and Scott. The Teaching of English (p. 127). Longmans, Green, & Co., New York. $1.50. Chubb, Percival. The Teaching of English (pp. 185, 226, 229- 230). The Macmillan Company, New York. $1.00. Davis and Lingham. Business English and Correspondence. Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.00. Dye, Charity. Letters and Letter-Writing. The Bobbs-INIerrill Company, Indiana^jolis. $1.00. 254 LANGUAGE WOEK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Hosic, J. F. The Eleuientary Course in English (pp. 22, 82, 90, 98, 10(3). The University of Chicago Press. 75 cents. Spaldinc;, Elizabeth. The Problem of Elementary Composition (chap. ii). D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. 40 cents. TEACHING OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR Arnold, S. L. Brief Outline of a Course of Study in Language and Grammar. Ginn and Company, Boston. 10 cents. Barbour, F. A. The Teaching of English Grammar. Ginn and Company, Boston. 30 cents. Buck, Gertrude. Make-Believe Grammar, The ScJiool Review, January, 1909. Sent free iu pamphlet form l)y Scott, Foresman & Co., Chicago. Carpenter, Baker, and Scott. The Teaching of English (pp. 144- 1.51, 191-214). Longmans, Green, & Co., New York. $1.50. Chubb, Percival. The Teaching of English (pp. 20.3-205). The Macmillan Comimny, New York. $1.00. Hinsdale, B. A. Teaching the Language-Arts (pp. 147-168). I). Appleton and Company, New York. $1.00. IIosic, J. F. The Elementary Course in English (pp. 30-31, 114, 122). The University of Chicago Press. 75 cents. HoYT, F. S. The Place of Grammar in tlie Elementary Curriculum, Teachers Collerje Record, November, 1906. 35 cents i)er copy. Gesell, a. L. The Normal Child and Primary Education (pp. 172- 180). Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.25. Leonard, M. H. Grammar and its Reasons. A. S. Barnes Com- pany, New York. $1.50. Lincoln, L. L Everyday Pedagogy ([)p. 148-150). (iinn and Company, Boston. $1.00. LouNSBURY, T. R. History of the English Language, Part II (Pl.. 209-481). Henry Holt and Company, New York. $1.25. Siiefkield, a. D. Rational Study of English Grammar, School Review, November, 1910. Sweet, Henry. A Practical Study of Languages (chaji. xi). Henry Holt and Company, New York. $1.50. Indianapolis Course of Study in English (1904) (pp. 78-79, 8.3-8.5). APPEXDIX A 265 AVOllD STUDY Anderson, J. iVI. A Study of Euglisli Words. Anierii-an Book Company, Cincinnati. 40 cents. Cody, A. S. Word-Study for Schools. A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago. 35 cents. Okxung and Hanson. Outlines of Composition and Rhetoric (chaps, iv and v). Ginu and Company, Boston. $1.00. Greenougii and Kittredgk. Words and their Ways in English Speech. The ]Macmillan Company, Xew York. $1.10. LocKWOOD and Emerson. Composition and Rlietoric (chaj). xv). Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.00. Nesfxeld, J. C. English Grammar — Tast and Present (chaps, xxii- xxxii). The Macmillan Company, Xew York. $1.10. Skeat, W. ay. The Principles of Etymology (chaps, xii-xv espe- cially). Oxford University Press, New York. $2.2.'). Spalding, Elizabeth. The Problem of Elementary Composition (chap. iv). D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. 40 cents. SwiNTON, Wm. New Word-Analysis. American Book Company, New Yoi-k. .3.5 cents. White, R. G. AYords and their Uses, Past and Present. Houghton MitHiu Company, Boston. $1.00. VERSE-WRITING Carpenter, Baker, and Scott. The Teaching of English (p. 240). Longmans, Green, & Co., New York. $1.50. Chubb, Percival. The Teaching of English (pp. 1S8-189). The Macmillan Company, New York. $1.00. Spaldin<;, Elizabeth. The Problem of Elementary Composition (pp. 1-2). 1). C. Heath & Co., Boston. 40 cents. USE OF DICTIONARY Briggs and Coffman. Reading in Public Schools (chaj). xvii). Row, Peterson & Company, Chicago. $1.25. Carpenter, Baker, and Scott. The Teaching of English (pp. 297" 298). Longmans, Green, & Co., New York. $1.50. Hosic, J. F. The Elementary Course in English (pp. 29, ;}9, 99 107). The University of Chicago IVess. 75 cents. 256 LANGUAGE WORK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Lincoln, L. I. Everyday Pedagogy (chap. xi). Ginn and Company, Boston. fl.OO. Metcalk and De Garmo. Drill Book in Dictionary Work. A. C. McCiui'g & Co., Chicago. 85 cents. Sweet, Henry. A Practical Study of Languages (chap. xii). Henry Holt and Company, New York. $1.50. DIARY (tilbert and Harris. Guide Books to English (Book One, pp. 16i- 107; Book Two, pp. 102-103). Silver, Burdett & Company, New York. 45 cents and 60 cents respectively. Hosrc, J. F. The Elementary Course in English (p. I0sGUAGE ^YOPvK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Gkammar Grades CoMSTocK, F. A Dickens Dramatic Reader. Ginu and Company, Boston. 60 cents. CoMSTOCK, F. Dramatic Version of Greek Myths. Ginu and Com- pany, Boston. 4.5 cents. Gould, E. L. Little Men ; Little Women. Plays adapted from Louisa M. Alcott's stories. Little, Brown and Company, Boston. 60 cents each. Knight, Marietta. Dramatic Reader for Grammar Grades. Amer- ican Book Company, New York. 50 cents. Laselle, M» a. Dramati^atioDS of School Classics. Educational Publishing Company, Boston. 40 cents. Longfellow, H. AY. The Courtship of Miles Standisli. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 15 cents. STORY-TELLING The following is a carefully selected list of books from which the teacher may choose stories for her work : Bryant, S. C. Stories to Tell to Children. Houghton Mifflin Com- pany, Boston. $1.00. Long, W. J. Secrets of the Woods. Ginu and Company, Boston. 50 cents. ScuDDKK, H. E. Fables, Folk Stories, and Legends. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 60 cents. Wiltse, S. E. Kindergarten Stories and ]\Ioruing Talks. Ginn and Company, Boston. 75 cents. Wyche, R. T. Some Great Stories and how to Tell them. Xewson & Company, New Y^ork. $1.00. Every school library should have a few well-selected Ijooks of stories for the children to read at their leisure. The follow- ing are suggested for this purpose : Primary Grades Beckwith, M. H. Story-Telling with Scissors. Milton Bradley Company, Springfield, i\Iass. 30 cents. Iaiimer, F. Y. Xature Myths of Many Lands. American Book Company, Xew Y''ork. 45 cents. APPENDIX A 259 Holmes, M. J. ^Esop's Fables. The Macuiilluu Cuiupauy, Xew York. 25 cents. Lansing, M. F. Fairy Tales. Ginn and Company, Boston. 2 vols., each 35 cents. Lansing, M. F. Rhymes and Stories. Ginn and Company, Boston. 35 cents. Stickney, J. H. Andersen's Fairy Tales. Ginn and Company, Boston. 2 vols., 40 cents and 45 cents, respectively. Wiley, Belle. The Mother Goose Primer. Charles E. Merrill Company, New York. 32 cents. WiLTSE, S. E. Grimm's Fairy Tales. Ginn and Company. Boston. 2 vols., each 35 cents. IXTEKMEDIATE GrADES Baldwin, James. Robinson Crusoe Retold. American Book Com- pany, New York. 35 cents. Blaisdell and Ball. Hero Stories from American History. Ginn and Company, Boston. 50 cents. Eggleston, Edward. Stories of Great Americans. American Book Company, New York. 40 cents. GuERBER, H. A. Story of the Thirteen Colonies. American Book Company, New York. 65 cents. Hale, E. E. Arabian Nights. Ginn and Company, Boston. 45 cents. Kingsley, Charles. Greek Heroes. Henry Altemus Comjiany, Philadelphia. 30 cents. Kipling, Rudyard. The Jungle Book. The Century Co., New York. $1.50. Perry, AY. C. The Boj's' Odyssey. Tlie Macmillan Company, New York. $1.50. ScuDDER, H. E. George Washing-ton. Houghton ^lifflin Company, Boston. 40 cents. Stickney, J. H. Kingsley's Water-Babies. Ginn and Company, Boston. 35 cents. Stickney, J. H. Wyss's Swiss Family Robinson, (iiun and Com- pany, Boston. 45 cents. 260 LANGUAGE WORK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Grammar Grades Baldwin, James. Life of Abraham Lincoln. American Book Com- pany', New York. 60 cents. liKNDEK, M. S. Great Opera Stories. The Macmillan Company, New York. 40 cents. Catherwood, M. H. Heroes of the Middle West. Ginn and Com- pany, Boston. 50 cents. Clarke, Michael. Story of ^Eneas. American Book Company, New York. 45 cents. Coe, F. E. Heroes of Everyday Life. Ginn and Company, Boston. 40 cents. (Greene, F. N. Legends of King Arthur and his Court. Ginn and Company, Boston. 50 cents. GuERBER, H. A. Story of the Romans. American Book Company, New York. 60 cents. Haight, Margaret. Cooper's Deerslayer. American Book Com- pany, New York. 35 cents. Lansing, M. F. Page, Esquire, and Knight, (iinn and Company, Boston. 35 cents. Montgomery, D. H. Benjamin Franklin; his Life. Ginn and Company, Boston. 40 cents. RoLFE, W. J. Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare. American Book Company, New York. 60 cents. RoLFE, W. J. Tales from English History. American Book Com- pany, New York. 60 cents. Tappan, E-s'A M. European Hero Stories. Houghton Mifflin Corn- Company, Boston. 65 cents. MEMORIZING Sufficient material for memorizing in the eight grades is given in Appendix B. The following books contain well- graded additional material : Blake and Alexander. Graded Poetry, Charles E. Merrill Com- panj, New York. One volume for each grade, each 20 cents. Crowninshield, Ethel. Mother Goose Songs ; Robert Louis Stevenson Songs. Milton Bradley Company, Springfield, Mass. Each 30 cents. APPENDIX A 261 Gilbert and IIakkis. Poems by Grades. Book I, Primary; Book II, Intermediate and Grammar. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. 60 cents each. Hyde, W. D. The School Speaker and Reader. Ginn and Company, Boston. 80 cents. Lambert, W. H. Memory Gems in Prose and Yerse. Ginn and Company, Boston. 30 cents. Lansing, M. F. Rhymes and Stories. Ginn and Company, Boston. 35 cents. Skinner, A. W. Selections for Memorizing. Silver, Burdett & Com- pany, New York. 60 cents. Williams and Foster. Selections for Memorizing. Ginn and Company, Boston. -40 cents. For the lower grades the following are excellent : LovEjOY, M. I. Nature in Verse. Silver, Burdett & Company, New York. 60 cents. Sherman, F. D. Little-Folk Lyrics. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 60 cents. Stevenson, R. L. A Child's Garden of Verse. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. 40 cents. Welsh, Charles. Book of Nursery Rhymes. D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. 35 cents. Whittier, J. G. Child Life : Collection of Poems. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 60 cents. WiGGiN and Smith. Pinafore Palace. Doubleday, Page & Company, Garden City, New York. $1.50. MEMORY GEMS Chancellor, Mary. Primary Memory Gems. A. Flanagan Com- pany, Chicago. 10 cents. De Vere, Paul. Gems of Literature, Liberty, and Patriotism. A. Flanagan Company, Chicago. 60 cents. Grades 5-8. Johnson, L. E. Memory Gems for Home and School. A. Flanagan Company, Chicago. 10 cents. Keitges, John. Proverbs and Quotations for School and Home. A. Flanagan Company, Chicago. 35 cents. Grades 5-8. Lambert, W. H. Memory Gems in Prose and Verse. Ginn and Company, Boston. 30 cents. Grades 1-12. 262 LANGUAGE WORK IX ELEMENTAEY SCHOOLS Skinnkh, A. W. Selections for Memoriziug. Silver, Burdett & Company, New York. 60 cents. For all grades. WooLEVER, Adam. Encyclopedia of Quotations. David McKay, Philadelphia. $1.50. DICTATION WORK Cronsox, Bernaho. Craded Dictation and Spelling Lessons. American Book Company, Xew York. Small ]tam]>hlets, two to each grade, 5 cents each. Patterson. Cal\ix. The American Word Book. American Book Company. New York. 25 cents. Dictation material for all grades. Penni.man, J. H. Prose Dictation Exercise. D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. 