LITERATURE IN PRIMARY GRADES 19 



These extracts from a reproduction show the difficulty in 

 combining mechanical accuracy with literary creation. There 

 are many good points for a third grade writer, life, vigor- 

 ous treatment, continuity of thought, accurate spelling, a fair 

 conception of paragraphing, and the use of periods and cap- 

 ital letters ; and there are several indications that the writer 

 possessed knowledge that was not used. Some sentence 

 structures are weak and loose, especially where the thought 

 grows more rapid, but the sentence structure is very good 

 in other parts of the story. Personal revision by the writer, 

 when undivided attention could be given to mechanical accu- 

 racy, would probably remove the greater number of the mis- 

 takes and strengthen many weak places. 



FOURTH YEAR GRADE 



In the presentation of a story in this grade the children 

 read for themselves whenever the books are provided in 

 Method sufficiently large numbers to permit of a 



class exercise. Otherwise the teacher reads. 

 Individual reading is encouraged constantly under all cir- 

 cumstances, so that the pupils are learning to use and to 

 understand books for themselves and are deriving pleasure 

 from their efforts. Pupils should read many more stories 

 than those treated as class work, and the teacher should have 

 on hand a store of pleasing and profitable reading for odd 

 moments during the day. 



Reproduction follows the reading, usually after an inter- 

 val of a day. It is either oral or written, preferably both. 

 Only the regular stories, one a month, are so treated ; those 

 read by the pupils for themselves or by the teacher as a 

 relaxation are rarely taken up a second time. The monthly 



