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VII. METHODS FOR SELF-CULTURE.

The living teacher, as a model, is better than all books of rules upon elocution; yet, if the pupil cannot be drilled by a master in the art, he may study carefully some good work upon the subject, and if he is observing and has no serious defect of voice, may still make much progress in self-culture. The following table of exercises are recommended as helps for developing and improving the voice:

1. Breathing deeply and slowly, rapidly and explosively.

2. Reading in a whisper so distinctly as to be readily heard throughout a large room.

3. Reading loudly in doors, out of doors, and when running up hill.

4. Read slowly and rapidly alternately.

5. Read high and low alternately.

6. Read heavy and gentle alternately.

7. Increase and diminish in force alternately.

8. Read up and down the musical scale alternately.

SPECIFICS.

1. For strength of voice loud explosive exercises.

2. For distinct enunciation the whisper or an aspirated voice. 3. For smoothness the medium stress with slow time.

4. For flexibility as rapidly as possible.

5. For meeting with any measure of success, keep the eyes and ears open and practice, practice, practice.

VIII. METHODS FOR TEACHING READING. Probably no other branch in our schools is so poorly taught as that of reading. There are many reasons why this is so, erhaps the principal ones are these:

1. Teachers cannot themselves read well.

Now, it is possible, without doubt, for a person who cannot sing very well to teach others to make more music than he can himself,

and just so with reading, but if he is proficient in the practice as well as the theory, how much better can he teach.

The teacher should be familiar with the lesson. He should have a well-defined plan in his mind concerning the manner in which it shall be taught. He should decide previously what questions he will ask to arouse attention—how he will fix the lesson in the mind.

2. The matter of the lessons is often far beyond the comprehension of the pupil.

Many a child blunders on over a dissertation upon the "Problems of the Universe" or the "Grandeur of the Ocean" without an idea concerning the meaning of a sentence. The name of the author of "Easy Lessons" should be honored during all time. Before the publication of this book, the child of six or seven years of age spelled out his lesson in the Testament or English Reader. Let the teacher make selections of those pieces which the child can understand.

3. The children do not study.

The teacher should see that the lesson is well prepared before it is read. The knowledge of the child should be tested by questioning, and he should be ready to define every word if necessary, and tell the story in his own language.

4. The lesson is often too lengthy.

Pupils are sometimes allowed to read a half dozen pages at a lesson, and then only once over, hurrying through from preface to finis as if an enemy were in full pursuit, and liable to overtake them at any moment. This is all wrong; a page or two is almost always sufficient for a lesson. Let the piece be read in sections and afterward reviewed.

5. Children read after the teacher in concert or otherwise, having no more intellectual drill than if they were so many parrots.

The Pestilozzian rule- "Never tell a child any thing which he can discover for himself," should be rigorously followed in teaching reading. Let them criticise each other-the teacher questioning adroitly until the correct rendering is given.

The following order of exercises in conducting primary classes has been successfully followed:

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I. PRIMARY.

1. PRELIMINARY EXERCISE.
(For calling the words at sight.)

1. Reversed manner.

each.

2. Reversed manner. 3. Reversed manner. 4. Reversed manner. sible.

Teacher and children alternating one word

Boys and girls alternating, one word each.
Careless pupils alternating, with class.

Each pupil reading a line as rapidly as pos

5. Pupils spell and define difficult words.

2. READING EXERCISE.

(After the lesson has been throughly studied.)

1. Teacher asks questions upon the lesson.

2. Children read and criticise each other, giving reasons.

3. Teacher reads wrong, or without expression. Children criticise. 4. Children read in concert after teacher.

5. Books closed. Children give substance of lesson in their own language.

Monday.

Tuesday.

Wednesday.

2. PROGRAMME FOR THE Week.

Topic pertaining to Reading, as emphasis, etc.
Reading from book.

Examples brought by children from conversation

they have heard.

Reading from book.

Dictate some selection not in the Readers. Children copy.

Reading from book.

Thursday. - Read lesson dictated on the day before.

Friday.-Voluntary Reading.

Let each read any thing which has been read during the week or month. Let the pupils volunteer in all cases, and when reading face the class.

For acquiring independence in reading, and as a method of review, this exercise will be found invaluable.

3. METHODS FOR VARIETY IN TEACHING READING,

1. Concert Reading, one pupil naming pauses. 2. Individual Reading, class naming pauses.

3. Boys and girls alternate, reading a sentence each.

4. Reading to mistake.

5. Reading in couples.

6. Giving parts in dialogues.

7. Choosing sides (similar to methods used in spelling).

8. Looking-glass Reading (class imitate one pupil).

9. Naming pupil who reads until some other name is called.

10. Voting for best readers.

11. Dictating lesson, which they copy one day and read the next. 12. Medley Reading (like a round in singing).

13. Volunteer Reading.

14. Giving examples gathered from the play ground. (Let the children read from the blackboard what they have uttered when at play. There is certainly no exercise better suited for teaching natural reading.)

4. ANALYSIS AND METHOD OF TEACHING.

ODE ON THE PASSIONS.

1. Ask author's name.

2. When written?

- page 39.*

3. What other writings of prose or poetry by same author?

I. STANZA.

1. Meaning of phrase "When Music was young"?

2. What country was the cradle of arts and sciences?

3. Whose "shell"?

4. Whence is the figure borrowed? (Gods and goddesses were represented as making music upon sea shells. Triton was Neptune's trumpeter, and he made music upon a silver sounding shell.) "Like the silvery tones of a fairy shell."

Passing away - Pierpont.

5. Does any line of the first four lack a syllable?

6. Was "ed" sounded originally?

7. How fill the rhythm if a syllable is wanting?

8. What parenthetic expression in one of the first four lines? 9. How will you paint exultation, rage, etc.?

10. Who were the muses? What is meant by muses' painting?

11. What kind of "fury" is meant?

12. Meaning of "rapt"?

13. See that the pupil does not say "rap tinspired."

14. Have class seen myrtles upon which musical instruments might be hung?

15. Get or give description of the myrtle tree of the east.

1. How paint Fear?

II.

2. How does fear exhibit itself?

3. The teacher or some pupil read in different ways; class say which is correct.

(Class will always decide that an aspirated tremor is correct.)

III.

1. With what quality of voice paint Anger?

(Guttural explosive.)

2. How paint clash?

3. What time upon last line?

IV.

1. How would you paint upon canvas a picture of Despair?

2. You would represent a person of what age? Why not youth or extreme old age?

3. Position of figure? (Bowed head)

4. If the person were to speak, what tone would he use?

5. Would he speak slowly, or quickly, in high or low tone?

6. In last clause of last line, what other phase of despair is described?

7. Does despair induce insanity?

V.

1. How paint Hope upon canvas?

(Youth, beaming face, looking toward the future, voice pure, ringing, high in pitch.)

2. What force upon second and third line from the last?

3. What time upon last line?

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