25 cents. For npper grades. LETTER-WRITING Callaway, F. B. Studies for Letters. American Book Company, New York. 50 cents. Davis and Lingham. Business English and Correspondence. Ginn and Company, Boston. $1.00. Dye, Charity. Letters and Letter-A\'riting. The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis. $1.00. GENrx(; and Hanson. Outlines of Composition and Rhetoric, (iinn and Company, Boston. $1.00. Stevens, F. B. Graded Lessons in Letter "Writing and Business Forms. Ginn and Company, Boston. Three books, 15 cents each. USE OF DICTIONARY Briggs and Coffman. Reading in Public Schools (chap. xvii). Row, Peterson & Co., Chicago. $1.25. Metcalf and De Garmo. Drill Book in Dictionary Work. A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago. 35 cents. Wisconsin Course of Study for Common Schools. Outlines by grades, from fourth grade up. STANDARDS OF MEASUREMENT It is essential that teachers should from time to time test the progress the children are making in mastering and using correctly the language principles they are being taught. For APPENDIX A 263 this })urpose tlie author wishes to recoiumend some such sys- tem as Thompson's ''Minimum Essentials in Language"* (Ginn and Company, Boston. 25 cents per 100 sheets). Each sheet contains from 100 to 200 questions, which were selected, graded, and tabulated after several years' experiment. PICTLRES Pictures may be used in conversation, observation, memo- rizing, story-telling, and description. They may be purchased at from one to ten cents, according to the size, from Perry Picture Co., ^Maiden, ]\rass. : Thomas Charles Company, Chicago: A. Flanagan Company, Chicago; Milton Bradley Company, Springfield, ]Mass. : or any other supply house. The following is a suggestive graded list. Primary Grades BoNHEi'H, Rosa. Ploughing; Family Cares: An Humble Servant; Flock of Sheep ; Lions at Home. Laxdseer, Edwin. My Dog; Saved; Shoeing the Bay ^lare ; Dis- tinguished Member of the Humane Society : The Challenge. Millet, J. F. Feeding Her Birds; The Churning ; The First Step; The Gleaners. Adam, Jean. The Cat Family. Mauve, Axtox. The Sheep. DiPRE, Jules. The Escaped Cow. J.\CQUE, C E. Feeding the Chickens. CoRHEGGio, Antoxio. The Holy Xight. Breton, J. A. Blessing the Fields. MuRiLLO, B. E. The Holy Family. Renoue, Peter. The Helping Hand. Jameson, George. The Fisherman's Daughter. Intermediate Grades Troyon, Constant. Return to the Farm. Breton, J. A. The Song of the Lark. Weber, Otto. Greedy Calves. 264 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS DuPKE, Jules. The Balloon. Morgan, Jacques. A Heavy Load. Taylor, Isaac. The Village Blacksmith. BoNiiEUR, Rosa. The Horse Fair. Reni, Guioo : The Aurora. Rembrandt. The Mill. Dagnan-Bouveket, p. A. J. Madonna and Child. Millet, J. F. The Angeliis. Boughton, G. H. The Return of the Mayflower. Daubigny, Charles. Spring. Jacque, C. E. The Sheepfold. Grammar Grades Boughton, G. H. Pilgrim Exiles. Raphael. The Sistine Madonna. Hoffmann, Joseph. Christ and the Doctors. Breton, J. A. End of Labor. Michelangelo : The Three Fates. Da Vinci, Leonardo : The Last Supper. CoROT, J. B. The Dance of the Nymphs. Watts, G. F. Sir Galahad. Titian : The Presentation of the Virgin. Della Robhia, Luca : Singing Children. Trumbull, John. The Signing of the Declaration of Independence. APPENDIX B MEMORY GEMS God helps them that help themselves. — Fraxklix Be sure you are right, then go ahead. — David Crockett Education is the chief defense of nations. — Garfield Be not simply good — be good for something. — Thoreait Bad men excuse their faults, good men will leave them. Bex Joxsox Keep company with tlie good and you will be one of them. Cervantes From the lowest de])t]is there is a jtath to the loftiest heights. — Carlyle Good luck will help a man over the ditch, if he jumps hard. Spurgeox I would rather be right than be president of the United States. — Hexry Clay It is well to think well ; it is divine to act well. Horace IMaxx One cannot always be a hero, but one can always be a man. Goethe Self-conquest is the greatest of victories. — Plato To read without reflection is like eating without digesting. Burke Whatsoever a man soweth, that sliall he also reap. — Bible Prosperity makes friends; adversity tries them. Pacuvius 265 266 LANGUACiK WOKlv IX El.KMKNTAKY S('H(X)LS The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder. I'aklyle Do the duty that lies nearest thee which thou knowest to ])e a duty. Thy second duty will already luive become clearer. Oarlyle A grateful mind is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of nil other virtues. — ('ickko (rod has two dwellings : one in heaven and the other in a meek and thankful heart. — Izaak Wai.tox The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt till they are too strong to be broken. — Sami'kl Johnsox I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires rather than in attem])ting to satisfy them. .John Stuart Mill He lives long who lives well ; time missi)ent is not lived but lost. — Fuller To look np and not down, to look forward and not back, to look ont and not in, and to lend a hand. — E. E. Hale Habit is a cable ; we weave a thread of it each day, and it becomes so strong we cannot break it. — Horace Mann We grow like what we think of ; so let us think of the good, the true, and the beautiful. — Phillips I>rooks If you wish your neighbors to see what God is like, you must let them see what He can make yon like. Charles Kingsley He who is false to present duty breaks a thread in the loom, and he will find the flaw when he may have forgotten its cause. — Beecher There are no fragments so precious as those of time, and none so heedlessly lost by people who cannot make a moment, and yet can waste years. — James Montgomery APPENDIX B 267 I shall pass this way but once. Aii}- good thing thei'efore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. — Gii-i'ix A good character is the finest essential in a man. It is, therefore, highly important to endeavor not only to be learned, but virtuous. — George Washington Pride slays thanksgiving, but an humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves. — Beecher There is no duty the fulfillment of which will not make you happier, nor any temptation for which there is no remedy. 8 exec A The heavens declare the glory of God ; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. — Bible Honesty is the best policy ; but he who acts on that princi- ple is not an honest man. — Archbishop Whateia" Experience shows that success is due less to ability than to zeal. The winner is he who gives himself to liis Avork, body and soul. — Buxton The great secret of success in life is for a man to be ready when his opportunity comes. — Disraeli The lives of men who have been always growing are strewed along their whole course with the things tliey have learned to do without. — Phillips Brooks Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody. — Longfellow We ought to hear at least one little song eveiy day, read a good poem, see a first-rate painting, and, if possible, speak a few sensible words. — Goethe 268 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS All true work is sacred ; for in all true work, were it but true hand-labor, there is something of divineness. Labor, wide as the earth, has its summit in heaven. — Caklyle Be such a life, live such a life, that if every man were such as you, and every life a life like yours, this earth would be a paradise. — Phillips Brooks Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive ! — Scott Have more than thou showest. Speak less than thou knowest. — Shakespeare Act, act in the living Present, Heart within, and God o'erhead. — Longfellow 111 fares the land, to hastening ills a prey. Where wealth accumulates and men decay. — Goldsmith Dare to be true : nothing can need a lie ; A fault which needs it most grows two thereby. — Herbert All seems infected that tli' infected spy. As all looks yellow to the jaundiced eye. — Pope Count that day lost whose low descending sun Views from thy hand no worthy action done. — Anonymous Howe'er it be, it seems to me, 'T is only noble to be good ; Kind hearts are more than coronets. And simple faith than Norman blood. — Tennyson True dignity abides in him alone. Who, in the patient hour of silent thought. Can still respect and still revere himself. — Wordsworth So nigh is grandeur to our dust. So near is God to man. When Duty whispers low, " Thou must," The youth replies, " I can ! " — Emerson APPENDIX B 269 We shape ourselves in joy or fear Of which the coming years are made, And fill our futui-e's atmosjihere With sunshine or with shade. — Whittier Whene'er a noble deed is wrought, Whene'er is spoken a noble thought, Our hearts in glad surprise To higher levels rise. — Longfellow We live in deeds, not years ; in thoughts, not breaths ; In feelings, not in figures on a dial. We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best. — Bailey Vice is a monster of so frightful mien. As, to be hated, needs but to be seen ; Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face. We first endure, then pity, then embrace. — Pope Be not the first by whom the new are tried. Nor yet the last to lay the old aside. — Pope Heaven is not reached at a single bound. But we build the ladder by which we rise From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, And we mount to its summit round by round. — Hollanj) He prayeth best who lovetli best All things both great and small ; For the dear God who loveth us. He made and loveth all. — Coleridge This above all : to thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day. Thou canst not then be false to any man. — Shakespeare To him who, in the love of nature, holds Communion with her visible forms, she speaks 270 LANGUAGE WOKK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS A various language : for his gayer hours She has a voice of gladness, and a smile And eloquence of beauty, and she glides Into his darker musings with a mild And healing sympathy that steals away Their sharpness, ere he is aware. — Bryant I count this a thing to be grandly true. That a noble deed is a step toward God, Lifting the soul from the common sod To purer air and broader view. — Holland God bless the flag ! Let it float and fill The sky with its beauty ; our heartstrings thrill To the low sweet chant of its windswept bars. And the chorus of all its clustering stars. — Simpson I hear the bells on Christmas Day Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good will to men I — Axuxymous The snow had begun in the gloaming, And, busily all the night. Had been heaping fields and highway With a silence deep and white. Every pine and fir and hemlock Wore ermine too dear for an earl. And the poorest twig on the elm tree Was ridged inch deep with pearl. — Lowell Gaily chattering to the clattering Of the brown nut downward pattering. Leap the squirrels, red and gray ; . Drop the apples red and yellow, Drop the russet pears and mellow, Drop the red leaves all the day. — Ruskin APPENDIX J'. 