The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1897-01-27
CONTINUED FROM LOCAL pAeE.)

on ''fiowery beds Of ease" to the
desired goal, but this is found to be
impossible. II q child is to learn he
must work and no one can do the
work for him. Doubtless the path
may be smoothed little and the
child skillfully guided, nevertheless
he must work if he would advance.
There is a great choice Of methods
and the skill Of the instructor is vest
ed in making choice. Greatchanges
are being effected not only in methods
but in the curriculum for primary
schools and considerable difficulty is
being experienced in deciding when
to hold fast to the old and where to
grasp the new.
During the first year in school a
Child must accomplish a great deal
more than the mere mastery of
lessons. School life is entirely strange
to him and he must learn to conform
to the rules Of the school. The first
few weeks may be counted well spent
if the child has learned to work in
harmony with his fellow pupils and
has been made to feel at home in the
school room.
In the first years work chief stress
is placed upon reading. The first
work in reading consists in making
words significant when they appeal
to the eye. The child must be given
new symbols for old ideas. The child
may be perfectly familiar with the
object top and the spoken word but
the written word is new to him. The
new symbol MAY be taught as follows:
A top may be held before the class
and by means of a little questioning
each Child will he anxious to tell
about his top. who gave it to him,
what color it is. etc. While the
children are talking thus freely they
can acquire the power of correct
emphasis. For example, Il child takes
a top and says This is Johns new
TOP" "Whose top is it?' This is
JOHNS new top" "What kind of
top is it?" etc. Thus the child may
be trained to bring out as many
meanings as there are words in the
sentence. Time spent in such drill
will be we'll repaid by the natural
expression secured in reading. The
word top may then be written on the
board and the child will take delight
in finding the word in lists
of words previously written on
the board. With shoe pegs the child
may then make a picture of the top
on his desk and make the word below
it. In this way may be acquired
vocabulary in which the different
parts of speech are found in proper
ton to their use in common speech. The
work should consist to a great extent
of sentence reading, the child being
led to see that oral reading is express
ing thought.
A child may put his top upon the
table and say, My top is on the
table" Another put a box on desk
and say, ''My box is on the desk" as
each sentence is given it is written on
the blackboard and read. The SEN
fences are then erased and as they
are rewritten the child who is able
to do so, may perform the appropriate
actions and read the sentences.
Thus is employed combination of
the word and sentence methods, with
the thought element dominant.
.Phonic work should be introduced to
help in mastering words in large
numbers.
For the first two or three mon tbs
the lessons should be from the black
board and in script. The reading
lessons should be correlated with the
nature lessons and language work.
AS far as possible the child's voca-
bulary should be that of the first
reader to be used. CAT the same time
that we teach child to read, we
should teach him to love and desire
that which is good to read. His
power to read should be gate open
ing into fair, fruitful fields, not into
treacherous and poisonous swamps
So great is the good, SO fearful the
evil, that may come to child through
his added power. it behooves us to
spare no pains to make this power
work for righteousness, truth and
beauty"
SPELLING.
Toward the close OF the first years
work, written and oral spelling may
be introduced. Written spelling is
the more important as it is necessary