PROPERTY OF BOARD OF EDUCATION. TO BE LEFT IN THE
SCHOOL LIBRARY OR RETURNED TO THE
SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
STATE OF ALABAMA
MANUAL
OF THE
COURSE OF STUDY
OF THE
PUBLIC ELEMENTARY
SCHOOLS
LBi^ei
,/\a
IQS.3
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BULLETIN No. 35
FIFTH EDITION
REPRINT
Authorized by
THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
1923
SHOWN PRINTING CO. MON
PROPERTY OF BOARD OF EDUCATION. TO BE LEFT IN THE
SCHOOL LIBRARY OR RETURNED TO THE
SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
STATE OF ALABAMA
MANUAL
OF THE
COURSE OF STUDY
OF THE
PUBLIC ELEMENTARY
SCHOOLS
BULLETIN No. 35
■ "i
FIFTH EDITION
REPRINT
Authorized by
THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
1923
• ROWN PRINTING CO. MONTGOMERY.
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Governor Wm. W. Brandon.
Mrs. T. g. Bush Dr. D. T. McCall l. B. Musgrove
A. H. Carmichael Jack Thorington A. L. Tyler
John W. Abercrombie, Executive Secretary
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
INTRODUCTION .. 5
Elementary school of six grades 6
Sources of official assistance 6
Bulletins needed 6
Text books 7
Incidental supplies 7
School hours, holidays 7
Substitutes 7
Daily Schedule 8
Outside preparation of lessons... 8
First day 8
Correlation 8
Promotions 9
Records, reports, registers 9
School library 10
Special days 10
School laws 10
School building and grounds 11
FIRST GRADE 12
Minimum equipment 13
Necessary books for teacher— 13
Aims
Projects
Arithmetic ....
13
13
14
Results to be attained 14
Art Education 14
Health 14
Industrial Work 14
Language _ . 14
Results to be attained 14
Necessary books for teacher... 16
For MUSIC and NATURE
STUDY see second grade.
Reading 16
Adopted books 16
Materials 16
Supplementary books 17
Required books for teacher 17
The primary field 17
Large ends to be attained in
the first grade 17
Habit formation to be accom¬
plished - - 17
Practice to be provided 18
Requirements for promotion
of average children 18
18
18
19
19
•20
20
20
21
21
22
22
Main lines of work.
Points for special emphasis.
Content and mechanics
Beginning reading ....
Word drills
Oral Reading
Silent Reading —
Spelling
Results to be attained
the fifth month
Writing
a£te*
Suggestions —
SECOND GRADE 23
Minimum equipment 23
Necessary book for teacher 23
Aims
For PROJECTS see page
Arithmetic
13.
Adopted textbook
Necessary books for teacher-
Results to be attained
Art Education
23
24
24
24
24
25
25
Adopted textbook
Necessary books for teacher 25
Results to be attained in the
primary grades - 25
Pictures
Suggested additional work
Health —
Necessary books for teacher-
Results to be attained in the
primary grades
Industrial work
Page
Results to be attained in the
primary grades 28
Language 29
Results to be attained 29
Necessary books for teacher 30
Requirements for promotion
of average children 3T
Music 31'
Necessary book for teacher _ 31
Results to be attained in the
primary grades 31
Nature Study 3Z
Necessary books for teacher... 32
Results to be attained in the
primary grades 32
Points for emphasis 33
Reading 33
Adopted books 33
Supplementary books _ 33
Required books for teacher 34
Large ends to be attained 34
Habit formation to be accom¬
plished 34
Practice to be provided 34
Requirements for promotion
of average children 34
Points for special emphasis 35
Oral sight reading for flu¬
ency 35
Silent sight reading for flu¬
ency _ 35
Reading for mastery of new
difficulties
Spelling
Adopted textbooks
Results to be attained.
Writing
Adopted book
THIRD GRADE
Necessary book for teacher 28
36
37
37
37
38
38
39
Minimum equipment 39
Additional equipment 39
Necessary books for teacher 39
Aims 39
Arithmetic 40
Adopted textbook 40
Necessary books for teacher 40
Results to be attained 40
Requirements for promotion
of average children 40
Standard tests 40
For ART EDUCATION see
second grade.
Geography — 40
Adopted textbook 40
Necessary books for teacher 41
Results to be attained 41
For HEALTH see second
grade.
History 41
Suggested textbook — 41
Necessary books for teacher 41
Results to be attained _ 42
For INDUSTRIAL WORK
see second grade.
Language - 42
Adopted text - 42
Necessary books for teacher 42
Results to be attained 42
Requirements for promotion
of average children 44
Materials 44
Books for teacher 44
For MUSIC and NATURE
STUDY see second grade.
Reading 44
Adopted books 44
Supplementary books 44
Required books for teacher 44
Large ends to be attained — 45
Habit formation 45
Practice to be provided ,45
. PaKe
Requirements for promotion
of average children 45
Suggestions to Teachers .. 46
Causes of deficient compre¬
hension _ 46
Assignments should help
comprehension .... 46
Begin emphasis upon speed 47
Standard tests 47
Library reading 47
Deficiencies of individual
children
Spelling
Additional word list
Results to be attained
Writing
Suggestions
FOURTH GRADE
Arithmetic
Attainments to be sought
Suggestions about fourth-
grade arithmetic 49
Things helpful in teaching
fourth-grade arithmetic _ 50
Art Education 50
Geography ... 51
Attainments to be sought 52
Suggestions about fourth-
grade geography 52
Things helpful in teaching
fourth-grade geography 52
History 53
Civics __ 53
Textbook 53
Attainments to be sought 53
Home Making 54
Industrial Work _ 55
For Grades Four, Five, and
Six .... 65
Things helpful in teaching
industrial work 57
Language 57
Attainments to be sought 58
Suggestions about fourth-
grade language ... 58
Things helpful in teaching
fourth-grade language 59
School Music 59
Course for Grades IV, V, VI... 59
Things useful in teaching
music 59
Physiology and Hygiene 60
Suggestions about fourth-
grade health 60
Things helpful in teaching
fourth-grade health 61
Reading _ 61
State adopted books 61
Suggestions about fourth-
grade reading 61
Things helpful in teaching
fourth-grade reading _ 62
Spelling
Writing
FIFTH GRADE
Agriculture
Courses for Fifth and Sixth
Grades 64
Place in weekly schedule 64
Subjects to be taught 64
The methods of teaching the
subject 64
Outlines to guide in the
study of farm crops— 65
Co-operating agencies 65
Suggested reference texts 65
Arithmetic 66
Textbooks 66
Attainments to be sought. 66
Suggestions about fifth-grade
arithmetic 66
Things helpful in teaching
fifth-grade arithmetic 67
Art Education 68
Civics 68
Page
Suggested minimum course
for fifth and sixth grades 68
Things helpful in teaching
civics in fifth and sixth
grades 68
Geography 69
Tilings helpful in teaching
fifth-grade geography 69
History
Attainments to be sought
Things helpful in teaching
fifth-grade history
Home Making
Industrial Work
Language and Grammar
Textbook
Attainments to be sought...
School Music
Physiology and Hygiene _....
Textbook
70
71
71
71
71
71
73
73
73
Attainments to be sought — 73
Things helpful in teaching
fifth-grade health 74
Reading - 74
State adopted books — 74
Attainments to be sought — 74
Things helpful in teaching
fifth-grade reading 75
Spelling 75
Writing — 76
SIXTH GRADE - 77
Agriculture — 77
Arithmetic 77
Attainments to be sought 77
Things helpful in sixth-grade
arithmetic — 78
Art Education — 78
Civics 78
Geography _ .. 78
Suggestions about sixth-
grade geography 78
Things helpful in teaching
sixth-grade geography 79
History — 80
Attainments to be sought. 80 '
Things helpful in sixth-
grade history 82
Home Making - 83
Industrial Work .. 83
Language and Grammar — 83
Textbook - 83
Attainments to be reached by
end of sixth grade 83
Things to Know About the
Dictionary 85
Preparing and Telling a Story.. 86
Written Composition 87
Criticism of Letters — 88
Making a Play of a Story — 89
Preparing for a Topical Reci¬
tation — 89
Criticism of Pronunciation 90
Music — 90
Physiology and Hygiene. — 90
Textbook — 90
Attainments to be sought 90
Reading 91
State adopted book 91
Attainments to be reached 91
Things helpful in teaching
sixth-grade reading 92
Spelling — 93
Helps in the teaching of
spelling — 93
Writing 93
STATE ADOPTED TEXTBOOKS 9'
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Sixth Grade
Seventh Gradi
First
Junior High School
94
94
94
95
95
96
Year
96
INTRODUCTION
HIS Manual is prepared primarily for the use of teachers in
the elementary schools. It is a statement of the courses
which should be the same for all the public schools and in
the main the bases of courses offered in non-State sup¬
ported institutions having elementary classes.
Perhaps the most definite expression of the purposes of educa¬
tion is found in Bulletin No. 35, 1918, National Bureau of Educa¬
tion, the Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education, which states
the main objectives of education as follows: 1. Health; 2. Com¬
mand of Fundamental Processes; 3. Worthy Home Membership;
4. Vocation; 5. Citizenship; 6. Worthy Use of Leisure; 7. Ethical
Character.
It has not been possible to give as fully as the importance would
demand the courses in a number of the special subjects. However,
it is planned to have courses in music and art education prepared
at an early date under the direction of committees selected because
of their training and fitness to do such work.. Already a bulletin on
the subject of play and recreation has been issued.
In this Manual much of the material found in the manual of
1919 has been used. It is not out of place here to acknowledge the
permanent debt of this Department and all teachers of the State to
that earnest and generous group of educators who have assisted in
the preparation of the several editions of the Manual of the Ele¬
mentary Course of Study, which has been issued for use in the pub¬
lic schools of the State.
The present Manual has been in course of preparation for nearly
two years. All members of the teacher training division have
assisted but the major responsibility has rested upon the staff
specialists in elementary education. It has been necessary, how¬
ever, to abridge the amount of material submitted and less than
one-third could be used on account of the limited funds available
for printing. The abridgment has been made with an idea of
retaining the essentials necessary to a proper understanding of
the standards and achievements which should be kept in mind by
those responsible for the courses in the schools of the several coun¬
ties and cities of the State.
We have in mind a school term of approximately eight months
and it is believed that the teacher will be able to complete the work
outlined for the grades in a satisfactory manner in a term of this
length. Schools with shorter sessions cannot fully meet all the
6
MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
requirements suggested. However, superintendents and super¬
visors are urged to use the standards here set up for their guid¬
ance. It may be necessary for some counties having very short
terms to outline a course of study covering a longer period than is
ordinarily given to the work of the elementary schools. The State
Department, through its supervisory assistants, will be glad to
co-operate with any superintendents who desire to prepare outlines
in keeping with this suggestion. School authorities should bear
in mind at all times the importance of maintaining a school term of
maximum length of 180 days. School officials who are responsible
for fixing the length of school terms should take advantage of
every opportunity to bring about on the part of the people an in¬
sistent demand for adequate school terms. This cannot be accom¬
plished, however, without the most careful and businesslike atten¬
tion to all school expenditures and in a great many cases provision
of additional funds with which to meet the necessary operating
expenses of the schools.
Elementary school of six grades.—The elementary school in ac¬
cordance with the reorganization plan consists of the first six
grades. This course of study has been prepared in keeping with
this provision of the law. The seventh grade should become a part
of the junior high school. Teachers offering instruction in the
seventh, eighth or ninth grades are urged to secure copies of the
junior high school bulletin issued by the Department of Education.
Sources of official assistance.—Every teacher should understand
his responsibility to the superintendent who is the chief executive
officer of the board. The superintendent will be able to give a
great deal of assistance to all teachers and it is well to understand
and appreciate this important relationship. The teacher should
know the county health officer and visiting nurse. He should also
know the farm demonstration agent and the home demonstration
agent. These important officials can be of great assistance in
making the work of the school a success. It is possible to relate
the school more definitely to the problems of the community
through these agencies than by any other means. Your superin¬
tendent or supervisor will be glad to have these officials come to
your school or community upon request.
Bulletins needed.—Every teacher should have copies of the Ele¬
mentary School Manual, the Professional Reading Circle Bulletin
and the Young People's Library Bulletin. There are many bulle¬
tins issued by the Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.,
and the Bureau of Education, Washington, that should be of great
service. Get the farm demonstration agent or home demonstration
agent to help you in selecting agricultural bulletins. These fur¬
nish excellent material for supplementing textbooks and are help-
INTRODUCTION
7
ful in working out projects. The bulletins of the Bureau of Edu¬
cation, Washington, D. C., should be secured through your super¬
visor or superintendent. There are many other special bulletins
issued by the State Department of Education and institutions of
learning that should be on file in your school library. The Child
Welfare Department, Montgomery, issues bulletins from time to
time that cannot fail to be of interest to teachers who wish to co¬
operate with such agencies for the betterment of conditions of chil¬
dren who are in need of outside aid.
Textbooks.—The textbooks may be secured from the deposito¬
ries in every county. The prices are given in this bulletin. Many
supplementary books are suggested. These will have to be ordered
from the publishers. All teachers are urged to secure a number of
supplementary texts which will make possible an enrichment of
the school program.
Incidental supplies.—Every teacher should take up with the
superintendent the matter of securing incidental supplies. Atten¬
tion to the items of fuel, crayons, erasers, and other supplies,
should not be left until after the school has opened. Where these
needs are handled by the local school trustees it will be well to
have an understanding before the opening of the school. It is
highly important that the supplies be on hand for the first day.
These suggestions apply with even greater emphasis to such sup¬
plies as maps, charts, and materials for the teaching of reading in
the primary grades. If a maximum return is expected for money
expended it is absolutely necessary to furnish teachers with suf¬
ficient instructional materials. These matters should be discussed
with the county superintendent or supervisor and definite plans
agreed upon in regard to every item.
School hours, holidays.—Under the law the schools of Alabama
must be in session for six hours daily, unless ordered otherwise by
the board of education. The county superintendent of education
with the approval of the board of education may determine the
length of the school day, the recess periods, and similar matters.
He will also advise" the teachers as to holidays. Schools should not
be dismissed without the authority of the superintendent for any
purpose. This is very important and only a real emergency should
justitfy disregard of this regulation and then the superintendent
should be at once informed by telephone or special delivery letter.
Substitutes.—In no case should a substitute be placed in charge
of a school or a class without the approval of the superintendent.
This regulation is important, as any deviation therefrom may sub¬
ject the teacher to serious criticism as well as make it necessary
under the law to deduct from her salary. No substitute teacher
should be used who has not been employed by the county board of
8
MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
education and who does not hold a teacher's certificate issued or
approved by the State Board of Education.
Daily schedule.—Nothing is more essential to the success of the
school than a definite program. A definite time should be assigned
for the preparation of the lesson as well as for the recitation pe¬
riod. Lack of space makes it impossible to give suggestive sched¬
ules in this Manual, but superintendents and supervisors should
assist the teachers before the opening of schools in the preparation
of daily programs. Adjustments will undoubtedly have to be
made, but this does not lessen the importance of having something
definite to begin with.
Outside preparation of lessons.—In the majority of schools the
greater part of the pupil's time is given to seat work in prepara¬
tion of lessons and not to recitations. For the primary grades
very little should be expected in the way of out-of-school prepara¬
tion of lessons. Certain simple health and industrial projects may
require the collection of information and the performance of sim¬
ple tasks outside of school hours, but practically all the work of
these grades should be completed within the school.
In the upper grades, however, a definite recognition of the im¬
portance of out-of-school work should be given. It is difficult to
say just how much time should be given by pupils to home study.
If the work of the school is to be given its proper and effective re¬
lationship to home and community activities, an increasingly large
amount of the pupil's time will have to be required. One pupil
may find it possible to use one hour a day at home, another may
find it possible to use two, while there may be a few who, on ac¬
count of circumstances, find it difficult to give any time to home
study. It is therefore necessary for the teacher in charge to know
the home conditions in order to be absolutely fair in assignment of
home tasks.
First day.—It is always necessary for teachers to plan very def¬
initely for the first day of school. It is important to prepare in
advance a list of the things to be attended to, such as examining
the old register and ascertaining the number of pupils, character
of attendance, and the like. A similar list of the things that
should be attended to during the first week should be made. In
like manner, list all matters that must be attended to during the
first month. Details of this character may be anticipated and def¬
initely provided for if the teacher gives several days to the prep¬
aration and organization of the work for the opening of school.
Correlation.—The importance of correlation is in no way dimin¬
ished by the emphasis at the present time on project and problem
activities. The necessity of linking the school through its various
activities with the civic, health and communty interests should be
INTRODUCTION
9
kept in mind by every teacher. Particularly is this true for the
intermediate grades. The interrelation of every subject in the
elementary grades affords the teacher the opportunity to give the
instruction the unity of organization so essential to the proper
progress of the pupils.
Promotions.—To the child nothing seems of greater importance
than the arrangement which we have in our schools of giving con¬
siderable attention to the passing from one subject to another, or
from one grade to another. This represents the mile stones of
progress and rightly used gives the teacher the greatest power to
direct for good the activities of the child. The promotion of the
children should be had in mind even at the very beginning of
school. The meaning of the minimum requirements in the several
subjects should receive the attention of both the teacher and pupils.
At the close of the elementary school period, the junior high
school group or the next higher unit of the school organization
should co-operate with the pupils that are to be promoted in afford¬
ing a favorable introduction to the next higher unit of our school
system. Every effort should be made to induce all pupils complet¬
ing the elementary school to continue their work in secondary
school. The diploma should not mean completion but preparation
for the next higher step in our educational system.
