9O METHODS IN TEACHING 



opinion of an author and of his writings. As a preparation 

 for writing, the teacher occasionally puts a few suggestive 

 questions on the board; or the pupils talk over the subject 

 in class; or an outline may be developed and left in sight, 

 especially if the paper is not to be composed largely of per- 

 sonal opinions, or if it is to be long and somewhat involved. 



In writing narratives one device is to ask for some 

 event in the pupil's own experience, as: Trying to keep a 

 secret. The trick that failed. An afternoon visit. One 

 day the class was asked to write an account of a runaway 

 that had occurred as it might appear in a daily newspaper. 

 Several members of the class were called upon to read their 

 papers, after which the question was asked, " Which account 

 do you consider best?" Three papers, which, by the way, 

 were really the most creditable, were the favored ones. The 

 question, " Why ? " called out a spirited discussion, in which 

 many merits and demerits were laid bare. As the criticisms 

 were kindly, they resulted in stimulating the desire to write 

 more articles of the same nature, and the next newspaper 

 report was not only less irksome, but it was also much more 

 successful and businesslike. 



Considerable attention is given throughout the year to 

 letter forms and to original thought of various kinds. Im- 

 aginative writing is interesting to a large part of the class, 

 and is very helpful, provided it is kept along healthy lines. 

 In connection with the history study of the battle of Lexing- 

 ton and the reading in literature of the ride of Paul Revere, 

 the pupils were asked to imagine themselves living on the 

 outskirts of Lexington on the eighteenth of April, 1775, and 

 to tell the story of that thrilling night and the following 

 day : the approach of Paul Revere, the stir occasioned in the 