271 Somebody spoke. I don't know who, But snowdrop heard, And violet knew. The birds came back AVith swift glad wing ; And then I knew That it was spring. — Anonymous ^Vho bnilds a cluueh to God, and not to fame. Will never mark the marble with his name. — Poi-k Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks. Sermons in stones, and good in everything. — Su.vkksi'kai£E Think naught a trifle, though it small appear; Small sands the mountain, moments make the year, And trifles life. — Young Better to feel a love within Than be lovely to the sight I Better a homely tenderness Than beauty's wild delight I — ^IacDonai.t) Who gives himself with his alms feeds three. — Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me. — Lowell Pretty little violets, waking from their sleep. Fragrant little blossoms, just about to peep, Would you know the reason all the world is gay ? Listen to the bobolink, telling us *t is ALiy. — AxoxvMors October glows on every cheek, October shines in every eye, While up the hill and down the dale Her crimson banners fly. — Goodale Out of the bosom of the air. Out of the cloudfolds of her garments shaken, Over the woodlands, brown and bare. Over the harvest fields forsaken, 272 LANGUAGE ^VOIIK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Silent and soft and slow Descends the snow. — Longfellow A glad New Year or a sad New Year ; O, what shall the New Year be ? I cannot tell what it hath in store, I wonld that I might foresee ; But God knows well and I need no more ; Is that not enough for me ? — Anonymous POEMS The following poems are given for the convenience of the teacher who may not have at hand a volume of poems suitable for memorizing in the grades. They have been chosen with great care. Other suitable poems may be found in the regular and su])pl('mentary readers, which ever}' school should possess. FlUST (tKADE Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn ! The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn. Where 's the little boy that looks after the sheep ? He 's under the haystack, fast asleep. Will you wake him ? No, not I ; For if I do, he '11 be sure to cry. — Mother Goose Jack and Jill went up the hill, To fetch a pail of water ; Jack fell down, and broke his crown, And Jill came tumbling after. — Mother Goose Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep, And can't tell where to find them ; Leave them alone, and they '11 come home, Wagging their tails behind them. APPENDIX B 273 Little Bo-peep fell fast asleep, And dreamed she heard them bleating ; But when she awoke she found it a joke, For they still all were fleeting. Then up she took her little crook, Determined for to find them ; She found them indeed, but it made her lieart bleed For they 'd left their tails behind them I Mother Goose Sing a song of sixpence, A pocket full of rye ; Four and twenty blackbirds Baked in a pie ; When the pie was opened, The birds began to sing ; Was not that a dainty dish To set before the king ? The king was in his counting house. Counting out his money ; The queen was in the parlor. Eating bread and honey ; The maid was in the garden, Hanging out the clothes ; There came along a blackbird And nipped off her nose. — 3Iotiier Goose Pussy-cat, Pussy-cat, Where have you been ? I 've been to London To look at the queen. Pussy-cat, Pussy-cat, What did 3'ou there ? I frightened a little mouse Under her chair. — jMotiiek Goose •214: LAXCiUAGE AVOKK IX ELEMEXTAKY SCHOOLS The mail in the iiiooii ( "aiiie clown too soon, To iiuiuiie tlie way to X^orwicli ; The man in the soutli. He burnt his nioutli Eating- cold iilum-porridge. MoTHKK Goose ■ Simple Simon met a pieman. Going to the fair ; Says Simple Simon to the pieman, " Let me taste your ware." Says the pieman to Simple Simon, " First show me your penny " ; Says Simple Simon to the pieman, " Indeed, I have not any." Simple Simon went a-tishiiig For to catch a whale ; ]^ut all the water he had got Was ill liis mother's ])ail. Simple Simon went to look If plums grew on a thistle ; He i>ricked his fingers very much, Which made poor Simon Avhistle. ]\IoTHEK Goose THE COWi The friendly cow all red and white, I love with all my heart ; She gives me cream with all her might. To eat with apple tart. 1 Used by permission of Charles Scribiier's Soils. APPENDIX B 275 She wanders lowing here and there, And yet she cannot stray, All in the pleasant oi)en air, The pleasant light of day ; And blown by all the winds that pass And wet with all the showers, She walks among the meadow grass And eats the meadow flowers. Egbert Lons Stevkxsox THE SWING 1 How do you like to go up in a swing. l']) in the air so blue ".' Uh I 1 do think it the pleasantest thing Ever a child can do ! rp in the air and over the wall. Till I can see so wide. Rivers and trees and cattle and all Over the countryside — Till I look down on the garden green, Down on the roof so brown — Up in the air I go flying again. Up in the air and down ! Robert Louis Stevexsox 1 Used by permission of Charles Scribner's Sons. 276 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS littlp: birdie What does little birdie say, In her nest at peep of day ? ^' Let me fly," says little birdie, " Mother, let me fly away." "^ Birdie, rest a little longer, Till the little wings are stronger." So she rests a little longer. Then she flies away. What does little baby say, In her bed at peep of day ? Baby says, like little birdie, " Let me rise and fly away." " Baby, sleep a little longer. Till the little limbs are stronger. If she sleeps a little longer. Baby, too, shall fly away." Alfred Tennyson SLEEP, BABY, SLEEP Sleep, baby, sleep ! Thy father watches the sheep ; Thy mother is shaking the dreamland tree, And down falls a little dream on thee. Sleep, baby, sleep ! Sleep, baby, sleep ! The large stars are the sheep ; The wee stars are the lambs, I guess, And the bright moon is the shepherdess. Sleep, baby, sleep ! — From the German APPENDIX B 277 RAIN 1 The rain is raining all around, It falls on field and tree, It rains on the umbrellas here. And on the ships at sea. KoBERT Louis Stkyexsox LADY MOON^ Lady Moon, Lady Moon, where are you roving ? " Over the sea." Lady ]Moon, Lady IMoon, whom are you loving ? " All that love me." Are you not tired with rolling, and never Resting to sleep ? Wliy look so pale and so sad, as forever Wishing to weep ? " Ask me not this, little child, if you love me ; You are too bold ; I must obey my dear Father above me. And do as I 'm told." Lady Moon, Lady Moon, where are you roving ? " Over the sea." Lady Moon, Lady Moon, whom are you loving ? " All that love me." — Lord Houghtox 1 Used by permission of Cliarles Scribner's Sons. 2 Used by permission of E. P. Button & Co. 278 LANGUAGE WOKK TX ELRMEXTAKV SCHOOLS Grade Two Three wise men of Gotham Went to sea in a bowl ; If the bowl had been stronger, Aly song had been longer. — Mother Goose The north wind doth bloAv. And Ave shall have snow, And what will the robin do tlien, Poor thing ? He '11 sit in the barn And keep himself warm, And hide his head under his wing. Poor thing ! — - Mother Goose There was a man in our town, And he was wondrous wise ; "He jumped into a bramble bush, And scratched out both his eyes. But when he saw his eyes were out, With all his might and main, He jumped into another bush, And scratched them in again. Mother Goose TIME TO RISEi A birdie with a yellow bill Hopped upon the window sill, Cocked his shining eye and said, " Ain't you 'shamed, you sleepy-head ? " Egbert Louis Stevenson 1 Used by permission of Ctiarles Scribner's Sons. APPENDIX B 279 THE WIXDi I saw you toss the kites on high And blow the birds about the sky ; And all around I heard you pass, Like ladies' skirts across the grass — wind, a-blowing all day long ! wind, that sings so loud a song ! I saw the different things you did. But always you yourself you hid. I felt you push, I heard you call, I could not see yourself at all — wind, a-blowing all day long I wind, that sings so loud a song ! you that are so strong and cold, blower, are you young or old ? Are you a beast of field and tree. Or just a stronger child than nie ? wind, a-blowing all day long ! wind, that sings so loud a song I Robert Louis Stevensox THE ROCK-A-BY LADl'i The Rock-a-by Lady from Hush-a-by Street Comes stealing ; comes creeping ; The poppies they hang from her head to her feet, And each hath a dream that is tiny and fleet — She bringeth her poppies to you, m}^ sweet. Where she findeth you sleeping I 1 Used by peruiLssiuu uf Chark's .Scrihiier's Sons. 280 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCIHOOLS There is one little dream of a beautiful drum — "Rub-a-dub!" it goetli ; There is one little dream of a big sugar-plum, And lo ! thick and fast the other dreams come Of pop-guns that bang, and tin tops that hum. And a trumpet that bloweth. And dollies peep out of those wee little dreams With laughter and singing ; And boats go a-floating on silvery streams, And the stars peek-a-bo with their own misty gleams, And up, up, and up, where the Mother Moon beams, The fairies go winging ! Would you dream all these dreams that are tiny and fleet ? They '11 come to you sleeping ; So shut the two eyes that are weary, my sweet. For the Rock-a-by Lady from Hush-a-by Street, With poppies that hang fronr her head to her feet. Comes stealing; conies creeping. — Eugexe Eield F0REI(4N I.ANDSi Up into a cherry tree Who should climb but little me ! I held the trunk with both my hands And looked abroad on foreign lands. I saw the next-door garden lie. Adorned Avith flowers, before my eye, And many pleasant places more, That I had never seen before. I saw the dimpling river i)ass And be the sky's blue looking-glass; 1 Used by permissiun of Charles Scribiier's Sous. APPENDIX P. 281 The dusty roads go up and down, With people tramping in the town. If I could find a higher tree Farther and farther I should see, To where the grown-up river slips Into the sea among the ships ; To where the roads on either hand Lead onward into fairyland, Where all the children dine at five. And all the playthings come alive. Robert Louis Stevenson ANSWER TO A CHILD'S QUESTION Do you ask what the birds say ? The sparrow, the dove, The linnet and thrush say, " I love and I love ! " In the winter they 're silent, the wind is so strong ; What it says I don't know, but it sings a loud song. But green leaves and blossoms, and sunny warm weather, And singing and loving, all come together ; Then the lark is so brimful of gladness and love, The green fields below him, the bhie sky above, That he sings and he sings, and forever sings he, '' I love my Love, and my Love loves me." Samuel Taylor Coleridge SINGING 1 Of speckled eggs the birdie sings And nests among the trees ; The sailor sings of ropes and things In ships upon the seas. 1 Used by perniissiou of Charles Scribner's Sons. 282 LANCIUAGE WORK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS The (diildreii sing in far Japan, The children sing in Spain ; The organ with the organ man Is singing in tlie rain. Robert Louis Stevenson AVHY DO BELLS OF CHRISTMAS RL\(t?i Why do bells of ( 'hristmas ring '! Wiry do little children sing ? Once a lovely, shining star, Seen by shepherds from afar. Gently moved until its light Made a manger's cradle bright. There a darling baby lay. Pillowed soft upon the hay ; And its mother sung and smiled, " This is Christ, the holy child ! " Therefore bells for Christmas ring, Therefore little children sing. — Eugene Field MY SHADOW 1 I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me, And what can be the use of him is more than I can see. He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head ; And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed. The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow — Xot at all like proper children, which is always very slow ; For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball. And he sometimes gets so little that there 's none of him at all. 1 Used by permission of Cliarles Scribner's Sons. APPENDIX B 283 He has n't got a notion of liow children ought to play, And can only make a fool of nie in every sort of way. He stays so close beside me, he 's a coward you can see ; I 'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me I One morning, very early, before the sun was up, I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup : But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepyhead. Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed. Robert Louis Stevenson THE CHILD'S WORLD Great, wide, beautiful, wonderful World, With the wonderful water round you curled. And the wonderful grass upon your breast — World, you are l)eautifully drest ! The wonderful air is over me, And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree ; It walks on the water, and whirls the mills. And talks to itself on the top of the liills. You friendly Earth, how far do you go. With the wheat-fields that nod, and the rivers that flo-w . With cities and gardens, and cliifs and isles. And people upon you for thousands of miles ? Ah ! you are so great, and 1 am so small, I tremble to think of you, AVorld. at all ; And yet when I said my prayers to-day, A whisper inside me seemed to say, " You are more than the Earth, though you are such a dot You can love and think, and the Earth cannot.'" Benj. Rands 28i LAis^GUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Grade Three PIPPA'S SONG The year 's at the spring And day 's at the morn ; Morning 's at seven ; The hillside 's dew-pearled ; The lark 's on the wing ; The snail 's on the thorn ; God 's in his heaven — All 's right with the world ! Robert Browning AYHO HAS SEEN THE WIND? Who has seen the wind ? Neither I nor you ; But when the leaves hang trembling, The wind is passing througli. Who has seen the wind ? Neither you nor I. But when the trees bow down their heads The wind is passing by. — -Christina G. Rossetti SAVEET AND LOW Sweet and low, sweet and low. Wind of the western sea ; Low, low, breathe and blow, Wind of the western sea ! Over the rolling waters go. Come from the dying moon, and blow. Blow him again to me ; While my little one, while my pretty one, sleeps- APPENDIX B 285 Slee}) and rest, sleep and rest, Father will come to thee soon ; Kest, rest, on mother's breast, Father will come to thee soon ; Father will come to his babe in the nest, Silver sails all out of the west Under the silver moon ; Sleep, my little one, sleep, my jDretty one, sleep. Alfked Tennysox THE OWL AND THE PUSSY-CAT The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat>; They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note. The Owl looked up^to the moon above, And sang to a small guitar, " lovely Pussy ! Pussy, my love. What a beautiful Pussy you are, — You are, W^hat a beautiful Pussy you are. " Pussy said to the Owl, " You elegant fowl ! How wonderfully sweet you sing ! Oh, let us be married, — too long have we tarried, But what shall we do for a ring ? " They sailed away for a yea.v and a day To the land Avhere the Bong-tree grows, And there in a wood, a Piggy-wig stood. With a ring in the end of his nose, — His nose, With a ring in the end of his nose. 286 LANGUAGE WOEK IK ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS " Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling Your ring ? " Said the Piggy, " I will." So they took it away, and were married next day By the Turkey who lives on the hill. They dined upon mince and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon, And hand in hand on the edge of the sand They danced by the light of the moon, — The moon, They danced by the light of the moon. Edwakd Lear BOATS SAIL ON THE RIVERS Boats sail on the rivers. And ships sail on the seas. But clouds that sail across the sky Are prettier far than these. There are bridges on the rivers, As pretty as you please ; But the bow that bridges heaven And overtops the trees. And builds a road from earth to sky, Is prettier far than these. Christixa G. Rossetti A BOY'S SONG Where the pools are bright and deep. Where the gray trout lies asleep, LTp the river and o'er the lea — That 's the way for Billy and me. APFEX])IX r. 287 Where the blackbird sings the latest, Where the hawthorn blooms the sweetest, Where the nestlings chirp and flee — That 's the way for l^illy and me. Where the mowers mow the cleanest, Where the hay lies thick and greenest ; There to trace the homeward bee — That 's the way for l^illy and me. Where the hazel bank is steepest, AVhere the shadow falls the deepest, Where the clustering nuts fall free — That 's the way for Billy and me. Why the boys should drive away Little sweet maidens from their play, Or love to banter and fight so well- — That 's the thing I never could tell. But this I know, I love to i)lay, Through the meadow, among the hay. Up the water and o'er the lea — That's the way for Billy and me. ^.1 a:\ies Hocift FAIRY FOLK ^ Up the airy mountain, Down the rushy glen. We dare n't go a-hunting. For fear of little men ; Wee folk, good folk, Trooping all together ; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl's feather. 1 Used by permission of David McKay, Publisher. LANGUAGE \\'ORK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Down along the rocky shore Some make their home, — They live on crispy pancakes Of yellow tide foam ; Some in the reeds ( )f the black mountain lake, With frogs for their watchdogs. All night awake. High on the hill-top The old King sits : He is now so old and gray He 's nigh lost his wits. With a bridge of white mist C'olumbkill he crosses. On his stately journeys From Slieveleague to Rosses ; Or going up with music On cold starry nights. To sup with the Queen Of the gay Northern Lights. r They stole little Bridget For seven years long ; When she came down again Her friends were all gone. They took her lightly back, Between the night and morrow ; They thought that she was fast asleep, But she was dead with sorrow. They have kept her ever since Deep within the lakes, On a bed of flag leaves. Watching till she wakes. APPENDIX B 289 By the craggy hillside, Through the mosses bare, They have planted thorn-trees Por pleasure here and there. Is any man so daring As dig one up in spite '.' He shall find the thornies set In his bed at night. Up the airy mountain, Down the rush}'- glen, We dare n't go a-hunting Por fear of little men : Wee folk, good folk, Trooping all together ; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl's feather. WlLLIAlNI AlLIXGHAM THE LOST DOLL I once had a sweet little doll, dears, » The prettiest doll in the world ; Her cheeks were so red and white, dears, And her hair was so charmingly curled. But I lost my poor little doll, dears. As I played on the heath one day ; And I cried for her more than a week, dears, But I never could find where she lay. I found my jjoor little doll, dears, As I played on the heath one day ; Polks say she is terribly changed, dears, Por her paint is all washed away, 29U LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS And her arms trodden off by the cows, dears, And her hair not the least bit curled ; Yet for old sake's sake, she is still, dears, The prettiest doll in the world. — Chaklbs Kingsley Intermediate Grades THE SINGER 1 Lark ! sweet lark ! Where learn you all your minstrelsy ? What realms are those to which you fly ? While robins feed their young from dawn till dark, You soar on high — Forever in the sky. child ! dear child ! Above the clouds I lift my wing To hear the bells of heaven ring ; Some of their music, though my flights be wild, To earth I bring; Then let me soar and sing ! — Edmund C. Stedman O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM 2 little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie ! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by ; Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting Light ; The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee to-night. 1 Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company. '-' Phillips Brooks, Christmas Songs and Easter Carols. Permission of E. P. Dutton & Co, APPENDIX 15 291 For Christ is born of Mary, And, gathered all above, While mortals sleep, the angels keep Their watch of wondering love. morning stars, together Proclaim the holy birth ! And praises sing to God the King, And peace to men on earth. How silently, how silently. The wondrous gift is given ! So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of His heaven. No ear may hear His coming But in this world of sin. Where meek souls will receive Him still, The dear Christ enters in. holy Child of Bethlehem ! Descend on us, we pray ; Cast out our sin, and enter in. Be born in us to-day. We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell ; Oh, come to us, abide with us. Our Lord Emmanuel ! — Phillips Brooks DOWN TO SLEEP 1 November woods are bare and still ; November days are clear and bright ; Each noon burns up the morning chill ; The morning's snow is gone by night. ^ Helen Hunt Jackson, Poems. Copyright, 1892, by Robert Brothers. Used by permission. 292 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Each day my steps grow slow, grow light, As through the woods I reverently creep, Watching all things lie " down to sleep." I never knew before what beds, Fragrant to smell and soft to touch. The forest sifts and shapes and spreads ; I never knew before how much Of human sound there is in such Low tones as through the forest sweep. Each day I find new coverlids Tucked in, and more sweet eyes shut tight ; Sometimes the viewless mother bids Her ferns kneel down full in my sight ; I hear their chorus of " good-night " ; And half I smile and half I weep. Listening while they lie " down to sleep." November woods are bare and still ; November days are bright and good ; Life's noon burns up life's morning chill ; Life's night rests feet that long have stood ; Some warm soft bed, in field or wood. The mother will not fail to keep. Where we can " lay us down to sleep." Helen Hunt Jackson THE DAFFODILS I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, — A host, of golden daffodils. Beside the lake, beneath the trees. Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. APPENDIX 15 293 Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay : Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced, but they Outdid the sparkling waves in glee ; A poet could not but be gay In such a jocund company. I gazed, and gazed, but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought. For oft when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude ; And then my heart with pleasure fills. And dances with the daffodils. William Wokdswokth THE BROOK I come from haunts of coot and hern, I make a sudden sally, And sparkle out among the fern, To bicker down a valley. By thirty hills I hurry down, Or slip between the ridges. By twenty thorps, a little town, And half a hundred bridges. 21)4 LA^sUL'AGE WOKK IN ELEMENTAilY SCHOOLS Till last by Phillip's fanu I flow To join the briniiuing river, For men may eonie and men may go, But I go on forever. I chatter over stony ways, In little sharps and trebles, I bubble into eddying bays, I babble on the pebbles. With many a curve my banks I fret By many a held and fallow, And many a fairy foreland set With willow-weed and mallow. I chatter, chatter, as I flow To join the brimming river. For men may come and men may go, ' But I go on forever. I wind about, and in and out, With here a blossom sailing. And here and there a lusty trout, And here and there a grayling, And here and there a foamy flake Upon me, as I travel, With many a silvery waterbreak Above the golden gravel, And draw them all along, and flow To join the brimming river. For men may come and men may go, l>ut I go on forever. — Alfred Tennyson APPENDIX B 295 TO-DAY So here hath been dawning Another blue da}' : Think, wilt thou let it Slip useless awa}' ? Out of Eternit}' This new day was born ; Into Eternity, At night, will I'eturn. Behold it aforetime No eye ever did ; So soon it forever Erom all eyes is hid. Here hath been dawning Another blue day : Think, Avilt thou let it Slip useless away ? Thomas Caklyle WINGS AVings that flutter in sunny air ; AVings that dive and dip and dare; Wings of the huunning bird flashing by ; Wings of the lark in the purple sky ; Wings of the eagle aloft, aloof : Wings of the pigeon upon the roof ; Wings of the storm bird swift and free, With wild wings sweeping across the sea : Often and often a voice in me sings, — C), for the freedom, the freedom of wings I 296 LANGUAGE WORK m ELEMEKTAEY SCHOOLS 0, to winnow the air with wings ; 0, to float far above hurtful things — Things that weary and wear and fret ; Deep in the azure to fly and forget ; To touch in a moment the mountain's crest, Or haste to the valley for home and rest ; To rock with the pine tree as wild birds may ; To follow the sailor a smnmer's day : Over and over a voice in me sings, — 0, for the freedom, the freedom of wings ! Softly responsive a voice in me sings, — Thou hast the freedom, the freedom of wings ; Soon as the glass a second can count, Into the heavens thy heart may mount ; Hope may fly to the topmost peak ; Love its nest in the vale may seek ; Outspeeding the sailor. Faith's pinions may Touch the ends of the earth in a summer's day. Softly responsive a voice in me sings, — Thou hast the freedom, the freedom of wings. Maky F. Butts THE BUILDERS All are architects of Fate, Working in these walls of Time ; Some with massive deeds and great, Some with ornaments of rhyme. Nothing useless is, or low ; Each thing in its place is best ; And what seems but idle show Strengthens and supports the rest. APPENDIX B 297 For the structure that we raise, Time is with materials tilled ; Our to-days and yesterdays Are the blocks with which we build. Truly shape and fashion these ; Leave no yawning gaps between ; Think not, because no man sees, Such things will remain unseen. In the elder days of Art, Builders wrought with greatest care Each minute and unseen part ; For the gods see