The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1906-07-26
EDUCATIONAL.
By w. E. LARSON.
Supplementary Reading and
Academic Dictionaries.

THE following article received from L. w
Wood, inspector Of country schools, states in a
very concise and forcible manner. what the
superintendent has strongly urged on different
occasions during the year The matter of
supplementary reading and more dictionaries
is of vital Importance to good work in our
schools. What we want is results and to get
them we must have the materials to work with
Let every school in the county work along this
line the coming year When teacher asks for
materials along this line, turn not from him
who asks.
The matter Of supplementary reading will he
discussed at our Teachers Institute this sum
mer. School Boards should see to 1t that their
teacher is present to receive the suggestions. |
COUNTRY SCHOOLS NEED BETTER
EQUIPMENT FOR READING AND
DICTIONARY WORK"
Reading is the most important branch taught
in the rural schools II reading is not well
taught no other branch can be taught as we'll
as it should be. fla pupil cannot read well he
cannot make good progress in arithmetic, his
tory constitution, or in fact in any other sub
Ject he may be pursuing Notwithstanding
the importance of reading, comparatively few
rural schools are equipped with the essential
working tools with which to teach it.
Itis the opinion of many high school principals
that pupils who come to the high schools from
the rural schools do not have IA large a
vocabulary at their command and do not read
rs well as those who enter the high schools
from the grades below them Undoubtedly
these defects in the work of the rural schools
are due in part at least to the fact that a large
majority OF these schools are supplied with but
one set OF readers and with but one dictionary.
If teacher has but one set of readers at her
command, one of two things is sure to happen,
either the pupils are passed on from the first
reader, for example, to the second reader be
fore they have thoroughly mastered the words
of the first reader and hence before they are
able to do more than stumble and blunder
along through it or they are kept in the first
reader until the pieces are learned by heart
and the pupils have become thoroughly tired
and sick of them In either case the effect upon
the pupils is to seriously retard their progress
and make reading burden rather than "A
pleasure rs 1t should be.
BY far the better usage and the one adopted
by all the best graded Sc hools in the state, is to
have the pupils read two even three primers
before the first reader is begun, several first
readers before the second is begun, several
second readers before the third reader Is begun,
and several third readers before the fourth
reader is begun, In this way the pupils come
in contact with the same words many times
thus giving repetition sufficient to fix them
thoroughly in mind while the recurrence of
the words in different pieces and therefore in
different relations, prevents the tiresome
monotony which always occurs when the same
pieces are read agaiu and again until they are
learned by heart In addition to extra set of
readers, our best graded schools have plenti-
ful supply Of complete selections from the very
best literature. for in the higher classes,
These selections can he obtained from various
publishing houses Mt slight expense and are
Indispensable to the proper teaching of read.
ing
One of the most important school habits that
Il child can form is the dictionary habit
that is, the habit of looking up carefully the
pronunciation and meaning of new words with
which he comes in contract from day to day.
1t is self evident that before such habit can
be formed, the child must know how to use the
dictionary for the purposes above stated Tests
made among country school pupils in various
parts OF the state. show conclusiyely that many
pupils in these schools are not receiving proper
instruction in the use of the dictionary. part
at least of this defect is due above stated to
the fact that large majority of rural schools
are supplied with but one dictionary. II seems
a. II even moments thought by any intelligent
person would convince him that one dictionary
does not meet the requirements of any school
Every school should be supplied with one copy
of Webster s International Dictionary and in
addition to this, copies Of Websters Academic
Dictionary. The number of copies needed
varies from four to IA dozen according to the
size of the school. These academic dictionaries
are small books and should he placed upon the
desks of the older pupils where they can be
used to great advantage In the preparation of
their daily lessons. The entire cost for proper
II equpping an average school with the neces
sary supplementary readers and II sufficient
number Of academic dictionaries will not he
more than fifteen or twenty dollars and it is
my opinion that no district could invest this
amount Of money in such a way rs to result in
more good to the school.
If requested to do so county superintendents
will gladly give to school boards definite in
formation to what supplementary reading
should De used where it can DE obtained and
at what prices,
l.. w WOOD.