14 METHODS IN TEACHING 



plan to refer to the story several times during the day after 

 it has been narrated, instead of leaving it untouched until 

 the hour for reproduction. It can be kept fresh in the minds 

 of the children by a question or two or a talk of a few mo- 

 ments, which can be brought in without interference with 

 other lessons. 



In the regular period for reproduction members of the 

 class are called upon to tell different episodes, until, after a 



few days, any child can tell the complete 

 Reproduction 



story, or the portion of it that has been 



given; or he can take it up at any point and continue it. 

 Telling the story at home is encouraged, for it gives added 

 power to be able to make a continuous narrative when there 

 is no teacher or eager classmate at hand to suggest or to 

 assist. Pupils who tell the story to parents, brothers, or 

 sisters, usually show more rapid growth in language and a 

 better command of the continuous thought of the narrative 

 than do those who have only the class drill. 



About the third day after the introduction of the story the 

 children are ready to write some part of it. The morning 

 hour is generally taken for this purpose. A 

 simple outline is placed upon the board, as : 

 Rome, hills, gate, river, bridge, Lars Porsenna, soldiers, 

 Horatius. This is to assist in keeping the continuity of 

 thought, a difficult task for children. An outline for this 

 purpose should be made thoughtfully by the teacher. It 

 should be a careful arrangement of successive thoughts in 

 the natural progression of the story, whose relation one to 

 another is self-suggestive to the inexperienced little com- 

 posers. For twenty or thirty minutes the children write, 

 telling the story in about the form that it has already been 