Elementary school diplomas, where desired, can be secured from
Marshall and Bruce Company, Nashville, Tennessee.
Where the supervision has not been very definite through lack
of a supervisor or because of the large number of teachers in the
county, it will be found desirable to give county examinations to
the pupils in the last year of the elementary schools. This will
make for uniformity of achievement and is at present perhaps the
most satisfactory way of providing for this where supervision of
instruction is insufficient or negligible.
Records, reports, registers.—The teacher has a very important
business relation to the school authorities as well as a professional
responsibility. Teachers should be as careful and as punctual in
meeting the requirements as to records and reports as the banker,
the railway clerk, or the postal employee. Accurate records make
possible a fair estimate of the work of the schools and are the only
basis for evaluating the final results of the activities of a whole
school system whether it be county, state or nation. Every teacher
who is interested in having a fair and a full statement of the work
in her own community and for her own county should see to it that
all reports are complete and absolutely accurate. The record of
Alabama has suffered very much in comparison with other states
because the facts have not been at hand upon which to base a full
report of our educational progress. A recognition of local pride,
10 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
as well as a sense of patriotic responsibility, will lead every teacher
to give the fullest attention to this business side of school affairs.
School library.—No teacher should be satisfied without a libra¬
ry. Not only should the teacher have copies of all textbooks but
she should have access to a well selected library. This is just as
important in the elementary grades as in the high school. Even in
the first grade, a child should be led to look forward to and antici¬
pate with much interest and joy the reading of books from the
school library.
State Aid Libraries may be secured. Teachers should take this
matter up with the superintendent before the opening of school,
and within the first month should arrange to secure a library unless
one has already been provided.
Special days.—All teachers are often hard pressed in the matter
of securing suitable material for developing interest in history and
civic affairs. This is made more vital in view of the fact that a
large part of the school actvities is centered around special days.
The securing of material is always a difficult problem. Current
school journals will furnish excellent assistance here. Old files of
school journals are equally valuable. The Department of Educa¬
tion, through the State supervisors, collects material to assist
teachers, and will be glad to furnish it to county supervisors and
teachers upon request.
School laws.—It may not be practicable for the teacher to fa¬
miliarize herself with all the details of our school laws but there
are a few concerning which she should have an accurate knowledge.
The compulsory attendance law should be understood by the
teacher and sympathetically explained to the children and wher¬
ever possible to the parents. In the majority of cases, parents are
anxious for their children to get the greatest possible good out of
the school. The compulsory attendance law should be rigidly en¬
forced. At the same time, it is a much finer thing for a teacher to
bring about the enforcement through a cordial and co-operative
spirit between teacher, pupil and parent than to have the sheriff or
the attendance officer act as the relentless arm of authority in
bringing about compliance with its provisions.
Other laws which the teacher must bear in mind in connection
with her daily duties are: that which requires the reading of the
Bible each day; instruction with reference to the humane treat¬
ment of animals; the regulations with reference to keeping regis¬
ters and making reports; the requirements for institute attendance
and attendance upon conferences called by the superintendent or
supervisor; and the offering of instruction to all pupils upon the
harmful effects of alcoholic beverages and narcotic poisons upon
the human system.
INTRODUCTION
11
School building and grounds.—Every teacher should feel a per¬
sonal responsibility in seeing that the school room is properly
lighted, heated and ventilated. The sanitary condition in the school
room and its environs should receive careful attention at all times.
Under the law no school can be maintained without separate toilet
facilities for boys and girls.
Patrons should be apprized of the needs of the school and every
effort made to co-operate with the superintendent and the trustees
in seeing that these essentials of health and morality are not neg¬
lected.
FIRST GRADE
Note 1.—All suggestions are meant to be suggestive only.
Note 2.—Books recommended which are also included in the
Young People's Reading Circle lists may be had at library prices
from Loveman, Joseph and Loeb, Birmingham.
This course is planned for a school year of not less than eight
months. The first grade represents one year's work.
Minimum equipment.—All adopted textbooks in the hands of
children, all "necessary" teachers' books in the hands of the teacher,
perception word cards, phrase cards, phonic cards, pupils' word
cards for seat work, reading chart and phonic chart (for large
classes), sandtable, one box per child of colored crayons, one pair
of blunt scissors for each two children, yard stick, foot rule, pint
and quart measure, at least twenty feet of blackboard, crayon,
erasers, clock, pencil sharpener, desks Nos. 5 and 4, teacher's desk
and chair, cabinet or shelves, water cooler or equivalent, broom or
sanitary brush, two toilets, see-saw or swings for playground.
Additional equipment.—One copy each of five supplementary
primers and first readers, primary library, one box of plasticine
for each five children, clock dial, domino cards, toy money, counting
sticks, drawing and construction paper, pictures, Victrola, piano,
twenty additional feet of blackboard, place to exhibit work, chart
marker (letters % inch high), thermometer, duplicator, slide and
giant stride for playground.
Necessary books for teacher.—Catalog of a supply house. A.
Flanagan Co., Chicago. Milton Bradley, Atlanta. Educational Ex¬
change Co., Birmingham. Primary teachers' journal. Normal In¬
structor and Primary Plans, F. A. Owen Pub. Co., Dansville, N. Y.,
or Primary Education, Educational Pub. Co., Boston.
Aims.—1. Completion of the first grade in one year to prevent
the beginning of retardation. 2. School life as much, like out-of-
school life as possible. 3. Protection of pupils' health.
Suggestions.—Aim 1. Through home visitation, contests, and
otherwise, secure the enrollment of all eligbile beginners within the
first two weeks of school. Avoid starting new primer classes for
late entrants. Secure regular attendance by means of contests or
other appeals, by keeping down school diseases, and by the enforce¬
ment of the compulsory education law. Put adequate teaching time
and effort upon reading, that being the subject which usually keeps
pupils back. Get reading equipment and supplementary books.
FIRST GRADE.
13
somehow. Promote at the end of the year every child who can read;
sufficiently well.
Aim 2. Have the children learn school subjects through activi¬
ties similar to those in which they engage out of school, as playing
house. See "Projects" below. Use games for drill purposes. Per¬
mit considerable physical freedom. Encourage spontaneity. Keep
the children happy.
Aim 3. Make it possible for the children's feet to touch the
floor. Have frequent play periods. Employ physical activity in
teaching. Avoid too much fine work. Provide seat work other than
reading, writing, and figuring. (See Industrial Work.) Do not
permit pupils to sit facing a window or open door or to study with
the sun shining on their desks. Keep a light room. Ventilate.
Provide sanitary drinking water. Keep down dust and contagion.
(See Health.)
Projects.—A school project is an educative activity in which
children engage for their own purposes or for purposes in which
they are thoroughly interested. The undertakings of small children
both in school and out often have to be suggested to them by other
people. The carrying out of a project usually involves the use of
several school subjects as in the illustration below. Other projects
with outline of subject matter will be sent by the Department of
Education upon request.
Books.—Wells, A. Project Curriculum, J. B. Lippincott Co., Phila¬
delphia—a complete course of study for the first three grades
worked out in detail in project form. Krackowizer, Projects in the
Primary Grades, J. B. Lippincot Co. Dynes, Socializing the Child,
Silver, Burdette & Co., New York—social and historical lessons for
primary grades correlated with handwork.
Illustration.—Doll house-cleaning. In carrying out this simple
project the children will get the following subject matter in con¬
nection with a life situation.
Oral language, and home geography. What mother does when
she cleans house every day—airs and makes beds, sweeps, mops,
dusts, puts things into their places, often sings as she works. Air¬
ing beds, how to make up a bed; necessity of sweeping because of
dust brought in on shoes and blown in from outside; how mother
sweeps, opens windows, covers table, moves furniture; best way to
dust, with damp or oiled cloth; a talk to the dolls after the cleaning
about what children can do to keep things clean and orderly.
Industrial work. Miniature brooms of broom-straw or raffia to
use in sweeping the doll house; mops of string tied on a stick;
bucket of paper or clay with wire handle; dust cloth cut; actual
cleaning of the house.
14 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Numbers. Counting strings for mop and raffia for brooms;
measuring stick for mop.
Song. Sweeping and Dusting, Gaynor, Songs of the Child World,
Book 2.
Literature. Dust Under the Rug, Lindsay, Mother Stories.
ARITHMETIC
Necessary book for teacher.—Wentworth-Smith, Work and Play
with Numbers. Hoyt and Peet, First Year in Number, Houghton
Mifflin Co., Boston. Klapper, The Teaching of Arithmetic, D.
Appleton & Co., New York.
Time.—One 15 minute lesson and one 15 minute seat period daily.
Results to be attained.—1. Number experience through measur¬
ing and counting things. 2. Instant association of meaning with
symbol through one hundred. 3. Ability to count by ones to 100;
to read and write numbers through 100; to use in addition and sub¬
traction the number combinations in which the sum of the numbers
does not exceed 8; to use % of an object or of even numbers
through 6; to use foot, inch, nickel, dime.
For ART EDUCATION, HEALTH, and INDUSTRIAL WORK
see second grade.
LANGUAGE
Necessary books for teacher.—Deming, Games and Rhymes for
Language Teaching in the First Four Grades, Beckley-Cardy Co.,
Chicago. Leiper, Language Work in Elementary Schools, Ginn &
•Co., Atlanta or Mahoney, Standards in English, World Book Co.,
Yonkers, N. Y. Stevenson, Child's Garden of Verses, Chas. Scrib-
ner's sons, Atlanta.
Time.—One 20 minute lesson and one 15 minute seat period for
handwork daily.
Results to be attained
I. Oral expression and composition. 1. Ability to tell with
spontaneity and naturalness an incident of child's own experience;
to recite three nursery rhymes or short poems learned; to repro¬
duce three very familiar short stories; to impersonate a character
in very simple dramatization; to compose two or more short simple
sentences on a familiar topic without aid and without errors; as,
Mr. Spencer is our postman. He wears a gray suit. He brings let¬
ters. 2. Correct habits of the use of: I saw him; John and I go-
FIRST GRADE
15
to school; I came to school; I have no pencil; MY father said (not,
My father he said).
II. Written expression and composition. 1. Ability to write cor¬
rectly child's own name and address; to construct, from teacher's
model on the blackboard, sentences with word cards using capital
letters and end punctuation; to copy a few sentences from the
board; in co-operative composition to suggest sentences for the
teacher to write on the board; as, A dog chased a cat. The cat
was afraid. Tom came out of the house. The dog ran away. 2.
Habits of using correctly: Period at the end of a statement; ques¬
tion mark at the end of a question; capital at the beginning of a
sentence; capital in writing names of persons, places, days of the
week.
The above results involve:
1. Ability in thought and imagination: To keep in mind an inci¬
dent of experience while attempting to tell it; to assimilate with
sufficient accuracy for enjoyment the content of nursery rhymes,
simple poems, and stories of first reader difficulty; to imagine that
he is an animal or person other than himself; to invent, in conjunc¬
tion with the class and the teacher, a story from suggestive pictures
involving action; to recall experiences sufficiently well to relate
them imperfectly but not to distinguish between the real and the
imaginary; to recall with the help of the teacher's questions the
main points of a rhyme or short story with which he is familiar.
2. The unconscious beginning of a sentence sense, growing out
of hearing the teacher speak in complete sentences, of reading
them, of using them at times, and of using initial capitals and end.
punctuation.
3. Increase in vocabulary.
4. Drill on pronunciation and enunciation of such words as: just,,
running, get, ate, catch, calling.
Points for emphasis.—1. Oral rather than written work. 2.
Thought stimulation. 3. Spontaneity and naturalness of expres¬
sion. 4. Elimination of the grammatical errors listed. 5. Enun¬
ciation.
Suggestions and thought material.—Fill the children's minds
with thoughts and teach language as a means of expressing these
thoughts. Stimulate thinking by immediate use of the language
for real child purposes, by provision of new experience, by spon¬
taneous discussion, manual expression, dramatization, and by the
use of thought material of interest to the children, especially their
own personal experiences and home and community happenings.
Pictures, stories, poems, nature study, and health afford good
thought material for language expression. The following begin¬
nings in history, geography, and other social experience are not
16 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
provided for elsewhere and should be included in the language
work.
Special days. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's
Day, Washington's Birthday, Easter.
Home life. People of the home and what they do—clean house,
wash and iron, sew, cook and serve food, visit and have other fam¬
ily pleasures; domestic animals, children's pets; homes of other
children. For excellent suggestions see State Manual of 1919.
Civic and social virtues. Personal cleanliness and neatness;
pleasant conversation; correct English; politeness; honesty; truth¬
fulness; fair play; helping one another; sharing good things; not
making trouble for others; giving to the poor; thrift.
Necessary books for teacher.—Lindsay, Mother Stories, Milton
Bradley Co., Atlanta, or Wiltse, Kindergarten Stories and Morning
Talks, Ginn & Co., Atlanta. Finley, Little Home Workers, 35c,
Loveman, Joseph & Loeb, Birmingham. Andrews, Seven Little Sis¬
ters, Ginn & Co., Atlanta. Fox, Indian Primer, American Book
Co., Cincinnati. George, Primary Plan Books (expensive), A. Flan¬
agan Co., Chicago.
For MUSIC and NATURE STUDY see second grade.
READING
Adopted books.—The method of the first-basal books is the
adopted method for the State. The second-basal and third-basal
books are for practice and content, not for method. All adopted
books are required as the minmium to be read by every child. The
order in which the books are given does not prevent using two con¬
secutive books at the same time but the contracts with the pub¬
lishers forbid the use of a later book before one which precedes it
in the list.*
1. First-basal primer with manual and accompanying materials,
Free and Treadwell, Reading-Literature Primer, 40 cents.
2. Second-basal primer, Child's World Primer, 45 cents.
3. First-Basal first reader, Free and Treadwell, Reading-Litera¬
ture First Reader, 44 cents.
4. Third-basal primer, Elson-Runkel Primer, 47 cents.
5. Second-basal first reader, Child's World First Reader, 48
cents.
Materials.—Reading-Literature manual free, primer perception
cards for word recognition 80 cents, pupils' word cards for seat
♦Note.—The Beacon phonic method may, if desired, be used instead of the
phonics fn the iirst-basal series.
FIRST GRADE
17
work 12 cents per pupil, sentence cards 52 cents, phonic cards 16
cents, phonic chart $1.60, first reader perception cards $1.60.
Supplementary books.—One copy each of three supplementary
primers and two supplementary first readers or their equivalent for
sight reading. These should be in the school library but not pur¬
chased by the children. The following are suitable:
McMurry, Tell Me A Story, 45 cents, Loveman, Joseph and Loeb,
Birmingham; Instructor School Library, Set B, First Grade, F. A.
Owen Pub. Co., Dansville, N. Y.; the following series of readers, and
any simple interesting library book:
Story Hour Readers, American Book Co., Cincinnati.
Riverside Readers, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.
Winston Readers, Winston Pub. Co., Philadelphia.
Studies in Reading, University Pub. Co., Lincoln, Neb.
Natural Methods Readers, Chas. Scribner's Sons, Atlanta.
Edson-Laing Readers, Benj. H. Sanborn & Co., New York.
Field, Primer and First Reader, Ginn & Co., Atlanta.
Young and Field Readers, Ginn & Co.
Merrill Readers, Chas. E. Merrill Co., New York.
New American Readers, Ginn & Co., Atlanta.
Required books for teacher.—Free and Treadwell manual free.
Manual for Elson-Runkel Primer free. Bryant, How to Tell Stories
to Children, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. A Mother Goose pic¬
ture book. Catalog of Instructor Graded School Libraries, F. A.
Owen Pub. Co., Dansville, N. Y.
Time.—Two 15 minute reading lessons, one 15 minute word drill,
three 15 minute reading seat work periods, one 15 minute story¬
telling period, and after phonics is begun one 10 minute phonics
lesson daily.
The primary field.—It is the part of the primary grades to ac¬
complish as nearly as may be the mastery of reading symbols and
to make a definite start in the right direction with reference to en¬
largement of experience and to abilities, tastes, and habits in oral
and silent reading. Oral reading is pre-eminently the work of the
primary grades.
Large ends to be attained in the first grade
1. Ability in silent reading to comprehend material of any ordi¬
nary primer and, with help, material of the first readers studied.
2. The habit of reading orally with naturalness of expression.
3. A love for the simple child classics read, through habitual
enjoyment of them in the reading work.
4. Acquaintance with a number of interesting child stories.
Habit formation to be accomplished.—1. Occasional desire to
read for pleasure and the beginning of the habit of doing it. 2.
2—EM
18 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Beginning of the habit of reading silently rather than orally for
thought getting. 3. Beginning of the habit of attacking new words
independently and of not depending upon the teacher or guessing
at random. 4. The habit of using natural conversational tones.
Practice to be provided.—1. Much practice in dramatization as a
means of keeping thought content uppermost, of associating sym¬
bol with thought, and of securing naturalness of expression. 2.
Some practice in reading silently without lip movement. 3. Much
practice in phrase reading as compared with reading of single
words only. 4. The amount of practice afforded by reading at least
three primers and two easy first readers.
Requirements for promotion of average children.—1. Ability to
read at sight with understanding and ease any primer studied, and
with preparation either first reader listed for the grade. 2. Ability
to give the sounds of the consonants and short vowels, and to get
by blending any very simple words whose phonic elements are
known. 3. Ability to recognize singly and in sentences all the
words of the first-basal primer and first reader and the most com¬
mon words of the other adopted books. 4. The amount of practice
afforded by reading at least three primers and two first readers.
