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.

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

247

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

LETTER WRITING

249

the name of the avenue or street from the name of the city; the period after Ave. marks the abbreviation for Avenue. The name of the state, Michigan, as in Form I, is abbreviated. The abbreviation, Mich., has a period after it.

Pupils should be held to the strict observance of the forms given in their book until they have learned to write them without error. It will be time for them to learn the variations of these forms variations mainly in punctuation and abbreviation - that are quite correct and in current use, when they can write the given forms with confidence.

Writing the Mechanical Forms

1. Have every pupil, some on the blackboards, others on paper, write the correct heading of a letter written from his own home.

2. Let pupils study the address on the envelope of Dick's letter, then write the correct heading for a letter written by Tom.

These exercises should be done quickly, inspected, and any necessary corrections made at once by the pupils.

IX (262). Letter Writing (Continued)

Read over the story with the children. The "thinking and wishing" of Tom is given in detail to let the children see what things would naturally be touched on in Tom's letter to Dick. These

things are repeated again when Tom tells his mother what he will write.

Keep referring to Dick's letter when Mother Let the children look back and

refers Tom to it.

I will tell you how I got hurt. I was running to school, etc.—

The rest of the letter

I thank you for your kind invitation to visit you. I am coming as soon as I can travel. I want to know all about your pets. Is Rover a big dog? Where do Mrs. White and her kittens

Have children tell individually just what each will write.

as:

Have several tell how they will end the letter,

When I am strong I will show you what a fine swimmer and diver I am.

Your loving cousin,

TOM.