PRELIMINARY BLACKBOARD LESSONS.(Time, about eight weeks.)
Directions.1. This Manual contains thirty Preliminary Blackboard Lessons. The purpose is to associate thought and symbol. These preliminary lessons anticipate the first twenty-nine pages in the Primer but do not exactly reproduce the text. By means of the blackboard work the pupil accumulates a small initial vocabulary which enables him to read the lessons in the Primer with no fear or uncertainty of the text.
2. There is no exact limit to the number of Preliminary Blackboard Lessons that should be taught. Those given in the Manual indicate the order of development, not the time. American children will master the lessons given in from six to eight weeks. Foreign children will require a little more time, since they must learn to associate thought with both the spoken and the written symbol. When children read lessons written on the blackboard with ease, put the Primer in their hands.
I.
The teacher writes the action sentenceRun.on the blackboard in a clear, distinct hand. The initial capital and the period at the end are consistently used, so that from the beginning the children are accustomed to them. After writing the word the teacher expresses the action by running. If her dignity will not permit her to do this, she may bring in a child from the second or third grade and ask him to perform whatever action is indicated by the word written upon the board. The word is not spoken at this time;the child discovers the meaning from the action. The whole purpose of the teacher is to associate the thought expressed by the action with its written symbol. Let this word remain on the board; write it in a larger hand near the place where the word was first written. Again let the teacher or child perform the act. Select another board; write the word in a smaller hand. Again express the thought in action. The class will watch this with deep interest. Some member of the class will soon associate the written word with the action, and will stand upon the first round of the ladder leading to the interpretation of thought from written symbols.
The reason for writing the word in a larger and a smaller hand, and especially in different places on the blackboard, is to prevent local association. Then, too, the change of place will intensify the child's interest and attention.
Make the reading lesson short and repeat it at intervals during the day. If fifteen minutes is the time set apart for reading, divide this into three five-minute periods. The lesson period should be lengthened as the work advances.
On each succeeding day, and in the same manner, teach
Teach one word a day and review those previously taught. Write the words on the blackboard a number of times arranged irregularly, and have frequent short drills upon them.
These four verbs,Run,Hop,Jump, andSing, have been found by practical experience to be very good ones for the beginninglessons. They will occur again and again in the later stories about animals and pets. They are also used in the stories about the plays and games which children delight to reproduce in the reading lesson.
V.
REVIEW.
Three methods of presenting a reading lesson are suggested:
A
1. The teacher writes an action word on the blackboard.
2. The teacher asks a child to perform the action.
3. The child looks at the blackboard and reads the word.(This is the beginning of oral reading.)
B
1. The teacher asks a child to perform any action he chooses.
2. The teacher asks another child to tell what the first one did.
3. The teacher writes the action word on the blackboard.
C
1. One child tells another what action to perform.
2. The child performs the action.
3. The teacher writes the word on the blackboard.
Many devices will suggest themselves to the progressive teacher if she clearly understands that the purpose of the lesson is to associate the thought with its written or printed symbol. If the child, after observing a word written on the blackboard, expresses the thought in action, he shows that he has read it.
VI.
and.
The teacher writes sentences like the following on the blackboard:
Endless combinations may be made with these words, giving constant change of thought while repeating the words. It is quite possible in this way to have word repetition with variety of thought.
Each time a sentence is written on the blackboard the process is as follows:
Some children grasp the sentence form as unconsciously as they do the word form. If they fail to do so, teach the use of the capital letter.
Vary the lesson by introducing the names of children in the class, thus:
VII.
I can.
The phraseI canis next introduced. Write upon the blackboard the sentenceI can run. Read it to the children. Have a child perform the action and then read the sentence aloud. Proceed in this way with other action sentences. Group the sentences in various ways and have frequent reviews.
The reading process consists of three steps:
After teaching the sentence as a whole, it should be analyzed into words. For instance, ask a child to pass to the blackboard and point toI canas many times as he finds it written. Point torun, etc. This may be varied by asking a child to underscore or erase the words that are alike.
VIII.
Rover.
Household pets, anything and everything that is familiar to a child and in which he is interested, will serve as material for reading lessons. Rover is a universal name for a dog and hence is arbitrarily used for illustrative purposes in these lessons. If Dash happens to be a better name known to the child, use that. Sentences like the following will suggest themselves:
IX.
Kitty.
Kittens are a never failing source of interest to children. At a suggestion from the teacher the children themselves will give sentences like the following:
The teacher writes these sentences upon the blackboard as they are given to her by the different children. She then calls upon other children to read them. A child may pretend that she is Kitty and dramatize the action. This dramatic instinct is universal in children and should be recognized throughout the school life.
X.
