Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-13
PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION.
Combined Mental and Physical Trimming OF
the Youth Of the Capital.

PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION.
Combined Mental and Physical Training OF
the Youth Of the Capital.
vALuAsL. SUGGESTIONS AND IMPORTANT RECON-
MENDArroSs OF SUPERINTENDENT POWELL IN
HIS ANNUAL REpoRr-rHE METHODS OF TEACH
Ne-EoR TIE KINDERGARTEN.
"a good years work was done and evident
progress was made in the ways of doing better
work for another year" is the conclusion come
to by Prof. W. B. Powell, the superintendent Of
the public schools of the District, after re-
view Of the work of the year in his annual re-
port, which has just been completed. He gives
an interesting resume of the work done in each
grade. accompanied by schedules showing the
time devoted to each kind of work in the sew
erai grades.
TEACHING OF READING.
He then says:
There are q few points to which ]
desire to call your attention. First.
ing of reading in the frst three grades Of
the schools is to make the children know the
symbols representing their own knowledge and
mental processes, much practice is given in
reading the same facts and processes expressed
by accepted authorities for broadening the
vocabularies OF the children and teaching the
kindred significance OF words Some reading
is done to get information similar to that in
the possession Of the children to be interpreted
by it and assimulated withOutit. In the fourth
grade the reading begins to become more dis
tinchveiy for the purpose Of getting informal
ton. and IL more and more SO characterized
through the remaining grades. Great care is
required in the transition. For this purpose
the text is illustrated by objective work or ex-
pertinent, or is supplemented by tests for
truth and for application. the effort being. as
stated In another place. to train the learner to
see accurately and to know exactly by reading.
No greater care is required i'll any reading
lesson than in those belOn cling to this transition
period. The historical story begun in the fourth
grade can be understood only by examination
of many objects representing the lives and Gus
toms OF the people and times studied and intel
hgCnt comparison of the same with correspond
ing objects representing the lives and customs
of the people OF today. Objective work is all
important in this grade of schools, but it's use
is another purpose than that for which it is
given III the lower grades. In whatever grade
science lessons are given, groups or units OF re-
lated objects are given, by which unity and
symmetry are taught, and furthermore, these
lessons lead to or supplement or arc ~ means Of
practically applying some other part of the
work Of the grade. This illustrates the inter-
dependence Of the parts of the course Of instruc-
ton.
THE RESULT OF DRAWING LESSONS.
sivc graduations of seeing, of representing of
forming OF making and representing, of plan
ming, making and representing and OF decorat-
ing and representing to the laboratories
(shops). where in turn the knowledge Of arith-
metic. the knowledge of geography and, to
some extent. that OF history are brought into
practical use, Throughout all of which there is
definite training III English.
SUPPLEMENTARY READING.
ia A. L.
for the purpose of explaining or broadening or
embellishing some Of the regular work Of the
grade. as physical geography, descriptive
geography. history, physiology, &c. Much col
lateral reading is necessary for experimenting
the experiments and the meager texts found in
our books. After successful experiment or
demonstration or the examination of other nat
ural phenomena, some beautiful poem relating
to what has been learned OF an imaginative
prose selection based on the facts learned is
read with delight, because it is read with I'M
Outstanding. Its reading is prescribed,
much because it gives additional culture and
enjoyment as because it offers opportunity for
exercise in reading
MANUAL TRAINING.
Fourth. In the grades in which the children
sew, and especially in those grades where chill
dren work in the cooking laboratories and the
mechanical laboratOries-the SIXTH seventh
and eighth grades-it is SO arranged in mixed
schools that the boys do not 60 to their labora-
tory at the time that the girls go to theirs,
and in unmixed schools that but portion
of the pupils 60 to the laboratory at the same
time. This, because OF the interruption Of the
regular class work, gives the teacher opportu-
nifty, rather compels the teacher. to devote Ut
least one day Of the five days Of the week to
individual teaching, looking up and helping
pupils who are behind in their work. ascertain
ing whether these pupils know how to study or
- 10, a,14 9th. H.
closely acquainted with the minds and the
habits of the individual members of the s. hool.
The school thus becomes u place in which
natural growth and improvement are secured,
rather than place for learning and reciting
lessons. This has proved in many instances
no small benefit to the schools
TRAINING In SPELLING.
Fifth. Much Of the work done in English in
all grades Of school above the first is put upon
paper with pen or pencil by the child. This,
of course involves the spelling of words
Thus. much spelling is done. Thus, too. the
correct spelling Of many words il insured that
under different kind of teaching would not
be found in the vOcabularies of the children
which, when writing, they would not spell be-
cause they would not use them. II this class
of words be taken into consideration, and the
list is a long one, and if there also be taken
into consideration the breadth of vocabulary
involved by the great variety in the kind Of
work done, and then the percentage of mis-
spelled words noted our children will be de-
clared good spoilers.
Furthermore, the fact that the child knows
the real meanings Of the words he spells,
which is shown by the use Of the words in his
own composition, should rate him high ~ =
practical speller.
OBJECT LESSONS.
''Sixth. By the introduction Of the study Of
plants, animals, vapor, physical geography,
surface geology, physics, &C., &C., the children
are not necessarily overloaded with work. The
practical effects Of such work are to relieve the
pupils by giving variety for the work is not
done to get definite results in botany, in 20
is done chiefly, as have tried to show. to give
opportunity for the right kind of training in
English and to properly prepare the child in
the lower grade school for learning to read,
and to train the pupil in the advanced grades
Of school to read and examine oftably and
economically for definite results Other re-