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EACHERS who organized the Language League last month have discovered by this time that it is a very efficient help, by the aid of which they can accomplish better results than they had deemed possible. Do not forget, however, that the banners and stars are rewards for faithful work, symbols of struggle and attainment. They lose their efficacy and become hated if they are used as a sort of sword, hanging over the pupils' heads. The teacher who is foolish enough to say, "We've been in school ten days and you have only had a good record in spelling for three days, so at this rate it will be a long time before you earn a silver star," is throwing class enthusiasm to the winds. She is spoiling what might have given herself and her pupils the greatest aid and pleasure. Far wiser is the teacher who, confronted by similar discouraging conditions, still says cheerily, "Just think, children, we are three days nearer our first silver star! brightly it will shine out against the crimson banner! take another step to-morrow."

How

Let's

Make the children realize how proud you are that they are trying. Have the pledge of membership recited frequently and enthusiastically, and help the youngest boy or girl to feel, as a little Hungarian boy in New Brunswick expressed it, that "the English language is the one I ought to love best and speak best, because it goes with the Star Spangled Banner.

In this article we shall suggest a few practical plans for classroom work in connection with the Language League. Try the plans, if you get an opportunity. Report on their success or failure. If you know something better to do, with the same purpose in view, tell us about it.

Spelling

Emblem The Crimson Flag of Courage, Endeavor and Mastery

In the first grade it will, of course, be impossible to have any formal spelling as yet. In the second grade the work in spelling will, of course, be largely phonetic and exceedingly simple. Even here it is, however, very easy to create interest by means of spelling games, provided the teacher keeps her own interest keen. As soon as the pupils are able to write let several of them go to the blackboard. Put an easy word like "day" at the top of each space. Let them see who can make the longest list of rhyme words in a given time. The pupils at their seats may watch, and take the places of those who make a mistake, if they can detect and correct the error.

Be sure the letters are large, so that the children use a free arm movement. Do not let them spend more than five or ten minutes a day on a written spelling lesson of this type. Let them build words with their letter boxes at their seats. Print large letters on heavy manila or white construction paper, using sheets that are at least 6 by 9 inches. Punch a hole in each of the top corners of each sheet of paper and pass a loop of cord through both holes, so that the card may be hung around the neck of some child. In making the letters it is well to have at least two e's, two i's, two o's, and, in fact, two of each of the most common vowels and consonants. From these

cards let the children form "living" words. Choose action words at first. After all the letters have been distributed the teacher may call "hop," for instance. The pupils who have the letters h-o-p at once come to the front of the room, stand in the proper order, then illustrate the word in pantomime. From time to time ask the pupils

to suggest other words of a similar character to be written on the board, "sorted out," and given in pantomime.

In the third and fourth grades divide the class into two companies, calling them Company One and Company Two. Put the Letter B on the blackboard and let each company take turns in giving a word beginning with that letter. As the words are given the teacher should write the list on the board, placing each under the proper heading, Company One or Two, as the case may be. The object of the game is to see which company can make the longer list. No word may be used twice. There must be no waiting. Keep the contest lively. It is surprising how much fun is possible, and how many words may be learned unconsciously through this method.

Other consonants may be used as initial letters.

In the first article in this series reference was made to the fact that each teacher, in order to do the most successIf you are working with pupils who habitually say, "I ful work, must analyze the conditions in her own class. certainly need not spend time in playing language games, saw," and "I did,' when those forms are correct, you giving sentences, etc., for the purpose of making those expressions familiar. Experiment with "have seen" and "have done" to make sure they are as well understood. By every means in your power, through free conversation, descriptions of pictures, the playing of games, reproduction stories, incidents of home or school life, etc., get the boys and girls to talk. You will thus be able to find the weak places in their use of English and can then be able to help intelligently.

One of the greatest aids you can summon to your assist. ance for this purpose is the dramatic instinct which is so keen in pupils of primary age.

The accompanying illustrations show some ways in which this interest has been utilized in the New Brunswick

schools. The boys and girls delight both in arranging these "story pictures" as they call them, and in guessing what the actors had in mind.

Sometimes the scenes are arranged with no stage accessories. At other times the participants are given the high privilege of bringing some desired object to school to aid in making the thought a little clearer or more picturesque.

Illustration No. 1 shows two fourth-year girls standing in front of their classroom. Some of the explanatory guesses made by the observers are given below.

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Mary and Jessie stood close together. They put their arms around each other. Mary touched Jessie's gold locket, as if she were saying, "Where did you get it?" Jessie looked pleased.

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One day Jessie and Mary met each other on the street. Jessie had a new locket. Mary asked, "Who gave you

Florence and Frances were sisters. They were going to visit their grandmother. I think she must have lived far away, for Florence carried a big suitcase. Their mother said they could go if they were very good in school. Frances wanted to carry the suitcase, but Florence said, "No, no! I will carry it first."

Sometimes the children choose to give little dialogues instead of silently posing. Illustration No. 3 shows two of the same children meeting a boy. The beginning of the simple dialogue follows:

John

No 2

Where are you going, Florence and Frances? Florence We are going to our grandma's house. John Where does she live? Frances She lives in Newark. Jchn Are you going to walk?

Florence Oh, no! it is too far to walk. We shall go on a railroad train.

Show Illustration No. 4 to your pupils. Ask them to guess what has happened. Let the class vote on the best explanation. If they are fourth-year children let the best story be copied and send it in.

