66 THE WAY TO LEARN TO READ IS BY READING." C A COMPLETE COURSE IN READING PRIMER AND BY M. W. HAZEN, M.A. Words and Phrases from Pictures, Sounds FIRST READER: from Spoken Words, New Words from Sounds and by Sight, Letters from Observation, Script from Models. SECOND New Words from Sounds and by Sight, with meanings, Sentences from Words and Phrases, Picture Study to Cultivate Observation and Expression, Ideas, Grouping, Language Lessons. THIRD Power to gain Ideas from the printed page, to Read the Author's language naturally, and to give the sense clearly, either orally or in writing. Thought, Expression, Language. FOURTH AND A pleasant Introduction to the best Authors, FIFTH READERS: with many Notes, Exercises, Questions, etc., to lead to a Love and Knowledge of Literature. Charts, covering Picture Study and Sight Work, Drill on Sounds, Word-building, Phrase and Sentence-making, Correct Expression, Form, Emphasis, Inflection, Tone. OUTLINE OF THIS SECOND READER. GRADING.-In order to grade a series of Readers perfectly, three things are observed: I. The Vocabulary. This has a slightly different object in this Reader from that in the First. In the first book the Vocabulary was made up of the words which the children easily recognized when spoken, and its object was to familiarize the pupils with the printed (or written) form of these words, alone and in combination. The Vocabulary in the Second Reader continues this work, but aims also to increase the number of words in the child's vocabulary. Thus, words are selected that the pupil ought to know in order to express properly the ideas which he has. These words are so skillfully woven into the lessons as to guide the children both in knowing what they mean and in using them with such meaning. Proper grading, then, consists in using only such words as the child recognizes when spoken orally, or which represent ideas which the child has, but for the expression of which he has no vocabulary. It is believed that this has never been previously considered or secured. 2. The Lessons lead to a higher plane of thought and expression by easy steps. It is not education to tell a child only what he knows, nor to vulgarize the form of expression to the ordinary child's common usage. Each lesson in the successive Readers should add to the pupil's knowledge, and help him in its correct expression. Then he will ultimately have ideas and be able to express them correctly in simple, direct form, which is elegant, classical English. 3. The Development of each lesson is systematic, based on previous work, and calculated to give accurate knowledge and exact expression. Too many people in the world never see or know a thing exactly as it is, and few can tell it exactly as they know it. Accuracy, exactness, should never be left to chance or to mathematical training. From the beginning of the school-course to its end, one aim should be exactness both in thought and expression. LESSON PREPARATION.-This must not be overlooked. It includes: 1. A List of Words, which need attention for (a) their spelling (letters and sounds), (b) their meaning, (c) their pronunciation. 2. A Drill on the Lesson.-This covers (a) a study of the illustration; (b) the formation of words (by sounds-from two or more words iii by the use of a very few simple prefixes and suffixes); (c) copying titles, paragraphs, verses, etc. 3. Language Lessons.-These are found in each of the other exercises, but, in addition, include (a) grammatical forms, (plurals, parts of speech, etc.); (b) questions on the lessons and illustrations, to be answered orally or in writing, in complete sentences, either to get a changed verbform or to draw out the meaning of the lesson; (c) making sentences containing words, in order to explain their meaning; (d) punctuation. 4. Composition.—This is a continuation of the Language Lessons, and is used in its simplest forms, such as (a) filling in blanks, (b) giving the lesson from an outline, (c) telling a poem in prose form, (d) making an outline of a lesson. 5. Phonics.-The sounds are taught gradually from the tables, and are applied in the Lessons, while common errors are effectually guarded against. It has nothing 6. Grouping. By this is meant collecting in groups the expressions that are to be read as a single word. This was taught in the preceding books, and should be continued all through the course. to do with punctuation, but rests solely on the meaning. The pauses after these groups are called Rhetorical pauses. Next to knowing the meaning of a lesson, the most important thing in reading it well is the proper grouping. This brings out the emphasis, inflection, and tone; and the pause after each group enables one to look at the succeeding group before reading it. 7. Silent Reading. This is the key to all book-knowledge, as well as to proper oral reading. To read for ideas is the secret of rapid work in learning the Geography or History lesson, and, in fact, of nine tenths of all reading. Without it, oral reading is simply naming words, and must be too often senseless. Silent Reading to get the idea is therefore taught and insisted on from the first to the last book of this Series. 8. Matter.-Reading is first, but even that is better taught by selections in pure English covering information and ideas, and aiming at the highest mental and moral development of the pupils in the various branches of knowledge. Interest is gained by giving the child a sense of improvement and a feeling of added power. The selections cover a wide field of thought, and thus give variety to sustain and increase the interest, while leading the pupil to observe and to think about the common things around him. |