Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1880-01-20

take q few words. learn to spell, define
and use them properly. than to memoir
izs the spelling OF the words Of the whole
spelling book and not know their mean.
ing or use.
Professor Young explained the Gold
Hill method. The teacher selects, say,
Eve words o day. Theso vsre correctly
written and defined. T. nildr, q were
then asked TO give a short sentence con.
tanning the word used correctly. These
were all taken up rs given. corrected II
wrong, and the best sentence OF them all
was writton with the word and its dehn.
ition in a book kept for that purpose.
These words. their definitions and uso
were reviewed weekly and monthly. In
that way children were in the course OF
the year made familiar with from 750
to 1000 words, and in q short time nc.
quired good vocabularies and became
good spoilers. There was always the
keenest interest manifested In the spell.
ing exercises and they were no longer
humdrum and commonplace. They
were the most interesting In the whole
series and there was o natural and
healthful strife among the scholars to
give tho best use OF the word
and have the sentence containing 1t
put in the book. Each scholar had q
book, and when the exercise was closed
each copied tho word. its definition and
use into his book. The interest mani
tested was the best proof Of the success
Of the method. Besides, the exercise
was a language lesson. the sentence be-
ing properly constructed, capitalized and
punctuated before being transcribed.
Professor Gray asked how. for In.
stance, the seven different sounds OF the
letter a were to be taught.
Professor Young suggested the use OF
the blackboard. It was all well enough
for the teacher to have a book, but he
could collect his words from whatever
source he saw ft. Children should not
be required to use the text book II one
was used.
Professor Baker thought teachers in.
clined to stick too closely to text books.
This did not give them scope enough.
Mrs. Swift-That's just 1t. Teachers
are required to 60 over SO many pages;
and II they do that they have no time
for object lessons or reviews or anything
else.
Miss Sullivan thought Ave words q
day thoroughly digested after the man.
ner detailed above better than . page OF
words crammed. Spoilers might be
good enough for reference and aida and
guides. but children should not be
made to eat them up. II 30, like a GER
tain other little book spoken Of In scrip
ture, they would be found to DO very
bitter. and unlike that book, not sweet
at all.
Professor Young added that In this
method OF teaching spelling common
and familiar names should be first used
and other parts Of speech introduced
further on.
It was agreed that this-the sentence
method-should be introduced uniformly
throughout all the schools.
Language lessons, which arc init.
mately connected with the sentence
method OF spelling will naturally follow
it. Thus grammar will be introduced.
Professor Young said no text books in
grammar should be used till the second
year Of the grammar school.
The subject Of writing was taken up
and the various methods OF starting the
young minds out in this direction dis.
cussed. The majority favored slate aud
pencil and paper aud pencil for the first
year or two. After that the copy book
and pen. Long pencils nhould DO used
exclusively. both on states and paper.
Writing their spelling lessons would
help the scholars In this branch, too.
Among other things which received
favorable consideration during the even.
ing was tho establishment OF twelve
years as the full course: Four years In
the Primary Department, four years in
the Grammar Department and four years
In the High School. This will probably
DO adopted.
It was also decided to form q teacbers'
association aud hold monthly meetings
to give instructions in methods, har-
monize work and establish greater uni
iormity all through the schools.
The Committee will meet again next
Wednesday evening.