The children become familiar with the written form of the smaller numbers in this way—the number of absent children is reported at each session and written on the board. On Friday the teacher records upon the board some facts of the week, or of the month, which the children learned from their weather charts—viz., the number of sunny and the number of cloudy days. The number of children in each row is ascertained and written at the board that the monitors may know how many pairs of scissors, pieces of clay, or pencils to select.
The poems, after being partially committed to memory, are written upon the board; when the pupils falter, reference is made to the line in question as it appears upon the board.
The teacher sometimes writes her morning greeting or evening farewell at the board—thus: "Good morning, children," or, "Good-by for to-day." The children read silently and respond with, "Good morning, Miss Eades," or, "Good night, Miss Farr."
Often she communicates facts of interest at the board. If the pupils are unable to interpret what she has written, she reads for them, e.g., the teacher writes, "We have vacation to-morrow." Quite likely some child, unable to read at all, will say, "We have something, but I can't tell what it is." (These same words will occur again, when needed to express a thought, and it is a waste of energy to drill upon them.) When the children have interpreted the above sentence at the board, the teacher writes, "Do you know why?" The children read the question silently and give the answer audibly, and say, "It is Decoration Day." We too often allow children to treat a question in their reading as if its end were reached in the asking. To lead the children to form a habit of answering questions asked in writing or in print, such questions as the following are, from time to time, written at the board: "Did you see the rainbow last night?" "What color was it?" "Did you see any birds on Saturday?" "What ones?" "Have you been to the woods?" "What did you find there?"
(b) In Connection with the Literature. The name of the story which the teacher is about to tell is placed upon the board. At the first writing the teacher tells the pupils what it is, if necessary, e.g., the teacher says, "We shall have a story about 'The Three Bears,'" pointing to the title upon the board. The next day she says, "I would like you to tell me all you can about this story"—writing its name upon the board.
In the final reproduction of the story the teacher assigns topics, e.g.: Chauncey may tell me about this (writing at the board): Silver-Hair going to the woods. Eva may tell about this: Silver-Hair going into the kitchen. Jennie may tell about this: Silver-Hair going into the sitting room. Willie may tell about this: Silver-Hair going upstairs. Should the child go beyond the limited topic, the teacher points to the board and asks about what he was to tell.
At the close of each story that can be dramatized, the teacher assigns at the board the part which each is to take, thus: After the story of "The Old Woman and the Pig" is learned, the teacher writes in a column each child's name opposite the animal or thing which he is to represent, in this way.
Agnes—the old woman.
Glenn—the pig.
Sadie—the dog, etc.
(c) In Connection with the Nature Study. In the spring the children are looking for the return of the birds, the first spring blossoms, and the opening of the tree buds. The teacher often makes her own discoveries known through writing, upon the board, e.g., "I saw a robin this morning," or "I found a blue violet yesterday," or "I saw some elm blossoms last night."
The class, by the aid of the teacher, make a bird, a flower, and a tree-bud calendar, on which are recorded the name and date of the first seen of each. These names are put on the calendars in the presence of the children, and they frequently "name their treasures o'er."