A Word formed.

If this is found to be enough for one lesson, when the course is resumed, the exercises on a should be reviewed. The teacher will then proceed with another letter in a similar manner, taking one that, with the preceding, will make a duo-literal word. Suppose it is t. The letters are placed together.

you

Teacher. "You see I have put together the two letters you have learned, and they make a word; would n't like to read the word? Hear me say the sounds, and see if you can tell what the word is. I will give them slowly, -a, t. Can you tell the word?"

After several repetitions, perhaps some one will combine them and say, “at.”

Teacher. "Yes, at; that is right. Now you have read a word. You often use the word. I am at the desk; you are at school. Say, 'We are at school.' I will write both letters on the board. I begin thus, and make the first; and then you see how I make the other, and cross it thus. You may take your slates, and make them.”

Now the reading lesson is changed for writing or printing. This having been pursued long enough, the alphabet chart is suspended before the class, and the pupils requested to see if they can find the word. The first who raises his hand is allowed to come out and point to it.

If any time is allowed to elapse before presenting another letter, these steps should be reviewed. The next letter to be learned should be one which,

.

Further Illustrations.

with at, will form another word. Let it be r. The same course as before is pursued. First, the attention is called to the form. Next, the sound is learned. Then, it is written, exercising the conception and imitation, and fixing the form in the memory. The three letters are then placed in order, to

form the word rat.

Teacher. "You see the three letters you have learned. They make another word. Hear me give the sounds, and then see if you can tell the word; r-a-t. You may give the sounds after me."

If this process is well managed, some one will catch the word. Now, as many individuals as possible should be called upon to repeat the sounds, while pointing to the letters, and then pronounce the word. It is then written as before. This might be followed by some simple story read or related about the rat. Then the pupils might be asked to tell anything they know of the rat. The same process as before with the charts. Keep in mind the maxims, one short step at a views, vigorous exercise of the mind during the lesson.

time, constant re

In the same way make the words, bat, cat, fat, hat, mat, sat, vat.

The letter n might come next. This, placed after a, will give the word an. Then m, which placed before makes man. And so make tan, ran, fan, pan, can. For the next vowel, take i, with n making in. Then as before form pin, bin, din, fin, sin, win.

The same Plan continued.

Thus proceeding, go through the first reading chart, always using every word learned in oral sentences, and training the class to make them for themselves.

The same general plan may be continued as the pupils progress. Suppose you have a class reading in short and simple sentences; as, The dog ran after the fox. Ask them questions like the following: Why did the dog run after the fox? Which has the most legs, a dog or a fox? Which do you think can run the fastest? What do we call all animals that have four legs?

Which do you

think can run fastest, a man or a dog? For what is a dog useful? How many kinds of dogs do you know of? You say one kind is called a NewfoundOf what use are foxes? Of What is the difference between

land dog,-why?

what use are dogs?

a wild animal and a domestic animal?

the dog? Which the fox? etc.

Which is

It often happens that children acquire drawling habits and unnatural tones in reading. See to it that your pupils do not err in these particulars. Bad habits of pronunciation, intonation, or enunciation, formed at the outset, will, if indulged, soon become confirmed and disagreeable. A wrong intonation or inflection may sometimes be rectified by requiring the pupil to close his book, and to repeat the phrase or sentence after you, being careful yourself to give a natural and correct expression and tone.

After he has done this three or four times,

Make Lessons Interesting.

let him open his book and read the same again. If the first trial does not prove effectual, make another attempt, and continue until the error is fully eradicated.

I would urge that you strive to make every exercise interesting and instructive. This you may do by asking numerous questions. See to it that every word and expression is comprehended clearly. It will be well frequently to require all the members of the class to read, in turn, the same sentence, paragraph, or stanza, making the performance of each a subject of pleasant criticism. Your own active and ready mind will see to what extent this course may be pursued, and its advantages will be obvious to you. Always make your criticisms in that pleasant spirit which will not discourage, but rather lure them to renewed and more careful effort.

The hints I have given are mainly for beginners. I will now pass to offer some suggestions in reference to the more advanced classes. And here I may advise, that you take special care to cultivate a correct taste. Unless you can lead your pupils to appreciate the difference between good reading and that which is faulty, they will not be apt to make improvement. Make them understand that the mere calling of words does no more to constitute correct reading, than the mere daubing a canvas with paint constitutes a finished and lifelike picture. What the variations and shades are to the true beauty of the picture, such are inflections, emphasis, accent, etc. to good reading; and it would

Cultivate a Correct Taste.

be just as sensible to hope to represent a beautiful landscape by a single color, uniformly applied, as to produce good reading with a monotonous, unchanging tone of voice. It will be well for you, occasionally, to read a stanza or sentence in different styles, each, perhaps, exemplifying some common error, — and call upon your pupils to designate such faults as they may notice. If you can only succeed in arousing a critical spirit, and leading them to discriminate, the remainder of the work will be comparatively trifling.

If a pupil reads too rapidly, too low, too indistinctly, too monotonously, or in any way faulty, call upon others in the class to read the same passage, and read it yourself, — and again call upon the first one to make another attempt. It is not enough to say to a pupil, "You read too fast, or too low, or gave the wrong emphasis." If there was some prominent defect, not only cause it to be seen, but corrected. Object not that it requires time. It will require more time, if you let these habits become confirmed. It is not how much nor how often your pupils read, but how they read, that is most important. It is better that they read once a week carefully and properly, than to read ten times a day in a heedless and improper manner. Every repetition of a bad habit or act only renders it the more difficult of correction. Just remember this in all your teaching.

I have before suggested the importance of making every reading exercise a subject for questioning and