Historical incidents may be pictured or put into dialogue form in the third and fourth grades. Keep the dialogues brief. Have the scenes very simple. The pupils will love the work. În first and second year

No. 5

grades children like to hold

some article in their hands while they "tell a story." In Illustration No. 5 you see a five-year-old laddie. Here is his story, told with pride and pleasure:

This is my own pink ge ranium. My mother bought it for me at Easter. Every day I water it. I keep it in a sunny place. It likes sunshine. It likes water, for it gets thirsty just like me. Whenever a flower comes on it I give the flower to somebody I like.

Sometimes the little stories contain moral lessons couched so plainly that he who runs may indeed read. For instance, one teacher was considerably amused when a small boy asked to tell a story about something he did have. "Well," said the teacher, "we have had a rule that our boys

May had a birthday. John was her brother. He saved his money and bought a nice doll for her. When her birthday came he gave it to her. May said, "Oh, what a beautiful doll!"

Show the children Illustration No. 7. Let them tell a story about it. What is the matter with the little girl who is sitting down? Is she cross or has she a toothache? Is she sorry or angry? What has happened? What are the other children saying? What will the first little girl do? Send us the best story.

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For a language game this month write or print the present tense of many familiar verbs on slips of manila cardboard or heavy white construction paper. The lips should be

No. 4

about 9 by 3 inches, and the lettering should be large enough to be seen from any part of the room. Do not select all irregular verbs, but put in a good percentage of those.

In the lower grades play the game by showing one card after the other, having each child in turn read the word, pantomime it, and then tell what he did. For example, show the word "kneel." The pupil should say, "Kneel, then illustrate the action, then add, "I knelt." Let all the rows play against one another, to see which can make the best record as to the correct form.

In the fourth grade, and even in grammar grades, pupils get much pleasure and derive much benefit from playing should be divided into two sections. The first player in the game in contest form. If played in this way the class Company One should ask of the first player in Company Two, "Did you see the book?" or any other question containing the word on the first card shown by the teacher. The first player in Company Two must give the correct answer, by saying, "No, I did not see the book. Frank

saw the book," using the past tense of the verb shown, and giving the expression just as it was worded by the questioner.

QUERIES

Then lead the children to talk about Tom or Laura and the beautiful treasure he or she is holding. Write the story on the board as it comes fresh from the minds of the eager watchers. Have it hektographed or copied and let the children carry it home. They may never study the

There are so many charming readers in the market today, that no teacher should find a dearth of material. If you haven't as many supplemental readers as you should have, don't be discouraged. The best-because they are the most vital and personal-reading-lessons you can possibly teach your class are the ones the boys and girls "make up" right there in the classroom.

Do you want a nature story about autumn leaves? Can't you find just what you want in the books provided for your use? Never mind! Give one gay leaf or an armful off the brilliant autumn foliage to some boy or girl in the class. Let the pupil stand at the front of the room.

aloud again and again the story of their classmates and the objects they have held before the class. If you doubt the truth of this assertion, try the experiment and be convinced.

Use some of the dialogues and story pictures in the same way. It is amazing what aid a personal interest in the actors will give in the mastery of new words. And the home interest and co-operation thus aroused are of incalculable value.

Show the class Illustration No. 8. In the first and second grades let the children in your class arrange a similar picture. Let them make up a simple dialogue after their own fashion. Send in the dialogue if it seems that the pupils got into the spirit of the scene.

tell a story about it, or use it in any other way which seems In third and fourth grades let them describe the picture, likely to be helpful.

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HE purpose of this lesson is to arouse interest in the history of our locality and to give the basis for an oral and a written composition exercise. As the school in which the lesson was given is situated in a beautiful surburban town near Philadelphia, we took for the subject of the lesson "Historic Philadelphia." Any locality has enough places of beauty and interest to make it possible for the same plan to be carried out.

Three weeks before the day on which the first part of the lesson was given a list of the historic places was made by the pupils and divided among them. As it was not advisable at this time to visit in a body, individual pupils or groups of pupils were assigned visiting points. The places selected were William Penn's House, Independence Hall and Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross House, Carpenters' Hall, Old Swedes' Church, Christ Church, and the grave of Benjamin Franklin. The pupils were instructed to take notes on what they saw and to read all available material on the subject. A list of reference books in the public library was posted in a convenient place in the classroom. Part I of the lesson consisted in the teacher's helping the pupils to arrange their notes in an outline from. which they might talk and write from them later. The value of a good outline was here shown.

Part II proved to be intensely interesting. Two of the girls had prepared the program, and, in order that the social side of school life might be emphasized, a class from an adjoining room was invited to be present. A formal invitation had been written by one of the girls and carried to the next room by one of the boys. Another boy acted as chairman, the teacher taking her place among the pupils.

"America's Creed" was given by the class in concert. The "talks" then followed, each pupil speaking from the front of the room and displaying a picture of the place he was describing. Speaker Number One gave a brief account of William Penn and the founding of Philadelphia. The other speeches followed as they were called for by the chairman. It had not been convenient for all pupils to visit; nevertheless, these children had a part in the exercise. One of them recited "Liberty Bell" and the other James Whitcomb Riley's "Old Glory."

On the following day, before the interest had time to subside, Part III of the lesson was given.

This consisted in each pupil's writing out his talk in composition form. Paper of uniform size, 8 x 103, was used and each composition was illustrated with a picture of the place described. A cover of gray construction paper was made with the title, "Historic Philadelphia,' neatly printed upon it. The cover and compositions were then put together and fastened at the top with brass fasteners. The booklet was added to the permanent exhibit which the English class is making.

An exercise of this kind requires careful planning and considerable effort on the part of both teacher and pupils, but the training in observation, research work, and oral composition more than pays for the labor involved.

At each of our lessons we aim to have something that is a little different from the others. Sometimes another class is invited or a souvenir is given. An exhibit of curios has been held. Topics for studies are plentiful and the ingenious will have no trouble in finding them.