everywhere. Let us do our work as well, Both the unseen and the seen ; Make the house, where gods may dwell, Beautiful, entire, and clean. Else our lives are incomplete, Standing in these walls of Time, Broken stairways, where the feet Stumble as they seek to climb. Build to-day, then, strong and sure, With a firm and ample base ; And ascending and secure Shall to-morrow find its place. Thus alone can we attain To those turrets, where the eye Sees the world as one vast plain, And one boundless reach of sky. Henry Wads worth Loxgfellow 29^! LANGIAGE WORK IN ELE.ME:sTAKV ^SCHOOLS CLEAR AND COOL Clear and cool, clear and cool, By laughing shallow, and dreaming pool ; Cool and clear, cool and clear. By shining shingle, and foaming weir ; Under the crag where the ouzel sings, And the ivied wall where the church-bell rings, Undefiled, for the undefiled ; Play by me, bathe in me, mother and child. Dank and foul, dank and foul, By the smoky town in its murky cowl ; Foul and dank, foul and dank, By wharf and sewer and slimy bank ; Darker and darker the farther I go ; Baser and baser tlie richer I grow ; Who dare sport with the sin-defiled ? Shrink from me, turn from me, mother and child. Strong and free, strong and free. The floodgates are open, away to the sea ; Free and strong, free and strong, Cleansing my streams as I liurr}^ along, To the golden sands, and the leaping bar, And the taintless tide that awaits me afar. As I lose myself in the infinite main, Tjike a soul that has sinned and is pardoned again. Undefiled, for the undefiled ; Play by me, bathe in me, mother and child. Charles Kixgsley APPENDIX B 299 MARCH The stormy March has come at last, With wind, and cloud, and changing skies ; I hear the rushing of the blast That through the snowy valley flies. Ah, passing few are they who speak, Wild, stormy month ! in praise of thee ; Yet, though thy winds are loud and bleak, Thou art a welcome month to me. For thou, to northern lands, again The glad and glorious sun doth bring, And thou hast joined the gentle train, And wearest the gentle name of Spring. And, in thy reign of blast and storm, Smiles many a long, bright, sunny day, When the changed winds are soft and warm, And heaven puts on the blue of May. Thou bring'st the hope of those calm skies, And that soft time of sunny showers. When the wide bloom, on earth that lies, Seems of a brighter world than ours. WlLLIAlM ClLLK.V BlIVAXT 1 Copyright, 1854, 1871, by William Culleii Bryant. Copyright, 1878, >y D. Appleton and Company. Used by permission. 300 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THE SEA The sea ! the sea ! the open sea ! The blue, the fresh, the ever free ! Without a mark, without a bound, It runneth the earth's wide regions round ; It plays with the clouds ; it mocks the skies, Or like a cradled creature lies. I 'm on the sea ! I 'm on the sea ! I am where I would ever be ; • With the blue above, and the bkie below. And silence wheresoe'er I go ; If a storm should come and awake the deep, What matter ? I shall ride and sleep. I love, oh ! how I love to ride On the fierce, foaming, bursting tide, When every mad wave drowns the moon. Or whistles aloft his tempest tune. And tells how goeth the world below. And why the southwest blasts do blow. I never was on the dull, tame shore. But I love the great sea more and more. And backward flew to her billowy breast. Like a bird that seeketh its mother's nest ; And the mother she was, and is, to me ; For I was born on the open sea ! The waves were white, and red the morn, In the noisy hour when I was born ; And the whale it whistled, the porpoise rolled, And the dolphins bared their backs of gold ; And never was heard such an outcry wild As welcomed to life the ocean-child ! APPENDIX B 301 I 've lived since then, in calm and strife, Full fifty summers, a sailor's life, With wealth to spend, and power to range, But never have sought nor sighed for change ; And Death, whenever he comes to me, Shall come on the wild, unbounded sea ! Barry Cornwall Grammar Grades TO A WATERFOWL 1 Whither, 'midst falling dew, While glow the heavens with the last steps of day, Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue Thy solitary way ? Vainly the fowler's eye Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong. As, darkly painted on the crimson sky, Thy figure floats along. Seek'st thou the plashy brink Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide. Or where the rocking billows rise and sink On the chafed ocean-side ? There is a Power whose care Teaches thy way along that pathless coast, — The desert and the illimitable air, — Lone wandering, but not lost. 1 Copyright, 1854. 1871. William Cullen Bryant. Copyright. 1878. by D. Appleton and Company. Used by permission. 302 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS All day thy wings have fanned, At that far height, the cold, thin atmosphere, Yet stoop not, Aveary, to the Avelcome land, Though the dark night is near. And soon that toil shall end ; Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest, And scream among thy fellows ; reeds shall bend Soon, o'er thy sheltered nest. Thou 'rt gone, the abyss of heaven Hath swallowed up thy form ; yet, on my heart Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given, And shall not soon depart. He who, from zone to zone. Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, In the long way that I must tread alone. Will lead my steps aright. William Cullex Bryaxt MY NATIVE LAND Breathes there the man with soul so dead Who never to himself hath said, " This is my own — my native land ! " Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned. As home his footsteps he hath turned, From wandering on a foreign strand ? If such there breathe, go, mark him well ! For him no minstrel raptures swell. High though his titles, proud his name. Boundless his wealth as Avish can claim, — Despite those titles, power, and pelf. The wretch, concentered all in self, Al'PEMUX 1'. 303 Living, shall forfeit fair renown, And, doubly dying, shall go down To the vile dust from whence he sprung. Unwept, unhonored, and unsung. Sni Waltek Scott THE AMERICAX FLAG When Freedom from her mountain height Unfurled her standard to the air. She tore the azure robe of night, And set the stars of glory there; She mingled with its gorgeous dyes The milky baldric of the skies. And striped its pure, celestial white With streakings of the morning light ; Then from his mansion in the sun She called her'eagle bearer down, And gave into his mighty hand The symbol of her chosen land. Majestic monarch of the cloud I Who rear'st aloft thy regal form, To' hear the tempest-trumpings loud, And see the lightning lances driven. When strive the warriors of the storm. And rolls the thunder-drum of heaven — Child of the sun ! to thee 't is given To guard the banner of the free, To hover in the sulphur-smoke, To ward away the battle-stroke, And bid its blendings shine afar. Like rainbows on the cloud of war, The harbingers of victory ! 304 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Elag of the brave ! thy folds shall fly, The sign of hope and triumph high, When speaks the signal trumpet tone. And the long line comes gleaming on ; Ere yet the life-blood, warm and wet, Has dimmed the glistening bayonet, Each soldier eye shall brightly turn To where the sky-born glories burn ; And, as his springing steps advance, ('atch war and vengeance from the glance • And when the canon-mouthings loud Heave in wild wreaths the battle-shroud, And gory sabres rise and fall. Like shoots of flame on midnight's pall, Then shall thy meteor-glances glow. And cowering foes shall fall beneath Each gallant arm that strikes below That lovely messenger of death. Elag of the seas ! on ocean wave Thy stars shall glitter o'er the brave. When death, careering on the gale, Sweeps darkly round the bellied sail. And frighted waves rush wildly back. Before the broadside's reeling rack, Each dying wanderer of the sea Shall look at once to heaven and thee, And smile to see thy splendors fly In triumph o'er his closing eye. Flag of the free heart's hope and home. By angel hands to valor given ; Thy stars have lit the welkin dome, And all thy hues were born in heaven. APPENDIX B 305 Forever float that standard slieet ! Where breathes the foe but falls before us ? With Freedom's soil beneath our feet, And Freedom's banner streaming o'er us ! Joseph Rodmax Dkake ABOU BEX ADHEM Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase ! ) Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace, And saw within the moonlight in his room, Making it rich and like a lily in bloom, An angel writing in a book of gold : Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold. And to the presence in the room he said, " What writest thou ? " The vision raised its head. And, with a look made of all sweet accord, Answered, " The names of those who love the Lord." " And is mine one ? " said Abou. " Nay, not so," Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low, But cheerly still, and said, " I pray thee, then. Write me as one that loves his fellow-men." The Angel wrote and vanished. The next night It came again, with a great wakening light, And showed the names whom love of God had blessed — And, lo ! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest ! Leigh Hunt A CHRISTMAS CAROLS There 's a song in the air ! There 's a star in the sky ! There 's a mother's deep prayer And a baby's low cry ! ^ Used by permission of Charles Scribner's Sons. 306 LANGUAGE WORK IX ELE:\IENTARY SCHOOLS And the star rains its lire while the Beautiful sing, For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a king. There 's a tumult of joy O'er the wonderful birth, For the virgin's sweet boy- Is the Lord of the earth. Ay ! the star rains its fire and the Beautiful sing, For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a king ! In the light of that star Lie the ages impearled ; And that song afar Has swept over the world. Every hearth is aflame, and the Beautiful sing In the homes of the nations that Jesus is king. We rejoice in the light. And we echo the song That comes down through the night From the heavenly throng. Ay ! we shout to the lovely evangel they bring, And we greet in His cradle our Saviour and King ! JosiAH G. Holland THE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS i This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign, Sails the unshadowed main, — The venturous bark that flings On the sweet summer wind its purple wings In gulfs enchanted, where the siren sings. And coral reefs lie bare. Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair. 1 Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company. APPE>slJlX B a07 Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl; Wrecked is the ship of pearl ! And every chambered cell, "Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell, As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell, Before thee lies revealed, — Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed Year after year beheld the silent toil That spread his lustrous coil ; Still, as the spiral grew. He left the past year's dwelling for the new, Stole with soft step its shining archway through, Built up its idle door. Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more. Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee, Child of the wandering sea, Cast from her lap forlorn ! From thy dead lips a clearer note is born Than ever Triton blew from wreathed horn ! While on mine ear it rings. Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:- Build thee more stately mansions, my soul, As the swift seasons roll ! Leave thy low-vaulted past ! Let each new temple, nobler than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast. Till thou at length art free, Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea ! Oliver Wexdell Holmes a08 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS BUGLE SONG The splendor falls on castle walls And snowy summits old in story ; The long light shakes across the lakes, And the wild cataract leaps in glory. Blow, bugle, blow ! set the wild echoes flying ; Blow, bugle ; answer, echoes — dying, dying, dying ! Oh, hark ! oh, hear! how. thin and clear, And thinner, clearer, farther going ! Oh, sweet and far, from cliff and scar, The horns of Elfland faintly blowing ! Blow, let us hear the purple glens replying ; Blow, bugle ; answer, echoes — dying, dying, dying ! love, they die in yon rich sky. They faint on hill or field or river ; Our echoes roll from soul to soul. And grow forever and forever. Blow, bugle, blow ! set the wild echoes flying ; And answer, echoes, answer — dying, dying, dying ! Alfred Tennyson A WET SHEET AND A FLOWING SEA A wet sheet and a flowing sea, — A wind that follows fast, And fills the white and rustling sail. And bends the gallant mast — And bends the gallant mast, my boys, While, like the eagle free. Away the good ship flies, and leaves Old England on the lee. APPENDIX B 309 Oh, for a soft and gentle wind ! I heard a fair one cry ; But give to me the snoring breeze, And white waves heaving high, — And white waves heaving high, my boys, The good ship tight and free ; The world of waters is our home, And merry men are we. There 's tempest in yon horned moon, And lightning in yon cloud ; And hark the music, mariners ! The wind is piping loud, — The wind is piping loud, my boys, The lightning flashing free ; While the hollow oak our palace is, Our heritage the sea. — Allan Cunningham THE STATE OF MAN (From " Hemy VIII ") Earewell ! a long farewell, to all my greatness ! This is the state of man : to-day he puts forth The tender leaves of hopes ; to-morrow blossoms. And bears his blushing honors thick upon him ; The third day comes a frost, a killing frost. And when he thinks, good easy man, full surely His greatness is a-ripening, nips his root. And then he falls, as I do. I have ventured. Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders, This many summers in a sea of glory. But far beyond my depth. My high-blown pride At length broke under me, and now has left me. Weary and old with service, to the mercy Of a rude stream, that must forever hide me. 310 LAKGUAGE WOKK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Vain pomp and glory of this world, I hate you : I feel my heart new opened. 0, how wretched Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favors ! There is, betwixt that smile we would aspire to, That sweet aspect of princes, and their ruin. More pangs and fears than wars or women have : And when he falls, he falls like Lucifer, Never to hope again. — William Shakespeare THE CLOUP I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers, From the seas and the streams ; I bear light shade for the leaves when laid In their noonday dreams. From my wings are shaken the dews that waken The sweet buds every one, | When rocked to rest on their mother's breast. As she dances about the sun. I wield the flail of the lashing hail, And whiten the green plains under ; And then again I dissolve it in rain ; And laugh as I pass in thunder. I sift the snow on the mountains below, And their great pines groan aghast ; And all the night, 't is my pillow white. While I sleep in the arms of the blast. Sublime on the towers of my skyey bowers Lightning, my pilot, sits ; In a cavern under, is fettered the thunder ; It struggles and howls at fits. Over earth and ocean, with gentle motion. This pilot is guiding me, Lm-ed by the love of the genii that move In the depths of the purple sea ; APPENDIX B 311 Over the rills, and the crags, and the hills, Over the lakes and the plains, Wherever he dream, under mountain or stream, The spirit he loves remains ; And I all the while bask in heaven's blue smile, "Whilst he is dissolving in rains. Percy Btsshe Shelley THE MIXSTREL BOY The minstrel boy to the war is gone, In the ranks of death you '11 find him ; His father's sword he has girded on, And his wild harp slung behind him. — " Land of song ! " said the warrior bard, " Though all the world betrays thee, One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard. One faithful harp shall praise thee ! " The minstrel fell ! — but the f oeman's chain Could not bring his proud soul under ; The harp he loved ne'er spoke again, For he tore its chords asunder, And said, " No chains shall sully thee, Thou soul of love and bravery ! Th}^ songs were made for the pure and free. They shall never sound in slavery ! " Thomas Moore APRIL IN ENGLAND Oh, to be in England Now that April 's there. And whoever wakes in England Sees, some morning, unaware, 312 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf Round the ehii-tree bole are in tiny leaf, While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough In England — now. And after April, when May follows, And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows ! Hark ! where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge Leans to the field and scatters on the clover Blossoms and dewdrops — at the- bent spray's edge — That 's the wise thrush ; he sings each song twice over, Lest you should think he never could recapture The first fine careless rapture ! And though the fields look rough with hoary dew, All will be gay when noontide wakes anew The buttercups, the little children's dower — Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower. Robert Browning APPENDIX C (Original and Adapted Dramatizations) THE FLOWER QUEEN A nature play written, without assistance, by Maiy Grider Rodes, a pupil in the sixth grade of the Training School, Western Kentucky State Normal School. Characters : Rose, Tulip, Violet, Xasturtium, Goldenrod, other Flowers, and a Child. Scene : A flower garden. Enter the Child where Rose, Violet, etc. are disputing. She hesitates and looks at them. Tulip. Look! Look! \_They all look ~\ Nasturtium. Why not let her decide ? All. Yes ! Yes ! Rose. Do you all agree ? If you do, say "Aye." All. Aye ! Aye ! Aye ! Rose. \_Addresslng the Child] There has been a dispute among us about who should be queen. I have always been queen, but some of the flowers rebel and want the Goldenrod for queen. Child. But why ? Rose. Because of her color, I suppose. Goldenrod axd Followers. No! No, there are other reasons. Child. I don't know what to do. Oh, I know ! I will choose the flower I like best. All. Who? Who? Child. The tender little violet. All. No! No! 313 314 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Violet. No ! No, dear cMld, I am not suited for a queen. Choose either the Rose or the Goldenrod. Child. Well, I guess I will choose the Rose. \_Shouts ofjoy.'\ All. The Rose ! The Rose ! Our Queen ! Goldenrod. False traitors ! Good by. \_Leaves without notice] Violet. It is better for us that she is gone. All, Yes, it is better that she is gone. \_The Flowers dayice around.'] Violet. We forgot the child. All. Yes, so we did, but what shall we give her ? Rose. Dear child, what would you like to have most of all ? Child. I would like to have flowers around me all my life. Rose. You shall have your wish. Farewell ! \_They all leave.] Child. \_Ruhhing her eyes] Was I dreaming ? No, I know I was n't. I won't tell mother though, for she will laugh. There she is calling. [Buns out] Curtain. THE LITTLE FIR TREE An adapted play arranged and played by third-grade children, at Pleasant Grove School, a rural school in Logan County, Kentucky, under the direction of Miss Ida Rhea Taylor, the teacher. Characters: Fir Tree, First Child, Second Child, Third Child, Gardener's Boy, Fir Tree, A Man, Man, First Lady, Second Lady, Third Lady, First Woodcutter, Children, A Boy, Trees, Rabbit, Woodcutters, Swallows, Stork, Sunbeam, Sparrows, three Men, several Ladies and Children. APPEi^DIX C 315 ACT I Scene I Time : Spring. Scene : The forest. A very small child representing Fir Tree stands in center of room with arms extended, other Trees being grouped about. Enter First Child, Second Child, and Third Child carrying baskets of berries. First Child. Oh, is n't this a lovely place ? Second Child. These trees are so pretty and green. Third Child. \_Approaching Fir Tree] Is n't this a pretty little tree ? Fir Tree. \_Slghing discontentedly'] I am so unhappy. I do not want to be small. I wish I were as tall as the other trees. The birds would build their nests in my boughs. Rabbit enters and jumps over Fir Tree. Even the rabbits can jump over me. Oh, I am so unhappy. Curtain. Scene II Time : Autumn, two years later. Scene : The forest. Stage arranged as in Scene I, a large child representing Fir Tree. Enter Rabbit, who tries to jump over Fir Tree, but finds he has to hop around it. Fir Tree. Oh, to grow, to grow ! To be tall and old is the best thing in the world. Enter First "Woodcutter and other IVoodciitters. First Woodcutter. Hurry men, cut the tallest ones and trim off the limbs. £ Woodcutters obey and retire.] 316 LANGUAGE WOEK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Stork and Swalloivs enter. EiR Tree. Do you know where those trees were taken ? Swallows. We don't. Stork. \^Nodd'in{! head~\ I think I do. As I flew over the sea, I met many new ships, and they had fine masts that smelled like fir. Fir Tree. How I wish I were tall enough to go on the sea ! \_Swallows and Stork departr^ Sunbeam enters. Sunbeam. Eejoice in thy youth. Rejoice in thy youth and thy young life. Ciirtain. Scene III Time : The following Christmas. Scene : The forest. Stage arranged as before. Enter Fir Tree, Sunbeam, Sparrows, and Woodcutters. They select trees for their beauty and drag them off stage. EiR Tree. Where are they going ? They are no taller than I, And why do they keep all their branches ? Sparrows. We know, we know. We peeped in the windows in town and we know where they are going. They are going to be dressed with cakes, playthings, and many lighted candles. EiR Tree. And what happens then ? Sparrows. [^Flying away'] We did not see any more. EiR Tree. I wonder if anything like that will ever happen to me. How I wish I were in a warm room in town ! I am weary longing to go into the world. Sunbeam. Eejoice in thy youth. Eejoice in thy life and the fresh air. Curtain. APPENDIX C 317 ACT II Scene I Time : One year later, two days before Christmas. Scene : Courtyard iu a large city. A IMan. I want the prettiest one you have. Fir Tree. Now I 've been cut down and am in the city. Oh, I am so happy ! But then I do miss my forest home. Man. [^Unpacking trees] Here is a pretty one. A Man. Yes, this is the most beautiful. I will take it. [^Carries Fir Tree away'^ Curtain. Scene II Time : Christmas morning. Scene : In the parlor of a wealthy man. Men enter, place the tree in center of room, and depart. Enter First Lady, Second Lady, and Third Lady laughing and talking. They begin to dress the tree with toys, candy, apples, and candles. At the top they fasten a large star. First Lady. Now it is very beautiful. Second Lady. Yes, it is done. Third Lady% Call the children. [First Lady goes to door and calls children.'] Children. ^Entering'] Oh ! Oh ! Oh ! \Joln hands and dance around tree, laughing and singing] Fir Tree. What are they doing ? What will happen next ? [First Lady blows out candles and pretends to distribute gifts, after udtleh theij all depai't.] Curtain. 318 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Scene III Time : Next morning. Scene : Attic of house. Fir Tree heaped in one corner among boxes, broken furniture, etc. Fir Tree. Oh, why did they tear me down and bring me out of that beautiful room into this dark place ? What does this mean ? What am I to do here ? I can see and hear nothing. Oh, how I wish I were back at my forest home ! Curtain. ACT III Scene I Time : The next spring. Scene : In the dump pile. Fir Tree discovered among tin cans, dirty papers, and rags. Boys enter. A Boy. Oh, look at the ugly old Christmas tree ! [Children tramp on tree.'