The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-06-12

We present here an article on "Pri.
mary Reading, as taught in the Cook
County (Ill. Normal by Col. Francis w.
Parker, one ofthe most famous teachers
of the age. Read and digest:
Children have been tsught to read, and
many are now taught, by a method en-.
tireiy contrary to mental law acknowl-
edged by even tyro in the science of
teaching. | mean The miserable a B @
method. Have you not heard score of
times tho law Comenius gave to the
world three hundred years ago? Things
that have to be done should be learned
by doing them" Instead Of using com
mon sense and adopting this rule, teach.
ers stupidity invent ways of doing thlngs
by doing something else.
We must apply natures methods in
teaching children. "The average child
OF six years has learned as much as he
will learn during the remainder of his
life." Every fact that the little one
knows has made its way through his
Senses Therefore you must begin to
quicken the senses; that is to say en-
large the ability to receive information.
Tho easiest way 10 make child feel at
home with you is TO talk to him concern.
ing some familiar object, say hen.
You draw on the board picture Of a
hen, keeping up brisk conversation on
the fowl. After admiripg the picture,
you must in some way make the pupils
know that when the class looks at the
drawing, each one thinks of hen that
the same thing happens when they hear
the word hen. How you can make the
child see this, / shall leave you to devise.
What idea have you developed ? The
picture and spoken word serve the same
purpose. Now you write the word hen
and tell them that also causes you to
think of a hen. Write the word several
times on the blackboard and have them
find it; place other words and see how
quickly they will recognize the one they
have learned Ask them why another
word is not hen, and they will tell you
because it doesn't look like it. Write
the word in largo plain script aud tell
the children to copy it on their states.
which, by the way, should be ruled.
When TIE. next lessml begins ask,
"How many will tell me the story Of q
hen?' While one says, 81 see hen" :"
another, Il have a hem you draw a nest
and some eggs as the children keep
giving short sentences concerning the
picture, write one or two of their sen,
fences on the board, telling them what
YOU have written. Have the children
read these. BY the close of the lesson
four or five little ones will be able 10 find
and read anywhere, II see a hem "The
hen has eggs" Send them to their desks
and have them copy the two sentences,
for these exercises teach them penman
ship, spelling, use of capitals and to read
their own writing.
The class nov knows six or seven sen.
tences. Call on pupil to 60 to the
board, select any sentence he pleases,
read and erase it. Keep up this exer.
else, calling oa the brighter pupils first;
Why? Because you thus make the dull
ones do more work. Slow Jim may have
decided upon q sentence and have it all
ready to read, when it is erased, ard he
must huntup another. Don't have any
hesitating. If the child can't read
promptly, call on another. Erase all
sentences, and then tell the children to
see how many stories they can write
about the picture on the board.
Remember always, it is a law Of men.
tai development with which it is danger,
Gus to triAe, that ideas must precede
words The teacher must develop tue
idea, familiarizing the class with it,
before the word representing this idea is
taught.
Never do for child what he can do
for himself, or what his mates can do for
him. This is one of the hardest lessons
for teachers to learn.
Reading is calling words in such a
manner SO to make clear the thought of
the writer, hence no reading is entitled
to praise when the pupil hesitates or
blunders; the moment he does this his
mind loses the Thought aud is occupied
with the words
In Quinby, we had much trouble in
securing proper sight reading for our first
grade. Several literary lights attempted
the task, but their work was tso stiff. a
happy thought came. Why not takethe
written stories composed by Grade 2 and
n. I L r..