Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-01-19

| l44'uSAs u Soou writers Win clear
ness and accuracy of enunciation.
and fidelity of expression? Do such
observers even find this class, after
their untold and innunerable read
ings iii school capable Of gathering
the thought of the writers who use
classic English, or comprehending
any thing expressed in terms a little
foreign to colloquial use. 1t is GER
tain that those who are in a position
to know about this could answer
these questions only in the negative.
Somebody must be in fault for it.
1t cannot be urged that the degree
Of proficiency indicated by reading
that clearly and forcibly expresses
the authors thought is impossible in
the time given to it; numerous ex-
ceptions to what must unfortunately
be confessed as the rule prove that
such an excuse is sufficient.
Doubtless it is but just to impute
some share of the failure to parents
who neglect to supply reading of the
right quality and sufficient in guam
ity to their children; but it is use
less to try to escape the conviction
that the chief responsibility for the
existing state of things rests with the
teachers. 1t was the practice in the
country school which the writer at
tended when a boy, for the reading
class to be called upon the floor,
real around" once, or possibly
several times, each pupil pausing
when he reached a "hard word" long
enough to hear the teacher pro-
nouncc it, and then be dismissed tC
their seats till the time arrived for
the came process to be repeated.
This certainly required no ingenuity
scarccl y any intelligence on the part
OF the teacher; a skillfulIy construct
cd automaton could have done as
much, and vet it is to be feared that
some Of the schools of to-day have
not outlired the practice. Even in
more favored schools, where methods
less antiquated prevail it is yet
doubtful whether the most import
ant objects of the reading exercise
are kept in view. The mint, anise
and cunmin, rather than the weight
icr matters of the law often engross
most of the teachers attention, and
often such criticisms as He repeat
cd. He hesitated', ale called"
and but, He called this the
arc advanced by both class and
teacher, as though trihes like these
constituted the sum of all the vii
lanles of bad reading.
Plainly, the fault is ours Our
pupils cannot get the meaning of
writers of renute, and of necessity
they cannot express it. How shall
we enable them to? Ascertain how
much and what part of every lesson
is understood by the pupils. Skill
ful questioning will do this. To be
sure that the idea is mastered, a
raraphraSe or different order of ar
rangement of sentences should be
required. Draw out from the pupil
all the knowledge he has of the less
understood parts. When he is ig-
norant of the use of word, it will
be found better plan for the teach
er to explain and illustrate by sew
eral examples, and at the second
reading require similar work from
the pupil, than to send him to the
dictionary. Do not, however, ignore
the dictionary Overcome, as early
as possible in the pupils career, the
obstacles that prevent his intelligent
use of it, and encourage its frequent
consultation as well for some other
purposes connected with the reading
exercise as for definition. Explain
all illusions and closely related cir
cumstances. One lesson, or part Of
lesson, should be devoted to the
preparation for the reading, another
to the recitation. Relate any in
teresting anecdote suggested by the
lesson. When the best reading pos
sible has been got from the class,
read the lesson to them expressing
the thought with precision, and
making the whole performance as
perfect a model as possible.
Let the teacher bear in mind that
so far as ultimate objects are in
volyed, the ability necessary for in
telligent silent reading is quite as
important as improvement in oral
reading. Let the exercises be ac-
companied by sentence-making hav-
ing in view the enlargement of the
learner acquaintance with English
words as well as greater familiarity
with their proper relations to each
other. BY every means encourage
more extensive reading than the
textbooks afford. Some members
of every class can tell more about
the lessons than the books do; some
have read whole works from which
The readers give only fragments.
Encourage them to give others OF the
class the benefi. of their better adj