Main lines of work.—1. Thought stimulation through the use of
interesting material, discussions of experiences, story telling,
dramatization, picture study, handwork. 2. Teaching new words
through sentence meaning and picture. 3. Instant recognition of a
definite number of primer and first reader words and phrases
through much practice with word and phrase cards. 4. Founda¬
tions of phonics as an aid in getting new words. 5. Reading
practice.
Points for special emphasis.—1. Enabling the children to connect
the thought with the word symbols and to keep the thought in mind
while reading the words. 2. Naturalness of expression. 3. Prompt
and sure word recognition. 4. . Phonics. 5. Much reading practice.
6. Gradual elimination of lip movement in silent reading. 7.
Avoidance of eye and nerve strain.
Suggestions to Teachers
1. Have beginners ready for second grade reading at the end of
eight months. The first book read in the second grade is a first
reader. Failure in first grade reading is the beginning of most
retardation.
2. Consider essential to results primer perception cards, first
reader perception cards, pupils' word cards for seat work, all phonic
cards. These are inexpensive and can be home made if necessary.
In large classes reading chart and phcnic chart enable the whole
FIRST GRADE
19
class to follow individual recitations. They also make the transi¬
tion to book print easier and make possible more practice.
3. Prepare every lesson. Consult reading manuals for teaching
suggestions, blackboard work, word drills, seat work, and devices.
4. Use the blackboard for first presentation of new material, for
practice reading, for lessons based on pupils' experiences, for word
drills, for sentences to be built by the children in seat work, for
permanent reference list of phonograms learned. Script is better
than most teachers' print, especially since children need to learn
script anyway.
5. Teach through seat work.—Use it (1) for vivifying thought
through paper cutting of story, drawing, coloring, clay modeling,
sandtable representation, (2) for practice in recognition of words
and phrases, (3) for learning new words, (4) for drill in phonics,
(5) for fluency in reading. A whole lesson period may at times be
well spent in preparatory explanation of a new type of seat work.
With beginners supervise the work and give needed help. Hold the
children responsible for accomplishing the assignment within a
given time. Examine in their presence the results of their efforts,
bestowing merited praise and making necessary corrections.
6. Enjoyment by the children is the beginning of a permanent
reading interest and habit.
7. Content and mechanics.—Reading is a thinking process. No
mere mechanical skill in the recognition and pronunciation of words
or the blending of phonic elements can be considered reading or
adequate preparation for reading. Thought content should be
emphasized from the beginning. Children learn words more quickly
in connection with thought. Rapid readers have been found to be
the most intelligent readers. Assimilation of content makes for
speed. Complete mastery of essential mechanics is necessary but
only as a means to the comprehension or expression of thought.
8. Beginning reading.—Study the manual. With the beginner
use thought to get words. Make use of children's experiences, pic¬
tures, story-telling, and dramatization to get thought. Reading
material must be thought stimulating and interesting. It may
consist of stories, rhymes, the children's own experiences, or of in¬
formation which they wish. The thought should be vividly present
in the experience of the children before it is used for reading. Teach
seasonal and special day selections in season. Use blackboard
freely. Words should usually be first presented in complete sen¬
tences. The following order of presentation is suggestive:
a. Telling a story by teacher.
b. Conservation about story and picture study.
c. Dramatization of story.
20 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
d. Retelling of story by children or, if an experience is used
instead of a story, the recounting by the children of the experience.
e. Sentence reading from blackboard based upon the story or
experience.
f. Expression of thought through paper cutting, pasting, draw¬
ing, or other means.
g. Word drills for prompt recognition of words.
h. Practice reading of original sentences, of phrases, and of new
sentences containing the words drilled upon; or seat work in sen¬
tence building or other activity involving recognition of the words.
9. Word drills.—Place at a period separate from the reading les¬
son. Work for instant recognition. Use games.
10. Phonics is essential for getting new words. It cannot take
the place of word recognition; should incidentally result in habits
of accurate discriminations in sounds, and should help toward be¬
ginning the habit of sounding final consonants and of articulating
syllables with clearness; should usually not be begun till habits of
natural reading expression have been somewhat established; should
be placed at a separate period from that of the reading lesson.
Teach either the system of the first-basal book or the Beacon sys¬
tem, but not both. For teaching suggestions consult the manual of
of the system used. In either case emphasize correctness of sounds
and immediate associations of sound with letter symbol.
11. Oral reading.—Emphasize oral reading rather than silent.
Insist upon naturalness of tone and expression, for this helps the
child to associate the thought with the words read. The main ele¬
ments involved in securing it are (1) interesting material, (2) vivid
thinking by the children, (3) unconscious imitation of the teacher's
expression in story-telling, (4) conscious effort in difficult passages
to express the thought as the teacher expresses it, (5) practice in
phrase reading to avoid choppiness, (6) the constant existence in
the schoolroom of a natural social situation in which freedom and
spontaneity are customary, (7) the presence of a real or imaginary
audience. Have the children hold a paper under the whole "line in¬
stead of pointing to separate words as they read. Do not usually
interrupt a child's reading of thought to make corrections. Wait
until he has finished. If possible find more good points than bad.
Let all criticisms make clear in what respect the reading is good or
bad. Avoid indefinite suggestions, as "See if you can read that
better." Criticisms by children should usually be limited to thought
and expression and should not be permitted to deteriorate into fault
finding with word recognition or details of pronunciation.
12. Silent reading.—Children have to be taught how to read
silently. Thought getting from printed words can be done to a
FIRST GRADE
21
limited extent only in the first grade, but by the end of the year
children ought to be able with the help of pictures to get for them¬
selves the thought of any primer or simple first reader the words of
which are familiar. Silent reading for thought should begin just
as soon as the child has learned a sufficient number of words (eight
or ten) to make possible an arrangement of them into new sen¬
tences. These sentences at first must relate to a story or experience
which the child already has vividly in mind, and the teacher will
usually need to tell him for what to look in each particular sen¬
tence. As power increases he will become able to read silently a
whole page of simple material for the pleasure of telling or drama¬
tizing the story it contains.
Be sure that the children get the thought and not the words
only. Have children read silently and carry out in action simple
directions as, "Bring me a book"; read silently and draw a picture
of what has been read, or tell it in their own words, or act it, or
answer questions about it. Write questions and require children
after silent reading to answer them orally. Write a brief descrip¬
tion of a pupil or familiar object and let the children "play riddles"
by guessing what it is. Have children select a story which they
like and tell the important idea. Lead the children gradually to
abandon lip movement. At first they have to pronounce the words
in order to get the meaning. Use silent reading also for working
through the mechanical difficulties of a sentence or paragraph be¬
fore attempting to read it orally, and for practice for fluency.
Supplementary reading is a necessity. Fluency can be attained
only through much practice of simple and interesting material. One
copy of a book is sufficient for sight reading. Primers are better
than first readers. Simplify material by having children read stor¬
ies which they have previously heard, or read the same story in
several books. Emphasize the large thought unit of groups of
sentences.
SPELLING.
No textbook is needed. Omit spelling the first five months. Put
the time on phonics and reading, which constitute the best possible
preparation for spelling.
Results to be attained after the fifth month.—Ability to say the
alphabet in order, to give the name of any letter presented out of
order, and find any letter named. 2. Transition from the sounding
of words in phonics to the oral spelling of the same words at first
from book or chart and later from memory. 3. Beginning of the
habit of pronouncing words before spelling. 4. Ability to spell
22 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
orally in connection with phonics the following words from the
primer, and to copy correctly these words in familiar sentences
either by writing or by sentence building with letter cards; red,
hen, den, cat, rat, at, fat, can, ran, man, not, got, pig, big, ox,
fox, it, dog, cut, but, did, met, get, run, up, cup, had, kill, will. Add
twenty similar phonetic words from other reading matter.
WRITING
By the end of the year the pupil should be able in connection
with blackboard writing to form the letters and figures with a
reasonable degree of accuracy without copy; to write on the board
fairly legibly, and from memory, his own name and address; should
be able in desk exercises without paper to assume correct position,
relax muscles, hold pencil without pinching, and get the arm move¬
ment; and to apply the movement in making the first easy exer¬
cises and in writing his first name.
Suggestions.—Learn to write well on the board. Keep upon it
regularly a neat border of all the small letters, capitals, and fig¬
ures. Use the board for teaching letter formation, studying with
the pupils in connection with writing words the form of each let¬
ter, having them watch you make it several times, visualize it,
retrace your copy several times, and finally write without copy.
Have most of the pupils' writing done at the board. Use desk
work almost exclusively for learning position, pencil holding, and
for practice of general movement drills. Supervise closely all
writing to prevent formation of bad habits. Do not use writing for
general seat work.
SECOND GRADE
Note 1.—All suggestions are meant to be suggestive only.
Note 2.—Books recommended which are also included in the
Young Peoples' Reading Circle lists may be had at library prices
from Loveman, Joseph and Loeb.
This course is planned for a school year of not less than eight
months. Each grade represents one year's work.
Minimum equipment.—All adopted textbooks in the hands of
children, all "necessary" teachers' books in the hands of teacher,
one copy each of three supplementary first readers and two supple¬
mentary second readers, word flash cards for first reader, phonic
cards for first reader, phonic chart (for large classes), one box per
child of colored crayon, one pair of blunt scissors for each two chil¬
dren, paste, number drill cards, toy money, yard stick, foot rule,
pint and quart measures, at least twenty feet of blackboard, crayon,
erasers, sandtable, clock, pencil sharpener, desks Nos. 5 and 4,
teacher's desk and chair, cabinet or shelves, water cooler or equiv¬
alent, broom or sanitary brush, see-saw or swings for playground,
two toilets.
Additional equipment.—Additional supplementary first and sec¬
ond readers, primary library, additional blackboard, place to mount
work, pictures, Victrola, piano, thermometer, plasticine, drawing
and construction paper, water colors, domino cards, duplicator,
raffia, playground equipment.
Necessary book for teacher.—Catalog of a supply house. A.
Flanagan Co., Chicago. Milton Bradley, Atlanta. Educational Ex¬
change Co., Birmingham. A primary teacher's journal. Normal
instructor and Primary Plans, F. A. Owen Pub. Co., Dansville, N.
Y., or Primary Education, Educational Pub. Co., Boston.
Aims.—1. Completion of the grade in one year by 90% of the
children. 2. School subjects taught in life situations to give them
a real meaning to the children and to help children meet life situa¬
tions. 3. Protection of the pupils' health. 4. Beginnings of habits
of health, honesty, thrift, truthfulness, politeness, fair play, co¬
operation.
Suggestions.—Aim 1. Read suggestions for Aim 1 of first grade.
Promote every child who has met the requirements in reading and
language. Study deficiencies of individual children at the begin¬
ning of the year and bring up these deficiencies before promotion
time:
24 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Aim 2. Teach a child to count change by having him actually
count change in playing store, teach him feet and inches by having
him measure something, teach him to write letters by placing him
in a situation in which he needs to write a real letter for actual de¬
livery. For projects see page 13.
Aim 3. See Aim 3 of first grade.
Aim 4. See that each child's property has his name on it; dis¬
courage borrowing; see that borrowed property is returned; do not
leave money around; have some one in charge of the room when
the children are there. Teach a thrift project; follow it up with a
permanent "save your pennies" plan; do not permit waste of paper,
destruction of books, damage to school property. Show the waste¬
fulness of disease. Do not tempt small children to lie by asking,
"Did you do it?" Avoid punishing or acquitting children on their
own testimony; keep your own eyes open. Teach children what is
polite in particular cases and require them to do the polite thing;
always be polite to them. Supervise play sufficiently closely to see
that the children play fair. Teach co-operation and consideration
for the rights of others' through group games on the playground
and joint undertakings in school. Have your school a little democ¬
racy in which the teacher is one of the citizens and not an absolute
monarch. More can be accomplished by praise of excellencies in
these respects than by nagging at deficiencies. Be firm in require¬
ments. Have morning talks, memory gems, songs, stories, and
poems on all these subjects. See Language.
ARITHMETIC
Adopted textbook.—Wentworth-Smith, Work and Play with
Numbers, 40 cents.
Necessary books for teacher.—Harris and Waldo, First Journeys
in Numberland, Scott, Foresman & Co., Chicago. Klapper, The
Teaching of Arithmetic, D. Appleton & Co., New York.
Results to be attained.—1. Number experience through counting,
adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and measuring real
things. 2. Experience in using life situations, inch, foot, nickel,
dime, quarter, dollar, pint, quart, dozen, pound, +, —. 3. Some
ability to image without the aid of objects. 4. Ability to:
a. Count by 2's, 10's, and 5's to 100.
b. Read and write numbers to 1,000.
c. Give instantly and in miscellaneous order the following 45
addition facts with the corresponding subtraction facts, 1+1, 1+2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; 2+2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; 3+3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; 4+4,
5, 6, 7, 8, 9; 5+5, 6, 7, 8, 9; 6+6, 7, 8, 9; 7+7, 8, 9; 8+8, 9; 9+9.
d. Add column addition without carrying.
SECOND GRADE
25
e. Subtract without borrowing.
f. Decide which fundamental process should be used in very
simple one-step problems.
g. Explain very simply in his own words (not the teacher's) an
example or problem he has worked.
h. Tell the time of day to the five minute divisions.
i. Use Vz and XA of objects and of the numbers studied which
are divisible by 2 and 4 respectively.
Suggestions.—Avoid the saying of tables in order. They are
never so used in life. Do not permit guessing or counting on fin¬
gers. Require instant response. Do not introduce new facts until
old ones are known. Review often. Do not have children read the
textbook orally. Problems should be read by the teacher, the pu¬
pils giving the answers. Use the figure work in the book for seat
work. Use equipment suggested. Promote to the third grade
regardless of weakness in arithmetic.
ART EDUCATION
Adopted textbooks.—First grade. Applied Arts Drawing Book,
No. 41, 15 cents, in the hands of the teacher.
Second grade. Applied Arts Drawing Book, No. 42, 15 cents, in
the hands of the teacher.
Third grade. Applied Arts Drawing Book, No. 43, 15 cents.
Necessary books for teacher.—Catalog of Perry Pictures Co.,
Maiden, Mass., or Brown Pictures Co., Beverly, Mass., or Elson
Pictures Co., A. W. Elson & Co., Boston. The School Arts Maga¬
zine, The Davis Press, Worcester, Mass.
Results to be attained in the primary grades.—1. The habit of
freely expressing ideas in drawing, and ability to make fairly in¬
telligible pictures. 2. Enjoyment by the children of many beauti¬
ful things in nature, art, and handicraft by which they are daily
surrounded. 3. Realization, through a study of surrounding ob¬
jects, of how large a part beauty plays in every phase of life. 4.
Increasing ability to distinguish the beautiful from the ugly in ob¬
jects of daily environment. 5. Increasing desire and tendency to
eliminate the ugly and to surround themselves with as much of the
beautiful as possible.
In each grade children should be given (1) practice and training
in drawing, (2) definite lessons for finding beauty in their surround¬
ings, (3) opportunity to enjoy with the teacher and other children
at least twenty-five beautiful things, including three pictures, (4)
some practice in selecting things for their beauty, (5) some exper¬
ience in making or keeping their surroundings beautiful.
26 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Suggestions.—Have childien do much illustrative drawing of
stories, rhymes, daily happenings. Do not over-emphasize quality
of product. For matters of technique consult the art course of
study which accompanies the text. Teach chlidren to enjoy beauti¬
ful things (1) by putting them into contact with these things, (2)
by calling attention to their beauty of color, shape, arrangement, or
decorative design, and (3) by having the children try to make
similar beautiful things. Have a "beauty" corner for the exhibition
of pretty things—household articles, dishes, clothing, books,
jewelry, animals, flowers,—anything beautiful. Take the children
to see the beautiful things in stores, a pretty home, lawn, public
building, landscape, tree, blue sky, clouds, sunset. Make the school
beautiful. Study with the children all sorts of things to show
attempts to beautify even the most commonplace. Have them try
to find a really ugly thing in nature. Give them practice, in a
store or otherwise, in selecting the most beautiful of several simi¬
lar things. Avoid comparison of individual children's clothing or
homes. Have children assist in beautifying the school, in prevent¬
ing defacement of books and furniture, in encouraging cleanliness
and neatness of person.
Pictures.—First grade. Millet, Feeding Her Birds. Millet, First
Step. Holmes, Can't You Talk. Landseer, Saved. Raphael, Ma¬
donna of the Chair. Van Dyck, Baby Stuart. Dupre, In the
Meadows.
Second grade. Raphael, Sistine Madonna. Landseer, The Lion;
Dogs; A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society. Millet,
Feeding the Hens; Digging Potatoes. Murillo, The Melon Eaters.
Hoeker, The Girl with a Cat.
Third grade. Landseer, Shoeing the Horse; A Pair of Nut Crack¬
ers. Dupre, Haymakers; Mowers. Millet, The Gleaners; The Sow¬
er. Lerolle, The Shepherdess. Holbein, The Meyer Madonna.
