SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS

The purpose of a First Reader should be to give a reading vocabulary, and to present as soon as possible reading that will interest rather than inform the child. What may be termed informational lessons are out of place. The child should learn to read and not read to learn. Such is the aim of this little book.

Most teachers of young children have experienced a difficulty in eliciting from the child such complete sentences as "I have a fan" or "I see a box," when the object is put into his hands or the picture of the object is shown and he is asked, "What have you?" or "What do you see?" Before children have been taught to give complete sentences, they answer such questions in phrases, as "the fan" or "the box." The complete sentence is what the teacher wishes him to speak before it is written on the board. If the child's natural inclination to act and to imitate is called into play at this stage, no such difficulty will arise. The first sentence given him should be a command or request calling for an act which he can perform.

THE FIRST LESSON.-The teacher, having placed a fan and a box within sight and easy reach of the class, teils them that all who can do what she is going to ask may raise their hands. She then speaks in natural tones the sentence "Get the fan."

The child, indicated to perform the act, gets the fan. It is replaced. Another child is told to say exactly what the teacher has said and the command is again obeyed by another

"the

member of the class. When this has been repeated, chalk says it"; that is, the teacher writes it on the board, telling the children to do what the chalk asks them to do. Knowing that the "chalk is to say " exactly what the teacher has said, they associate the written form of the words with the act, just as they did the spoken words.

When the sentences have been written and acted several times, the children should find and point out the word that says "fan," the word that says "get" and the phrase, "the fan.'

OTHER ACTION LESSONS.-In a lesson like the one on page 12, which begins with the command "Run," the teacher, having privately instructed one child in what he is to do, writes on the board the word "Run," telling the class that the boy selected will do just "what the chalk tells him to do." The class see the word "Run," they see the act, they associate the two and thus learn the word.

In still another way the action lessons may be given. The new words may be taught at the beginning of the lesson just as new words are taught in ordinary lessons. The books are then opened and the sentences containing the new words are read silently. The children indicate by raising their hands that one sentence has been mastered. One (or more) of the class is selected to perform the act indicated in the sentence until the entire lesson is mastered and acted.

It will be noticed that each "Silent Reading" lesson is the logical sequence of the preceding "Action Sentences" lesson. Thus the pupil reads about the actions which he has performed.

PHONICS.-At first the child is not ready for written analysis of words, but oral exercises in phonics should follow the first lesson. The teacher tells the children to listen, and that those who understand her when she speaks slowly may either do what she asks or raise their hands to show that they understand. She then speaks such sentences as, "Put on your hat," "Touch your lip." She should bring in the sentences, "Get the fan," "Get the box."

This training of the ear to recognize the sound of letters should be followed by blackboard exercises for training the eye to recognize the characters that represent these sounds; for example, f-an, f-in, f-un. Teachers differ as to the best time for beginning these exercises in written analysis of words, and for teaching the alphabet. Neither should be delayed very long.

The first written exercises in phonics should be with many words containing the same sound. A thorough drill upon the

short vowels should be given first.

By some such device as the one given below the teacher is enabled to give rapidly on the board a large number of words for phonic drills:

After a thorough drill on the short vowels, the long vowels can easily be taught by showing that the addition of final e changes the short vowel sound to that of the long vowel.