D. A course in American literature. (One term.)—Continued. The course should be taught historically by means of lectures, class study of the most important authors, and much collateral reading in America's literary product. Poetry. Poems for study should be those not usually read in the grammar schools, unless the well known have a content of growing interest. Examples: Longfellow's Keramos, Amalfi, Morituri Salutamus; Lowell's Commemoration Ode; Emerson's Each and All. The short story. Develop (1) the characteristics of a successful story; (2) the differences between this and a novel; (3) the various types of short stories; (4) some definite standards of judgment for future use. The essay. Read mainly to stimulate thought on life. Make the collateral reading an important part of this course. Have outside reading done on each author studied and on others for whom there is not time for class work. Help toward intelligent, appreciative reading by assigning special topics on the literature read. Occasional recitation periods should be given to oral reports. Have occasional oral readings from authors not studied in class, especially the best of the later poets. Put early into the hands of students a classified list of the best American authors, including those of to-day. In every possible way the desire to read should be stimulated. Sufficient material for such a course may be found in the leaflets of the Riverside Literature Series, but the work will be richer if these are supplemented by a well-equipped school library. X. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON ORAL EXPRESSION. I. THE GENERAL PURPOSE. The general purpose of teaching oral expression in the schools is to make possible in the lives of the people an accurate, forceful, living speech which shall be adequate for ordinary intercourse and capable of expressing the thoughts and emotions of men and women in other relations of life. Recognizing the fact that the impulses to converse, to sing, to narrate, to picture, and to portray (mimic and dramatize) are racial traits of long standing, and that the ability to be effective and interesting in these forms of expression is of enduring social importance, it becomes the task of the teacher to provide incentive and occasion for the normal exercise of these impulses, and to free the channels of expression by establishing right habits of thought and by developing the organs of speech. It is likewise natural for man to enjoy in others excellence and skill in speech and portrayal, while the cultivation of the auditory taste and the dramatic sense enhances the enjoyment of these forms of art. Such enjoyment it is the privilege and function of the school to promote. The fulfillment of this aim involves (1) occasions impelling the pupil to the natural use of his powers of expression, (2) an effective point of view on the part of the teacher, (3) command by the pupil of the elements of effective expression, and (4) cooperation of all teachers in demanding the constant use of good oral expression. 1. Occasions impelling the pupil to the natural use of his powers of expression constitute the key to success in teaching oral expression. The teacher should help the individual pupil to select topics in which he has genuine interest and upon which he has or may secure reasonably accurate knowledge, and to organize his knowledge so that he can present it in an interesting form. The teacher should also arrange the class room and plan the class work so that the pupil will feel that his audience desires to hear what he has to say, and should teach the class to listen closely and to criticize sympathetically and discriminately. 2. An effective point of view on the part of the teacher involves the recognition of writing and speaking as simply two forms of one mental act, and the breaking down of the barrier which, in method of instruction, has been raised between them. Likewise it involves the recognition of the fact that language is, in its origin, oral; that speech, in spite of the large use made of written language, is still the typical form of expression; and that, because of this, the appeal of language is primarily to the ear, not to the eye. Obviously, then, language instruction gains in effectiveness when based upon the grouping of sounds on the lips of the pupil instead of the writing of words on a page. It is equally apparent that literature takes on a fuller meaning when it can appeal to a cultivated auditory sense. As in the elementary school oral language work is the natural preliminary to written work from the necessity of learning to speak before learning to write, so in the high school constant oral practice should precede, or at least accompany, written exercises in order to preserve the essential and vital forms of language. 3. The command by the pupil of the elements of effective expression involves the teaching of the principles underlying both written and oral expression. The pupil should be made to realize that all conversation is composition; that, after all, writing is but the record of good talking, and that his habits of speech and of writing can each be made to reinforce each other. Instruction in oral expression then shares with instruction in written language responsibility for the vocabulary, for the correct application of the rules of grammar, for the correct use of words separately and in combination, and for the observance of the rhetorical rules for unity, coherence, emphasis, and general effectiveness. In addition, instruction in oral expression must include drill on the phonetic elements of language, the establishment of a competent voice, the mobilization of the organs of speech, and the attainment of the ready cordination of mind and tongue. 