Aim: To develop relaxation, correct posture, easy movement, and sufficient speed to prevent finger movement and to apply fundamental principles to all written exercises except arithmetic. Grade “Failure” unless movement is used as indicated above. Attain a speed of eighty letters per minute in words and sentences.
The material, length of lesson, distribution of time to subject matter, heading and samples may profitably be the same as for the fifth grade.
SEVENTH GRADE
In a school where each teacher has done her share of the work outlined according to the grade it will be observed that the quality of the penmanship produced by seventh grade pupils will in many cases equal that of adults. Adult learners, if they have in previous years used finger movement will have more to overcome than seventh grade pupils.
It is well at all times to keep the goal in view, and gradually work toward it. Never permit pupils to drift. During penmanship lessons frequent comparisons with the models is essential. Friendly competition has a place. Let parallel grades of the same school or neighboring schools compare work. Take into consideration in the competition, first, legibility, then time consumed for the execution of the exercise, uniformity, slant, spacing, size and connecting and ending strokes.
Many pupils no doubt do not use discretion in the selection of proper equipment for home work. They should realize that the right heights of table and chair mean much for comfort and therefore have direct relation to physical endurance. The use of the timepiece in order to keep up the right speed is an important point. Every exercise in the manual practiced at the right rate of speed will enable seventh grade pupils to acquire an average speed of fifteen to eighteen words per minute. Teach each pupil to be systematic in his homework as well as at school.
In this grade it is interesting at times to allow a pupil who has a sense of rhythm in penmanship well developed to play the piano, selecting a march to which the pupils might write certain drills. The phonograph may be used to good advantage for the purpose of giving variety to the drill work. Pupils will enjoy writing the drills to the music. They must appreciate more fully than ever the fact that each school subject depends to a great extent upon others, penmanship being no exception. The sense of rhythm which should come from the study of music will often be the inspiration that will move pupils to the right speed when everything else fails. When pupils write to the rhythm produced by their own voices, such as concert counting, relaxation of the muscles takes place easily.
It has proven very satisfactory to appoint a captain, perhaps the best penman in the row, to do the counting for the preliminary drills with which each lesson should begin. This relieves the teacher of useless voice work and helps to develop initiative on the part of the pupils. It will be necessary for pupils who do this work to count exactly right, first with the teacher, and later alone. They should next learn to count and work at the same time.
Finally, pupils may well observe all the suggestions made in previous grades. They should, however, be able to produce much more finished results than in the previous grade.
Aim: To develop relaxation, correct posture, easy movement, sufficient speed to prevent finger movement, and to apply these fundamental principles to all written exercises. Grade “Failure” unless movement is applied as indicated above. Attain a speed of ninety letters in words and sentences.