Suggested additional work.—Arrangements of pressed leaves,
making leaf chains, autumn leaves colored with crayola, drawing
and painting flowers and vegetables, squirrels cut from outline,
drawing of trees with autumn foliage, cutting and coloring land¬
scape of grass, sky, and trees, cutting and coloring night scenes
showing moon and stars, cutting flowers from colored paper; draw¬
ing pictures of playground experiences, cutting or drawing pictures
of favorite stories, cutting furniture from catalog and pasting in
room drawn in perspective, caring for school flowers, paper cutting
and drawing of Eskimo scenes, jack-o'lanterns of orange paper for
blackboard border; Thanksgiving turkeys cut by pattern and col¬
ored, paper cutting illustration of a Thanksgiving story or poem,
valentines made by pattern, flags to decorate booklet for Washing-
SECOND GRADE
27
ton's birthday, hatchets cut free hand for blackboard border; Easter
rabbit drawn free hand, cut out, and mounted; Easter cards made
with outline designs of chickens and rabbits; hektograph copies of
birds colored by children, wall paper for doll house selected and
border drawn; drawing of doll house; selecting, cutting out, mount¬
ing, and hanging pictures for doll house; original designs for wall
paper border, rugs, linoleum; seasonal designs for booklets; papdfc
cutting of home activities mounted as poster, health poster of cut
out pictures. See primary journal.
HEALTH
Necessary books for teacher.—State Manual of Physical Educa¬
tion. Free literature of Anti-Tuberculosis Association, Birming¬
ham. Child Health Alphabet and Mother Goose Rhymes (free),
Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., New York. One of the following
three: Gulick, Hygiene Series—first book, Ginn & Co., Atlanta or
O'Shea and Kellogg, Health Habits, Macmillan Co., Atlanta or
Ritchie, Primer of Hygiene, World Book Co., Yonkers, N. Y. Dress-
lar School Hygiene, Macmillan Co., Atlanta.
Results to be attained in the primary grades:
1. Decrease in spread of contagious diseases among pupils.
2. Discovery and remedy of physical defects.
3. Physical development and recreational experience through
games.
4. Health and safety ideals through enjoyment of the school
health work, pride in being well and strong, interested participa¬
tion in health activities of the home, school and community; obser¬
vance of safety precautions.
5. Health habits. Division by grades suggestive only.
First grade. Wash hands before each meal; bathe face, hands,
neck, and ears each day; bathe all over twice a week; brush teeth
night and morning; use handkerchief for nose and mouth discharges
and when coughing or sneezing; do not spit upon the floor or street;
keep fingers and pencils out of mouth; do not eat or drink from ves¬
sels used by others; eat slowly a variety of wholesome food; drink
six glasses of water daily; sleep ten or more hours with open win¬
dows; use toilet regularly; play out of doors; take no chances on
getting hurt; keep happy; help keep school room and premises
clean; throw no trash on streets; obey health and safety rules.
Second grade. All habits of first grade continued. Cleanliness in
using toilet; care of hair, nails, shoes; keep school lunch clean; drink
no coca cola, tea, or coffee; sit and stand erect; wear dry clothing
suitable for the weather; take care of eyes; destroy rubbish; keep
28
MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
door and window screens closed; help destroy breeding places of
flies and mosquitoes.
Third grade. All habits of previous grades continued. Cleanse
eyes, ears, nose, and throat; observe neatness of person; eat bal¬
anced rations; learn to walk properly; in sickness do not expose
others to disease; keep schoolroom ventilated.
Suggestions.—The important considerations in these grades are
interest, games, health habits, and prevention of disease and acci¬
dents. Make no attempt to teach physiology or book hygiene. The
children will be interested in the simple class discussions of why we
need to form the various habits and will incidentally gain consider¬
able information of health facts. Make opportunities for children
to participate in clean-up and health campaigns of the community.
In teaching use of handkerchief, etc., have children also observe
good manners in respect to these things.
Time.—First grade. One 5 minute period a day for health inspec¬
tion and reports on habits; six 2 minute periods of calisthenics for
relaxation between classes, two 30 minute play periods in addition
to recesses for learning and playing outdoor games.
Second grade. One 5 minute period daily for health inspection
and reports on habits; four 2 minute periods of calisthenics for
relaxation between classes, one 30 minute period in addition to re¬
cesses for learning and playing outdoor games.
Third grade. One 5 minute period daily for inspection and re¬
ports of habits, four 2 minute periods of calisthenics for relaxation
between classes, one 15 minute period in addition to recesses for
learning and playing outdoor games.
INDUSTRIAL WORK
Necessary book for teacher.—Any one. Dunn, Educative Seat
Work, 35 cents, State Normal School, Farmville, Va., or McGaw,
Construction Work for Rural and Elementary Schools, A. Flanagan
Co., Chicago, or Dobbs, Primary Handwork, Macmillan Co., Atlanta.
Results to be attained in the primary grades.—School life should
be less artificial and more like child life because of the activities en¬
gaged in. Through the primary period the children should become
more definite in the purposes for which they use materials and tools
and more skillful in manipulating them, should grow in ability to
think out ways of making simple objects which they need for their
own purposes and to carry to completion activities requiring con¬
tinuity of effort. They should have a more vivid conception of the
stories and studies illustrated by the industrial work, and special
days should have for them a richer significance. They should ap¬
preciate more intelligently the simple home activities and utensils
SECOND GRADE
29
studied in the first grade and the interdependence of the members
of the family in connection with these activities; the neighborhood
activities studied in the second grade; the larger community in¬
dustries studied in the third grade.
Suggestions.—Neither skill nor quality of product is the chief
end, but rather the information which accompanies the study of the
activity, the thinking through of ways to do things, and the ex¬
pression of these ideas in terms of materials. Original work is
more educative than pattern work. Expensive materials are not
necessary. Use sandtable for Eskimo and tropical home scenes;
Santa Claus scenes, Indian Thanksgiving scene, illustrations.of sto¬
ries, etc. Select from the daily experiences of the children simple
activities, as cutting paper dolls, making doll clothes or paper
wagons, and make these educative by correlating them with the
school subjects. Suitable work for the various grades will be sent
by the State Department of Education upon request. See also
primary journal.
LANGUAGE
Necessary books for teacher.—See first grade.
Time.—See first grade.
Results to be attained:
I. In oral expression and composition. 1. Growth in freedom
and power of expression. 2. Ability to recite with natural expres¬
sion three poems learned in the second grade and two rhymes
learned in the first grade. 3. Ability to reproduce three stories of
second grade difficulty with increasing attention to details and se¬
quence and to tell simple original stories. 4. Greater individuality
in impersonation and reading expression. 5. Correct habits in the
use of: I haven't any. Tell John and me. I am not going. You
were afraid. My pencil is broken. We ate it. 6. Ability to com¬
pose as many as three related sentences without error; as, I wash
my teeth three times a day. My toothbrush has three red stripes
on the back and my brother's is white. Mother bought them like
that so we would not get them mixed.
II. "In written expression and composition. 1. Ability to copy
sentences, records, Christmas messages, and simple social letters
composed by class and written on blackboard. 2. Ability to write
original letters relating experiences in school, and one-paragraph
stories based upon experience; as,
One day Elizabeth and I were sliding on the hill. We came down
and fell off.
3. Habits of using correctly:
a. Capitalization. Beginning sentences. Names of persons.
Names of places (the child's home address). Days of the week.
The pronoun "I".
30 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Note.—Titles are not required in the child's independent work.
b. Punctuation. Period at end of statement. Question mark at
end of question. Correct punctuation required in writing child's
name and address.
Results I and II involve:
1. Ability in thought and imagination: To think freely not only
in conversation about own experiences but in the more formal ex¬
pression of stories, songs, and dramatization; to assimilate more
or less thoroughly stories suited to the second grade; to invent inde¬
pendently stories suggested by pictures, other stories, or imagina¬
tive situations; to distinguish more or less accurately in the recall
of experience between the real and the imaginary; to recall in
proper sequence for reproduction the beginning, middle, and end
of stories and poems with which he is familiar; some ability to hold
to the point with the help of questions or word outlines.
2. Further development of the sentence sense through definite
attempts to eliminate the superfluous use of and, then, so.
3. Continued increase in vocabulary.
4. Drill on pronunciation and enunciation of such words as just,
calling, get, running, ate, I don't know, catch, give me. Work for
careful pronunciation of final g.
Points for special emphasis.—1. Oral rather than written work.
2. Thought stimulation. 3. Spontaneity and naturalness of ex¬
pression. 4. Elimination of grammatical errors. 5. Correct pro¬
nunciation and enunciation. 6. Correct habits in technique of writ¬
ten work.
Suggestions.—Read first grade. Have very little written work.
Stress thinking and make much use of children's own experiences
and community happenings. Use stories, poems, pictures, health,
nature, and include the following beginnings in history, geography,
and civic virtues.
Special days. Hallowe'en, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Lee's Birth¬
day, Valentine's Day, Washington's Birthday, Easter, Bird Day.
Bible stories. Joseph, Moses, etc.
Surrounding occupations. Select about three nearest to the
children's experiences; as, house building, house furnishing (taught
through doll house project), gardening or grocery store, making or
buying clothes. Compare our ways of providing these comforts
with those of Robinson Crusoe, the Tree Dwellers, The Early Cave
Men, and Hiawatha. See Geography, State Manual 1919.
Social and civic virtues. See first grade.
Necessary books for teacher.—A Child's Robinson Crusoe, Beck-
ley-Cardy Co., Chicago. Dopp, The Tree Dwellers and Dopp, The
Early Cave Men, Rand, McNally & Co., Chicago. Holbrook, Hia¬
watha Primer, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. Sindelar, Nixie
SECOND GRADE
31
Bunny in Manners Land and Nixie Bunny in Workaday Land,
Beckley-Cardy Co., Chicago.
Requirements for promotion of average children.—1. Ability to
tell freely and naturally an incident of their own experience. 2.
Ability to recite well one poem, to reproduce one short story, and
to impersonate a character in a simple dramatization. 3. The cap¬
italization and punctuation habits listed above. 4. The language
experience to be had in five 15 minute language lessons and one 15
minute story-telling period weekly.
MUSIC
Necessary book for teacher.—Any one. Neidlinger, Small Songs
for Small Singers, G. Schirmer, New York. Walker and Jenks,
Songs and Games for the Little Ones, Ditson & Co., New York.
Gaynor, Songs of the Child's World, Jno. Church Co., Cincinnati.
Hollis Dann, First Year Music, American Book Co., Cincinnati.
Results to be attained in the primary grades.—1. Awakening of
the child's musical consciousness. 2. Enjoyment of singing and of
listening to good music, and the habit of indulging daily in musical
experience. 3. Ability to sing alone, expressively and naturally,
at least fifteen good songs, and in chorus "America," "Columbia,
the Gem of the Ocean," "Star Spangled Banner," and "Alabama."
4. Review of old favorites and acquaintances with at least fifteen
new songs each year. 5. Increasing attainment in sweet, well-
rounded tone quality. 6. The growth in technical knowledge and!
skill indicated in the textbook for the year of any good music series.
Suggestions. Have children sing much and enjoy it. Select sim¬
ple songs which express childish experiences, and the range of
which extends neither too high nor too low for the children's voices-
—Include songs of seasons and nature, of home, pets, occupations,
folk songs, patriotic and religious songs, Hallowe'en, Christmas,
Thanksgiving, Valentine, Easter songs. Teach all songs in season
relating them in time as well as in theme to the children's experi¬
ences. In presenting rote songs (1) know your song absolutely,
(2) pitch it in the key indicated, (3) sing it through as a whole to
the children several times, with good enunciation and phrasing, (4)
then phrase by phrase as the children imitate. Work for sweet
tone qualty, eliminating nasal, strained, and very loud tones. Give
special attention to tonally deficient children. Emphasize clear
articulation and taste in expression. Develop rhythm through clap¬
ping, tapping, marking on blackboard. Enjoyment of singing, ap¬
preciation of good music, and the habit of participation in musical
experience are the main ends to be attained. For most children
32
MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
knowledge of technique is a means to this end. For technical work
and teaching suggestions consult a music textbook for the grade.
NATURE STUDY
Necessary books for teacher.—Reed, Bird Guide; Reed, Flower
Guide; Reed, Tree Guide; Doubleday Page & Co., New York. One
of the following: Holbrook, The Book of Nature Myths, Houghton
Mifflin Co., Boston or Cooke, Nature Myths and Stories, A. Flana¬
gan Co., Chicago or Bryce, That's Why Stories, Newson & Co., New
York. See also nature books in children's libraries.
Results to be attained in the primary grades.—1. Awakening of
the children's minds to a consciousness of the interesting nature
about them. 2. Three years of first hand experience with nature
itself and a growing hunger for further acquaintance. 3. Increas¬
ingly intelligent enjoyment of nature experience and seasonal
changes. 4. Habits of kindness to animals and care of plants. 5.
The habit of thinking about and discussing in a pure-minded way
organs and life processes of plants, insects, birds. 6. Increasing
accuracy in making and reporting observations and ability to draw
more or less reliable conclusions. 7. Appreciation in terms of the
children's own experiences of nature stories, songs, and pictures
suited to the grades. 8. The following minimum information for
average children:
First grade. A very simple acquaintance in a general way with
birds, animals, flowers, trees; ability to recognize two birds, two
flowers, and two trees studied.
Second grade. Ability to recognize, in addition to those learned
in the first grade, at least four birds, four wild flowers, two house
plants, four garden vegetables growing, and four trees; pretty
definite knowledge of the main characteristics of each.
Third grade. Ability to recognize, in addition to those learned
in preceding grade at least four birds (male and female), four wild
flowers, four garden flowers, two pot plants, four garden vegetables,
two injurious garden insects, two fruit trees, four forest trees.
Definite information as to:
a. Food, habits, nests, and uses of birds studied.
b. Place of growth, kind of soil, time of appearance of wild flow¬
ers studied.
c. How to raise the garden flowers, pot plants, and vegetables
studied.
d. How fruit trees are produced, grafted, and protected from
insects.
e. Life histories of the garden or orchard insects and how to get
rid of them.
SECOND GRADE
33
f. Uses of the forest trees studied.
Points for emphasis:
1. The getting by the children of actual first-hand experience
with nature.
2. Keen enjoyment, which is the beginning of a permanent in¬
terest.
3. Observational method of study. Book work and copied infor¬
mation to be memorized by the children should be absolutely
avoided.
4. Training for citizenship through team work in group activi¬
ties, humaneness to animals, pure-mindedness in observing life pro¬
cesses of plants and birds.
5. Vitalization of the other school work by relating it to nature
study.
6. In second grade increasing accuracy in observations and re¬
ports.
7. In third grade required truthfulness of statement in reports
of observations and the habit of verifying all reports.
For excellent materials and teaching suggestions see State Man¬
ual of 1919.
READING
Adopted books.—All adopted books are required as the minimum
to be read by every child. The order in which the books are given
does not prevent using two consecutive books at the same time but
the contracts with the publishers forbid the use of a later book
before one which precedes it in the list.
1. Third-basal first reader, Elson Primary Readers, Book One,
50 cents.
2. First-basal second reader, Free and Tread well, Reading-Liter¬
ature Second Reader, 48 cents.
3. Second-basal second reader, Child's World Second Reader, 54
cents.
4. Third-basal second reader, Elson Primary Readers, Book Two,
54 cents.
Materials.—For review, first reader perception cards, $1.60,
phonic chart, $1.60.
Supplementary books.—One copy each of five supplementary first
readers and three supplementary second readers or their equivalent.
These should be in the school library but should not be purchased
by the children. Simple interesting library books and readers are
suitable. Set C. Instructor School Library for second grade. F.
A. Owen Pub. Co., Dansville, N. Y., is worth while. For list of
readers see page 17.
3—EM
34 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Required books for teacher.—Manuals of Elson Primary Readers,
Books One and Two, free, Scott, Foresman & Co., Chicago. Catalog
log of F. A. Owen Pub. Co., free, Dansville, N. Y.
Time.—Two 15 minute reading lessons, one 15 minute word drill,
one 15 minute phonics lesson, three 15 minute seat work periods,
one 15 minute voluntary reading period daily.
Large ends to be attained:
1. Ability in silent reading to get, with the help of pictures and
suggestions, interesting thought from material of first and second
reader difficulty with sufficient ease and rapidity to make possible
enjoyment of the content.
2. The habit of using natural tones in oral reading, and sufficient
fluency to make the reading intelligible and interesting to listeners.
3. A love for child classics, prose and poetry, and an interest in
reading signs, labels, names of pictures, announcements, notices,
etc., for desired information.
4. Acquaintance with a much wider range of reading material
than in the first grade.
Habit formation to be accomplished.—1. Growth in the habit of
reading for pleasure and information. 2. Beginning of the habit of
contextual reading, in which words and meanings are inferred from
the context. 3. Growth in the habit of reading for thought rather
than words. 4. Beginning of the habit of phrase reading in both
oral and silent work. 5. Ability to read silently without lip move¬
ment, and considerable progress in the habit of doing it. 6. The
habit of using phonics to get words independently.
Practice to be provided.—1. Regular practice in reading silently
rather than orally for thought-getting. 2. Much practice in dra¬
matization. 3. Much practice in careful enunciation, especially of
final d, ed, s, es, est, er, and ing. 4. The amount of reading prac¬
tice afforded (1) by reviewing rapidly the first readers read in the
first grade; and (2) by reading in addition one new first reader and
at least three second readers or the equivalent.
Requirements for promotion of average children.—1. Ability to
read at sight with understanding and fluency any first reader, and
with preparation any second reader listed for the grade. 2. Ability
to use phonics in the getting of any simple phonetic word within
the spoken vocabulary. 3. Ability to recognize immediately the
words listed in the back of the Elson first reader, Reading-Litera¬
ture second reader, Child's World second reader. 4. The amount of
practice afforded by reading one new first reader and three second
readers.
The main lines of work are the same as in the first grade, consist¬
ing of thought work, word and phrase drills, phonics, reading prac-
SECOND GRADE
35
tice, and definite provision for relief of eyes and nerves from fine
work.
