COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS AND CONVERSATION LESSONS. 



of you have seen a bird like this? 

 How would you like to own him, and 

 have him at your house? Don't you 

 think, dear children, God is very good 

 to us to let us have such beautiful 

 birds in the world ? 



Any one of these questions by itself is 

 not harmful, but an exercise made up 

 of such material merely gives the class 

 a chance to say, "Yes, ma'am," and 

 raise their hands. All talk by the 

 teacher and no activity by the class. 

 With a bright smile and a winning- 

 voice, the teacher may conduct what 

 appears to be a pleasant exercise with 

 such material, but there is little real 

 value in it under the best circum- 

 stances and it should be avoided sys- 

 tematically. It is unskilful, and a 

 waste of time and opportunity. 



Attempts to lower one's conversa- 

 tion to the level of little children are 

 often equally unsatisfactory. Too 

 much use of " Mamma bird," " baby 

 birdies," "clothes," "sweet," "lovely," 

 "tootsy-wootsy," and "Oh, my!" is 

 disappointing. 



Ordinary conversation opened with 

 a class in much the same style and 

 language as used by one adult in talk- 

 ing with another is found to be the 

 most profitable. Introductory remarks 

 are generally bad, though some other- 

 wise excellent teachers do run on 

 interminably with them. To begin 

 directly with a common-sense state- 

 ment of real interest is best. 



Here are a few profitable opening 

 statements for different exercises: One 

 day I found a dead mouse hanging 

 upon a thorn in a field. Mr. Smith 

 told me he heard a Flicker say, "Wake 

 up! Wake up! Wake up!" Willie 

 says his bird is fond of fruit, and I 

 notice that most birds that eat fruit 

 have beautiful, bright feathers. This 

 bird likes the cows, and I once saw 

 him light on a cow's horn. 



Such statements open the minds of 



young people where many times direct 

 questions close them. Questions and 

 regular contributions to the conversa- 

 tion flow readily from members of the 

 class v/hen the right opening has been 

 made. Do not let the class feel that 

 your purpose is to get language from 

 them. Mere talk does not educate. 

 Animated expression alone is valuable. 



Have plenty of material to use if the 

 class seem slow to respond, and have, 

 patience when they have more to offer 

 than the time will admit Bear in 

 mind that a conversation lesson on 

 some nature subject is not a nature 

 lesson, but is given to induce correct 

 thinking, which shall come out in 

 good language. It may incidentally 

 be such a nature lesson as to satisfy 

 the requirements of your course of 

 study in that line, but if you give it 

 as a conversation lesson, let conversa- 

 tion be the exercise. 



Where a few in the class tend to 

 monopolize the time you may fre- 

 quently bring a diffident one into the 

 exercise by casually looking at him as 

 if you felt his right to be heard. It is 

 better not to ask him to talk, but to 

 make it easy for him to come into the 

 conversation by referring to something 

 he has previously done or said, or by 

 going near him while others talk. A 

 hand on his shoulder while you are 

 conversing with others, will sometimes 

 open him to expression. Sometimes 

 you need to refer to what Willie's 

 father said, or what you saw at his 

 house, or to something that Willie 

 owns and is pleased with. Many 

 expedients should be tried and some 

 time consumed in endeavoring to get 

 such a pupil into the conversation 

 instead of saying point blank, " Now, 

 Willie, what do you think?" 



The matter of spoken language is 

 words largely. The thinking of chil- 

 dren is always done in words, as far as 

 school matters go. The thoughts of 



IGo 



