The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-05-14
EDUCATIONAL COLUMN.

|
| reading is contributed by a teacher OF
experience and thorough training and
who has been particularly successful
in teaching this branch. 1t will in.
terest teachers, parents, and directors,
inasmuch as it gives some reasons
| why the child should not be urged
| forward too rapidly and clearly shows
the advantage of having plenty of sup
| Elementary reading:
READING.
| This is perhaps the most neglected
study in many of our schools, not be-
cause teachers do not realize its i'm
portance, but because there are so
many demands upon both teacher and
pupil that something must be left un-
| done. But how can our children do
good work in advanced grades if they
can not read understandingly?
Another fruitful cause of poor read
ers and the one perhaps most easily
corrected is the use of reading books
too far advanced. The class have per.
haps read the regular second reader
and the third reader and must, there
fore, read now in the fourth, although
still in the third or fourth grade If
they have finished thoroughly the reg
ular second reader it is not advisable
to keep them longer in that book but
get another second reader, and often
when that is finished, vet another.
The class can easily finish an ordinary
second or third reader in one term but
a year in one grade is certainly not
too long with variety of work To
obtain good results in reading we
must gain the children's interest :;
then, if the story is within their COM
prehension, we can usually secure at
least fair reading, but if the pupils
are in books too far advanced the
whole attention must necessarily be
concentrated on the pronunciation of
the words and no thought can be
given to the authors meaning Every
word should be thoroughly known
both as to Pronunciation and meaning
before oral reading.
Then in this connection would
properly come the teaching at least of
enough of the sounds and marks of
the letters so that the children can
pronounce the new words from the
dictionary, and in this, as in all other
subjects, teach the child to be indie
pendent.
Sometimes in place of the regular
lesson give something in the line of
after school and spend the reading
period in letting the children read at
sight something interesting Then,
if possible, have the pupils tell the
story, and occasionally this might be
the preparation of their language les
son as well, having them write the
story as we'll as they can remember it.
Most children need drilling in this
and If the y can get the idea and tell
story nicely in the lower grades we
will have classes that can recite top
ically in the higher grades-and not
only that, but whose reading will
amount to something in later life. In
reading as well as in other studies we
should remember Whites instructions
given i'll his pedagogy: "The recita-
ton is the pupils time to talk" the
teacher, then, should simply give the
child needed instruction.
In connection with the story of the
lesson we locate on the chart or map
any country or city mentioned, the
children having already found them
in their Biographies in the prepare
tion of the lesson. If we have already
studied about the place we spend a
few minutes reviewing the facts so
as to associate the story with what is
already learned. This helps greatly
in geography. For instance, when
we We're reading the story of the stork
and its home, in Baldwin's Third
Reader we turned to our maps and
found Egypt and the Nile river and
when we came to study Egypt III our
biographies later in the term the
children were all interested in the
country where the stork lives.
OF course we study the principal
authors, especially their childhood.
The children are more interested in
and remember an author better if we
can find some interesting story about
him when he was somewhere near
their own age. If, at the close of the
year, our classes can stand the test
ciples of Education,
ITO pronounce distinctly all words
so as to be heard,
To emphasize all words so as to be
understood,
To express the thought clearly so as
to be felt, and to attain clearness
of expressing thought by separating
and contrasting ideas,
We may feel that our work has not
been entirely in vain.
hONO lOLAND EO " llAhl IlEo'
The class in geography in one of
the Brooklyn schools was being ex-
amined the other day when the teach
er asked: "What are some of the
natural peculiarities of Long Island %
The class INDUCED in some heavy
thinking but none responded. Sud
| denly a fat boy with red face who
had been shifting uneasily about in
his seat received an inspiration.
81 know" he exclaimed, raising
his hand.
"Well, what are they?" encouraged
the teacher.
why" said the fat boy, with a
triumphant look around, ION the
south side you see the sea and on the
north side you hear the sound. -
| He was moved uD to the head of the