Points for special emphasis.—1. Fluency in oral reading. 2. Flu¬
ency and comprehension in silent reading. 3. Realization by the
children that reading is getting thought from a book. 4. Apprecia¬
tion and enjoyment of the stories read. 5. Enlargement of the
reading vocabulary. 6. The use of phonics in getting the pronun¬
ciation of words as compared with the learning of phonics in the
first grade. 7. Accuracy of enunciation, articulation, and pronun¬
ciation.
Suggestions to Teachers
1. Read suggestions for first grade.
2. Have the children ready for third grade reading at the end of
eight months. The first book read in the third grade is of second
reader difficulty.
3. Success in this grade depends largely upon the number of
books read. Some schools use twenty.
4. Distinguish in second and third grades two types of reading:
(1) sight reading of much simple, interesting material for fluency
and (2) prepared reading of more difficult material for power to
master difficulties. Second readers are suitable material for mas¬
tery of new difficulties. For fluency use literary material of primer
and first reader difficulty. Didactic matter such as that found in
second grade arithmetics, language books, and nature study books
should not be used for this purpose.
5. Oral sight reading for fluency.—In this, center the child's ef¬
forts upon conveying the story to his hearers in an interesting way.
Emphasize content, naturalness of expression, phrase reading, in¬
ferring words and thought from the context, and reasonable rapid¬
ity. Be not over-careful about the calling of each word provided
the sense is the same. Correct mispronunciations at the close of
the child's reading but do not interrupt the reading for this pur¬
pose. Work for connected reading of sentences and paragraphs by
having each child complete a unit of thought at one reading. Do
not ask a child to tell the class what he has read to them, as this
removes all motive for reading it well. Participation by the
teacher, as one of the group, in sight reading exercises will do much
to improve the reading expression of the children.
6. Silent sight reading for fluency.—In this, the child's motive
will usually be the enjoyment of the story and his whole attention
should be centered on the content. Comprehension is what is
wanted. The assignment and the recitation should refer to thought
only, and breaks in a unit of thought should be avoided. The pro¬
nunciation of words is not necessary so long as the child gets the
36 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
meaning. Speed is essential. Emphasize phrase reading, contex¬
tual reading, and the avoidance of lip movement. Interest the
children in books which they would enjoy reading at home, have
periods in which they may read anything in the library they wish,
and see that the school library contains books of many pictures
which appeal to them.
7. Reading for mastery of new difficulties.—This is not essen¬
tially different from the work of the first grade. Thought must
still be rather largely used as a means of getting sentences and
words. The material must consist of the children's experiences or
have sufficient literary value to he thought stimulating and inter¬
esting. It will usually be the content of the second readers. The
teacher will usually need to tell the story beforehand or, through
picture study, recall of children's experiences suggested by tne pic¬
tures, the suggestion of possible definite things the story might be
about, etc., so arouse the interest and curiosity of the children that
they will read silently to find out what the story is about. Read in
the second grade stories told in the first grade. Much dramatiza¬
tion is still necessary. Thought discussion should precede the oral
reading and usually should precede the silent study period also.
Hand work in drawing, paper cutting, modeling, sandtable projects
is as helpful as in the first grade. Thought must be kept upper¬
most in the minds of the children and they must be encouraged to
infer sentences and words from the thought. The reading for
thought connection of several sentences or paragraphs should he in¬
sisted upon. In oral reading every means to naturalness of ex¬
pression should be employed. In silent reading comprehension
should be stressed, the children should feel that they are reading
for thought, and should have specific thought problems assigned.
Second grade children are able to read for answers to questions
placed upon the blackboard, to ask questions the answers to which
are found in the reading, etc.
Word, phrase, and phonics drills are as essential as in the first
grade, should be as thorough as in the first grade, and should still
be kept separate from the reading lesson proper. They may form
a part of the assignment for a silent study period in which new or
difficult features wlil be encountered. The word drills should in¬
clude, in addition to new words, a review of first grade words and
all word study should stress accuracy of pronunciation. Phrase
reading in natural tones, should be specially emphasized. The
phonics work should include, in addition to mastery of the new
sounds, a review of the first grade work and should stress accuracy
in enunciation and articulation. The main emphasis in phonics,
however, is its daily use in the reading lessons. Do not permit the
SECOND GRADE
37
children to depend upon the teacher for any phonetic word. Seat
work for further drill in mechanics will still be necessary, as will
special work for bringing up deficiencies with individual pupils or
groups.
SPELLING
Adopted textbook.—Arnold, The Mastery of Words, Book One, 38
cents, to p. 25. Alabama Writing Speller, 5 cents.
Class word list.—Keep a class list of words taught in connection
with written language as the needs of the class demand. Such a
list will probably contain among others the following troublesome
words: again, any, asked, buy, can't, coming, cried, does, don't,
dropped, drowned, fairy, first, goes, having, heard, higher, knew,
know, leaving, loving, making, many, much, near, off, once, only,
running, school, shining, some, sure, taking, their, there, they, too,
tried, using, very, want, went, when, where, which, whole, whose,
won't, write.
Results to be attained.—1. Ability to spell correctly upon first
attempt orally, in written dictation of separate words, in written
dictation of very simple sentences, in copied sentences, and in writ¬
ten language work every word in the class list and every word in
the book except those which are not within the children's usual
vocabularies, as, vex, Meg, swish. 2. The habit in study and oral
spelling lessons of pronouncing words carefully before spelling. 3.
Knowledge and feeling that a long vowel in a monosyllable either
has a silent vowel immediately following it (rain) or a silent e at
the end of the word (came).
Suggestions.—This textbook will best serve its purpose if taught
in connection with phonics. The words of the class list should be
taught in connection with written language and, in order to prevent
first misspellings, before the children write. Include in this list
only those words which children commonly use. Other words
should be spelled for them or put on the blackboard. Teach all
lessons before assigning them for study, seeing that the children
pronounce the words correctly, pointing out the difficult words and
the difficult parts of those words, and suggesting a way to remem¬
ber the difficult parts. Dr. Tidyman suggests the following steps
in the teaching of words: preliminary testing for word difficulty,
presentation of words and class study, independent study by the
pupils or drill, testing, the correction of errors, and reviews. Lists
copied by children should not be used for study purposes. Note
with the children the errors in misspelled words and clinch the cor¬
rect form by much practice. Review. Avoid having children use
unfamiliar words in original sentences. Such sentences are often
38 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
absurd. Test the children by the measuring scale given in the
Appendix of the book.
Keep in mind that children need to learn to spell those words
only which they will probably use in writing, that those few need
to be learned so well that they will be spelled correctly uncon¬
sciously, that a word is not really learned until it is habitually
spelled correctly in writing when the attention is on the thought,
that spelling is habit and comes by much repetition.
WRITING.
Adopted book.—Smithdeal Copybook, No. 1, 7 cents.
By the end of the year the pupil should be able to write at the
desk with reasonable legibility and good movement the simple Eng¬
lish work, spelling words, and number exercises necessary to the
work of the grade. He should have well established habits of cor¬
rect position and pencil holding.
Suggestions.—Have just as much of the writing as possible done
on the board. Introduce gradually under close supervision the
forearm movement in desk work. Supervise all the writing. Do
not assign writing for unsupervised seat work. Use pencil. For
detailed suggestions see the State Manual for 1919.
THIRD GRADE
Note 1.—All suggestions are meant to be suggestive only.
Note 2.—Books recommended which are also included in the
Young People's Reading Circle lists may be had at library prices
from Loveman, Joseph and Loeb, Birmingham.
This course is planned for a school year of not less than eight
months. Each grade represents one year's work.
Minimum equipment.—All adopted textbooks in hands of chil¬
dren, all "necessary" teachers' books in the hands of teacher, one
copy each of three supplementary books of second reader difficulty,
third grade library, one box per child of colored crayon, one pair of
blunt scissors for each two children, paste, arithmetic drill cards,
toy money, yard stick, foot rule, pint and quart measures, at least
twenty feet of blackboard, crayon, erasers, sandtable, clock, ther¬
mometer, pencil sharpener, desk Nos. 4 and 3, teacher's desk and
chair, cabinet or shelves, water cooler or equivalent, broom or sani¬
tary brush, toilets, see-saw or swings for playground.
Additional equipment.—Additional supplementary reading, addi¬
tional blackboard, arithmetic practice exercises, pictures, Victrola,
piano, plasticine, drawing and construction paper, water colors,
coping saw, raffia, duplicator, playground equipment.
Necessary books for teacher.—Catalog of A. Flanagan Co., Chi¬
cago or Milton Bradley, Atlanta or Educational Exchange Co.,
Birmingham. Teacher's journal. Normal Instructor and Primary
Plans, F. A. Owen Pub. Co., Dansville, N. Y., or Primary Educa¬
tion, Educational Pub. Co., Boston.
Aims.—1. Completion of the grade in one year by 90% of the
children. 2. School subjects taught in life situations to insure use
in life. 3. Protection of pupils' health. 4. Habits of health, thrift,
pure-mindedness, honesty, truthfulness, politeness, fair play, co¬
operation, and self-confidence.
Suggestions.—Aim 1. Read suggestions for Aim 1 of first grade.
Promote at the end of the year every child who has met the re¬
quirements in reading, language, and arithmetic. Study deficien¬
cies of individual children at the beginning of the year and bring
them up before promotion time.
Aim 2. See suggestions for Aim 2 first and second grades.
Aim 3. See suggestions for Aim 3 of first grade.
Aim 4. See suggestions for Aim 4 of second grade. Counter¬
act by the generous use of praise the natural tendency of third
grade pupils to be disgusted with their own deficiencies and to be¬
come chronically discouraged.
40 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
ARITHMETIC
Adopted textbook.—Colaw Series, Elementary Arithmetic, 55
cents, to p. 110.
Necessary books for teacher.—Klapper, The Teaching of Arith¬
metic, D. Appleton & Co., New York. Hoyt and Peet, Everyday
Arithmetic, Book One, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston or The Thorn-
dike Arithmetic, Book One, Rand, McNally & Co., Chicago. Stude-
baker, Economy Practice Exercises in Arithmetic, Scott, Foresman
& Co., Chicago.
Results to be attained.—1. Much number experience with real
things in life situations. 2. Experience in using Vz, xk, 1/3, 1/5,
X, and common measures. 3. Ability to:
a. Read and write numbers to 100,000.
b. Give instantly the 45 addition and subtraction facts learned
in the second grade, to "carry" in addition of small numbers, to
"borrow" in subtraction.
c. Give instantly and in miscellaneous order the multiplication
and division facts through the sixth table, to multiply by two-figure
multipliers with carrying, and divide by short division.
d. Work unaided simple one-step problems and give in own words
simple clear explanations.
Requirements for promotion of average children.—1. Instant
knowledge in miscellaneous order of the 45 addition and subtrac¬
tion facts and the multiplication facts through the fifth table. 2.
Ability to add, subtract, multiply through table 5, and divide by
short division small numbers with accuracy and ease. 3. Ability to
work unaided simple one-step problems within the experience and
language of the pupils.
Suggestions.—Require instant knowledge of table facts in miscel¬
laneous order. Do not permit saying of tables in order. Teach
old facts beyond chance of guessing before introducing new ones.
Omit elaborate written statements or oral explanations of prob¬
lems. Do not use the text for oral reading.
Standard tests.—Courtis Practice Tests and Manual, World Book
Co., Yonkers, N. Y. Woody, Arithmetic Tests, Division of Publica¬
tions, Teachers College, New York.
For ART EDUCATION see second grade.
GEOGRAPHY
Adopted textbook.—Payne, Geographical Nature Studies, 23
cents.
THIRD GRADE
41
Necessary books for teacher.—Merrill, Home Geography, Pioneer
Pub. Co., Kansas City. Carpenter, Around the World with the
Children, American Book Co., Cincinnati. Chamberlain, How We
Are Clothed, and Chamberlain, How We Are Fed, Macmillan Co.,
Atlanta.
Results to be attained:
1. Enlargement of the group consciousness of the children to
the extent of their being able to think of themselves as a part of
the community. (This is done by studying the activities of the
community as they affect the lives of the children and the activities
of the children as they affect the community life.)
2. The first-hand acquaintance with community industries,
churches, schools, health, recreation, social customs, which is nec¬
essary for intelligent child life in the community and for engender¬
ing a permanent community interest and pride.
3. First-hand acquaintance with facts of weather, climate, sea¬
sonal changes, etc.
4. A first introduction to the big world as it touches the daily
lives of the children through a study of the sources of food, cloth¬
ing, fuel, toys, and house furnishings.
5. An acquaintance, through very simple stories of children of
other lands, with climate, living conditions, and customs of those
lands.
. Points of emphasis:
1. Experience-getting—first hand study of the actual environ¬
ment as contrasted with the learning of geographical facts or def¬
initions from a book.
2. The human or social relations involved—how people live, work
and enjoy themselves in the community in contrast to an abstract
study of physical environment alone.
3. The presentation of geographical facts through stories and
pictures which children can understand.
For excellent suggestions see State Manual of 1919.
For HEALTH see second grade.
HISTORY
Suggested textbook.—Eggleston, Stories of Great Americans for
Little Americans, 36 cents.
Necessary books for teacher.—History Stories of Other Lands,
Bopks One and Two, Row, Peterson & Co., Chicago. Baldwin, Old
Stories of the East (Old Testament), American Book Co., Cincin¬
nati. Some good source book for special day material.
42 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Results to be attained.—1. An intelligent appreciation of Hal¬
lowe'en, Armistice Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, Lee's and
Jackson's Birthdays, Valentine's Day, Washington's Birthday, Ala¬
bama Day, Memorial Day, Bird Day. 2. Enjoyment of history sto¬
ries as one beginning of a permanent interest in the doings of peo¬
ple. 3. Enlargement of the children's social experiences and ac¬
quaintance with human nature by their living through in imagina¬
tion the experiences of the stories. 4. A sort of personal acquaint¬
ance with several favorites among the characters studied. 5. An
interest in current events through class discussion of happenings
told by the teacher or heard out of school.
Suggestions.—The points for emphasis are actual participation
by the children in the celebration of the days, enjoyment of the
history work, and vividness of imagination in living through the
experiences of the stories. Make the stories vivid by discussion,
dramatization, drawing, paper cutting, and sandtable representa¬
tion. Do not emphasize remembering the facts, do not permit ver¬
batim recitation, do not use the history lesson as an oral reading
exercise. Tell the stories or have the children read them silently
for the thought. Use class time for discussing, vivifying, or relat¬
ing the thought to the children's experiences. The Elson Readers
are unusually rich in material for special days. An outline of spe¬
cial days by grades will be furnished by the State Department of
Education upon request.
For INDUSTRIAL WORK see second grade.
LANGUAGE
Adopted text.—Arnold's Primary Language Book, With Pencil
& Pen, 40 cents.
Necessary books for teacher.—Deming, Games and Rhymes for
Language Teaching in the First Four Grades, Beckley-Cardy Co.,
Chicago. Eugene Field, Poems of Childhood, Chas. Scribner's Sons,
Atlanta. One of the following: Jeschke, Beginners Book in Lan¬
guage, Ginn & Co., Atlanta or Aldine First Language Book and
Manual, Newson & Co., New York or Elson-Runkel, Good English,
Book One and Manual, Scott, Foresman & Co., Chicago.
Results to be attained:
I. In oral expression and composition. 1. Continued growth in
spontaneity and ease of expression. 2. Ability to recite naturally
three poems learned in the third grade and two reviewed from pre¬
vious grades. 3. Ability to reproduce stories by simple word out-
THIRD GRADE
43
line and to describe in a simple and intelligent manner incidents,
games, and experiences. 4. Further growth in the power of im¬
personation and expressive reading. 5. Beginning of the habit of
using complete sentences. 6. Correct habits in the use of: Has
John gone yet? That isn't mine. You were down there. It is I.
He has gone. He gave me a pencil. He doesn't know. 7. Ability
to compose as many as four short related sentences on a familiar
topic; as,
My Dream
I dreamed I was a kite. I flew and flew up into the air. I did
not have any string fastened to me. At last I bumped into a star.
I was afraid of it so I flew home.
II. In written expression and composition. 1. Ability to write
correctly simple sentences as dictation after study, or a short poem
committed to memory. 2. Ability to write correctly after oral pre¬
sentation brief letters and simple stories; as,
My Bicycle
I got my bicycle last Christmas. It is black and green. I had a
hard time trying to ride. I have only had one puncture since I got
my wheel. 3. Habits of using correctly:
a. Capitalization: Review work of previous grades. Titles of
stories (important words). Names of months. Name of our
State.
b. Punctuation: Period at end of statement. Question mark at
end of question. Correct punctuation used in writing the child's
name and address.
c. Abbreviations: Mr., Mrs., St., pupil's own initials, names of
days and of months.
Results I and II involve:
1. In thought and imaginative powers: Growth in freedom and
individuality of thought; ability to assimilate stories of third
reader difficulty discussed in class; ability to invent simple stories
with a touch of originality; the feeling for a complete thought
which results (1) from being required to speak in brief complete
sentences, (2) from being held rigidly to correct use of capitals at
the beginning of sentences and punctuation at the end, and (3)
from omission of and, then, so; that degree of ability in organiz¬
ing thought necessary (1) to reproduce in correct sequence the
three main points of a story or experience, (2) to follow a simple
word outline worked out in class.
2. Continued increase in vocabulary.
3. Drill on pronunciation and enunciation of such words as
yours (not "yourn"), didn't you, can't you, don't you, couldn't you,
desk.
44 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Points for special emphasis.—1. More oral than written work. 2.
