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I

121.   HISTORIC GROWTH OF MAN.

class may write the green words, and Fannie's class may take the white words. "

The children take their tablets and copy the colored words; they learn to write and to distinguish the colors at the same time.

Another class which does not know the alphabet

is standing before a blackboard. "What do I hold

in my

hand, " says

the teacher. Every hand is

raised.

"What is it,

Charlie?" "A cat." "Can

you tell me a story about it?" Every

 

hand is up

again. "Well, Susie ? " " I see

a,

cat." "Very

well, now look at this on the board. "

She writes the

word "cat. " "What is that?" Not a hand is raised, but every eye is studying the unfamiliar letters. The teacher sketches a cat on the board.

"Now, what does this stand for"' pointing to the word. Two hands signal. " Sophie ? " " A cat. " " Oh, no; Carrie ? " " Cat. " " Right. Now I will add our old friend, " prefixing the adjective "a. " " Now Sophie is right-a cat. Who can find another?" With this suggestive leader, the word cat is written on different parts of the board, but among other words, and the children eagerly search it out.

The teacher writes the sentence, " I see a cat.'' That puzzles the little heads at first. But one hand is raised, and another, and another. " Carrie ? " " I have a cat." " No. Artie ? " " I see a cat." The word "see" is wholly new to the class, but the context has suggested it to them and it becomes fixed in their minds by association. "Now you may copy this ou your tablets. Good-bye."

The class return to their seats to write and rewrite these two new words. The pronoun and adjective

ATTRACTIVE TEACHING.   125

they had learned before and they have now fixed the looks of all four of the words in their minds. They have learned to substitute written words for pictures. They are not told anything; they find out by their own thinking. Each one is required to "tell a story;" he must form a complete sentence, however short it may be.

IN LEARNING TO COUNT, actual wooden blocks

or other objects are used. Take a class of six young pupils who have learned to count as far as five. The teacher begins, " I have five blocks, two and two and one," separating them into those numbers. " Now I hold one more. How many have I now? " Several hands are raised. "Well, May ? " "Seven," answers the confident May. " How many of you think that May is right? None Well, Georgie, tell us about it." " I have five blocks and I add one and have six." "Six what?" "Six blocks."

"How many noses have we around the table?" "Well, Willie?" "Eight." "No, we will not count our visitor. Tell me something about it." " I see seven noses." "Now we'll all go to sleep." The little heads all bend down and the teacher removes two blocks. "Wake up and find something." Every eye is on the blocks. " Tell us about it, Jamie." There were six blocks and two have been taken away." " How many are left, May ? " " There are four blocks left."

Thus the lesson proceeds with concrete numbers. The children SEE the numbers. They do not merely hear words, the objects are there before the words are. They have embodied each new-found idea in the words of their own. Though quickly acquired it is,


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