The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-26
developing our boys and girls mentally,
physically and morally into ideal Amer
lean citizens.''
HOW TO TEACH ENGLISH
Conference Of Teachers on an Import
ant Subject,

o4Ao ouUJOS0s
A reduction both in the amount of
technical grammar and the time de-
voted to its study in the seventh and
eighth grades, was heartily approved
today. by the. conference on English
teaching; called by the committee on
English teaching appointed by the
year ago. The committee will report
Friday afternoon or Saturday.
r.. Watson Cooper of Hamline uni
versit5y, chairman of the committee,
read the suggestions which the commit
tee will make regarding the teaching
of grammar in seventh and eighth
grade schools. The committee believes
that too much technical grammar is
taught in those grades, resulting merely
in the pupil IS increased reliance upon
teacher and parents. The grammar
taught, they believe, should be rudi-
men|tary and suited to the child s I'm
derstanding.
The committee will recommend that
dYced by at least one-fourth. In place
OF the five periods devoted to its study
IN the seventh grade, the committee
would give two, letting the study of
literature occupy the other three: in
the eighth grade !, the, same amount of
time would be given. The committee
in the course Of study would include
the most fundamental principles: lead
ing to the complete mastery Of ordinary
English. sentences, emitting the person
and gender of nouns, the old, new, reg
ular or Irregular classification of verbs,
the extremely difficult verbal phrases,
emitting also. the classification Of ad-
verbs and adjectives- and instead plac-
ing more emphasis on the correct com
parison Of them, and emitting alto
gether the classification Of the preposi-
ton and conjunction. -. -
Shouldn't '*Load Up.''
w. F. Webster of the East high
school, Minneapolis, spoke strongly In
favor of these suggestions. HThe basis
or teaching grammar :he said, "should
be what the pupil needs to know in
order to use English correctly, not what
ne might know for disciplinary train
ing: He receives enough. Of that. We
she qld not load up the grammar of the
early. grades with a lot of things which
sim ply. discourage him. Mr.. Webster
SAID his experience had shown it was
the fundamental things which were not
thoroly known, and he believed greater
stress should be laid on the classified
tlon Of sentences, with their subjects
and predicates and various compile
ments. The pupil need. know little
ABOUT mood, and phrasal moods he
would learn to use correctly thru his
work in composition.
~, Miss Isabel Lawrence Of the St.
Cloud normal outlined work for The
grades in literature, seeking in everv
case to, interest the student and de-
IHe enR the; sense and appreciation Of
growth,' said Miss Lawrence, Nand
q teacher should never pound the stu-
dent on the head with anything in
winch ne is not intensely interested. -
A Heated Debate.
What proportion Of time should be
schools and what to the study Of 1iteTa.
trre precipitated heated debate. G.
A. Smith Of Duluth asked how the stu.
dent whose schooling ends in the high
school,, as that Of so per cent of The
pupils does, was to become acquainted
with the worlds literature unless q
was under the inspiration Of the HIGH
school teacher. He believed that The
greater proportion, of time should be
given to. the study Of English models
because IN that way the student would
gain in his knowledge of literature as
well as acquire an ideal for his style.
Some teachers present recommended
tdally exercise {! in writing, and other
teachers felt it spelled death to instruc-
tors we are drinking in all the time
a a41 giving e. nothing; we try to develop
has any idea of:style, = it was asserted.
On one part those. who attended the
conference were agreed that now the
high school turns out students neither
familiar with literature nor able to
write credi tably, and that a. course pur-
sued only in the high school can never
The committee was asked to present
before the association at the time of
their report an outline Of an ideal
course in literature, and also course
IN composition, but the latter they will
be- unable to complete. -