Beginners' Book in Language Part 1

Beginner's Book in Language.

by H. Jeschke.

PREFACE

How shall we bring it about that children of the third grade speak as spontaneously in the schoolroom as they do on the playground when the game is in full swing?

How shall we banish their schoolroom timidity and self-consciousness?

How shall we obtain from them a ready flow of thought expressed in fitting words?

How shall we interest them in the improvement of their speech?

How shall we inoculate them against common errors in English?

How shall we displace with natural, correct, and pointed written expression the lifeless school composition of the past, the laborious production of which was of exceedingly doubtful educational value and gave pleasure neither to child nor to teacher?

These are some of the questions to which this new textbook for the third grade aims to give constructive answers. Needless to say, much more is required in the way of answer than a supply of raw material for language work or a graded sequence of formal lessons in primary English.

It is the purpose of the present book to provide a series of schoolroom situations, so built up as to give pupils delightful experiences in speaking and writing good English. Since one can no more teach without the interest of the pupil than see without light, these situations have for their content the natural interests of children. They therefore include child life and the heroic aspects of mature life, fairies and fairyland, and the outer world, particularly animal life. Then, each situation is considerably extended, not only that interest may be conserved but also that it may be c.u.mulative. Instead of the rope of sand that one finds in the textbook of unrelated a.s.signments, there is offered here an interwoven unity of nearly a dozen inclusive groups of interrelated lessons, exercises, drills, and games. Among these groups are the fairy group, the Indian group, the fable group, the valentine group, and the circus group.

These groups or situations call for much physical activity, pantomime, dramatization. They provide for story-telling of great variety; for instruction and practice in punctuation, capitalization, and other points of form; for habit-creating drills in good English; for correct-usage games; for simple letter writing; for novel exercises in book making; and, second in importance to none of these, for the improvement by the pupils themselves of their oral and written composition,--all the work being socialized and otherwise variously motivated from beginning to end.

Careful experiments made with children of the third grade while these lessons were still in ma.n.u.script insure that the book will produce the desired results under ordinary school conditions. Very exceptional work may be expected where teachers conscientiously read the entire book at the beginning of the school year and enter into the spirit of it. That they may do this with the least expenditure of time and energy, the lessons have been provided with cross references and numerous notes.

THE AUTHOR

BEGINNERS' BOOK IN LANGUAGE

=1. Study of a Picture Story[1]=

The four pictures at the beginning of this book tell a story. It is about a boy of your age. His name is Tom. Let us try to read that picture story. Perhaps you have already done so. Perhaps you have already found out what happened to Tom.

=Oral Exercise.=[2] 1. Look at the first of the four pictures. What is happening?

Perhaps the owl thinks that the little man is a little animal. Perhaps the owl wants to eat him for supper. What might the owl say if it could talk? Say it as if you were the owl.

You know, of course, that the little man is an elf. And of course he does not want to be eaten. What is he doing? Call for help as if you were an elf. Remember that the owl is after you. Call with all your might. Call as if you were frightened.

[A] NOTE TO TEACHER. Immediately preceding the Index are the Notes to the Teacher. Cross references to these are given in the text, as on the present page. Note 1 may be found on the page that follows page 168.

See the surprised look on Tom's face. Play that you are picking flowers in a meadow. Suddenly you hear a call for help. Show the cla.s.s how you look up and about you to see what is the matter. What might you say when you notice the owl and the elf?

2. Look at the brave boy in the second picture. He has dropped his flowers and run over to the elf. What is he doing? What is he shouting?

Do these things as if you were Tom in this picture.

Play this part of the story with two cla.s.smates.

3. The good elf has taken Tom to a wonderful tree in the woods. What do you think he is saying to Tom? Should you be a little afraid to open the door if you were Tom? Why? What questions might Tom ask before he opens it?

Play that you and a cla.s.smate are Tom and the elf in the third picture, standing in front of the door in the tree. Talk together as they probably talked together. Some of your cla.s.smates may be other elves, peeking out from behind large trees.

4. Just as Tom reached out his hand to open the door in the tree, what do you think happened? Look at the sleepy but surprised boy in the fourth picture. Why is he surprised?

Play that you are Tom. Show the cla.s.s how you would look as you awoke from the exciting dream.[3] What should you probably say?

Play this part of the story with a cla.s.smate. The cla.s.smate plays that she is the mother. What do you think the mother is saying to Tom? What might Tom answer?

5. Now you and several cla.s.smates will wish to play the entire story.[4]

Then it will be fun to see others[5] play it in their way. Perhaps these will play it better. Each group of pupils playing the story tries to show exactly what happened, by what the players say and do and by the way they look.

=2. Story-Telling=

Tom awoke just as he was opening the door in the tree. We do not know what would have happened next. Perhaps there was a stairway behind the door. Perhaps this led to a beautiful garden in which were flowers of many colors and singing birds. We do not know whom Tom might have met in that garden. We do not know what might have happened there.

=Oral Exercise.= 1. Play that you are Tom. Tell the cla.s.s your dream. But make believe that you did not wake up just as you were opening the door.

Tell your cla.s.smates what happened to you after you opened it.

Perhaps you found yourself in a room that was full of elves. Perhaps the king of the elves was there. How did he show that he was glad that you had saved the life of one of his elves? What did he say? Did the elves clap their hands? Did they play games with you in the woods?

Or perhaps the room was full of playthings, like a large toystore.

Perhaps the elf told you to choose and take home what you wanted most.

As you and your cla.s.smates tell the dream, it will be fun to see how different the endings are.

2. It may be that the teacher will ask you and some cla.s.smates to play the best dream story that is told. The first part of it you have already played. Play it over with the new ending. The pupil who added this may tell his cla.s.smates how to play it. Should he not be one of the players?

He will know, better than any one else, exactly what should be said and done.[6]

=3. Making Stories Better[7]=