Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1886-05-19
FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

fhlDAI AEIEftNOONs
In answer to letter Of inquiry asking
for suggestions relative to Friday After:
noon Exercises" a leading and progress
sive teacher wrote this: If were teach
ing in country school should make
my Friday afternoons the happiest half
days of the week. With this object and
that of instruction in view, success will
surely follow. Pupils may be led to do
much work, under the impression that
they are playing. Among the many
things that you may do the following
are presented as examples:
1. Have q pronunciation test. Pre-
pare and put on the board at least ten
words commonly misprOnOunced. Do
this soon enough to enable the earnest
pupils to consult the dictionary.
2. Devote twenty minutes to 'spell-
ing down." using words commonly mis-
spelled.
8. Have chart or map exercise.
4. Read short sketch. and have pupils
reproduce the thought, orally or in writ
ing.
5. Give out work, either orally or from
the blackboard, requiring work in adj
ditlon, subtraction. multiplication, and
division combined. Teach squares of
numbers.
6. Let each pupil give sentiment
from a standard author If possible.
in his sentiment. Language lesson.)
Z. Put queer "queries'' on the board
for investigation. Do this a week in
advance. 1t will stimulate observation.
Parents will become interested.
8. Require pupils to answer rapidly
ten questions about current events, dates,
places, persons, etc. Number the answers
from one to ten, and criticise as in writ
ten spelling lesson.
8. Give practical lesson in civil
government.
10. Conduct an exercise in false syn
tax. This work is very practical. Re-
quire pupils to correct sentences without
giving the grammatical reasons. In this
| way you can do much to teach the true
use of the verbs, teach, lie, 1t, lay, set !;
the true use of the past tense and past
participle Of irregular verbs, and also to
| discountenance many vulgarisms. 1t is
| better to do this than teach the list of
Presidents of the United States.
II. Require old pupils to write, fold
properly, enclose, and address letter of
some kind.
The above are among the things that
PSN0 w OAAA6 0OOuU Oil VI UAV0V AVouAbo ~
once. 1t is an easy matter to state ,otot
to do. But it takes time and patience to
learn hoao to do these things. When the
very young pupils grow weary, let those
| of them who prefer it go home. You
need not hope to win the willing coopera-
ton of all your pupils. If half of them
try at first, you may feel encouraged.
Giving sentiments is pleasant exercise.
Every teacher should own an Emerson
orr Longfellow calendar, and place it in
his school room. If you know of any.
| thing in addition to the above that adds
interest to the above suggestions, please
let the teaching fraternity hear from you.
If the plan of having FRIDAY afternoon"
exercises impresses you favorably, don't
fail to attempt it, no matter how small
your school, nor how unruly, nor how
limited your supply of books and ap-
| planes, nor how brief your experience.
But of one fact you may be assured:
Unless you are willing to do much extra
work out of regular school hours, you
can hardly hope to win.-George G. Mas
tin, County Superintendent Of Carroll
County, us.