You.
The question form is easily learned and should be introduced in the early lessons. Combine familiar words in new relations:
Write upon the blackboard in a vertical row severalI seesentences. Have the children read them. EraseI seein each sentence, leavingRover,Kitty,you. Again, place severalI seesentences upon the blackboard. EraseRover,Kitty,you, leavingI see,I see,I see. EraseI, leaving the single wordsee.
Continue in this way with the phrasesI can see,I have,I like,I love.
Children are interested in home life, therefore introduce the wordsfather,mother,brother,sister,babyin the early lessons.
Teach the articlesa,an,thein connection with their nouns in order to secure natural expression.
Review these words in new sentences which combine familiar words in new relations.Ex.:
XVIII.
Children are interested in their own names, hence they will quickly learn to associate the spoken name with its written symbol.Write upon the blackboard the sentence,Catch the ball, ——. (Teacher, supply the name of a child in the room.) Erase the name and replace it with a different one. Continue in this way with other names.
Ex.:
XIX.
From this time on it will add to the interest if the sentences are so connected that they tell a story. The following method has been found helpful:
Suppose a bird has been observed. The children have something to say and this serves as material for a reading lesson. First one child and then another expresses his thought about the bird. The teacher writes the easiest of these sentences upon the blackboard, the result being somewhat as follows:
The teacher asks the children to read silently the entire story. As soon as each child is ready he may rise and turn his back to the blackboard. He then gives the thought in his own language.
Ex.:
Call upon different children to express the thought, and accept any condensation of language which shows this power. The purpose in asking the child to interpret the whole story in his own language is to show that he has thethought.
The children are now ready to analyze the story into sentences. A good device is to cover the story with a curtain provided for the purpose. Raise the curtain and ask the children to observe, let us say, the third sentence. Cover this and ask a child to give the exact language.
Ex.:
The blue bird can sing.
If he cannot do so, raise the curtain again and let him observe. Continue in this way with the other sentences, showing them to the children in an irregular order. The purpose of this is to show that the children not only have the thought as a whole, but that they know the words in each sentence.
By this method children are trained to read groups of words at a glance. They observe the sentence as a whole, image it as a whole, and read it as a whole. Comprehension of the thought leads to freedom of expression. In consequence, pupils will not be heard pronouncing disconnected words in unnatural, artificial tones.
The development of the lesson is as follows:
First: Children observe and express.Second: The teacher writes this expression on the blackboard. When a story of three or four sentences is complete the order of interpretation is as follows:
First: Children observe and express.
Second: The teacher writes this expression on the blackboard. When a story of three or four sentences is complete the order of interpretation is as follows:
First: Children observe and image. (Silent reading.)Second: Each child in turn expresses the whole thought.Third: The children read each sentence. (Oral reading.)
First: Children observe and image. (Silent reading.)
Second: Each child in turn expresses the whole thought.
Third: The children read each sentence. (Oral reading.)
Color appeals to all children. Frequent use of it should be made in describing birds, flowers, and animals in the first reading lessons. The following are suggestive lessons containing such words asbig,little,pretty, and adjectives of color.
Vary the work at this point by teaching the word are and putting some of the stories in the second person. Children will enjoy reading or talking to an imaginary Rover or Kitty.
Ex.:
XX.
SUMMARY.
With this limited vocabulary the teacher is able to formulate many sentences.
XXI.
Write upon the blackboard descriptions given by the children of grandma, father, mother, baby, or other members of the family. This will train them to observe closely and to image clearly. (Proceed as in Lesson XIX.)
If necessary, let several development lessons precede the story in order to emphasize certain aspects of thought or particular words.
1.
2.
XXII.
Let each child describe his own home. Write one of these descriptions on the blackboard, somewhat as follows:
XXIII.
In the language lesson show pictures of the home life of children of other lands. Have the children observe, image, and describe these pictures. Later, write a description of one of the pictures on the blackboard as a reading lesson.
1.
2.
Whenever it is necessary, precede the story with one or more development lessons.
XXIV.
Select a little girl with bright dress and attractive coloring to stand before the class. Ask the children to observe, and then to close their eyes and image the child. Tell the little girl to step into the dressing room or behind a screen and have the children describe her. Express from the image, not from the object. The teacher writes the description on the blackboard, somewhat as follows:
1.
2.
Omit the observation and write upon the blackboard a description of a boy or a girl in the room. Supply a name and have one of the children locate the boy or girl.Ex.:
XXV.
Nature lessons, handicraft lessons, playthings, games, and everything which appeals to the interest of the children may be used as material for the reading lessons.Ex.:
XXVI.
