Third. Self-Activity. The child is an active, creative agent, vitally concerned in adjusting himself to his physical and spiritual environment. Self-activity manifests itself in some external form, which in language is the symbol of the self-active thought. Success in teaching reading depends upon the amount of self-active response the symbol awakens in the thought of the child.
These three fundamental principles, namely, clear and vivid images, whole situations, and self-activity in the form of response and interest on the part of the child, should be kept in the foreground in teaching reading.
2.
ELEMENTS IN LEARNING TO READ.
Since language is composed of thought, symbol, and sound, the main elements to be considered in learning to read are the thought, the symbol, and the phonic elements.
THE THOUGHT ELEMENT.
The Purpose of the Thought Element. The problem of elementary reading is to establish a permanent association between the written or the printed symbols and the thoughts which they represent. The thought is all-important; it is the vitalizing element in learning to read. In learning to talk the child associates the meaning with the spoken symbol; in learning to read he associates a thought content with a sight symbol. The strength of the association depends in each case upon the worth the thought has for the child; hence the great necessity of giving especial attention to the thought element in learning to read.
Action Sentences. A sentence is the unit of language and the life-giving factor in the process of learning to read. It is important, therefore, that in the beginning the child should form the habit of grasping sentences. In the first reading lessons it is necessary to find subjects which interest the child and furnish clear mental pictures. Children are interested in actions. They like to move and will read for the purpose of performing an action. Action sentences appeal to all children, because that which a child does makes a deep impression and involves large self-activity.
Nursery Rhymes. Children are so influenced by rhythm that it is impossible to train them aright without giving due consideration to this form of expression. There are many interesting complete rhymes and poems that are valuable for reading lessons. In content the poetry of childhood should contain familiar images, tinged with enough of mystery to give that subtle mingling of sense and nonsense which stirs the imagination of the child and also relates him to the actual world in which he lives. The Mother Goose melodies fulfil these conditions, but it is the rhythm far more than the thought that attracts the child. Have the children learn the rhymes by ear and recite them with no thought other than that they are to be enjoyed. Incidentally, they will afford valuable exercise in pronunciation, articulation, and tone modulation, if the teacher is careful about these matters, for children are great imitators. Later the children will read these rhymes and poems with great pleasure, thus associating a valuable thought content with its printed symbol in a way that will make the association abiding.
Stories. Children express in action, and ultimately in character, the influences which they receive from stories. Therefore, stories containing true and good ideals should be selected. Children appreciate and love what appeals to the best and the highest in them. Nursery rhymes, fables, fairy lore, and classic myth should be used. They have nourished the race, and will also feed the soul life of the individual child. The outer form varies with the age and the country, but the inner meaning is of the spirit and will outlast the centuries. Every teacher should, therefore, carefully cultivate the art of story-telling. It is far better to present a story orally than to read it from a book. If it is told, the teacher can adapt it to the needs of her classes, and by the magnetism of voice, eye, and personality awaken an abiding love for good literature. At a later period the child will enjoy reading these same stories in the reading books of the first and second grades.