IV (256). Dramatizing the Story

If the children have been allowed from the begin ning, as repeatedly directed, to assume more and more responsibility and to take the initiative increasingly in dramatizing, they should now be able to plan and carry out the dramatization of a simple story like this with very little help from the teacher. The preparation which the last lesson gave ought to enable them to try it with confidence.

To stimulate a little wholesome rivalry, divide your class into two groups. Let each group plan the dramatization, assigning parts. Every child can be used in some capacity, as soldier or wise man. When the groups are ready, let one after the other give the little play. Perhaps a few children will be reserved for an impartial audience, who will discuss, at the close, the relative merits of the two productions.

V (256). Oral Reproduction of the Story

Without further preparation the children should be able to tell this story. Work for brief, fluent, straightforward, thoughtful, expressive reproductions. A reproduction must not be allowed to degenerate into a mere test of memory, even largely word memory. A reproduction, like an original story, should be the result of active, discriminating thought appropriately expressed.

SUPPLEMENTARY WORK

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Supplementary Work

1. Tell the children the story below, The Two Doctors, which teaches the same lesson as The King's Dream. After a single telling let the children dramatize, if possible without aid or suggestion from you. Perhaps the same two groups that dramatized The King's Dream will take charge of this dramatization in rivalry.

THE TWO DOCTORS

Once upon a time a king was ill. He sent for the wisest two doctors in the land. They felt his pulse and looked at his tongue. Then the first doctor spoke.

"O king," he said, "you do not exercise enough. You should give up your carriage and walk, and you should play games or work every day."

"What!" cried the angry king, "give up my carriage! Walk! Play games! Work! I will have none of your advice! Leave my court at once, and be thankful you take your head with you !"

The second doctor said: "Your case is a very strange one, O king. Let me study it until to-morrow. Then I will tell you what must be done."

Next day the doctor returned. He gave the king a silver cup, a spade with a golden handle, and a ball.

"O king," he said, “a mile from your palace is a spring of magic water. Every morning before breakfast walk to this spring and fill the silver cup from its waters and drink. The magic water will soon make you well again.

"After breakfast take this magic spade and dig for one hour in the fairy glen back of your palace garden. If you will do this for one year, you will become very rich.

"In the afternoon take the ball I have given you (it is stuffed with magic medicine) into the court and toss it one hundred times

to one of your little pages. If you will do this, you will live for many years."

"You are indeed a wise doctor," cried the king. "I will do all you say, for you have promised me health, wealth, and long life. As a small reward for your good advice, I will make you my doctor for life and pay you a thousand pieces of gold every year.”

2. Have the children reproduce the story, The Two Doctors.

3.

Let the children dramatize The Two Doctors. They should need little or no aid.

VI (257). Dates

Study the questions about the dates with the children. Make sure that every child understands what the numbers mean, the number immediately after the name of the month and the number of the year.

As the pupils write their own dates, inspect their work, and have them correct any errors at once. Let them give reasons for any changes that they have to make.

VII (258). Writing Dates from Dictation

Have the children write several dates from dictation, one or more in each month. Let them correct their work at the time. Few mistakes should be made.

This lesson is in preparation for letter writing.

HOW TO WRITE A LETTER

VIII (258). How to Write a Letter

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Before taking up this lesson with the children, read the two following lessons in the pupils' book and in this Manual, so that you may understand the full plan of these first lessons in letter writing. Perhaps a word of explanation will help you to appreciate this plan still more, and so to carry it out more effectively.

The first purpose—as in all language work—is to arouse the pupils' interest, to stimulate their thought about things that they know and like, to make expression seem natural, desirable, and useful. Hence the story involving a real child's letter, expressed in a child's language, and with childish enthusiasm, and filled with things that interest all children. The letter is, of course, correct in form, but the content — as in every letter worth while — is more important than the form. The letter requires, suggests an answer. Children feel at once that they can, and so they want to reply to it. In doing so they observe the form, not as the main purpose of the letter, but merely as the form that a good letter should have. In this way they are learning at the outset the proper relation of form and content. They are learning correct form much more surely and easily than they could if their attention were mainly directed to this, as is almost inevitably the case when classic letters of well-known authors are

used as models.

The content of such letters, written to or for children, not by them, is usually unreal, unchildlike, lacking in power to arouse children's interests and to stimulate their imagination. Hence, the form receives undue emphasis, and children conceive a distaste for letter writing.

Read the story with the children and take up with them the study of the letter, following the questions and explanations given in their book.

The address on the form of the envelope given in the pupils' book (p. 258) is a type that the pupils may copy. Study it with them, having them note the four periods, the only marks used, all indicating abbreviations.

The two forms of headings (p. 261) should also be carefully studied with the pupils. Lead them to notice all the marks of punctuation and to see the reasons for each.

(FORM I.) There is a comma to separate the name of the town from the name of the state, and another comma to separate the whole address from the date. There are periods after N. J. because N. J. is the abbreviation for New Jersey.

The writing of dates the children have already learned.

All words in the heading begin with capitals; they are all names.

(FORM II.) This is the same as Form I except the first and additional line. The comma separates