The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1886-04-21
TEACHERS DEPARTMENT.
C.. ". WEIGH, \. NJ. EDITOR.
Teaching Reading.

! During the day, at different time
and different places, we heard-welI
perhaps one hundred children read
Not one poor reader among them all
! In one case we heard each child in
certain room read. So distinctl,
were tie words spoken that we los
not the sound Of one. That the chilt
had q thorough understanding o
what he was reading was evident b,
his placing the emphasis upon jus
the word in the sentence which woult
bring out tie meaning plainest. Th'
infection was varied and the voice
was pleasant throughout.
AS the reading was the best WI
had ever heard from any children
we began to look about for the cause
One lesson which we heard gave u
an insight into the method Of con
Quoting a reading lesson in one, a
least, Of these schools. The clas:
numbered twenty. Each child stood
beside his desk, in the middle Of the
aisle, facing the teacher, when VIZ
entered the room. They had ne
books and were repeating from mem
orv some lines which she had giver
them. TO begin with, the teuche1
was good reader. She recited the
lines and then asked the class 10 re
peat after her this much, "Ie bells ir
the steeple, ring, ring out your
changes, how many soever they be- .
The result was not satisfactory; they
were evidently initiating her, parrot
like. Then q short talk ensued about
the church, and the steeple, and the
bells, until the idea was fully i'm
pressed.
"Now, children" said the teacher
':can YOU see the bells? Now talk
to them" So fully were the imagin
ations at work, that as they repeated
'Ye bells" etc.: once more, the eyes
were directed upward as though the
steeple and the bells were really visi'
BILE. The result was most happy.
The tone was different, the reading
mere natural in every way. They
were not only giving the words of
the author, but were actually talking,
each to his OWE imaginary chime OF
bells.
When this exercise was concluded,
the class was directed to sit down
and take reading books. They were
to read q piece entitled 1.-THE Radi'
ate." Before q word was read, the
first paragraph was discussed. Upon
the desk the teacher had placed some
star-fsh and other examples of radi,
ate animals. The children were sent
to find these and exhibit them to the
class, and they were talked Of until
it was evident the class had clear
idea of the animal they were to read
about. Then the hard words in the
paragraph were explained, after
which the children were told to read
the paragraph to themselves and see
if they understood it.
Then one child read it, the teacher
saying, "Now, Mary, remember you
are not reading it to yourself, but to
US; we have no book and you must
make US understand it, Each para
graph was taken in the same way.
After hearing this lesson, we con-
ciuded that if each teacher in the
city, beginning with the lowest grade
in the primary school, was as careful
that her scholars thoroughly under
stood every sentence which they read
as this teacher had been, it was no
wonder that the reading IN .h;- <, -,
was decidedly syat NJ, M,,,;l,,,a5
Jouyn1 Of n-,~7pe'l'''-N"'''''''
ls--,---IciAs -IAs::1tt'Ed wi Education.