CHAPTER V 



ORAL AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE WITH PRIMARY 

 GRADES 



FIRST YEAR GRADE 



The following thoughts from the schoolroom are by a 

 first grade teacher : 1 



During the first four months of the first term in school 

 the time devoted to language has for its special purposes 



accustoming the child to freedom in express- 

 First Lessons . . . ,.,,. . ,, 

 in Language ln hlmself > leading out as rapidly as pos- 

 sible into the substitution of correct forms 

 for the many errors that mar the speech of the ordinary 

 child. Ten minutes are used for this purpose in the morn- 

 ing, ten more in the afternoon. At first the pupil is led to 

 talk easily and naturally about any familiar object, animal, 

 or game. He is making statements, or " telling stories." A 

 tiny narrative is often the outgrowth of such a talk. Writ- 

 ten upon the board, this pleases the children and gives oppor- 

 tunity to impart the technical information that a capital letter 

 should be used at the beginning of a sentence and a period 

 at the end. A proper noun is often used, also requiring a 

 capital. These stories furnish material for lessons in read- 

 ing and copying ; they are often enjoyed more than the stories 

 in the readers. 



When "telling stories" with their punctuation are well 

 known, practice begins with " asking stories," or questions. 



1 Miss Susie M. B. Spooner. 



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