THE DAYS OF THE WEEK

II (144). Dictation, Studied and Unstudied

161

Without reviewing the questions on the last lesson or having pupils study it in any way, dictate the story as given below. The pupils should be acquiring power; this exercise will test them. As you will observe, the condensation of the story brings in some new sentences (unstudied dictation), while several are like the original (studied dictation). In dictation that has not been thoroughly studied, tell pupils when to begin a paragraph by saying, "Paragraph."

THE MAN IN THE MOON

A man was lifted to the sky for working on Sunday. He tried to enter the sun.

"Go away," said the sun. day. I will not have you here. The man entered the moon.

day.

"You have done wrong on my Go to the moon."

There he stands until this very

The story, as here abridged, is so short that it should be dictated and corrected in a single exercise. Observe directions already given for correcting (p. 48).

III (144). The Days of the Week; Origin of the Names; Abbreviations; Use of Capitals

Study this lesson with the children, giving as little direct help as possible, but making sure that every one studies actively and intelligently as the pupils' book directs. Look over with each child,

as he hands it to you, his written list of the names and abbreviations of the days of the week, so as to direct his attention to any errors that may have escaped him, and to secure his intelligent correction of these.

IV (146). Original Exercise Involving the Writing of the Days of the Week in Full and Abbreviated Read over the lesson with the children. To To prepare them for writing, as they are directed, have them tell interesting things that they did or that happened each day. Get them to make good, short, complete statements. Insist on things of real interest. Suggest that they tell of things that their father or mother, brother or sister, or a friend, if absent, would like to know, - things that the absent one would like to have written to him in a letter; or that they tell things that they would like to do again, or that they would like to have happen again.

If the entire exercise- the oral preparation, the writing and correcting — is likely to be too long for a single lesson period, take the full time of one period for the oral work and leave the written exercise with its correction for a second period. Have each pupil correct his own work under your direction. The correcting may begin as soon as the first sentences are written, the teacher passing about among the desks.

Do not tell a pupil what his mistake is, or what

A STORY FROM A RHYME

163

the correct form is; give him just enough suggestion so that he can find out for himself. If he has made a mistake in writing a day, such as forgetting the initial capital, or the period after the abbreviation, or misspelling, direct his attention to the word; if he fails to discover his mistake at once, let him look up the correct form in one of the type exercises in his book.

Supplementary Work

1. Pupils may repeat the written exercise of the lesson, each one choosing the form which he did. not choose in the regular exercise.

2. Let pupils copy or write from dictation the following rhyme:

V (147). A Story from a Rhyme; the Apostrophe to

Denote Possession

Read the story with the children.

Let them

study it aloud with you, so that you may see that they study it as directed in their book. Have them

study the quotations according to the form already given them. (Pupil's book, page 118. See also Manual, page 141.)

The subject of possessives will be taken up more fully in Section VII. What is said here about clock's will serve as a slight foretaste. The statement of the use of the apostrophe and the letter s, as formally given in the pupils' book (p. 152), should be carefully read at this time; the memorizing of it may be deferred until Section VII.

After the story has been studied as directed, have it told orally by several children.

Supplementary Work

1. Have pupils copy or write from dictation the story, The Mouse and the Clock.

2. Let pupils study the rhyme and then write it from memory.

Before a pupil begins either exercise he should have a definite purpose- the writing of the rhyme. or story correctly in all details, the use of capitals, punctuation and quotation marks, and spelling. It is not enough to assume that pupils know why they are required to do exercises like these. With this assumption on the part of the teacher, pupils will soon be doing what they are directed to do with no clearer or higher purpose than that of doing as they are told, which is the pupils' counterpart of the teacher's perfunctory assignment of exercises to fill,

SUPPLEMENTARY WORK

165

or "kill" time. Exercises which grow out of these vague, purposeless motives on the part of teacher and pupils only serve to develop and confirm all sorts of errors; their correction is only a further waste of time.

In every least exercise, whether regular or supplementary, have a definite, worthy purpose in giving that exercise, and make sure that your pupils know that purpose at the outset and that they keep it constantly and clearly before them throughout the exercise. When the exercise is completed it must be corrected by the pupil-with such suggestion and direction as may be necessary from the teacher - always under the guidance of the purpose with which it was written. Has that purpose been realized?

There is here a bit of simple but profoundly important pedagogy. Keen interest may be given to the dullest exercise by making of it a direct challenge to the power of the pupil. Here is something for you to do; these are the conditions. Can you do it? Now that you have tried it, let us see whether you have succeeded. In the instinctive response to a definite challenge lies the secret of much of the zest with which many games, puzzles, and physical exercises are pursued. Challenge your pupil effectively and he concentrates all his powers on the task you put before him and he perseveres until he comes off victor.