Of 1 HI 



UNIVERSITY 



or 



CHAPTER II 



PRESENTATION, ACQUISITION, AND ILLUSTRATION 

 OF LITERATURE IN PRIMARY GRADES 



FIRST YEAR GRADE 



During the year it is possible every month to learn a short 

 poem and to use a folk tale or a Bible story for narration, 

 reproduction, reading lesson, and other drills. Many teach- 

 ers are able to add a history story occasionally to the month's 

 story material. 



A teacher l in a first grade gives some of her experiences 

 with the children : 



About twenty minutes are taken for telling a new story 

 to the class. The second day about the same length of time 



is taken for questioning the pupils to help 

 Presentation 



them remember the story. This is the first 



step in reproduction and memorizing. The third day indi- 

 vidual reproduction can begin. At first, one child rarely 

 tells the whole story. The stronger or the older pupils open 

 the way ; one begins, another continues, and so on, until three 

 or four have taken part; finally, more and more eager little 

 hands are raised, until nearly every child in the two upper 

 divisions can tell the complete story. 



Sometimes a little play is made of part of the tale. A 

 tiny maid in her red hood makes a dear " Little Red Riding 

 A ,. Hood," on her happy way through the for- 



est to see Grandma; some small boy de- 

 lights in the hoarse growling that is supposed to belong to 



1 Mrs. Edna O. James. 



9 



