Beginners' Book in Language Part 24

2. Shall you decorate the room with spring flowers?

3. Shall the festival begin with a march by the pupils?

4. Do you know a suitable story that could be played by a group of pupils?

5. Could some suitable poems be recited?

6. Would it be a good plan to have each pupil play that he is a spring flower or a bird and make a riddle about himself for the visitors to guess?

7. How shall visitors be invited? Shall each pupil write a letter inviting somebody and mail it in the United States Post Office?

2. It would be fun to have you and a cla.s.smate talk the spring festival over on the cla.s.s telephone. Of course this is only a make-believe telephone, but two pupils can talk to each other over it just as well as if it were real. Tell your cla.s.smate at the other end of the telephone what you think of the spring-festival plan. Ask him questions about it.

He will ask you questions.

3. Use the cla.s.s telephone to invite persons to the spring festival.

Different cla.s.smates of yours will play that they are Mr. Brown and Mrs.

Brown and others whom you wish to invite. Tell them about the spring festival. Tell them why the cla.s.s will have it, and what it is to be like. Then invite them to come.

=Group Exercise.= The cla.s.s of course hears these telephone conversations. After each one the cla.s.s should talk about it with the following questions[69] in mind:

1. Did the speakers telephone in clear, pleasant voices that could easily be heard?

2. Were the speakers polite to each other?

3. Did the speakers make any mistakes in English? Did they p.r.o.nounce any words incorrectly?

4. Did the speakers say bright things that every one likes to hear?

5. Can you think of anything the speakers might have said to make the telephone talk more interesting?

=61. Letter Writing=

A few days before the spring festival you will be inviting your parents and friends to come to it. You could write short letters asking them to come. You could take your letters to their houses or you could send the invitations by mail.[70]

Here is an invitation to the spring festival. It was written, as you see, by a boy named George Smith to his friend Mr. Brown.

+----------------------------------+ May 9, 1919 Dear Mr. Brown: Come to our spring festival. George Smith

=Oral Exercise.= What do you think of George Smith's invitation? What do you think Mr. Brown will say when he receives it? Does George Smith seem to be a very polite boy? How could the invitation be made more polite?

What should the invitation tell about the spring festival?

=Written Exercise.= Write one of your invitations for the spring festival. Put in it all that you think such an invitation should say to the one who receives it. Before you begin it, notice how the following greetings are written. This may help you in writing yours.[71]

Dear Mr. Brown: Dear Mrs. Brown: Dear Miss Brown: Dear Friend: Dear Uncle: Dear Teacher:

=Group Exercise.= A number of the invitations should now be copied neatly on the board. Then you and your cla.s.smates may point out what is good in each, and may try to make each one better.

=62. Addressing Letters=

If you send your invitations by mail, you will need to know how to write the addresses on the envelopes. Perhaps you can learn this most quickly by carefully copying addresses that are correctly written. Before copying them you should read them with care. Notice every capital letter and punctuation mark.

=Oral Exercise.= Read the name of the person to whom each of the following envelopes is addressed. Is it placed nearer the top or the bottom edge of the envelope? Is it nearer the right or the left edge of the envelope? Is it placed exactly in the middle of the envelope? Is the second line of the address exactly under the first line? Is the third line exactly under the second line?

+-----------------------------+ Mr. James Smith 46 Oak Street Toledo, Ohio +-----------------------------+

+-----------------------------+ Mrs. Henry Jones 1616 Superior Street Portland, Oregon +-----------------------------+

=Written Exercise.= 1. Draw lines to mark off an envelope on your paper.

Then copy the first of the addresses above. Mark off another envelope, and copy the second address.[72]

2. Cut figures of paper the size and shape of an envelope, and on each write one of the following addresses:

1. The address of your father

2. The address of your mother

3. Your own address

4. The address of a friend not in the cla.s.s

5. The address of a friend who is a cla.s.smate

=63. Telling Interesting Things=

=Oral Exercise.= 1. When did you last go to the circus?[73] Of course you remember many interesting things about it. Think of these a minute; then tell your cla.s.smates about them. Perhaps the following questions will help you remember:

1. Did you see the circus come to town early in the morning?

2. Did you see the men putting up the tents?

3. Did you see the parade?

4. Where did you buy your ticket?

5. What did you see first when you entered the tent?