\ Fir Tree, Gone ! Gone is all my happy life ! Oh, if I had only enjoyed myself while I could ! But now it is too late ! Enter Gardener's Boy with ax. Gardener's Boy. \_Going to tree] This will make a fine fire in our stove. [Boy chops tree into stove wood and carries it off stage.] Fir Tree. \_As Boy carries it off stage] Now my life is ended. It is too late to enjoy my life now. Oh, my home ! my forest home ! Curtain. APPENDIX C 319 OLD PIPES AND THE DRYAD Written by the children in the fourtli grade of the Training Scliool, Western Kentucky State Normal School, under the direction of Miss Flora Stallard, critic teacher. Characters : Old Pipes, an old man who pipes the cattle from the mountain; Old Pipes' Mother; Dryad; Echo Dwarf; A Boy; Boys; Voice; Dwarfs; the Children; the Villagers. Time : From May till October. Scenes : The house of an old man at the foot of a mountain near a village ; the hillsides and forests near by. ACT I Scene I Scene : A forest with a large oak tree ; Pipes' cottage in distance. Old Pipes. \^Alone'] Oh, I never realize liow old I am getting till I make this trip to the village for my wages. It is a great deal easier to pipe the cattle from the mountains than to bring my money from the village. Enter three Children, Children. Good evening, Pipes. Old Pipes. Good evening, children. A Boy. You look tired. Should you like for us to help you up the hill ? Old Pipes. You are very kind. I believe I will let you help me. \_He I'lses slowli/, and the Boys help him along.'] I hope I have n't made you children very tired. Boys. Oh, you would n't have made us tired if we had not had to go farther than usual after the cattle to-day. \_Givl makes signs with hands, lips, and head.] Old Pipes. What did you say ? Went farther than usual after the cattle ? Why, I pipe the cattle from the hills. Boys. Oh, no ; you do not pipe the cattle from the moun- tains. It 's been a year since the cattle have heard your pipes. 320 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS You 're getting too old now for the cattle to hear your pipes, so the villagers send us each day. Old Pipes. It is getting late now, children. It is time you were getting back to the village. Here is a penny for each of you. Children. Thank you, Old Pipes, we hope you will soon be rested again. Good-night. [Children leave. Old Pipes calls his mother.'] Old Pipes. Mother, did you hear what those children said ? Mother. \_Enteri7ig'\ What children ? Old Pipes. The children that helped me up the hill. They said that they had been going after fhe cattle for over a year. They told me that the cattle could n't hear my pipes. Mother. Why, what is the matter with the cattle ? Old Pipes. Nothing is the matter with the cattle. The trouble is with me. And as I have not earned my money, I am going to the village to take it back. Mother. You are very foolish, my son. We have n't a bit of money to live on, and if you take the money back, we will starve for food. Bring the money back, Pipes. The villagers will not want it. Old Pipes. No, mother. I must not keep the money. I did not earn it, so I will take it back. It would not be honest to keep it. I will cut wood and so make a living for us. [Pipes starts to the village, hecomes tired, sits nnder an oak tree to rest ; as he sits ther'e, a Voice is heard.] Voice. Let me out ; let me out. Old Pipes. [^Jumping «^>] I wonder where that voice came from. It came from this tree. It must be a "Dryad" tree. Let me see, I have heard of Dryad trees. I have heard that when the moon rises and before it sets, anyone that comes along can let her out. So I will try to find the key and let her out. Here is a piece of bark. I will try it and see if it will unlock the door. [ Unlocks the door] Dryad. \^>Slip2)ing out of door and gazing about] Oh, how beautiful the world is ! It seems like a fairy land ; the flowers, APPENDIX C 321 the moss, the green trees, the hills are so beautiful. Oh, you good old man, how kind of you to let me out from my tree ! What can I do for you to show you how grateful I am ! \_Touches hhn twice with her tvand^ Old Pipes. Well, if you are going to the village, will you take this money to the villagers for me ? Dryad. I shall be glad to do that for you, you kind old man. [Pipes gives money to Dryad, then starts home.'\ Curtain. Scene II Scene : Pipes' cottage. Pipes asleep near the door on a rock. Dryad enters, holding money in hand. Dryad. Poor, honest, old man, I am going to put this money back into his pocket. I am sure the villagers will not take it, for he has worked for them so long. [_She slips the money in pochet and runs away. Pipes wakens, starts indoors, but finds money in pocket.^ Old Pipes. Well, I wonder how this money got into my pocket! Why, I thought I had seen a Dryad and asked her to take this to the village. Oh, I really did not see her; it must have been a dream. I will take the money to-morrow, but I have n't time now. I will call mother and tell her about it. ISTo, I won't ; she '11 be cross and tell me I am foolish. \_Takes pi2)es and begins to j) lay'] Mother. \_Coming out scolds] Why, Pipes, what are you playing for, if the cattle can't hear you ? \_While playing, Vipes finds his pipe much clearer.] Old Pipes. Why, what 's the matter with my pipe ? It must have been stopped up ! The Dryad comes dancing in. Why, here 's the Dryad. It was n't a dream, then, after all. I thought I had only dreamed I saw you J 322 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Dryad. Indeed, it was n't a dream. If you could only know how happy I am now ! Oh, the world is so beautiful to me, I dance and sing the whole day long ! And do you not feel stronger and better ? Old Pipes. Why, yes, I do. Oh, I know, you touched me twice with your wand, and it has made me twenty years younger. Mother, mother ! ACT II ■ Time ; Evening. Scene : A glen in the mountains. Ecno Dwarf is sleeping. Pipes of Old Pipes are heard. Sleep- ing DwAKF echoes pipes. Very angry he starts in search of Old Pipes. Dryad enters. Dwarf. Ho ! Ho ! What are you doing here ? How did you get out of your tree ? Dryad. Why, a kind old man let me out, and I was so glad that I gave him two strokes with my wand, which made him twenty years younger. Now he can call the cattle again. Dwarf. So you are the one who has brought this trouble on me ! What have I ever done to you that you should make me echo those dreadful pipes again ? Dryad. What a funny little fellow you are ! Anyone would think you had to work from morning till night. You are lazy and selfish. Learn to do good, and then you will be happy. Good-by. \_Leaves'\ Dwarf. \_ShaMng his fist] I '11 make you suffer for this ! Old Pipes. \_Entering'\ Hello, little fellow. What are you doing here ? Dwarf. I am looking for the Dryad. Old Pipes. Why, so am I. Dwarf. What do you want with her ? APPENDIX C 323 Old Pipes. Let me tell you what she did for me. As I was going down to the village, I found a Dryad tree and let out the Dryad. She was so glad that she touched me twice with her wand and made me twenty years younger. IS^ow I can blow my pipes again. I am now looking for her to ask if she will make my mother younger. Dwarf. I will go with you, but do you know that a Dryad can only make the person younger who lets her out of her tree, so you will have to shut the Dryad in, then have your mother let her out. -Dryad comes in ; Dwarf hides. Old Pipes. I have been looking for you to ask you to go back into your tree so that my mother may let you out, and you may make her younger, she seems so old and feeble to me now. Dryad. Why, it is n't necessary for me to go into my tree to do that. Any time she is out of doors I shall be glad to help her. Did you think of that plan yourself ? Old Pipes. Ko, a little dwarf I met suggested it to me. Dryad. A little dwarf. Oh, I see it all now. He is the Echo Dwarf, and he is angry with you and me. "Where is he ? Here he is now. Let 's put him into the tree till he learns to be better. \_They drag out Dwarf and jnd him into tree.'] Dryad. Now, let 's go and find your mother. Old Pipes. Why, there she is now ! [^Tijotoeing up, Dryad touches her twice ivith her ivand and runs away.] Old Pipes. Mother ! [Mother starts, much surprised.] Mother. Why, Pipes, how well I hear your voice. And I feel quite young. Old Pipes. Then come, let 's enjoy a walk together. Curtain. 324 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ACT III Dryad comes shivering to her tree, opens the door, and calls the Dwarf out. Dryad. Come out, little Dwarf, the cattle have come from the mountains for the last time, so you are free. \_As she enters the tree she sings'] Curtain. A GEOGRAPHICAL PLAY An original play, prepared by the fourth-grade pupils in the Training School of the Western Kentucky State Normal School, under the direc- tion of Miss Nell Moorman, critic teacher. ACT I Characters : A Native, Ahmow, Eskimo Father, A Traveler, An Eskimo, Eskimos, Another Traveler, Travelers and Natives. Scene : Home of Eskimos. Natives hunting seals with spears. A Native. It is very hard to find any seals to-day. Ahmow. Father, we shall soon starve if we do not find some seal. Eskimo Father. Yes, and the snow blinds us so that we can find no game. Ahmow. Oh, father, who are those strange men coming ? Travelers approach. Eskimos. Welcome, welcome, strangers ! Where are you from and why do you come here ? A Traveler. We have come from afar to see your country, which is a very beautiful one, but it is always so cold. An Eskimo. Yes, it is very cold most of the year. Another Traveler. How do you keep warm ? An Eskimo. We wear clothing made of fur. Our houses are made of ice with a long tunnel leading to the door. You would not think they are warm, but they are. We heat them APPEKDIX C 325 with a lamp whicli burns whale oil. Our food is meat and we drink whale oil, both of which is diet for a cold climate. A Traveler. I see you have been hunting seals ; do you have many animals here ? An Eskimo. Yes, we have been hunting seals all morning, but have caught very few. We have reindeer, dogs, polar bears, and walruses here. A Traveler. Do you travel on foot ? An Eskimo. We travel on. sleds pulled by dogs when we go any distance. A Traveler. You seem to have very few plants here. An Eskimo. It is too cold for anything except small bushes and moss to grow. A Traveler. I enjoy hearing about your country, but it is so Cold that we must return to our own country before winter. All Travelers. Good-by, Eskimos. Eskimos. Good-by, come back to visit our country again. Curtain. ACT II Characters : An Arab, Sheik, Hassan, First Traveler, Second Traveler, Third Traveler. Scene : Sahara Desert. First Traveler. The heat is so unbearable we cannot travel much farther. The sand has nearly put out my eyes. Second Traveler. Take courage, friend, is that not an oasis yonder where I see those trees ? First Traveler. Yes, oh, yes, and I see some Arabs camping there. [^Travelers approach oasis.'