4. The cooperation of all teachers in demanding the constant use of good oral expression is essential. To expect the English classroom alone to neutralize the bad habits of speech acquired in the home and on the street is unreasonable. In so far as teachers in all departments do not demand good expression from their pupils or fail in their own speech to use good English, the school harbors an influence that directly undermines the work of the English teacher. The practice of requiring topical recitations in all subjects that admit of that method, and complete answers to many questions in all subjects, furnishes natural and worthy exercises in speech, and at the same time reacts favorably upon the work in every classroom and constitutes a simple means of developing the power of sustained effort in thinking. II. THE IMMEDIATE AIMS. The immediate classroom aims of teaching oral expression may be summed up under the ability: (1) To answer questions intelli gently and fully; (2) to converse agreeably; (3) to collect and organize material for oral discourse; (4) to present effectively in a natural environment material already organized; (5) to join courteously and pertinently in informal discussion; (6) to read aloud in such a way as to present the writer's thought and spirit; and, (7) for those who have, or hope to develop, qualities of leadership, the ability to address an audience, or to conduct a public meeting. III. THE ACTIVITIES IN ORAL EXPRESSION. The activities that lead to the accomplishment of these aims may be broadly grouped under three heads-physical, intellectual, and emotional. These activities, however, connect at so many points and often blend so completely that no attempt will be made to articulate the exercises along these lines. MECHANICS OF ORAL EXPRESSION. 1. Breathing is a mechanical process which is best cared for in the classes by physical exercise. In schools where there are no gymnasium classes, a few minutes of deep breathing, with the windows open and the pupils standing erect with heads thrown well back, will contribute to the health of the pupils and to their preparation for good vocalization. 2. Vocalization.-With the unscientific theories of voice production and voice development that have prevailed in the past, it has been practically impossible to secure helpful results from classroom work where lack of time. permitted only unison practice. The latest findings of science, however, throw new light upon the way the organs produce sound, and how they should be used to produce the best results. A few simple exercises in vocalization, continued through the grades, will help to produce full resonance and to overcome the unquestioned harshness of the American voice. 3. Posture and gesture.-Along with the exercises in breathing a simple system of calesthenics can be used that will induce grace and freedom of movement in bodily action. Exercises calculated to develop bodily response to thought and feeling, in reading, reciting, or speaking to an audience, should be accompanied by explanation of the interpretative meaning of simple pose and gesture. 4. Phonetics.-Instruction in phonetics and diacritical marks should accompany the physical exercises of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades. Much practice should be given in pronouncing words singly and in combination, followed by sustained effort at clear and pleasing expression of thought. The exercises that most successfully combine these drills are: Oral reading, declamation and recitation, and dramatics. Oral reading.-Oral reading is an exercise that can be profitably employed at all stages in elementary and high schools. Not only does it permit of the application of all the principles of expression and afford exercise for the voice and organs of articulation but it tends to impress upon the mind the meaning of words and the structure of sentences and paragraphs. Reading that aims to be audible, natural, and expressive, if practiced regularly through a series of years, will benefit all branches of English study. Especially in the seventh, eighth, and ninth grades, reading aloud should be given a large place. The choicest passages from the masterpieces used for study and selections from great fiction, poetry, oratory, and drama make good material for these exercises. Recitation and declamation. The practice of memorizing passages of good literature and giving them vocal interpretation in public, though much less in vogue than formerly, still has its place when following thorough instruction and practice in reading aloud. All the advantages that accrue to English study from reading aloud follow likewise from the practice of memorizing and repeating selections from the masterpieces. Such exercises, wisely conducted, besides providing practice in addressing public audiences, give large meaning and interest to the study of great poetry. Care should be taken, however, to avoid encouraging an artificial and exaggerated delivery. Dramatics. To turn the pupil's interest in the drama into a love for the beautiful in art and the best things in life is a purpose worthy of the schools. If this aim be achieved to any extent, it must come through guiding the pupils to an intelligent enjoyment of acted plays and such semidramatic entertainments as operas, pageants, festivals, moving pictures, etc., and through helping them to see, in both the acted and the printed play, whatever makes it of enduring value. The teacher can do for the pupils what the drama league is trying to do for the public generally. Along with the practice of acting for the broad cultural purpose of appreciation of the dramatic values, desired results may be obtained in the development of taste and facility in oral expression. Some teachers employ the dramatic method in the study of Shakespeare by having the plays acted in whole or in part by the class, and in the study of dramatic poetry and prose fiction by dramatizing scenes and acting them. Such exercises afford excellent practice in the arts of speech. The class play and the school play have come to occupy an important place among school activities. A large number of excellent plays, both standard and academic, have been found worthy of being used in this connection. |