Let the girls having something brown about them impersonate brown birds.Ex.: Brown eyes; brown ribbons; brown dresses. Have them read the sentences silently and then perform the action. By a gentle movement of the arms the birds are represented as flying.
Let the boys having something black about them impersonate blackbirds.Ex.: Black shoes; black clothing; black eyes.
Adapt the following lesson to suit the conditions by changing either the name or the color.Ex.: If there is a little girl in the room with a red ribbon whose name is notMary, substitute the real name.
XXVII.
Experience proves that a rapid and easy way for children to learn to read is by means of nursery rhymes and simple poems. The method of presenting a rhyme is as follows:
Have the children learn the rhyme by ear and repeat it aloud. Write the rhymeTwo Little Blackbirds, on the board. (See Primer, page 23. In order that recognition may take place when the same rhymes are seen in print, carefully copy the arrangement of the text as found in the Primer.) Draw a pointer slowly under each line as the children repeat the rhyme. Do this several times until they begin to associate the spoken symbol with the written symbol. Children will soon recognize the elements most prominent.
After teaching the rhyme as a whole, analyze it into parts. Write lines, phrases, and words in different places on the blackboard. Have the children observe, image, and find these in the rhyme.Ex.:Two little blackbirds;upon a hill;one was named;fly away;come again.
Ask a child to find all the words that are alike.Ex.:Jack;Jill;named;fly;come;again; etc. Ask another child to find and nameall the words he knows. Let volunteers find lines, phrases, and words called for by other children who see them. In some such way as this every symbol can be brought to the child's consciousness.
When the children are familiar with the words comprising the rhyme they are ready to read sentences and stories using these same words in new relations. Keep the rhyme on the blackboard for reference. When in doubt about a word let the child find it himself by repeating the rhyme until he reads that word.
A summary of the steps involved:
1. Memorize the rhyme in order to acquire the thought.2. Associate this thought with the written symbols.3. Separate the rhyme into sentences, phrases, and words.4. Combine these parts in new wholes; that is, in new sentences and stories.
1. Memorize the rhyme in order to acquire the thought.
2. Associate this thought with the written symbols.
3. Separate the rhyme into sentences, phrases, and words.
4. Combine these parts in new wholes; that is, in new sentences and stories.
One essential principle in learning to read is that the thought shall be familiar and interesting. The purpose of the elementary reading lesson is to associate old thought with a new symbol.
This same rhyme may be modified and used as a game. Select two children with blue ribbons, dresses, suits, or neckties, to impersonate bluebirds. Substitute their names and write the rhyme on the board as follows:
Have the two bluebirds read the words from the blackboard, run to a corner of the room, and stoop down to dramatize the words "sat upon a hill." At the words "fly away" the little birds run around the room with outstretched arms to imitate the flying motion. At the words "come again" they should return to their original position. This exercise gives repetition of words with variety of thought.
XXVIII.
Memorize the rhyme. Children like to express thought in action, therefore when memorizing the rhyme let them hold imaginary babies in their arms and gently rock them to the rhythm of the words.
Write the rhyme on the blackboard. Write the lines, phrases, and words elsewhere on the blackboard. Let the children observe these and find them in the rhyme.Rock-a-by;In the tree-top;When the wind blows;When the bough breaks; etc.
Find the words that are alike,baby;cradle;when;the;will; etc.
Action Sentences Based on the Rhyme.
Write upon the blackboard the sentence,Bring me the doll. Have the children read it silently. Ask a child to perform the action,and then read the sentence aloud. Continue in this way with other action sentences.
A real doll and cradle may be used and the following sentences be expressed in action:
Teachbring,put,make, and other new verbs as sight words and use them in preliminary development lessons.
Ex.:
Kindergarten Finger Playfurnishes excellentactionupon which to base the use of the wordmake.Ex.:
XXIX.
See-Saw.(Primer, page 24.) Children like to recite to appropriate action. Rhythmic movement may be taught with the "See-Saw" rhyme as follows: While repeating the first two lines sink to a squatting position and rise again two times. While repeating the second line bend alternately to the right and left three times. Repeat these motions with the third and fourth lines.
XXX.
The Transition from Script to Print.It is impossible to give a fixed rule stating the time when the child should pass from the blackboard script to the book. This varies with the age and ability of the pupils. The observant teacher knows when to place printed material in the hands of the child by the readiness and ease with which he reads from the blackboard. It will be necessary to write the first lessons in the Primer on the blackboard for the children to observe the resemblance between that which is written upon the board and that which is printed in the book. Every primary teacher shouldwrite a clear, legible hand.
Note:—"The Old Woman and Her Pig," "The House that Jack Built," or other nursery rhymes involving much repetition of language, will be found helpful for supplementary blackboard lessons.