READING 



4939 



READING 



through college does much of his studying at 

 short intervals between his hours of labor. One 

 young man became a proficient accountant by 

 studying bookkeeping while he was running an 

 elevator. Thousands of instances might be 

 cited to prove that "it is not the long space of 

 time, but the single purpose that turns every 

 moment to account that makes great and fruit- 

 ful acquisitions possible to men and women and 

 boys and girls who have other work in life." 

 II who has a love for reading can and will 

 find time for it. 



Reading Aloud. Ability to express the 

 thoughts of another so as to hold the attention 

 and awaken the sympathy of the listener is an 

 accomplishment of which anyone may well be 

 proud. Every child should learn to read aloud, 

 and he should be given such training and prac- 

 tice as will enable him to convey to others 

 the thought on the printed page in a pleasing 

 and effective manner. It seems a misfortune 

 that the public schools no longer place the em- 

 phasis upon the importance of reading aloud 

 that formerly characterized the instruction in 

 reading. 



Anyone who desires to become proficient in 

 reading aloud can do so through self-training, 

 by following a few simple suggestions and giv- 

 ing himself sufficient practice. 



l. First of all. learn the distinction between 

 reading and calling words. Many a child In 



school has a vague idea that when he has given 

 vocal utterance to the words on the page his 

 work as a reader is done, and not a few adults 

 hold the same idea. Reading aloud is giving 

 such expression to the thought of the author as 

 to make it live in the minds of those who listen. 



2. The reader must try to put himself in the 

 author's place. Picture the scenes he describes. 

 See his characters as real people. Then the read- 

 ing will convey these ideas to hearers. 



3. If uncertain about articulation and pro- 

 nunciation of words, listen to good public speak- 

 ers and notice their articulation, then practice 

 on those sounds which are habitually uttered in- 

 distinctly. In silent reading form the habit of 

 never passing over a word without learning its 

 pronunciation. 



4. Practice. We learn to do by doing. Read 

 aloud for at least a half hour every day until 

 reading is natural and without noticeable effort. 



5. Do not attempt to become an elocutionist 

 unless there is evidence of a special aptitude for 

 such work. 



Reading aloud confers a benefit upon the 

 reader as well as upon those who listen. \Y 

 get a clearer conception of the thought of the 

 author and remember what we read longer if 

 we read aloud. This accomplishment often en- 

 ables one to be a blessing to those who, because 

 of illness or other disabilities, are unable to 

 read for themselves, and ability to read a good 

 story well is one of the most potent means of 

 entertaining the children at home and keeping 

 them from questionable amusements. See, also, 

 STORY-TELLING. W.F.R. 



Suggestions on Teaching Reading 



The reading lesson should be the most inter- 

 esting period of the day, and the teacher who 

 has acquainted herself thoroughly with her 

 work and with her pupils will have no difficulty 

 in making it so. Some pupils have a pro- 

 nounced distaste for arithmetic, others seem to 

 have no aptitude for science ; but any child may 

 be made to feel a keen interest in his reading 

 lesson if the correct methods are pursued. The 

 following paragraphs do not aim to present in 

 full the method of teaching reading; they con- 

 rather, supplementary suggestions which 

 may be made use of in connection with any 

 method. 



Silent Reading. There are two processes in- 



d in reading, as that subject is taught in 

 schools thought getting and thought giv- 

 ing. The former is in the end the more im- 

 portant, for silent reading, or thought getting, 



a up practically all the reading that is 

 done in later life. In the schoolroom, how 

 thought giving, or oral reading, must be empha- 



sized, for only by means of this process can the 

 teacher assure herself that her pupils are ac- 

 quiring correct habits of pronunciation and 

 that they are mastering the still more difficult 

 art of grasping the meaning of a sentence or 

 paragraph. It seems a simple enough matter- 

 to read a paragraph of clear, well-written Eng- 

 lish and to get its sense ; but high school teach- 

 ers can bear witness that many of the pupils 

 who come from the grammar school cannot do 

 it, and teachers in college frequently find to 

 their surprise that a high school course has 

 failed to impart the necessary ability 



For the nm>t part, the silent reading p; 

 the oral, though occasional exorcises in sight 

 reading arc very helpful. At the close of one 

 class session th* t. -ichor assigns the lesson for 

 the next day, but this assignment should not 

 consist of a mere 'Take pares 126 to 133 for 

 to-morrov 'oacher should have ner work 



carefully planned at least one day in advance, 

 and should give the pupils such suggestions as 



