River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-02-12
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A study of English embraces much
more than the routine work of English
grammar, 1t begins with the first lisp
ing of the infant; but to eonfine the
question to school life,-it begins the
day the child enters school. But you
ask how is child to learn English?
Let us observe the great teacher,
Nature. How does a child learn to
skates By skating. Not by learning
the definition of pair of skates, and
then naming each of the parts, and
next defining each of them. A boy
may be able to name the parts of
pair of skates; as runner. clamp, heel,
toe, ETC., and yet not be able to skate.
Is boy to learn to skates Let him
skate. The child under the great
teacher, Nature Jeans to do by doing.
Precisely so in learning English. The
first step, then, is TO let the child ex-
press its conceptions in childish Ian
guage, which under proper guidance
must be good English. Committing
to memory and reciting the language
of other people, will not accomplish
freely in the school-room as he does at
home. He has learned idioms, pro-
nuneiatiOns, accents, use of language,
| by imitation. Continue this process
of imitation by exercises in initiating
! the voice of the teacher. Have him
pronounce sentences, suiting the words
| to the action, thus-teacher says.
| (holding up her right hand) "This is
my right hand" III can stand up"
81 can walk ETC., always uttering
the word as the action is performed.
Then have pupils review. Ask them
| how many things they can do, and
have one pupil after another perform
acts, and tell at the same time what
| they are doing. Let the teacher point
to objects and say, there is the clock,
| there is picture, and have the pupils
| initiate her. Place objects in differ
ent positions, and have pupils tell
what they are. Introduce the easiest
what they see, in the simplest possi-
| BILE way. Faults In pronunciation
should be corrected by repetition of
| the right pronunciation. Until the
child talks witha good degree of
| freedom, little OF no effort should be
made to change the incorrect use of
language. Afterlthis important peri
cd is passed, pupils should not be al
lowed to use upgrammatical forms.
The simple remedy for inaccurate
habits of speechis to give the child
many opportunities to use proper SEN
fences. This shoald be done almost
invariably with objects. If, for in
stance, the child uses is for are, lead
him to talk aboutnumbers of objects
before him, using the word are.
All the modification of subject and
predicate may betaught effectively.
For instance, the adverh and adjective
for example, a hat upon the table,
and the question asked, where is the
hati All the propositions may be
taught in this manner. Degrees of
comparison may be taught by compar-
ing objects. This is little block;
that block is larger than this; this
block is the largest. Adjectives may
be Taught by leading the child to see
the qualities of objects. Then have
them write short sentences on their
states, using the same method that
| gave for oral work. / should not al
low them to write connected senten-
ces until they have formed the habit
of beginning ana ending sentences
properly. Ezra MpGRAY,
| Prescott, Wis.