The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-05-10

By a. c. muLBEE
CHAPTER

By a. c. IpHBEI
! CHAPTER
. Reading may be saaffo be oftwt
e kinds, viz personided reading ant
simple reading. I am not awar'
: that q N elocutionist makes this di
9 vision ~ che subject, but it suits my
purpnsa hsnoe ! adopt it.
PersepiHed residing Is that ir
which = reader endeavors to adap
his tomb gestures, expression, etc.
to the sentiment Of the piece. Fol
: instsnce,Af person. ~ represented
as calling, the "pitch" is raised; i
he be represented as angry, in grief
or terror, there is an attempt te
make, not only the voice, but the
features, convey those emotions as
they may respectively occur. Some
elocutionists call this dramatic
| reading" prefer my own classifi,
cation. Simple reading is, as its
name implies, merely giving the Ian.
, guage of the author, with due regard
to infections, accent, ETC., but with.
out any aid from personifcation,
and with no intention of producing
a dramatic effect. Some authors
style this ''pure reading" one calls
II GOOD reading" | prefer the term
have given, else / would not have
used it.
! Having thus secured classifca-
ton, it now becomes our duty to
determine which of these two kinds
of reading is to be taught in the
public schools, or whether both are
to be taught.
i In order to determine this, it is
only necessary for US to recognize
the fact that not one pupil out OF
every hundred in the public schools
will depend upon his elocutionary
powers to secure a livelihood. while
every single pupil expects to be able
to read IL such a manner that he
can understand what he reads, and
be understood when he reads. This
alone determines the matter. SIM
pie reading is what is demanded in
the public schools. Time spent in
drilling your pupils until they can
60 through the ranting performances
of our trained public readers, is
wasted. One of the very best read
ers have heard for a long time is a
little girl who was trained by her
parents at home. She possesses n
very good pronunciation, speaks
clearly and distinctly in a voice
which many a high-toned young
damsel would think too loud for re-
finement; but to my ear there is
more true refinement in speaking so
that one can be heard, than in in
conveniencing your listner by not
enabling him to hear, and she has
no idea whatever of personifcation.
We're hefteacher, she never would
have.
AS public school teachers, / hold
that we have no business with the
ranting performances of public read
ers-intended merely ito split the
ears of the groundlings.n
The proper place to begin the
teaching Of reading is before the
child knows its letters. TO learn
A, B, c, is felt by the young child to
be very irksome;;" Of course it is.
What idea is there in the term A to
boy of six years? None. / won-
der that the old master" did not
strike the idea. the true idea, after
the experience shall give.
"What is that" pointing to the
letter A.
"a harrow" answered the boy.
"What is that" pointing to B.
"An ox-yoke," answered the ur-
chin.
| did not hear any more. Il say
the tale as twas told to me-" but /
think it to be very suggestive one.
Children may be taught to read
most of the lessons in any ordinary
first reader, and will not necessarily
know single letter of the alphabet
by name. Teachers need drill in
this regard, but it can be done.
willillustrate nv meaning. Show
a child "pen." He knows what it
is, of course. You may tell him a
story of the particular pen you hold
in your hand. Make a picture of
the pen on the blackboard. He will
recognize it. Tell him there is an
other way of making a pen on the
board. Paint it for him in Roman
capitals thus:
ZEN.
Make him know that those hero
glyphics Ito him mean and are pen.
Put the word through all possible
transformations, PNE, NEP, NPE, |
EPN. EMP, until he at once recog-
nizes the form PEN. Is it not plain
to any one that you have given that |
child the knowledge of form, which 1
enables him to recognize these let I
tiers and a word in about the same
time that would have been requisite |
to enable him TO recognize one letter
by the old plan? Then you can
bring him down to the small letters |
very easily. after he thoroughly /
knows the Roman, by printing the
word for him thus:
pen.
Little drill will be requisite; so you
will have taught him six forms. But
while you have been teaching this
word you will, if you do your duty,
rather, perhaps, if you understand
your business, teach a number of
other words, A, the, writes. steel,
gold, quill. on, paper, with, ink,
black, red, blue, green and od libi-
tam. / have taken this word at ram
dom; any other will do as well as a
basis-cat, dog, hen, etc. One very !
fine set Of elementary reading
Charts" are based on the word cat. |
The point in the matter is, you
must not attempt to teach the names
of the alphabet until YOU have |
taught the forms. Neithermust you
expect any marvellous result from
half days teaching. "Rome was
not built in day" You can only
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