Thought stimulation. 3. Individuality and naturalness of expres¬
sion. 4. Expressive recitation of poems and reproduction of sto¬
ries. 5. The development of the sentence sense. 6. Correct habits
in grammatical forms, pronunciation, and enunciation. 7. Correct
habits in the technique of written work.
Requirements for promotion of average children.—1. In oral
work items 2, 3, 7 above. 2. In written work items 2, 3, above. 3.
The language experience to be had in at least five 15 minute periods
weekly.
Materials.—Children's own experiences, community happenings,
current events, pictures, stories, health, geography, history, nature,
social and civic virtues listed in first grade.
Books for teacher.—Bailey, What to Do for Uncle Sam, A. Flan¬
agan Co., Chicago. Fryer, The Young American Readers, Our
Home and Personal Duty, Winston Pub. Co., Philadelphia.
For MUSIC and NATURE STUDY see second grade.
READING
Adopted books.—All adopted books are required as the minimum
to be read by every child. The order in which the books are given
does not prevent using two consecutive books at the same time but
the contracts with the publishers forbid the use of a later book
before one which precedes it in the list.
1. Lucia, Peter and Polly in Summer, 60 cents.
2. First-basal third reader, Free and Treadwell, Reading-Litera¬
ture Third Reader, 53 cents.
3. Second-basal third reader, Child's World Third Reader, 60
cents.
4. Third-basal third reader, Elson Primary Readers, Book Three,
61 cents.
Supplementary books.—1. Primary reading library. 2. One copy
each of five interesting books of second reader difficulty. The fol¬
lowing are suggested: Brown, Stories of Woods and Fields, (silent
reading), 94 cents, World Book Co., Yonkers, N. Y., Young, Some¬
body's Little Girl, 35 cents. Instructor School Library, Set D for
Third Grade, F. A. Owen Pub. Co., Dansville, N. Y. School readers
are probably the best. See page 17.
Required books for teacher.—Manual of Elson Primary Readers,
Book Three, free, Scott, Foresman & Co., Chicago. The Merrill
THIRD GRADE
45
Manual, Chas. E. Merrill Co., New York. Catalog F. A. Owen
Pub. Co., Dansville, N. Y.
Time.—Two 20 minute lessons, two 20 minute seat work periods,
one 15 minute period for voluntary reading daily.
Large ends to be attained
1. Ability in silent reading to get thought, with a reasonable de¬
gree of accuracy and with sufficient ease and rapidity for enjoy¬
ment, from interesting material of second and third reader diffi¬
culty, provided the vocabulary is familiar in spoken language.
Ability to read with greater speed silently than orally.
2. Ability in oral reading to handle such material fluently and
entertainingly.
3. A taste for good child literature, an interest in informational
reading, and the habit of reading both.
4. Acquaintance with a constantly increasing number of literary
child classics and other varieties of reading material.
Habit formation.—The beginning of the habit of reading periodi¬
cals through the use at school of a weekly or monthly child maga¬
zine. 2. The habit of phrase reading. 3. Marked advance in the
habit of mental or contextual reading. 4. The habit of reading for
thought rather than for words. 5. The habit of reading silently
rather than orally for thought getting. 6. The habit of reading
silently without lip movement.
Practice to be provided.—The amount of reading practice afford¬
ed by reviewing difficult selections used in the second grade, by
reading at least one new second reader and three easy third readers,
and by reading at least two library books. 2. Some practice in
reading supplementary material for specific purposes in connec¬
tion with other school subjects.
Requirements for promotion of average children.—1. Ability to
read at sight with understanding and fluency any second reader
and, with preparation, any third reader listed for the grade. 2.
Ability to recognize immediately in sentences most words of the
adopted readers. 3. The amount of practice afforded by reading
one new second reader and three third readers.
The main lines of work are the same as in previous grades, con¬
sisting of thought work, word and phrase drills, phonics practice
in oral and silent reading and a variety of large handwork and
games for relief from strain.
Points for special emphasis.—1. Fluency and expression in oral
reading. 2. Comprehension of thought and the habit of reading for
thought. 3. Speed in silent reading. 4. Mastery of unfamiliar
words and independence in the use of phonics. 5. Voluntary or
pleasure reading. 6. Deficiencies of individual children.
46 MANUAL 0XELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Suggestions to Teachers
1. Read suggestions for preceding grades.
2. Have the pupils ready for the fourth grade at the end of the
year.
3. Fluency and expression in oral reading affect speed in silent
reading later. See that word drills, assignment helps, and the
habit of attacking new words with phonics keep pace with the
rapidly increasing vocabulary. Have much sight reading of simple,
interesting material; do not permit the oral reading of too difficult
material; use dramatization; provide occasions for reading to au¬
diences. Praise much.
4. Causes of deficient comprehension.—(1) A large number of
new words, unknown in sound and meaning. (2) New types of
reading matter as geography, etc. (3) The requirement in other
school subjects of the study of material beyond the comprehension
of the children. (4) Lack of specific purposes for which informa¬
tion is sought, and assignments for study without adequate prep¬
aration for such study. (5) Over-emphasis by teachers upon oral
reading and acceptance in other subjects of verbatim recitations.
(6) Neglect of silent reading and of those types of lessons which
place a premium upon comprehension.
Assignments should help comprehension.—The assignment for
silent reading should (1) provide the child with a purpose for study¬
ing the lesson and (2) clear away difficulties which stand in the
way of thought comprehension. It should be clear and definite and
should present interesting thought questions, the answers to which
necessitate the comprehension of the large thoughts of the lesson.
New words upon which the meaning depends should be explained
before the preparation is begun. A new use of a familiar word, as
sash (window), often presents greater difficulty than a new word.
Selections may be unintelligible because the setting is unknown as,
Tom the Chimney Sweep; or because they contain allusions to un¬
known facts as, "highland bonnet" p. 45; or because they require
recall of the pupils' own experiences, as The Land of Counterpane.
All such difficulties should be cleared away in the assignment.
Nature selections to be appreciated presuppose first-hand experi¬
ence with the phenomenon of nature presented and should not be
assigned until after this experience has been provided in nature
study. A whole lesson period is often well spent in assigning the
next lesson.
Recitations should encourage comprehension.—In the reproduc¬
tion of thought material in reading, geography, or history, do not
permit verbatim recitations. Require the child to give the thought
in his own words, and show by illustration that he comprehends it.
THIRD GRADE
47
All reading lessons should not be oral reading lesions. Probably
one-fourth of the reading recitations might well omit oral reading
entirely and devote the time to discussion of the thought problems
assigned, to comparison with experience of pupils, to dramatiza¬
tion, to drawing, paper cutting, or sand table expression of the
thought, or class criticism of such work done in the study period.
Discussion of the thought should precede the oral reading.
5. The third grade the place to begin emphasis upon speed in|
silent reading.—When children can read fluently and with expres¬
sion it is time to change the emphasis from oral to silent reading.
By the end of the third grade children should read more rapidly
silently than orally.
The main causes of slow reading are: 1. Defective eyesight, im¬
proper lighting, too fine print. 2. Too difficult or uninteresting
material. 3. Insufficient amount of material. 4. The lack of regu¬
lar, rhythmical eye movements due to nervousness, failure to rec¬
ognize words, word repetition, the reading of one word at a time.
5. Lip movement. 6. Failure to grasp thought. 7. Inability to con¬
centrate attention. 8. Lack of attention of school authorities to
this phase of reading.
Distinguish between material for mastery of new difficulties and
material for fluency. Select for practice in speed much simple, in¬
teresting material of about second reader difficulty. The minimum
amount necessary for results is, in addition to re-used material
from previous grades and related readings in other school subjects,
three third readers and seven second readers or their equivalent.
Considerable additional practice should be had from voluntary
reading of library books. Establish firmly the habit of reading
without lip movement. Habits of concentrating attention are pro¬
moted by physical health and comfort, by removal of unusual dis¬
tractions, interest in the content of what is being read, specific
purposes for the reading made clear in the assignment, knowledge
by the reader that he will be held responsible for the content of
what is read, a definite time limit within which the reading must
be done, the habit of getting the thought in the first reading, varia¬
tion in procedure, competition.
Standard tests.—One of the best for grades 1-3 is Haggerty,
Reading, Sigma 1, World Book Co., Yonkers, N. Y. See also Gray
in the Merrill Manual.
7. Library reading.—Encourage the habit of reading broadly by
providing a library of interesting books, by often reading to the
children, and by definitely arranging for at least one period a week
to be devoted to the reading of the books by the children. Arouse
interest in specific books by telling parts of the stories, by talking
48 MANUAL OFELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
about the book? and showing the pictures, by reading to the class
bits of interesting selections. Teach the children how to use their
own judgment in selecting books which appeal. Let them take the
books h^me. Talk in school about books which are read at home.
8. Deficiencies of individual children.—Diagnose reading weak¬
nesses at the beginning of the year and arrange definitely to over¬
come these before promotion time.
SPELLING
• Adopted textbook.—Arnold, The Mastery of Words, Book One, 38
cents, pp. 25-50.
Additional word list.—Keep a class list of words taught in con¬
nection with language, and individual lists of words misspelled.
Such a list will probably contain among others the following trou¬
blesome words: asked, buy, coming, dropped, fairy, heard, know,
making, shining, there, their, they, too, tried, went, when, which,
whose, write, wrote, afraid, all right, almost, already, always,
beginning, busy, children, clothes, color, doctor, early, easy, enough,
father, February, forty, friend, great, guess, its, laughed, lose,
loose, money, mouth, none, often, people, please, quite, right, Sat¬
urday, speak, though, together, truly, Tuesday, until, Wednesday,
women, would, writing.
Results to be attained.—Ability to spell at once, without chance
of error, orally, in written dictation of separate words and of easy
sentences, and in written language every word of the class list and
the child's own individual list and those words of the text which are
within the writing vocabulary of the children. For suggestions see
second grade.
WRITING
Adopted book.—Smithdeal Copy Book, No. 2, 7 cents.
By the end of the year the children should show increased free¬
dom of movement, speed, and ease; also further gains in habits of
correct position, pencil holding, and use of movement in written
work; should have made a good beginning in the use of pen and ink.
Suggestions.—Provide much supervised drill. Avoid too much
other written work. Emphasize freedom, rhythm, and ease of
movement and do not overstress niceties of letter form. Avoid
having children change from one system of writing to another ex¬
cept in cases of hopeless failure.
FOURTH GRADE
ARITHMETIC
Textbook—Colaw Series, School Arithmetic, Elementary Book,
to p. 212.
Reading and writing numbers Division,
to 1,000,000. Review addition and subtrac-
Multiplication. tion.
Roman numerals. United States Money.
Common fractions.
Attainments to be sought.—Number combinations. Automatic
control of "the 45 number combinations."
Reading and writing numbers. Ability to read and write to
1,000,000.
Fundamental operations: (1) Addition. Ability to add rapidly
and accurately three and four-figure numbers with six to eight
numbers to a column. (2) Subtraction. Fair accuracy and rapid¬
ity in subtraction. (3) Multiplication. Automatic control of the
tables through 12X12. Ability to multiply fairly rapidly and ac¬
curately using multipliers of three figures. (4) Division. Ability
to divide fairly accurately and rapidly any number expressed by
seven figures using divisors of two figures.
United States Money. Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and
divide fairly accurately.
Roman numerals. Ability to read them as encountered in daily
life.
Terms. Multiplier, divisor, product, quotient, multiplicand, divi¬
dend. Ability to recognize them in problems.
Fractions. Simple fractions of single objects, as of any ob¬
ject, and equal parts of small numbers without a remainder, as
1/3 of 18.
Denominate numbers. Concrete ideas to accompany the terms
rod, mile, acre, ton.
Suggestions about fourth-grade arithmetic.—Ascertain which
combinations cause difficulty to individual pupils and give much
practice on those particular combinations.
In addition and multiplication teach both forms of each combina¬
tion, that is, 3 plus 5, and 5 plus 3.
50 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Teach pupils to use an abbreviated phraseology. Instead of say¬
ing or thinking "6 times 7 is 42, write the 2 and carry the 4"
abbreviate to "42, write 2".
Make sure that no future arithmetic work will be impaired by
lack of automatic mastery of the multiplication facts included in
the tables to 12X12. Make the number of repetitions of the differ¬
ent multiplication combinations correspond to the degree of their
difficulty, repeating the most difficult ones for any particular child
the more frequently.
Use manila cards for drill on the forty-five combinations and
on the multiplication tables. Require instant recognition. Do not
usually permit concert giving, of the combination when the card
is shown.
Work for speed and accuracy.
Let the pupil's own activities at home and at school, at work
and at play furnish much of the material to be used in connection
with his textbook work. Make problems from catalogs.
Things helpful in teaching fourth-grade arithmetic.—Yardstick,
twelve-inch rule, quart measure, peck measure, bushel measure,
gallon measure. Many of these may be secured temporarily from
homes at the time when they will be needed in the lessons.
Pennies, five-cent pieces, dimes, quarters, half-dollars, dollars,
and paper money should be at hand, if possible, for two or three
lessons.
Catalogs of general merchandise, such as, Sears, Roebuck & Co.,
Chicago, and Montgomery Ward & Co., Chicago. Victrola Record
Catalogs, Victrola Talking Machine Co., Camden, N. J. Pictures
Catalog, Perry Picture Co., Maiden, Mass. Catalogs of children's
books, American Book Co., Cincinnati.
One copy, for the teacher's use, of one of the following arith¬
metics to afford additional exercises: Thorndike Arithmetic, Book
One. Rand, McNally & Co., Chicago. Lennes-Jenkins, Applied
Arithmetic, Book One, Teacher's Edition, J. B. Lippincott Co.,
Philadelphia. Hamilton's Essentials of Arithmetic for Lower
Grades, American Book Co., Cincinnati. Morey's Primary Arith¬
metic, Charles Scribner's Sons, Atlanta.
Kibbe Number Drill Cards, No. 25B1742, 25 cents per set, for
rapid drill in fundamental operations, A. Flanagan Co., Chicago.
Table Builder, No. 15B1730, 15 cents, for drill on multiplication
tables, A. Flanagan Co., Chicago.
Bradley's Fraction Disks, No. 8047, Milton Bradley Co., Atlanta.
ART EDUCATION
Textbook—Applied Arts Drawing Book, No. 44, 15 cents.
FOURTH GRADE
51
GEOGRAPHY
Textbook—Tarr and McMurry, World Geography, First Book, 85
cents, to p. 106—Alabama Supplement, pp. 1-8
Home Geography, First Book, Part I, pp. 1-86.
Geography of the State, Alabama Supplement, First Book, pp.
1-8.
World Geography, First Book, Part II, pp. 86-106.
A. Home Geography: The large out-of-door geography.
Make Home Geography the basis for the study of World Geog¬
raphy through concrete objective lessons.
Conduct field lessons to cover geography in country and city.
In the country, notice particularly earth features and earth forces
and country industries. In the city, study the simple trades and
industries and give attention to public sanitation, transportation,
protection and the means by which city life is made healthful,
pleasant and secure.
In every way supplement the text by the development of type-
forms from neighborhood geography and neighborhood trades and
industries to be used as a basis for understanding, interpretation,
discussion, and appreciation of physical features, human life, and
social institutions.
Treat each topic in its relation to human life, to man and his in¬
terest in it.
Organize the knowledge gained into large units, and follow the
general outline of topics given in the text.
B. Geography of the State
Introduce the study orally; cover only the essentials.
Teach children to organize the thought from discussion, illustra¬
tion, and observation into definite units.
Use post cards and other illustrative material.
Place emphasis upon the knowledge gained rather than the rela¬
tions; the children must know the facts before they can reason.
Teach them form for rapid sketching of map.
Emphasize the need of government rather than its form, and
direct attention to the visible means of public service.
Conduct excursions to the county-seat and visit the various de¬
partments of government; explain the duties of the officers.
C. World Geography
Use maps and globes to develop the necessary introductory con¬
cepts and to introduce the study of continents and oceans.
52 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Conduct imaginary trade and historical journeys to bring out
clearly world relations.
Attainments to be sought:
Show the earth as the home of many people.
Teach something of the conditions under which these people live.
Develop a general understanding of forms and uses of land,
water and air.
Teach the growth of industry, commerce, and government.
Show how to make and use simple maps.
Suggestions about fourth-grade geography.—Conduct study les¬
sens to see that children make proper use of the text, maps, illus¬
trations, etc.
Make the assignment of the work under Suggestions, at the end
of each topic opportunely and so as to help in the discussion of the
text.
Take advantage of every opportunity for map drawing, map
development, and map study. Make use of the sand table.
Correlate the work in geography with the work in reading, com¬
position, history, drawing, and other subjects in the Course of
Study.
Use the appendix in the text and bibliography for list of refer¬
ence books, books for teachers, and supplementary reading.
Present each new general notion as, for example, rivers, by
means of a concrete instance, with abundance of interesting de¬
scriptions, pictures, and detailed information, using whatever re¬
lated and illuminating knowledge the children may have already, so
as to stimulate the imagination and to develop clear mental pic¬
tures.
Study the immediate geographic environment of the children,
and from this develop general geographic notions. Observe vege¬
tables in school and home gardens. Visit vegetable dealer and ob¬
serve varieties, prices, and quality. Visit corn field just before
harvest. Go to mill with the children and observe grinding. Visit
wheat field and flour mill if within reasonable distance. Visit hog
farm or beef herd to observe feeding and caring for meat animals.
Visit cotton field just before harvest to study fibre. Make an ex¬
cursion to the cotton gin to observe method of separating fibre
from seed. Visit cotton mill to note spinning and weaving. Ob¬
serve clipping, washing and combing of wool. Visit logging camp
to observe cutting and hauling. Observe the cutting of lumber at
a sawmill. Note the removal of iron ore from a mine. Visit a
smelting furnace.
