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Did you ever help a smaller child who had fallen ? had hurt himself? had lost something? was in the road in danger? was near the water? near the fire? Did you ever help a child who could not do some work that had been given him at home or in school?

Did you ever tell or show any one how to find some place, as a certain street, or the station, or the post office?

Did you ever carry anything for an old person? help one across a crowded street? along a slippery walk? up a steep hill ? into a car or train? Did you ever give your seat in a car to some one older or weaker than yourself?

Did you ever shovel a path, weed a garden, run an errand, bring in wood, care for baby, sweep a room, wash dishes ?

Such questions as these will not only help the children to recall their experiences, they will suggest experiences that they may make their own. Το reënforce this suggestion, tell them that in one week you will have another exercise in telling true stories of helpfulness.

Let all stories be short, clear, and pointed. When conversation is involved, encourage the use of direct quotation; this makes the narration more vivid.

VI (32). Sentences, Capitals, Statements, and Periods

Study this lesson with the children. Do not do for them what their book tells them to do, but help them, when they need it, to understand just what everything means in their book, and see that they do as directed.

This first lesson in the use of forms, the capital to

SENTENCES, CAPITALS, STATEMENTS, PERIODS 47

begin the first word of a sentence and the period after a statement, is typical of the method employed throughout in developing the habit of correct usage. Note these steps in the process of developing the habit of using a capital to begin the first word of a sentence.* First, a clear grasp by the pupil, through directed observation, of the fact that a capital letter is used to begin the first word of sentences; second, the statement to the pupil, and the understanding by him, of the general rule that the first word of every sentence must begin with a capital; third, the examination of sentences to find out with what kind of letter the first word of each begins, and the application of the rule to justify the use of capitals; and fourth, the conscious application of the rule in writing — at this time merely in copying — capitals to begin the first words of sentences. Observe that the steps in teaching to use the period after a statement are exactly the same.

This one lesson has taught the child how to begin every sentence and how to end every statement. There is no exception to these rules, and there is absolutely nothing more to teach on the subject. The one thing still necessary- and this is necessary is that the child put into practice

* Any definition or characterization of a sentence at this time will confuse rather than enlighten the pupil. Talk about sentences freely, refer to them as sentences, and children will gradually and unconsciously learn the essential characteristics of a sentence, something that no definition yet framed can impart to them,

what he has learned about the use of capitals and the period. At first, and for a long time, this practice must be conscious. Every time that he begins a sentence or ends a statement, the child must tell himself, or some one else, why he is using the capital and the period. If there be permitted no break — and there must be none - in this consciously correct use of the capital and the period, it will never again be necessary to teach this matter to the children. who have learned this lesson. As the habit becomes fixed through many and frequent repetitions, the explicit thought of the reason for these usages will become unnecessary, and will fade away of its own accord, subject to recall only when needed.

The conventional forms to be learned in order to write correctly are but few. The correct use of most of them is learned just as easily as that of the capital at the beginning of a sentence and of the period at the end of a staternent. And all of them are best learned in substantially the manner outlined above. Little teaching and much practice is required. The simple secret of progress is to hold fast to what has once been learned by always using it correctly.

VII (35). Copying Sentences to Learn the Use of Capitals and Period

This is the child's first written language lesson. The teacher should read with the children the direction about telling themselves why they make every

COPYING SENTENCES

49

capital and every period, and make sure that every child understands and will carry out this direction. The children may need reminding occasionally as the copying proceeds. All these precautions will reduce the number of mistakes, which are better avoided than corrected.

In this first written exercise, every child must use correctly, must be made to use correctly, must know that he is using correctly, the capital and the period as he learned in the last lesson that these must be used. Hence, every child's paper must be examined by the teacher and corrected, if necessary, by the child, at once. This examination and correction is a part of the exercise. It were better to omit the exercise altogether than to omit the correction of it, —and to defer this is nearly as bad as to omit it.

The teacher should begin her examination as soon as the pupils begin to write, passing by their desks, and stopping for the immediate correction of every error that she discovers. Corrections should be made as follows:

If a child has begun a sentence with a small letter, the teacher asks, "What kind of letter should you have used? Why?"

When this answer, which the teacher must exact, has been made by the child, "A capital letter, because the first word of every sentence should begin with a capital letter," the teacher says, "Do it."

If a child has omitted the period at the end of a statement, the teacher asks, "What should you have placed after this statement? Why?"

She must insist on the answer, "A period, because there should be a period after every statement." The correction by the child then follows.

Do not let your questions calling attention to the error, be merely a signal for the child to correct it. It is quite as important that the child answer your questions as it is that he make the correction. Answer and correction together insure that he does the thing right and that he knows why he does it. Will not the frequent repetition of these answers finally make them perfunctory? Of course; so will the accompanying correct use of capitals and the period finally become perfunctory. But this is only another way of saying that the habit of using capitals and the period under the conditions given is formed. Errors in other things than the two for which this exercise is given, as in spelling, should be called to the attention of the pupil, and he should correct by making his copy like the original.

VIII (35). Studied Dictation for Drill in Use of
Capitals and Period

Three minutes of real application should be quite time enough for pupils to prepare the lesson to write from dictation. See that each one applies himself to it as he is directed to do in his book.

Have pupils close their books. Let one pupil not one of the best nor one of the poorest-go to a blackboard in plain view of the class. With the undi

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