Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1864-12-30

next" begins TO reel off his solemn Ut
terances in the same way. 1t is evident
therefore that the more simple and com
on.place the selections for reading les
sons, the more apt is the learner TO give
a right expression 10 the thought Of the
printed page, because it is fully under
stood by him. And no sentence should
be left till il is understood and correctly
rendered. This will require long prac-
tce and repeated repetition Of every
sentence of each lesson. In doing this
the progress through the book will be
much slower, but the advance in learning
to read much more rapid. The senti-
ment of the reading lesson may be un-
derstood. and still if the voice and ear is
not trained, there may be no ability TO
express this sentiment. This cultivation
of the voice and ear is just MS necessary
for good reading as it is for good singing
And it requires as much practice. To
be successful in every case, it needs to be
begun early. ! never tried with child
under eight years, to get him to initiate
pitch of voice or an infection of voice
in the expression OF simple sentences,
but by the third or fourth trial, he would
make tolrrabIe imitation. With the
child of sixteen | have tried a. msnv
dozen times and then not secured so cor
rect an expression. Many people COM
plain Of natural difficulty in distinguish
ing tones and inarctions.-say they know
no difference between Old Hundred and
Boylston, when they hear them sung
So there are some who find it difficult 10
distinguish the rising and falling iuhec-
ton, the circumhrx and the monotone
But if person has vii enough to recog>
Mise his own name, when he hears it,
from that OF any other person, he can
with the same knowledge OF sound dis
iingush tones and infections. Practice.
in one case rs in the other, should begin
early. But this is not done in our schools. |
Every body will see that it is not, if they
will just be at the trouble to step inside
he school house for few minutes. The
child begins to learn reading, with the
title picture before him of children sli.
ling. He reads this, See these BOYS
Tide. How swift they CO." Every word
5 uttered in dead monotone like the
oIiing of bell. lie is taught to let his
dice fall at a period. So he does, and
n order TO do SO he jerks it down, as he
Gould snatch his hand from a bot from
'racheT, if be thinks anything about il
all, reasons that the child must get SO
5 10 call the words off rapidly before he
IN be instructed TO read naturally
Iere is the mistake. The voice is be-
oming set and stiff every hour. He
louId stop with tire first sentence till it
spoken correctly. The child is not
,adins for the sake of the story, but to
arm to tell it right. The same drill is
-cessary to give good cadence al the
ose Of sentence, that it is to give
roper infection to a word. Both can
e secured in great perfection and beau
2 with every child, if the work is only
pgun in season, and ju ;iciously man
5ed. But bad habits become fixed and
durable soon. The child gets the i'm
ression that there is no connection be
peen the style of uttrring the Same
ought whenit is in book and when it
spoken 10 conversation. And this idea
fatal to his success in learning to read.
lost Of our schools need looking after
larply in this respect.
AN OLD TEACHER.
December 20.