Things helpful in teaching fourth-grade geography.—The follow¬
ing books contain much concrete material for use in connection with
FOURTH GRADE
53
geography and are suited to this grade: Nida, Letters of Polly the
Pioneer, Macmillan Co., Atlanta.
Allen, Children of the Palm Lands, 55 cents, Educational Pub.
Co., Chicago. Mulets, Sunshine Lands of Europe, 94 cents, World
Book Co., Yonkers, N. Y. Any of the following books by Cham¬
berlain, How We Are Clothed, How We Are Fed, How We Are Shel¬
tered, How We Travel, 88 cents each, Macmillan Co., Atlanta. Any
of the following books by McDonald-Dalrymple: Betty in Canada,
Manuel in Mexico, Ume San in Japan, Kathleen in Ireland, Donald
in Scotland, 80 cents each, Little, Brown & Co., Boston.
HISTORY AND CIVICS
Textbook—There will be no textbook in fourth grade.—The work
of this grade should be largely biographical. A closer and fuller
study than heretofore should be made of the great heroes of all
ages, and especially those of pioneer and colonial America.
Pupils of this grade will be fascinated with historical stories
such as those of DeSoto and his explorations through Alabama and
the other Southern States, LaSalle and his wanderings, Marquette
and Joliet, Daniel Boone, Putnam, George Rogers Clark, Cabot,
Drake, Hudson, King Phillip, and New England heroes; Peter Stuy-
vesant; industries, manners, customs, of the English, Dutch, French
settlers, and of the Indians.
Make a special study o'f Alabama Indians. Prominent local
events should be stressed always.
Stimulate the pupil's desire to read; increase his power of imag¬
ination; stress dramatization and pageantry, develop oral expres¬
sion.
Attainments to be sought.—Try to give the pupils some acquain¬
tance with the deeds, customs and life of persons and of groups of
people. It is suggested that through the medium of stories pupils
should know: something of colonial life, especially the life of the
Southern colonies; something of the discoveries, the explorations,
the conflicts with Indians, and the clashes between European races
that have affected Alabama or have transpired there; some of the
adventures and achievements of Alabama men and women; some
of the deeds of a few American leaders; some of the famous per¬
sons and deeds of Old World History.
Try to make pupils enjoy historical tales and arouse their desire
to read simple stories from history.
Enable pupils to know and enjoy some poems based on historical
incidents or expressing patriotic sentiments.
From the history in this grade, develop sentiments with regard
to right and wrong, duty, bravery, loyalty, industry, true worth,
and achievement.
54 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Pupils should be able to repeat verses from some of the patri¬
otic songs.
Help pupils to understand the significance of the usual holidays
observed in the State.
Things helpful in teaching fourth-grade history.—Collections of
postcards of places connected with history. Pupils may help make
the collection.
Pictures representing historical events, scenes, and personages.—
The Perry Pictures Catalog contains a classified list.
Poems connected with history. Some may be found in Olcott's
Story-Telling Poems, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. Other books
contain some.
The following books supply history stories suitable for this
grade: Terry, Tales from Long Ago, 68 cents, Row, Peterson &
Co., Chicago. Blaisdell and Ball, American History for Little
Folks, 75 cents, Little, Brown & Co., Boston. Gordy, Stories of
Early American History, 88 cents, Charles Scribner's Sons, At¬
lanta. Faris, Real Stories from Our History, 92 cents, Ginn & Co.,
Atlanta. Best, Egypt and Her Neighbors, 72 cents, Macmillan Co.,
Atlanta. Pumphrey, Pilgrim Stories, 67 cents, Rand, McNally &
Co., Chicago. Welsh, Colonial Days in Virginia, Carolina, Mary¬
land, Georgia, 75 cents, Educational Publishing Co., Chicago.
Teachers will get much information about Indian life from Starr,
American Indians, 96 cents, D. C. Heath & Co., Chicago.
HOME MAKING
Worthy home membership is an objective toward which training
in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades should be directed. It does
not seem best to offer this training in a separate subject in these
grades; but many lessons in other subjects, as, reading, health, his¬
tory, language, arithmetic, and geography should be made to con¬
tribute to this objective.
Some lessons in reading should be selected that portray family
life at its best and should be given treatment that will emotionalize
such of the relations, satisfactions, and obligations of home life as
are within the experience and appreciation of the pupils.
"What makes a home?" might be one of the central questions to
be answered through some history stories of American pioneers.
These stories are well adapted to revealing certain essentials, such
as the physical basis of food, clothing, and shelter, and other es¬
sential elements less tangible such as, protection, obedience, indus¬
try, affection, co-operation.
Nature study may open the minds of pupils to the satisfaction to
be derived from having an attractive nature environment for the
FOURTH GRADE
55
home and may enlist the efforts of pupils to secure added attract¬
iveness for their own homes.
Geography lessons may give pupils ideas about the different
sources from which a given article of food supply comes, the dif¬
ferent points to which it is commonly distributed, and the expense
of producing and of marketing it from the different sources. Like¬
wise the study of geography may be presented so as to add to the
pupils' understanding about the materials used for clothing, those
needed for building houses, and for the making of furniture. Out
of a study of home life in all lands in connection with geography
and history may grow an appreciation of the distinctive features of
American home life.
In connection with health lessons pupils should learn how to keep
home living conditions and food supplies hygienic and sanitary, how
to observe the laws of personal health, and how to do such things
as may be desirable for children of the age of these pupils in con¬
nection with cases of illness at home.
Reading, music, and art lessons should develop interest in and
acquaintance with stories, poems, books, magazines, pictures, and
songs that should be found in homes that provide for the spiritual
aspects of home life.
Arithmetic lessons should give insight into the judicious handling
of the family finances and especially should it arouse pupils to a
keen sense of comparative values in the things which they might
purchase with the money that they usually spend for things of
their own choice.
Skill in activities and tasks that children of the age of tnese pu¬
pils can perform for the homes should be developed. This skill
can be secured only by affording practice. Both club work and
individual home projects are needed.
INDUSTRIAL WORK
For Grades Four, Five, and Six.—Instead of being given as a
separate subject this work in these grades should grow out of the
various school subjects, as geography, history, language, civics,
agriculture, etc., and out of the life with which the children come in
contact.
In geography and history the children should become acquainted
with the tools, materials and processes as developed by mankind,
stage by stage, in its effort to supply its needs, as needs for food,
clothing, places to live, communication, transportation, places to
worship, recreations, education (books, school accessories, etc.).
Use construction work to make real some of these stages and types.
Activities by pupils to make real to them many things as: mak-
56 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
ing tallow candles, in series of lessons on how man has produced
light; tanning small piece of leather in connection with lessons on
how man has provided clothing; making old-fashioned hominy in
connection with study of foods of pioneer times; making cheese;
making soap by old-fashioned process; making white-wash and us¬
ing it; making sun-dried brick in connection with study of evolu¬
tion of building materials; dyeing goods with natural dyes; drying
fruit, corn, pumpkin.
Activities by the pupils for immediate utility and for training:
simple activities in connection with the care of an automobile; care
of garden and farm tools, sewing machines, washing machines;
simple repairs on harness, gates, fences; taking care of telephone,
electric-iron, and electric-lamp troubles that do not require expert
skill; repairing screens on windows and doors; replacing broken
hinges, latches, window glass; adjusting window shades that do not
roll properly; hanging pictures; putting up hooks, or rods for
clothes hangers, in wardrobes and closets; mending broken door
steps, or porch steps; putting up trellis for climbing plants; put¬
ting up bracket-shelf; making chicken coops; making clothes-dry¬
ing racks; making and painting porch boxes for flowers; repairing
or painting porch swings and garden seats; making bird boxes;
making milk stool; repairing desks and other school furniture;
mounting pictures. Much of this work may be carried on in connec¬
tion with community civics, arithmetic, and other school subjects.
Some of it could constitute the program of a "Home Improvement
Club" among the fifth and sixth-grade pupils.
For giving experience with materials, practice in hand manipu¬
lation, and training in various types of expression the following
suggest kinds of activities that may be used. They must follow
lessons in which the pupils have really come into possession of ideas
that they are trying to express. They come in connection with the
regular subjects of the Course of Study: 1. Making booklets show¬
ing each of the principal industries. 2. Making of "Tr6e Book"
containing list of trees pupil knows, sketches of leaves, trees; de¬
scription, uses, etc. 3. Making map of farm; of school district; of
county. 4. Making miniature farm buildings. 5. Making health
charts and posters. 6. Making simple bandages and learning how
to apply them. 7. Fitting up doll's house as sick room and
furnishing it properly. 8. Making boats with sails. 9. Making
desk pads. 10. Preparing exhibits to show various types of tools
and appliances helpful for household and farm labor. 11. Booklets
or charts of inventions that have affected occupations and modes of
living. 12. Representations of various types of shelter from primi¬
tive huts to modern houses. 13. Exhibits showing evolution of
printing and publishing from earliest ways of making records up
FOURTH GRADE
57
through picture-writing and subsequent stages to present time.
14. Portraying life in the various climatic zones, as Frigid Zone
with cotton batting, artificial snow, dogs, fur-dressed dolls, polar
bears, walruses; Torrid Zone with moss for jungles, sand for
desert, tropical fruits, black dolls, brown dolls, etc. 15. Represen¬
tation of countries, as floor map of Africa with sand sprinkled for
desert, paper palm trees, camel train, clay pyramids, jungles with
wild beasts in them. Hawaii, large box with one side removed,
other three sides covered with blue paper showing mountains, vol¬
cano; sandpaper beach; painted sea with white breakers; group of
paper palms fastened to beach; raffia hut; clay utensils; canoes;
brown man in surf fishing. 16. Making a frieze to illustrate a
story or poem, as "Robin Hood". 17. Making booklet for entertain¬
ment of an invalid, funny experiences, jokes, amusing paper cut¬
tings, etc. 18. Making toy circus for primary grades: animals that
will stand, tent of unbleached muslin, saw dust ring.
Things helpful in teaching industrial work.—The books listed
under the various subjects for these three grades contain much of
the information on which this work should be based. These addi¬
tional ones, are useful: Rechleau's books: Minerals, 75 cents, Prod¬
ucts of the Soil, 75 cents, Manufactures, 75 cents, Transportation,
75 cents, A. Flanagan Co., Chicago. Bachman, Great Inventors and
Their Inventions, 75 cents, American Book Co., Cincinnati. Chase-
Clow, Stories of Industry, Vol. I, Vol. II, Educational Pub. Co., Chi¬
cago. MacLeod, Talks About Common Things, A. Flanagan Co.,
Chicago.
Teachers should consult catalogs of the following companies for
stencils, poster patterns, and materials needed in this work: Beck-
ley-Cardy Co., Chicago; A. Flanagan Co., Chicago; Milton Bradley
Co., Atlanta; Garden City Educational Co., Chicago.
LANGUAGE
Textbook—Emerson and Bender, Modern English, Book One, 48
cents, to page 151
1. Oral Work:
Based on any event of inter¬
est to children.
Based on special days.
Based on pictures.
Based on stories.
Based on poems.
Recitations by topics in regu¬
lar lessons.
2. Written Work:
Letter writing.
Sentence making.
Paragraph writing.
Copying.
Dictation.
58 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Attainments to be sought.—Keep the pupils living an abundant
thought-life that centers in wholesome ideas and experiences, and
make them able to share their developing ideas and experiences
with others.
Help pupils to be able to think out a half-dozen sentences on a
subject and to express them with good articulation in a tone of
voice that is not disagreeable, avoiding an undue use of "and," "so,"
and "then."
Teach pupils to avoid gross mispronunciation of certain words.
The following are suggested, but the list should be modified if
errors made by the grade show that more serious mispronunciation
of other words exists in the grade: "just", "get", "for", "can",
"catch", "once", "which", "have to".
Teach pupils to avoid certain verb errors. The following are
suggested subject to such modification as the actual usage of the
grade indicates should be made: "can" for "may"; "throwed",
"knowed", "growed"; "drawed"; "aint"; "brung"; "seen" for
"saw"; "done" for "did"; "taken" for "took".
Teach pupils to avoid certain misuses of pronouns. These might
include: "me" as subject of a sentence; "him" after "is" or "was";
"her" as subject of a sentence; "her" after "is" or "was"; the pro¬
noun "them" for the demonstrative adjective "these".
Teach pupils to use correctly: The period at the end of a sen¬
tence which needs it; the comma between the words of a series
and in direct address; the interrogation mark after direct ques¬
tions.
Teach pupils to use capitals at the beginning of sentences, in
writing proper names, and in the pronoun "I".
See that pupils know that a sentence begins with a capital and
that they think of it as a group of words that make sense.
Pupils should be able to write sentences blocked in paragraph
form with proper indention.
Pupils should be able to write a letter consisting of four or five
sentences.
Suggestions about fourth-grade language.—Pupils may tell about
things they have seen, as things seen on the way to school, on a
Saturday tramp, on a trip to a mill, mine, farm, the woods. Things
that have happened to one, such as, being lost, getting locked up in
a room, being sick. How one makes something to play with, as
a kite, soap bubbles, doll furniture. How one does some kind of
work, as milking a cow, washing the baby's bottle, planting flower
seeds. What homes do for the people that live in them and what
the children can do to help make home life easier for others or more
pleasant.
FOURTH GRADE
59
Intensify, enlarge, and make more educative the experiences
children have had by discussing them, explaining and stimulating
curiosity, and manifesting wholesome ideals with regard to them.
Provide for growth in ideas; supply practice in expressing the
ideas. Keep the experiences the child is telling about in the fore¬
ground and motive will not be lacking. In using these exercises
extend the pupils' knowledge, increase enjoyment, broaden their
ideas and interests.
Things helpful in teaching fourth-grade language.—George
Plan Books for Intermediate Grades, Paper-bound 40 cents for each
month, or cloth-bound in three volumes, Autumn, $1.75. Winter,
$1.75. Spring, $2.25, A. Flanagan Co., Chicago.
King, Language Games, Beckley-Cardy Co., Chicago.
Deming, Games and Rhymes for Language Teaching in the First
Four Grades, 85 cents, Beckley-Cardy Co., Chicago.
Teachers will find one of the following, or other good language
books, a great help in providing additional lesson materials: Bole-
nius, Elementary Lessons in Every-Day English, American Book
Co., Cincinnati. Driggs, Live Language Lessons, First Book, Uni¬
versity Pub. Co., Lincoln, Neb. Robbins and Row, studies in Eng¬
lish, Book One, Row, Peterson & Co., Chicago. Potter-Jeschke-
Gillet, Oral and Written English, Book One, Ginn & Co., Atlanta.
Smith-McMurry, Language Series, Book One, B. F. Johnson Pub.
Co., Atlanta. Elson-Runkel, Good English, Book One, Scott, Fores-
man & Co., Chicago.
SCHOOL MUSIC
Course for Grades IV, V, VI.—Work to secure enjoyment of mu¬
sic. Discuss appreciatively with the pupils the images, ideas, sen¬
timents, and emotions expressed by the songs or suggested by
them. Select music that pupils of the intermediate grades really
care for. Teach them at a time when they connect with their in¬
terests in seasons, games, festivals, etc. Correlate with other sub¬
jects, as, literature, history, pictures. Keep tones sweet and un¬
strained. Insist on distinct pronunciation. Teach pupils to use the
exact words of the song. Develop ability to read music. Give
pupils opportunity to hear much good music. Keep a happy at¬
mosphere in connection with singing. As far as possible keep it a
social school exercise that produces community of activity and
enjoyment. Put pupils into possession of many songs that may be
used and enjoyed for this purpose.
Things useful in teaching music.—Catalogs from the Clayton F.
Summy Co., Chicago. John Church Co., Chicago.
60 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Victrola records. Musicians' biographies. Pictures that can be
correlated with music.
Riley-Gaynor, Songs of the Child World, Nos. I and II, American
Book Co., Cincinnati. Gaynor, Books of Children's Songs, John
Church Co., Chicago. Neidlinger, Earth, Air and Sky in Song,
American Book Co., Cincinnati. Hofer, Singing Games for Chil¬
dren, A. Flanagan Co., Chicago.
PHYSIOLOGY AND HYGIENE
Textbook—Emerson and Betts, Hygiene and Health, Book I,
60 cents, pages 1 to 103.
Attainments to be sought.—Habits and good attitudes are more
important as outcomes of fourth-grade training than is informa¬
tion.
The pupils should have hygienic habits about putting things into
the mouth and about exchanging articles with other pupils.
They should have good habits with reference to eating regularly
of food suitable to children and with reference to a regular and
sufficient amount of sleep.
Pupils should be in the habit of playing outdoors regularly and
should desire to do so.
Pupils should have habits of cleanliness with reference to hands,
face, body and teeth.
Pupils should be reasonably cautious about avoidable accidents,
but should not be unduly timid about things that active children
naturally want to do.
Unhygienic mental attitudes, such as sense of being injured, feel¬
ing of incompetency, etc., should, if possible, be prevented or cor¬
rected.
Pupils should feel some pleasure in having the good health habits
they have formed.
Suggestions about fourth-grade health.—It is far more impor¬
tant to have fourth grade pupils form health habits than it is to
give them information about health. Seeing that the right things
occur daily is the best way of securing these habits.
Expect relative, not absolute, attainments in children of this age,
Keep working toward the goals but be reasonable in individual
difficulties. Demand that unsatisfactory pupils be making im¬
provement rather than that they do as well as the best. Be con¬
siderate and persistent.
