LITERATURE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS / 



by rising and narrating before the class ; clear concepts are 

 formed if care is taken that the dramatic situations are pic- 

 tured mentally ; the composite productions furnish abundant 

 material for reading lessons, copying exercises, drawing, 

 and spelling. 



Narrative drawing by the children is of greatest assistance 

 in forming clear concepts of striking scenes. No matter 

 how crude the child's illustration may be, his 

 ideas are clearer for his efforts to put them 

 into pictures. The better, more logical drawings that may 

 be put on the boards by the teacher or by older pupils are a 

 help and pleasure to the children, for they aid in fixing the 

 development of the story, consequently, in acquiring con- 

 tinuity of thought. 



In teaching a poem the pictures presented by it should be 

 seen clearly by the pupils before they try to commit to mem- 

 ory. In these first grades the poems are 

 usually narrative, as in that pleasing little 

 account of the raindrops : 



" Some little drops of water, 



Whose home was in the sea, 

 To go upon a journey 

 Once happened to agree. 



" They had a cloud for carriage 

 And drove a playful breeze, 

 And over town and country, 

 They rode along at ease. 



" But oh, there were so many, 



That soon the carriage broke, 

 And to the ground came tumbling 

 Those frightened little folk. 