\ Sheik. Welcome, travelers ! alight from your camels and rest with us for a while. First Traveler. Thank you, Sheik, for your hospitality. We have traveled far. Can you tell us where we are ? Sheik. You are nearing the edge of the great Sahara Desert, which is in the torrid zone. 326 LA:N^GUAGE WOKK IX ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Second Traveler. We are strangers in this land, having come from the far north. We should like to hear about 3'our country. Tell us about your plants. Sheik. There are very few plants here in the desert, but where the rain falls in this zone, we have trees, vines, and plants, which grow so thickly that the forest becomes a jungle. First Traveler. What do your people eat mostly ? Sheik. We eat bread, dates, fruits of other kinds, cheese, and milk. Third Traveler. The camel seems to be your chief means of transportation. Do many other animals make their home in this zone ? An Arab. I have journeyed to the countries south of here where they have much rain, and there they have plants and animals of huge size. The elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, zebra, lion, tiger, and alligator all live there. First Traveler. Tell us more about these animals. An Arab. So many of these large animals live there that it is dangerous to enter the jungle. They also have many birds of beautiful colors. Second Traveler. And the homes — what kind of houses do they live in there ? An Arab. Their houses are usually small straw huts, for they need protection only from the heat and rain. First Traveler. What is that sound I hear ? Sheik. It is only the women grinding the grain for the evening meal. Should you like to see them ? Travelers. W^e should, indeed. \^An walk over near the Women at work'] Sheik. They grind it, as you see, between two smooth stones. The grain is put in at the top here. Third Traveler. And how do they bake the bread ? Sheik. On a flat stone over the fire. First Traveler. What is that woman doing ? APPENDIX C 327 Sheik. She is making butter. It is about time for the evening meal. Let 's get ready for it. [^All retire.'] Curtain. ACT III Characters : Japanese travelers, and natives of United States. Scene : North temperate zone. First Traveler. ^Ye are lost ; will you tell us where we are ? First American : You are in the United States, which lies in the north temperate zone. Second Traveler. What big houses ! Are they all like these here ? First American. Xo, some are much smaller. They are made of wood, stone, and brick. First Traveler. Tell us some of the things that grow in your country. Second American. We grow crops of all kinds that suit this climate, such as wheat, corn, tobacco, cotton, and fruits of many kinds. We also have large forests. Second Traveler. Your dress is very different from ours. Of what is your clothing made ? Third American. Our clothes are made of cotton, silk, linen, and wool. Cotton is grown in our southern states ; wool we get from sheep ; linen is made from flax, which is a plant. Y^ou know more about silk than we do. Third Traveler. Tell us about your climate. First American. We have a temperate climate, with mod- erately cold winters and moderately warm summers. First Traa'eler. I like 3'our country. Second Traveler. Come to see us in our home in Japan sometime. All Travelers. Good-by ! Three cheers for the Stars and Stripes ! [All retire.'] Curtain. INDEX ^sop's fables, 31,39, 60, 08, 86, 92 Agriculture, correlated with lan- guage, 28, 62, 171, 173, 196, 199 ; in rural schools, 225, 227, 229, 231, 232 ; books on, 239- 240 Allingham, William, poem of, 287 Alternation in rural-school lan- guage classes, 218, 219, 220, 991 999 99S -wX, --_, .--'J Andersen, Hans, stories of, 31, 60, 86 Animal stories, 86, 129 Antonyms, 165, 188 Arabian Nights, 86 Argument, 88, 107-108, 118, 129, 140, 154, 161, 175, 185, 207 ; current events in, 150 ; in rural schools, 232-233 Arithmetic, correlated with lan- guage, 187 " Baa, Baa, Black Sheep " drama- tized, 39-40 Babcock milk test, 237 Bible stories, 60, 86, 105, 107, 129, 151, 172 Biography, stories of, 128, 138 ; outlines of, 163 Bonheur, Rosa, 27, 29 Book reviews, 149, 195 Books of reference, 102, 127, 170; for rural schools, 239-241 Boys' corn clubs, 228, 237 Brooks, Phillips, poem of, 290 Browning, Robert, poems of, 284, 311 Bryant, W. C, poems of, 299, 301 Butts, Mary F., poem of, 295 Capitalization, 51, 53, 79, 99, 124, 145, 167, 189 Carlyle, Thomas, poem of, 295 Character description, 131, 152 Character revealed by language, 4 Characters in literature, study of, 131 Chubb, Percival, quoted, 7, 126, 190 Civics, correlated with language, 57 Classes, language, in rural schools, 218 ff Coleridge, S. T., quoted, 235 ; poem of, 281 Composition work, written (see outlines at beginning of each grade) ; conduct of, 45-47, 72- 76, 93 ff., 114 ff., 136 ff., 157 ff., 180 ff., 202 ff. ; in rural schools, 227-237; books on, 252; oral (see Oral language work) Conscience, a language, 11, 82 Conversation exercises, 25-27, 57-58, 73, 83 ; in rural schools, 227-228 Cooperative letter, 137, 160, 183, 205 329 330 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Copying work, 45, 51, 76, 78, 97, 122, 141 Cornwall, Barry, poem of, 300 Correction, of mistakes in lan- guage, 10, 11, 24, 26, 56, 58, 70, 73, 76, 92, 97, 115, 136, 148, 180 ; system of, in written work, 93-94, 136, 158, 182 Correlation, 8. See Physiology, History, etc. Correspondence of children di- rected by teacher, 95, 117, 137, 160, 204 Cunningham, Allan, poem of, 309 Current events, 150 ; in argu- ments, 150 Debates, 199, 207. See Argument Debating society, 17, 18, 199 Derivation, 165, 187, 209 Description, 58, 63, 73-76, 87, 97, 110, 118, 139, 152, 160, 174, 184, 197, 205 ; in rural schools, 229 Desk work, 48-53, 78-79 Diagramming, 16, 212 Diary, 140, 162, 185, 207 Dictation, 48, 77, 97, 122, 141, 163, 186, 208, 211; material for, 262 Dictionary, use of, 15, 123, 142- 144, 148, 164, 186, 209, 255, 262 Domestic science, correlated with language, 28, 171, 196 ; in rural schools, 225 ; books on, 241 Drake, J. E,., poem of, 303 Dramatization, 36-42, 60, 67-70, 90-92, 112, 134, 157, 178, 201; spontaneous, 91, 113 ; books on, 251, 257 Drawings, 60, 79, 206 Eliot, Charles W., quoted, 2 English grammar. See Grammar English language, history of, 188, 210 Envelopes, addressing of, 118, 137 Exposition, 58, 63, 73-76, 87, 96, 97, 110, 119, 131, 139, 153, 161, 175, 184, 198, 206; in rural schools, 230-232 Farmers' bulletins, 226, 241-244 Field, Eugene, poems of, 279, 282 Folk tales, 31, 60, 68, 86 Formality in language work, 6, 57 Games, language, 42-45, 70-72, 92 Geography, correlated with lan- guage, 8, 57, 103, 105, 127, 129, 149, 152, 171, 173, 195, 207; dramatizations in, 201 Girls' canning clubs, 228 Grammar, English, 124, 146, 167, 170, 189-191, 194, 211-213; books on, 254 Grand-opera stories, 86 Grimms' tales, 31, 39, 60, 86 Harris, Joel Chandler, stories of, 86 Hawthorne, Nathaniel, descrip- tions of, 153 Hectograph work, 48 History, correlated with lan- guage, 8, 57, 90, 127, 129, 149, 151, 153, 171, 173, 195, 197, 207; dramatizations in, 178, 201 Hogg, James, poem of, 286 Holland, J. G., poem of, 305 Holmes, O. W., poem of, 306 Homer, Odyssey of, 129, 197 INDEX 331 Homonyms, 145, 16i, 188, 209 Houghton, Lord, poem of, 277 Howell, James, quoted, 15 Hunt, Leigh, poem of, 305 Hymns, memorized, 111, 155 Illustrations for composition work, 60, 79, 159, 206 Imagination, in diagramming, 16 ; in story-telling, 30, 87, 105, 106, 160 ; in study of poetry, 31 Imitation in language, 5, 10, 11, 13 Impersonation in story-telling, 105, 106 Impromptu debates, 199 Impromptu written composition, 159, 204 Indian life, stories of, 31 Interest in language work, 9. See Motivation Irving, Washington, extracts from, in memorizing prose, 155 Jackson, H. H., poem of, 291 King Arthur, stories of, 151 Kingsley, Charles, poems of, 289, 298 Kipling, Rudyard, stories of, 86 Landseer, Edwin, 27, 29 Language, and thought, 3, 114, 126 ; reveals character, 4 ; ob- servation of, 11,211; of teacher, 13 ; games, 42-45, 70-72, 92 ; classes in rural schools, 218- 224 Language work, in past, 1, 76 ; importance of, 2, 3, 4 ; purpose of, 5 ; formality in, 6 ; relation of, to other subjects, 8 ; motiva- tion of, 9, 17, 135, 138, 148 ; correction of mistakes in {see Correction); purpose of, in rural schools, 224 Lear, Edward, poem of, 287 Lecture, reported, 172 Letter, cooperative, 137, 160, 183, 205 Letter cards, 46, 50-53, 72, 78 ; sheets of, 50 Letter-writing, 9, 14, 73, 82, 95, 116, 117, 137, 159, 160, 183, 204 ; books on, 253, 262 Library, school, 103, 127 ; in rural schools, 226, 237-246 " Lion and the Mouse, The," plan for studying, 31 Literary society, 17, 226, 232 "Little Boy Blue," plan for memorizing, 36 ; dramatized, 40-42 "Little Red Riding-hood," jilan for studying, 61 Long, William J., stories of, 86 Longfellow, H. W., poem of, 296 Magazine articles reviewed, 150, 195 Memorizing work, 32-36, 64-66, 88, 111, 119, 132, 155, 17(), 200 ; in rural schools, 233-23() ; books on, 251 ; material for, 260-262, 265-312 Memory gems in rural schools, 235. See Memorizing work Meter, studied, 162, 185 ]\Iilton, quoted, 235 Models, taken from literature, study of, 159, 161, 170, 174, 175, 178, 180, 185, 202; of letters, 183, 204 Moore, Thomas, poem of, 311 332 LANGUAGE WORK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Mother Goose rimes, 27, 31, 3-4, 39 ; quoted, 272-274, 278 Motivation in language work, 9, 17, 135, 138, 148, 160, 170, 173, 197, 205 Mythological stories, 31, 60, 86, 128, 151, 172 Narration, 58, 62, 73-76, 87, 96, 109, 118, 130, 138, 151, 160, 172-174, 183, 197, 205; in rural schools, 228 Nature study, correlated with language, 28, 62, 85, 87, 110, 127, 149, 155, 195, 196, 229, 231, 232; books on, 240 Newspaper articles, reviewing of, 150, 195 Observation of language, 11, 211 Observation lessons and reports, 28, 29, 58, 83, 95, 96, 103, 127, 149, 195 ; in rural schools, 236 Opening exercises, 105, 133, 150, 196 Oral language work, 7, 24 ; im- portance of, 56, 82, 87, 102, 126 (see outlines at beginning of each grade) ; in rural schools, 227-237 Original plays, 112, 134, 157,178, 202 Original stories, 29, 62, 76, 85, 97, 106, 128, 138, 151, 160, 172, 183, 197, 205 Outlines, of lessons, to be mem- orized, 132 ; in argument, 140, 185, 199, 207; of books, for review, 149 ; for oral composi- tions, 154, 157, 162, 170, 171, 172, 175, 180, 185, 196, 199, 207; of reading lessons, 163; of biographies, 163; of maga- zine and newspaper articles, 207 ; in rural schools, 237 Paper, school, 17, 18, 203, 204 Paragraph, one, as imit, 82, 116 Paragraphs, one, two, or three, in compositions, 136 Parsing, 16, 17, 212 Physiology, correlated with lan- guage, 8, 31, 57, 127, 149, 171, 187,- 195 Pictures, 27, 29, 46, 59, 63, 64, 72, 85, 87, 97, 106, 110, 130, 153, 198, 219, 228, 229; lists of, 263 ; original, illustrating writ- ten compositions, 159 Play element in language work. See Language games Plays. See Dramatization Poems, interpreted, 206 ; in rural schools, 226 ; dramatized {see Dramatization) ; memorized (see Memorizing work) Poetry, study of. See Memoriz- ing work Prefixes, 144, 165, 187, 209 Principle and practice, connected, 12, 211 Prose selections, memorized, 132, 133, 134, 155, 156, 176, 178, 200 ; interpreted, 206 Psalms, memorized. 111, 131, 133, 155, 176, 200 Punctuation, 53, 79, 124, 145, 167, 189 " Rain, The," plan for memoriz- ing, 36 Rands, Benjamin, poem of, 283 Reading lessons, dramatization pf, 39, 113, 135, 157, 178 INDEX 333 Recitation by topics, 84, 103, 127, 149, 171, 195 Reconstructed stories, 105, 151, 160, 172 Reference, books of, 102, 127 Reviews, of books, 149 ; of mag- azine and newspaper articles, 150 ; of current events, 150 Rhythm, natural feeling for, 120 Robin Hood, 129, 134 Rossetti, Christina, poems of, 284, 286 Riiral-school language work, dif- ficulties in, 217, 218 ; classes in, 218 ff. ; correlation in, with other subjects, 224 Ruskin, John, 85, 153 School gardens, 226 School library. See Library School paper, 17, 18, 203, 204 Scott, Walter, poem of, 302 Script, 46 Sermon, reported, 172 Seton, Ernest Thompson, stories of, 86 Shakespeare, William, 197; poem of, 309 Shelley, Percy Bysshe, poem of, 310 "Shepherd Boy, The," drama- tized, 69-70 Spontaneous dramatics, 91, 113 Standards of achievement, 18, 19 Stedman, E. C, poem of, 290 Stencil work, 63, 79 Stevenson, R. L., 33 ; poems of, 274, 275, 276, 278, 280, 281, 282 Stories, kinds of. See Story-tell- ing Story, structure of, studied, 128 Story-telling, 29-32, 59-61, 85- 86, 104-106, 128; books on, 250 ; material for, 258-260 Suffixes, 145, 166, 187, 209 Supplementary readers for rural schools, 237, 244-248 Synonyms, 165, 188, 209 Talks from outlines (see Out- lines); in rural schools, 237 Teacher, language of, 13 Tennyson, Alfred, poems of, 276, 284, 293, 308 Thought, relation of, to language, 3,4 Topics, recitation by. See Recita- tion by topics Yerse-writing, 119-122, 140, 162, 185, 207 ; in rural schools, 236 ; books discussing, 255 Yirgil, iEneid of, 197 Vocabulary work, 15, 79, 98, 123, 142-144, 148, 164-166, 209 Word cards, 46, 48-50 Word study, 144-145, 164-166, 187, 209 ^ Words, importance of, 15 Wordsworth, William, poem of, 292 Written composition work, con- duct of, 4.3-47, 72-76, 93 ff., 114 ff., 136 ff., 157 ff., ISO ff., 202 ff. ; in rural schools, 227- 237. See outlines at beginning of each grade ANNOUNCEMENTS MINIMUM ESSENTIALS Sheets of Graded Questions in Arithmetic, Language, and Geography By Thomas E. Thompson Mr. TTiompson has rendered to the world as well as to the profession a distinct and large service, and what he has done is no fad or freak or foible. — Dr. A. E Winship, Editor of the Journal of Education. Thompson's " Minimum Essentials " is a new idea in education. 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