SUPPLEMENTARY WORK

199

giving him a cloak that will make him invisible, so that if he opens the wrong door the inmates cannot harm him; (b) by giving him a magic glass with which he can see through wood and stone; (c) by giving him a musical instrument, the tones of which will cause a deep sleep to fall on all who hear it; (d) by teaching him some magic word by which he can turn anything or anybody to stone; (e) by giving him a charm that will make every creature love him.

Study questions under (2) with the children. Who shut the princess in the castle? Why? (An ogre who ruled in her father's place and wanted her out of the way? A witch who had not been invited to the christening of the princess and sought to be revenged? Her father who wanted to make sure she would marry a man who was brave and kind, for the prince who succeeded by his own powers must be brave, and only he who was kind and good could have the help of the fairies? A fairy, to punish the princess for her pride or unkindness to insects and beasts?)

Help the children to make a complete story.

Supplementary Work

Have children write the princess's story. It might begin something like this:

I am the princess Maydew. For many years I was shut up in a palace by I was told that there I must stay until a prince opened the door and set me free. To make his task as hard as possible (the three rooms with similar locks).

(Vivid description of her feelings as prince after prince tried.) (The coming of the right prince.)

XI (191). More Picture Stories

(The chained prisoners, p. 192)

Let the children think out the ideas for their stories alone by studying the picture and answering to themselves the questions under (1). When they have done this and before they write their stories, talk their ideas over with them, helping them to arrange them in good story form. Let this be done in such a way that each child will understand that it is his own ideas that he is to put into story form, not the ideas of other children. The success with which you handle this rather difficult matter will be shown in the variety and originality of the written stories.

XII (193). A Poem to Read and Study

Before taking up the study of this poem with the children, make yourself thoroughly familiar with the suggestions for its study given in the pupils' book. In preparation for reading the poem to the children, which should be the beginning of its study with them, practice reading it until you can bring out with your voice all the beauty and meaning of it. Suitably rendered, there is nothing in it difficult for children to understand and appreciate.

If at the end of the study the children have not clear mental pictures of the various scenes described and suggested in the poem, if they are not filled

MEMORIZING A POEM

201

with the beauty and the rhythm of the poetry, then the study has not been a success. Find out why it failed; you will certainly not find the cause of the failure in the incapacity or irresponsiveness of the children.

XIII (198). Copying the Poem, "Little Blue Pigeon

Before having the poem copied go over it with the children, studying with them the use of each dash as their book directs.

Pupils should be trained to be observant and critical, to notice and seek an explanation for every mark new to them. To satisfy this demand we give them this simple explanation of the use of the dash in this place. It is quite unnecessary and would be confusing to the children to try to teach them all the uses of the dash at this time. Other uses of the dash will be explained as their work calls for these uses.

Pass from desk to desk to see if pupils are correcting their own work as their book directs. Make constant effort to get them into the habit of selfcorrection; it is a most important habit for them to form.

XIV (199). Memorizing the Poem, “Little Blue Pigeon”

After the pupils have been given a few minutes in which to study the stanzas they may select to learn, call on them to recite their stanzas. Call for

the stanzas in order. Who has learned the first stanza? If no one has memorized this stanza, read it to the children. Call for each succeeding stanza, reading any that no one has memorized so as to keep the complete poem in the children's minds. Hearing the different stanzas recited or read repeatedly, most of the children will soon be able, with little or no further conscious study, to repeat the whole poem. All should learn it entire, studying wherever and as much as necessary. (For further directions and suggestions regarding the memorizing of poetry, see pages 86 and 137.)

Insist that the meaning and the beauty of the stanzas be brought out as fully as possible at every repetition; there is no value in merely repeating the words.

Keep all poems memorized fresh in pupils' minds by occasional repetition. In a few odd moments from time to time-moments which might otherwise be wasted-several pupils can repeat the poems that they like best.

CHAPTER NINE

BEFORE taking up this chapter with the children study it thoroughly to appreciate the way in which all the main ideas of previous chapters are further developed, and the forms already learned are kept in constant review through use.

The new work presented is as follows:

1. Exclamations and the use of the exclamation mark. 2. The use of the comma with a noun of direct address. 3. The names of the months, their origin and meaning; learning to write them in full and abbreviated.

4. The writing of dates.

5. The writing of the names of holidays.

I (200).

"What Frightened the Animals.”—The Use of the Exclamation Mark; the Use of the Comma with Noun of Direct Address

First read the story with the children. Let it be read so well that the children can readily understand what is meant when their book tells them (p. 204) that "an exclamation mark is placed after every sentence expressing sudden strong feeling.”

The story contains two new forms of punctuation that must stand as types to the pupils: (1) the use of commas to separate the name of the person ad