irrelevant details. Encourage concise, connected thought and statement, point and climax; let every statement advance the story a distinct point toward the climax. All of this makes for brevity.

Have children choose good titles for their stories.

Supplementary Work

1. Have one of the poor children tell the story to his mother on his return home.

2. Let one of the rich children tell the story to his mother.

3. Let any one of the toys tell the story.

In order to tell consistently any of the stories above suggested the pupil must become as completely as possible the poor child, the rich child, or some particular toy, that he decides to represent. This is not a difficult thing for children to do when they understand clearly what is required and when you insist that they maintain to the end the character once assumed. Do not permit a child to begin a story in the character of a toy, for instance, and then forget his rôle and finish the story as a child — himself or one of the children of the picture.

Suppose the doll is to tell her story. It might run something as follows:

THE DOLL'S STORY

I was born in a far-off land called Germany. I came across the great ocean in a ship full of toys that were coming as Christmas

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57

gifts for little boys and girls in America. I was taken from the ship to a large shop and placed in the wide window with ever so many other toys. But oh, how lonely I felt, for there was not another German doll in sight. How I wished some dear little girl would buy me and love me, O so much!

The day before Christmas three poor children came and stood before the window.

(It will be easy to finish the story, telling what the poor children said, the coming of the rich children, who bought the doll, who took it home, etc.)

After making sure that the children understand what is required, perhaps by working out with them the doll's story, let each child choose for himself the story he will tell — that is, the child or the toy that he will represent. Allow the children a few minutes, with their books open at the picture before them, to think out their stories. Then have told orally as many different stories by as many different children as time permits.

See that the children choose appropriate titles for their stories.

4. The story lends itself readily to dramatization. In the simplest form, the shop window and toys may be entirely imaginary, or sketches might be made of them on the blackboard. To make it more realistic, pupils might bring a variety of toys from home and arrange them in a "shop window." In addition to the six children representing those shown in the pictures, other children might take the parts of their mothers. Thus the whole dramatization could be

elaborated sufficiently for a Christmas entertain

ment.

5. Tell the story of a toy that wanted to be chosen but was not.

XIV (43). More Picture Stories

(Outside the garden picture, p. 45)

On account of the fundamental similarity in the stories suggested by this picture and those of the shop window picture, the study somewhat prepared. the results of their previous work.

children come to this They should here show

Study with the children the lesson as presented in their book. Do not forget that they, not you, are to take the lead in thinking. Note that in the children's book, following the fourth question, suggestions are given for three distinct stories. Each of these suggestions may be developed something like this:

1. Suppose the boy has no home. Obviously he must find a home. Where? In this big house as an adopted son? With the gardener as his helper?

2. Suppose the boy's father wants work. How can the little girl help him to get work? If the boy's father should become gardener, where will the little boy perhaps live?

3. Suppose the boy's mother is ill. What will the little girl do? Will any one go to see the sick mother? What will be taken or sent to her? When she is better what will be done for her? What part will the boy play in all this?

These three are only a few of the many stories that might be told. Before developing any one of

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59

these beyond the mere suggestion, have the children suggest as many other possible stories as they can. Encourage each one to think out his own story. Show them how to weave their thoughts together into a straightforward, complete story. To do this it will probably be necessary to work out with them, perhaps to tell them, one whole story as a model of form, not of content. When they are ready, let

several children tell their stories.

Children should be taught to give an appropriate title to every story they tell.

An exercise may well be devoted to the thinking out by the children with such help as they may need — and the telling of several stories differing materially from those suggested in the pupils' book, but involving, of course, the boy and the girl as the chief characters. Encourage each pupil to tell more than one story. 2. The story may be easily dramatized.

XV (44). Telling True Stories

Help children as much as necessary, but no more to put their answers to the questions in their book into good story form. If they are able only to answer these questions disconnectedly, show them how to join their thoughts, then let them reproduce the resultant story. They will quickly learn to connect their thoughts themselves.

XVI (46). Studying the Poem, "Spring Waking"

1. Read the poem to the children; bring out the meaning and the various and contrasted feelings as fully as possible.

2. Help the children to study the poem, following the questions in their book.

The poem is just full of delightful little scenes the snowdrop curled up fast asleep in the dark ground with a blanket of white snow over all, the bright sun shining warm and calling cheerily to the snowdrop, the awakening, the popping of the little snowdrop out of her bed in her white nightcap, and all the rest. All these pictures the children must see clearly in their imaginations- this is not difficult if the matter is rightly handled; they must also feel with the sun and with the snowdrop, as the conversation between the two and the brief descriptions suggest. The questions in the pupils' book and the reading of certain lines are designed to help the children to see the scenes in imagination, and to feel with the sun and the snowdrop. Have them read and reread the lines suggested until you are sure from their emphasis and expression that they are expressing the feelings, the thoughts, the mental pictures that they are actually experiencing. This is reading; this is appreciating literature.

if

If any child has never seen a snowdrop, show one The next best thing is a picture or a you can.