PURPOSES AND AIMS

The purpose of language work in the first grade is to stimulate thought and feeling, and to broaden and enrich the child's vocabulary that he may give expression to these mental states in correct phraseology. Oral expression is at this stage the child's chief means of expressing his growing intellectual life, and it is the business of the teacher in this grade, therefore, to concentrate her efforts upon this part of the work. All very common errors in language should be unceasingly, and yet kindly, corrected, that some definite progress may be made in this direction. Making correct and complete statements should become a fixed habit before the second year's work is begun. Very little written composition should be attempted this year, certainly not before the last two or three months. After the first few weeks of school, however, some written work, consisting of copying words and sentences from the board or from the reading lessons, may be done on the blackboard or with soft pencils on unglazed paper. By the close of the year the child should be able to write his own name and home address, and to take very simple dictation work. Let the teacher remember that the expres sion of thought must be open and frank if it is to be of any value in language development, and consequently that the first step here will be to win the friendship and complete sympathy of the children.

GRADE ONE

I. ORAL LANGUAGE WORK

ORIGINAL EXPRESSION

1. Conversation Exercises. The ability to think accurately and to give correct expression to his thoughts is the most important possession the child can have. The first duty, therefore, that confronts the teacher in this grade is to assist the child to take the first steps toward this end. At first this can be done best by drawing out in the form of free and general conversation the expression of thought on matters closely connected with the life and interests of the children. For the first two weeks, or perhaps longer, no other kind of language work should be attempted.

The method used in this work should be to elicit simple and spontaneous statements from the children, both by suggestion and by question, until by degrees they are led to direct their remarks to each other. At first the teacher should not be too careful as to the order and conciseness of what is said. The questions asked by the teacher should always be such as demand specific answers. That she may be successful in developing freedom and spontaneity,

the teacher should take advantage of every opportunity to converse with the small children before school each morning, on the playground, and on the way to and from school. This will develop a bond of sympathy between teacher and pupil, and will help to break down the barrier raised by

THINGS

timidity on the part of the

child.

The teacher should always be sympathetic in her attitude, and the children should never be allowed to get the idea that the conversation period is a regular language exercise. For this reason the correction of mistakes in this and all other exercises of the day should at first be done sparingly, and largely by example. Unsuspected openings may be found for substituting the

correct for the incorrect form, thus winning the child's ear to the correct expression and leading him to use it unconsciously. Later in the year, however, a few of the commonest errors should be chosen for unceasing correction. Such mistakes as the following will very likely be heard: 'come' for 'came,'' seen for 'saw,' 'have got' for 'have,' 'git' forget,' 'don't' for 'does n't,' ain't' for 'am not,' is n't'

or are n't,' double negatives, plural nouns with singular verbs, etc. In the child's speech a very important goal to be reached is complete, full statements in recitations. The teacher should lead the way by constantly speaking in this manner and by assisting the children to do likewise.

The following suggested grouping of subjects suitable for use in the conversation exercises is made in order to give the teacher assistance in beginning the work. Other subjects suited to individual localities may be added by the teacher as she thinks best.

a. The home: what father, mother, brothers, and sisters are doing; animals on place; pets; playthings.

b. Growing things: corn, cotton, wheat, oats, potatoes, and all the things that grow in field, orchard, or garden; flowers, shrubbery, trees, and weeds, both wild and domestic, in yards and on roadsides.

c. Animals: domestic, such as the horse, cow, dog, hog, sheep, etc.; wild, such as the rabbit, squirrel, opossum and, after the circus, the lion, elephant, giraffe, etc.

d. Birds (all in the community): color, songs, habits of life, good or bad for fruits and crops.

e. Holidays and seasons: Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Lincoln's Birthday, and Washington's Birthday; fall, winter, spring.

f. Pictures of action and of animal life, such as those of Bonheur, Landseer, and Millet and the best illustrations of Mother Goose, may be found interesting in this grade. Little description work with pictures should be done before the second grade.

g. The teacher should occasionally lead the conversation into a discussion of good manners (such as correct behavior at

table, courtesy to women and girls, consideration for old people and younger children) and personal neatness (care of the teeth, nails, shoes, and hair, and attention to details of dress, etc.).

2. Observation Lessons and Reports. Children should be taught early to see things in the world of nature and art, and to describe and make statements about them. After interest has been aroused, in the conversation period perhaps, about some object closely related to the life of the children, they may be asked to observe it carefully for a day or two. The result of these observations should then be given in the form of oral reports in the language class. These reports should be given in a free and open conversational style, assisted perhaps by an occasional question from the teacher. Later in the year, reports consisting of several well-connected sentences may be expected. This is a good place to teach many facts about nature study, agriculture, domestic science, and the various manufacturing and industrial activities. The method of presentation should be varied. In addition to the plan outlined above, the following devices may be found suggestive:

a. Have the children go to the windows or to the front door for a moment. When they return, have them report what they have seen. Complete statements should be required in these reports.

b. Have the children observe things in the schoolroom by asking them to name all the flowers in the vases or to name the prettiest thing in the

room.