Nothing can take the place of originality and spontaneity. If a fixed program is followed, the main purpose of the work will be missed and the interest for both teacher and children will evaporate. In the treatment of the two elements, the ethical and the nature material have been separated from each other and from the other parts. This is for the purpose of emphasizing them in the teacher’s mind. The plan need not be followed in the actual work. Questions and explanations may be introduced into the narration if care be taken that the interruption does not break the thread of the story.
There has been no attempt to divide the subject into lessons. However, the preparation, the narration, and the deepening should, in most cases, be all that is undertaken in one period of fifteen minutes. This is as long as young children should be kept to one exercise. If this is done in the morning session, the reproduction and the other exercises could come in the afternoon session.
REPRODUCTION.
A child learns to talk fluently and with correctness by talking. Oral speech should come before written speech. If the pupil can talk in good English with ease there will not be much trouble with written expression. To this end there should be much time given to oral reproduction by the children. Even the most backward child should be encouraged to attempt it. There will be a strong temptation to allow the brilliant story tellers to do most of the reproducing. Each child should be thrown wholly on his own responsibility. Let him tell what he can in his own way and reserve corrections until he is done. The story itself should be kept fluid. It should not be allowed to crystallize into set phrases on the part of either teacher or children. Great liberty should be allowed in reproduction, so that freshness and spontaneity may never be lacking. The reproduction may immediately follow the deepening process or be reserved for a separate period. It should be given from the beginning frequently.
THE PREPARATION.
It is well to give the aim or purpose of the story first. This may be in the form of a brief outline giving the general direction which the story is to take. Some such hint seems a pedagogical necessity. Nothing is so tiresome to an adult, even, as to listen to a discourse whose aim and purpose are not apparent. And then the movement as a whole should be in the mind of the children from the first.
It is in accordance with sound pedagogy to bring to the foreground of consciousness the ideas already possessed by the children, and known to be related to what is to be presented. The new is learned or understood (apperceived) by the old. That which has been once assimilated enters into and modifies old concepts; these in turn classify the new material and reduce it to order and unity. It is therefore important that, before a story is told, the related ideas be brought forward ready for use by means of a few well directed questions. In many cases the proper result may be attained by suggesting a difficulty or problem for the children to solve.
THE NARRATION.
After the preparation follows the story. It should be given in short divisions. Each such division should be as far as possible a dramatic unity, subordinate of course to the main one.
The story should be told, not read. Every primary teacher should be a story teller. Anyone that has felt the deep, enthusiastic response of children to a story well told will feel amply repaid for any effort to cultivate the art of story telling. On this point few suggestions can be given. The main elements of good story telling are intrinsically connected with the emotional and spiritual endowments. A genuine appreciation of child-nature must be combined with a lively and emotional manner of expression.