The Washington times., 1895-06-19

products, all furnish material for thought
with itsaccompanimentsof OF oralandWritte
expression, ''The Courtship OF Miles Stand
ish," and "Evangeline' are helps in this
grade.
SEVENTH GRADE.
Whereas the work in word building as well
as in word and sentence analysis still goes
on here. more discriminating use of
words is made, and nicer distinctions are
expected. The different shades of mean
ing are Investigated, but exceedingly diff
flcult jdioms are, nevertheless, avoided
The children are trained to see the larger
divisions of thought, which are usually
indicated conveniently by paragraphs. In
fact, this is frequently called the paragraph
grade, because tue paragraph is so often
used as the basis of correctness in group
ing sentences about single thought. At
the beginning of the year the paragraph
are necessarily short. but as time advances
the children grow stronger in perceiving
larger entirebes and in grouping related
ideas.
In original writing the Importance,
length, stru cture, unity and conference
of paragraph receive due attention.
Connective words and continuative parti-
cles are considered, their excess or i'm
proper omission being shown, as well as
their use as transitional words.
Test after test is made too, from the text
books in use by the grade, by seeking for
the single topic that forms the nucleus of
the paragraph. Later the pupils test
composite topic by the relation of its con-
stituent ideas, or even group topic by con-
tiguity of time and place. After these tests
the same paragra phs are paraphrased by ex-
pressing the identical idea or ideas in
different words, or are ereprodlcedp promptly
by expressing the substance thereof, prop
eHy capitalized and correctly punctuated.
Subsequently completed compositions, or
letters, involving several para graphs, are
written, structure rather than style being
considered In order that the continuity
of the thought may be evident, aud the rests
neither too far apart nor too near together,
after which attention is given to the
indentatiOn of the first line, that visible
mark Of a paragraph. For variety poems
are sometimes transformed into prose and
a faithful reproduction sought.
EIGHTH GRADE.
The year is largely one OF generalization,
the preceding years having been spent in
field work of all kinds, word analysis
building aud discrimination, sentence anal
ysis and synthesis, paragraph writing, and
formal grammar, all pass in general re-
view, are considered and summarized.
This summary is a written statement in
the feweSt possible words OF the essential
thoughts OF the daily review lesson. The
ability to make this abstract correct at
first writing is cultivated.
The writer recently examined 223 of
these papers for the purpose OF ascertain
ing the number of misspelled words. One
hundred and seventy-seven errors Were
! found, made by ninetyfive pupils. One
hundred and twenty eight pupils were
perfect. The greatest number OF mis-
| spelled words by a single pupil was nine.
| Taking all into consideration, it will be
seen from these figures that the number
of errors per pupil averaged less than
one.
In the composition work OF this grade
structure aud syntaX are both considered.
| Parenthetically let it be said, however,
| that exercises in the correction of false
| syntaX are sparingly employed as a means
| of instruction. Stories are invented with
some group of natural objects as actors
! Some little attention is here given to style
| also. For the purpose OF giving force,
| emphasis, smoothuess and life some minor
| figures OF rhetoric are introduced, as the
| simile, the metaphor, the climax, etc
| Pupils are taught the use OF direct addres:
and description in the embellishing OF
| narration
W. 2. PATTERSON,
| Supervising Z rincipal.