Fifteen Institute Lessons in Language, Arithmetic, and U.S. History

Transcriber’s Note
COPYRIGHT SECURED, AUGUST 1888,
BY W. F. L. SANDERS, CAMBRIDGE CITY, INDIANA.
RICHMOND, IND..
DAILY PALLADIUM BOOK AND JOB PRINTING HOUSE.
1888.
The teacher should ask questions about the objects and incidents of the reading lesson; the most difficult words of the lesson should be placed on the board and used as an exercise in rapid pronunciation and spelling; let the pupils pass rapidly through a paragraph, pronouncing the words of two-syllables, three-syllables, etc.; and, as soon as the advancement of the class will permit, the pupil should pass through a paragraph naming the parts of speech, the phrases, the propositions, and the sentences, now and then classifying them.
Frequently, as a pupil reads, the rest of the class should be required to close their books and turn their attention directly to what is being read; when the reader is through, the teacher should question the listeners carefully until every point of what was read is brought out clearly,—the reading itself to be properly criticised. Rules of punctuation, and those concerning the use of capitals should be deduced from the reading matter, and frequently recited. Quotation marks, the hyphen, and the apostrophe must receive their share of attention.
Geographical terms, allusions, and figures of speech should be noted; let the places mentioned be located and described as in geography. If prominent men are mentioned, let brief biographical sketches be given.
Before beginning the recitation, the teacher should question the class closely in regard to what is set forth or told in the lesson. Give careful attention to position, voice, emphasis, tone, etc. Good reading should strike our attention as being very like good conversation.
As soon as practicable, the pupils should be required to write out as a composition the thoughts and incidents of the lesson. Occasional exercises in parsing and analysis may be given from the reading lesson.