Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-12-05
AUGUSTA LOCALS.
1racnIss 70 READ J


TEACHERS niausl.!y meeting SATURDAY aisef-
noon
IN seems almost presnDpiFs on my part
Ia atteruts ID deliver an article on reA'hng
H. fore those Who are far more Competent TO
"a "a than ~ self But being asked es the
,r,,vrnau,., committee to do this, AMI be
ms ! u,e,.,i,xr OF f,s association ! thousiit
that uerhsps il might also seem . Rite
.eIfish on my part, If did not try to do my
sh,.e nj the work. hoGeyer mediocre thst
might be. After listening to so many ex-
eeIlenr t,aucrs on difereft subjects, II Is
v,,h little fear and trembling that begin
~. avn. But | trust you will es'nstier MY
iutbjlitv and deal kindly with me.
RsasIiag. even in the first years OF my
school life was preferable TO all other stud
les. anil il still retains. ! charm for me-
sieessr. perhaps, than II had then; ana 70
me. tt,ere is something fascinating even ID
the tearIiing IT, But teaching readiilE' ana
irving 10 tell others how TO learn 1t are two
different things there are so many WAYS ana
ane.ftons which canno, be remembered thslt
the general aptness OF the teacher can sug-
eest a. the time. can only give an out
line of NV work and few ideas that |
cleaned frota my own short experience 10
teaching. anil tie little have learned from
nv own studies on the subject
The success of ones business, social and
public life will depend great zeal apoh tiie
voice. The tone will depend a great deai
upon the breathing. Teach the chiia 10
take full. deep breaths, until 1t becomes a
habit. Every part of the respiratory sss.
TEN should be txerted with each breath.
u,
Exercise of these organs Is as necessary 10
good recalling as food or air Is necessary
TO life. There is "A right way of cuitivating
the voice for reading and wrong way
which will sometimes take years OF dlheu.i
teaching to anravel- Nv improper training
the voice will become lond, harsh and UNI
pleasant, Character is very often judged
bv the voice. If the voice is loud and
hav.h, the inward life will be judged the
same also, firm, pure and confident tone
inspires trust. Voice is the expression Of
the child's purest. truest and nobies
thoughts. and we wish to teach lin 10 cx-
press them in his truest, purest and best
way.
We wish from the very beginning tt
guard against tine lea that talking or read
ing from Il book is different from talkins
without book. Every lesson is a -eadin.
lesson and the child should be compelled IL
give each word in a pure. full tone: if hi
IS allowed to drift back into slovenly wa,
of speaking after the reading lesson proper
the benefit he has derived is wholly lost.
never ask child to read even tn,
shortest sentence until lie is perfectly famil
lar with the words. TN iirst teaching emil
dren TO read the object aimed at is to- e1
press a thought simply AMI naturally a
sight | generally have in mind some slm
pie sentence, as. at is a box, or ~ see ;
raj" Then lead the child to the though
EXPRESSED in the sentence BY questions SIM
lar TO these: What do you think abon
when say rat" then holding before the
class tov rat What do you think abou
when show YOU this? What is the mann
of this object! That name is a word, car
YOU see the word rat when
saw it with nv mouth: Where ar
words put so that yon can see them
Would Won know the word rat if shoul'
show it to you: Then point to the wore
on the char and tell them to look CAREFUL,
at the word so that they will be able to Mn,
it when the class recites again. Then
teach both the sounds and letters and alter
nate the sound and the name of the SCUM
until the class can associate them readll.
AMI recognize either promptly. The othe
words in the sentence teach in the sam,
way until the pupil is as familiar with eacl
as he is with his own name. Then | cal
from the class an expression OF the sen
tence before it is seen, as What do You se'
in my hand? The answer will be an ex
preston, and this | use as a model. How
did YOU say Il see a rat? The child re
pcats and is copying from his own patAra
expression. After this | direct the pupil Il
the picture of the rat and the sentence oil
the chart with this question, What DO yo'
see. They will answer with a simple nat
ural expression of the words whicl
their eyes now see. tell them this is read
ing and they have the idea that reading is say
ing something from words which are seen
A child is apt TO think that when he cal
pronounce all of the words in sentence h
is reading. That is wrong and for thi
reason do not like what is called wor
building. When first began to teach
taught this After had been teaching
while | began TO devise ways amt method
of my own and found that lime spent =
word luiling was more or less lost, tia
better results could be obtained without it
The child learns To pronounce a large mum
Der of words which are expressive OF nothln
beyond their external mark. \ sentenc
NAV be made nf these words, the chill
is asked to read it, aud in nine eases oat o
ten he will render the sentence withon
adding to or taking from the mere signii
canee of the words Here is time lost
The object we are aiming 1t in reading il
81, =, nj
sarv to learn are those in tn
tw or three short sentences that constitute
the reading lesson for the day After h
has mastered the ideas, words, sounds, an
letters in these little reading lessons da.
after dav he has better knowledge OF how
to apply words. remembers them better AM
spells them better. For more advance
nupiis think word-hul,iing would be ex
cellent. In teaching older pupils wont
first require them to tell the story in thei
own language. Then ask the meaning o
all difficult passages. How the author felt
How they would feel and act under tn
same circumstances? Lead them step b.
step to feel as he felt to think as he thought
Teach them to place themselves in the stor
and to feel that they are acting and talking
When they are in sympathy with the writer
. let them read the story. Also have htti
,at,,s ,;tb tho children abo,,t the story. Tel
son,a,h;ng similar that has happened in YOU
own life and the children will be eager Z
tell some little anecdote that they know
This will fo-ter bright conversations
style
If sufficient emphasis is not given on Ger
tain words. | lead the child unconsciousl
70 emnbasize il by some question like this
What lid Won mt on III. tablet or Whom
IA Won saw nlayed ball? "Whv James" o
James ulayed ball" That is right
was not John or Tom, but James. No,
LET me see if YOU can read it so. hav
found this "a he the most effectual wav o
oetting the right emphasis. If the GILL
has tho idea,hat il is emphasis that is wanted
-, .t.:. a. ,ror1 Nth , Won