Keen enjoyment on the part of the children increases the value
of physical activities. What they keeply enjoy in recreation is more
likely to carry over into adulthood as a leisure interest.
FOURTH GRADE
61
Things helpful in teaching fourth-grade health.—Teachers will
find good lesson materials in the following books: Andress, The
Teaching of Hygiene in the Grades, $1.35, Houghton Mifflin Co.,
Boston. O'Shea and Kellogg, Health Habits, Macmillan Co., At¬
lanta. Jewett, Health and Safety, Ginn & Co., Atlanta. Jones,
Keep-Well Stories for Little Folks, J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadel¬
phia. Andress, Rosy Cheeks and Strong Heart, Child Health Organ¬
ization of America, 156 Fifth Ave., New York. Griffith, Cho-Cho
and the Health Fairy, 15 cents, Child Health Organization of Amer¬
ica, 156 Fifth Ave., New York. Peterson, Rhymes of Cho-Cho's
Grandma, 20 cents, Child Health Organization of America, 156
Fifth Avenue, New York. Griffith, Four Fairy Plays, 25 cents,
Child Health Organization of America, 156 Fifth Ave., New York.
READING
State adopted books: Elson's Fourth Reader, 69 cents, Howe's
Fourth Reader, 68 cents
Attainment to be sought.—Lead the pupil into broader fields of
reading outside of his textbooks by co-ordinating his reading with
all available material in public and private libraries.
Stimulate interest and curiosity in this broader field of litera¬
ture.
Begin, through supplementary reading, to correlate other subject
matter, such as, history and geography, with reading.
Strive more intensively to cultivate the taste, judgment, and
visualizing power of the child.
Teach the child to use the dictionary.
Enable the child to understand all words in the lesson necessary
to thought-getting.
Teach one new, practical word a day. Use frequently during
subsequent days until it becomes a part of the child's vocabulary.
Suggestions about fourth-grade reading.—Encourage pupils to
read aloud to parents or friends.
Encourage much silent reading by discussing interesting things
pupils read at home.
Arouse interest in poetry by reading good poems to the pupils
and discussing them with them.
Occasionally read part of a story and encourage pupils to fin¬
ish it.
Have pupils read in order to find answers to questions raised by
themselves or others.
Have pupils occasionally reproduce what they have read.
Dramatize a good many things the pupils read.
62 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Teach pupils how to find pages and how to use index or table of
contents.
Have at least half of the reading silent.
Give speed drills in reading for thought.
Have pupils read the materials of the grades below the fourth
grade to increase rate of reading.
Drill on pronunciation.
Provide audience situations for all oral reading.
Things helpful in teaching fourth-grade reading.—Second and
third readers used by the younger children for practice in rapid
reading.
As many different fourth readers as possible to secure.
Such magazines as St. Nicholas, The Children's Magazine, and
John Martin's Book. Sunday School papers.
Manuals, accompanying the various school readers.
The Instructor School Library, Set E, for Fourth Grade contains
twenty-five books delightfully appealing to these children. Artis¬
tically bound in limp cloth, these books cost 12 cents each, or the
entire library, boxed and containing a record book, cost $3.25, F. A.
Owen Pub. Co., Dansville, N. Y.
SPELLING
Textbook—Arnold, The Mastery of Words, Book 1, pages 51-90.
Study the Preface and Appendix, making use of the suggestions
on pages 4-9.
Use the Measuring Scale for Ability in Spelling, Appendix pages
10-16, at least once a month.
Have the pupils memorize the three things on page 51 that are
aids in spelling. See that they apply them throughout the year.
Discuss, with the class, page 52, on "How to Study Your Lesson".
Remember that learning to study is even more important than
learning to recite.
Each page represents a week's work. The division 1, 2, 3, and 4
are for the first four days. The fifth day is for the review of the
entire page.
The first lesson on each page can be used for dictation, and
sometimes for memorizing.
The "black letter" words are the greatest stumbling blocks in
spelling. They are the "runaway" words. Drill on them thorough¬
ly and review them often. Have spelling matches on these words
and other words which the"children misspell. The words in lessons
2 and 4 are usually in pairs or groups that are related in some way.
The third lesson on the page gives drills on pronouncing, sound¬
ing, spelling, using words in sentences and sometimes in rhyming
FOURTH GRADE
63
words. The words in these lessons often contain some difficulty.
They are frequently the "black letter" words of previous lessons.
At the end of the fourth grade the class should be familiar with
the consonant, vowel, and vowel combination sounds which are to
be found in the ordinary spelling vocabulary. They have had con¬
tinual drills on groups of related words containing these sounds.
They should know the principal diacritical marks. The pronounc¬
ing drills on pages 2 and 3 of the Appendix are valuable aids in
this work, and a help in improving the articulation and enunciation.
WRITING
Textbook—Smithdeal Copy Book, No. 3, 7 Cents.
Pupils of this school age lack the muscular co-ordination neces¬
sary to fine writing. But this is the period when the habits that
lead eventually to fine writing can be permanently fixed.
Children come to this grade knowing good position and correct
movement and have formally studied both the small and the capital
alphabet. They should now drill, drill, drill on these things working
to gain freedom of movement, speed, and endurance. The writing
should be of good size and great accuracy should be required.
Movement correlation in all written work should be demanded. For
this to be possible a very moderate amount of written work should
be given, and such work should generally be supervised. Teachers
must remember that the pupils are children, and not demand of
them tasks requiring the skill and control of adults.
FIFTH GRADE
AGRICULTURE
Courses for Fifth and Sixth Grades—
Text.—Duggar's Agriculture for Southern Schools, 80 cents,
should be used as a basal text though it will not be necessary to
place a copy of the textbook in the hands of the pupils. Each
teacher should be provided with standard texts on each subject
taught and in addition should secure as complete a set of state and
farmers' bulletins as can be had. See footnote.)
Place in weekly schedule.—One period a week. The individual
teacher makes adjustments of other classes in order to provide a
time for this subject. In case the school is equipped with shop or
garden area a double period should be provided each week.
Subjects to be taught.—Classes for boys. The growing of field
crops; hog raising; poultry production; fruit growing; gardening;
and elementary shop work.
Classes for girls. Poultry production; fruit growing; garden¬
ing; and under certain conditions hog raising.
The project method should be employed in teaching the subject
and the teacher should carefuly direct the selection of home pro¬
jects in keeping with the class room work of the year.
The fifth and .sixth grades may be combined in case the number
of pupils enrolled is limited in which case a two-year course should
be planned and the subjects taught should be alternated each year
during the two-year period.
In the case of those schools in which clubs for girls are organ¬
ized all girls of the fifth and sixth grades should be enrolled for
such work. The agricultural classes will then be composed exclu¬
sively of boys.
The methods of teaching the subject.—The home project method,
supplementing class room instruction should be employed. One or
two periods a week during the entire session with supervised work
at the homes of the pupils will enable the teacher to give a credit¬
able course to her classes.
Through organized units either in junior project class work or
organized clubs definite problems should be attacked as, for exam¬
ple,, the growing of field crops, the fattening of hogs for meat pur¬
poses, or the cultivation of a home orchard.
The subjects should be taught in seasonal sequence, that is, teach
about seed selection during the harvesting season; preparation of
the soil during the plowing season; combating insect pests in the
FIFTH GRADE
65
orchard during the season that will enable the pupils to destroy
the pests.
The project should be creditable in scope and pupils should be re¬
quired to do the work on their projects and keep accurate records.
Outlines to guide in the study of farm crops.—(Similar outlines
to be prepared for the study of horticulture, gardening or animal
husbandry, one or more of the topics in each outline being dis¬
cussed at each meeting of the class.) 1. Soils adapted to the crop.
2. Preparation of the soil required before planting. 3. Commercial
fertilizer needed. 4. Methods of planting. 5. Amount of seed
needed to plant an acre. 6. Methods of selecting seed. 7. Variety
best suited to your section of the State. 8. Time of the year to
plant. 9. Method of cultivation. 10. Disease and insect pests to be
met and how to overcome them. 11. Conditions of the crop at har¬
vest time; reasonable yield to be expected per acre, and best
methods of harvesting and storing. 12. Proper grading and pack¬
ing for the market. 13. Do Alabama farmers fully appreciate the
value of this crop?
Co-operating agencies.—County agents and home demonstration
agents have been delegated by the Director of Extension of the Ala¬
bama Polytechnic Institute to give general supervision to club
activities in those counties where the county educational authorities
will accept their services.
In those school districts in which a teacher of vocational agricul¬
ture is employed by county boards of education fifth and sixth
grade pupils should be organized into classes with the view of car¬
rying out junior project work. Teachers of agriculture will gladly
devote one or two hours a week to such work and as in the case of
the county and home demonstration agent will supervise home pro¬
ject work during the summer months.
The county demonstration agents, the home demonstration
agents, teachers of vocational agriculture, the Division of Junior
Extension of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Auburn, Alabama,
and the Division of Vocational Education, State Department of
Education, Montgomery, Alabama, may be called upon for assis¬
tance in making effective such a course of instruction.
2. Suggested reference texts.—On field crops: Duggar, Southern
Field Crops, Macmillan Co., Atlanta. Montgomery, Productive
Farm Crops, J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia. Hunt-Burkett,
Soils and Crops, Orange Judd Co., New York.
On animal husbandry: Harper, Animal Husbandry, Macmillan
Co., Atlanta. Hunt-Burkett, Farm Animals, Orange Judd Co.,
New York. Plumb, Types and Breeds of Farm Animals, Ginn &
Co., Atlanta.
66 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
On horticulture: Green, Popular Fruit Growing, Webb Pub,
Co., St. Paul, Minn, Sears, Productive Orcharding, J. B. Lippin-
cott Co., Philadelphia. Bailey, Small Fruit Growing, Macmillan
Co., Atlanta.
On gardening: Green, Vegetable Growing, Webb Pub. Co., St.
Paul, Minn. Corbett, Gardening, Ginn & Co., Atlanta. Lloyd's
Gardening, J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia.
Note.—Bulletins from state experiment stations may be had by
addressing the Director, Experiment Station, at the agricultural
college. The station in Alabama is at Auburn. Farmers' bulletins
issued by the Division of Publications, Washington, D. C., may bo
had by addressing the Washington office or on application to con¬
gressmen or United States senators.
Textbooks—Colaw Series, Elementary Arithmetic, completed.
Colaw Series, Practical Arithmetic, 68 cents, to p. 120
Compound Numbers and Re- Factors and Multiples.
Attainments to be sought.—Fundamental Operations. Consider¬
ably greater speed and accuracy in addition, subtraction, multipli¬
cation and division than was possessed at the end of the fourth
grade.
Fractions. Ability to reduce fractions to higher and lower terms;
ability to reduce integers and mixed numbers to improper frac¬
tions and improper fractions to integers and mixed numbers; abil¬
ity to multiply a mixed number by a mixed number; to divide a
fraction by an integer; ability to divide a fraction by a fraction.
Ability to use the terms numerator, denominator, common denomi¬
nator and least common denominator understandingly.
Decimals. Ability to read, write, add and subtract decimals of
three places; ability to multiply decimals of three places, using a
decimal point in the multiplier only; ability to divide three-place
decimals with a decimal point in the dividend only.
Denominate numbers. Ability to sol-ve problems involving not.
more than two steps.
Suggestions about fifth-grade arithmetic.—Work to regain the
speed and accuracy possessed at the end of the fourth year, then to
increase it. Division is especially likely to require emphasis.
Six weeks before the close of the school year see whether pupils
possess the abilities listed for the fifth year. Use a good deal ofi
ARITHMETIC
view.
Four Fundamental Operations
Reviewed.
United States Money and
Decimals.
Common Fractions.
FIFTH GRADE
67
the remaining school year in effort to bring up unsatisfactory
attainments.
Give an abundance of practice with fractions that have small
numerators and denominators.
Long written problems in the addition, subtraction, multiplica¬
tion and division of denominate numbers should not be given.
Problems involving reduction through more than three denomina¬
tions are seldom used in the business world.
Have pupils see that decimals are convenient kinds of fractions,
and may be written as any other fractions and maniplated as any
common fractions may be. Show them, too, that common fractions
may be changed to decimals exactly as common fractions are
changed to fractions having any given denominator, and that it is
often more convenient to work with a common fraction after
changing it to a decimal form.
Teach pupils a form of procedure in solving a problem. One
similar to the following may be used: 1. Read the problem. Be
sure you get the thought. If there are any words or expressions
-used in it that you do not understand, inquire about them. 2. State
-to yourself, or write, "The problem tells me. . . ." 3. State to
yourself, or write, "I must find. . . ." 4. "To find ... I
must . . ." 5. "The result is about . . ." (estimate it with¬
out actually doing the work). 6. "The exact result is . . ."
(Perform the processes. If possible, check the answer).
Things helpful in teaching fifth-grade arithmetic.—Courtis, Stan¬
dard Practice Tests in Arithmetic, Cabinet III, provides for twelve
pupils, $2.25, Teacher's Manual, 25 cents, Students Record and
Practice pad, 12 cents for each pupil, World Book Co., Yonkers,
:n. y.
Studebaker, Practice Exercises in Arithmetic, Set B-Four, fifty
cards for individual use, $2.00, Scott, Foresman & Co., Chicago.
Wildeman, Standard Arithmetic Drills, Nos. 13 and 14, Garden
City Educational Co., Chicago.
Catalogs for use in making problems. See list for fourth grade.
One copy, for teacher's use, of one of the following, or other good
arithmetics, to afford additional exercises: Hoyt and Peet, Every¬
day Arithmetic, Book Two, Houghton Hifflin Co., Boston. Lennes-
Jenkins, Applied Arithmetic, Teacher's Edition, Book Two, J. B.
Lippincott Co., Philadelphia. Hamilton's Essentials of Arithmetic,
Middle Grades, American Book Co., Cincinnati. Thorndike, Arith¬
metics, Book Two, Rand, McNally Co., Chicago.
68 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
ART EDUCATION
Textbook—Applied Arts Drawing Book, No. 45, 20 Cents
CIVICS
Suggested minimum course for fifth and sixth grades.—The fam¬
ily and its relations to the community; services rendered by the
family, preparation for American citizenship.
How the community aids the citizens: (a) Permanency of land
holding; protection of life and property; relation to the citizen in
business, waste and saving, aid to transportation and communica¬
tion. (b) In education and the securing of knowledge, to secure
beautiful surroundings, to satisfy the religious desire.
Why we have schools. Organization—State, county, township.
Who must go?
The attendance officer. Benefits of schools to individuals, to com¬
munity. Qualifications of teachers. Power of trustees.
Relations of the community to the needy; those who cannot or
will not contribute to its progress.
How citizens govern themselves; some defects in self government.
The units of government; rural community, city, state, nation.
How expenses are met.
Study the specific duties of local officials in relation to the citi¬
zen and the family.
How the state assists the citizen and the family.
Make a study of taxes; how collected, how expended, for what
expended.
Investigate the care of the needy, indigent, defective and crim¬
inal.
Study the duties of the citizen to the community.
Arouse interest by bringing knowledge of the parents to the aid
of the pupils. The topics contain much of real interest to the homes.
Things helpful in teaching civics in fifth and sixth grades.—
Teachers will get valuable lesson materials from the following
books: Dunn and Harris, Citizenship in School and Out, D. C.
Heath & Co., Chicago. Smith, Our Neighborhood, John C. Winston
Co., Philadelphia. Zeigler-Jaquette, Our Community, John C.
Winston Co., Philadelphia. Turkington, My Country, Ginn & Co.,
Atlanta. McCready, Rural Science Reader, D. C. Heath & Co.,
Atlanta. McCarthy-Swan-McMullin, An Elementary Civics, Laid-
low Brothers, Chicago. Fryer, Young American Readers consist¬
ing of: Our Home and Personal Duty, Our Town and Civic Duty,
Community Interest and Public Spirit, John C. Winston Co., Phila¬
delphia. Field and Nearing, Community Civics, Macmillan Co.,
Atlanta.
FIFTH GRADE
69
GEOGRAPHY
Textbook—Tarr and McMurry, World Geography—First Book—
Completed
World Geography Review.
North America and the United States, the Sections.
Dependencies of the United States with comparisons.
Review of the United States with comparisons.
Other Countries of North America and the Islands.
The Continents, their political divisions, and Island Groups.
Review of the United States and other great powers.
Extension of the Study of the Geography of the State.
Alabama Supplement, First Book.
Appendix 1. Tables of Statistics.
Things helpful in teaching fifth-grade geography.—Sand table,
maps, globe, railroad folders, bulletins of chambers of commerce,
post cards, and illustrated and descriptive materials.
The following books enable the teacher to give concreteness to the
lessons and afford materials for interesting story-telling and de¬
scription. Some of them are children's books: Morris, Home Life
in All Lands, Book Two, and Book Three, J. B. Lippincott Co., Phil¬
adelphia. Perdue, Child Life in Other Lands, Rand, McNally &
Co., Chicago. Winslow, The Earth and Its People, and The United
States, D. C. Heath & Co., Atlanta. Mitchell, Paz and Pablo, A
Story of Two Little Filipinos, World Book Co., Yonkers N. Y.
Morton, Lessons on the Continents, A. Flanagan Co., Chicago.
Schwatka, Children of the Cold, Educational Pub. Co., Chicago.
Tappan, Travelers and Traveling, Diggers in the Earth, The Far¬
mer and His Friends, Makers of Many Things, Houghton, Mifflin
Co., Boston. Merrill Geographic Readers: Book Two, Book Three,
Pioneer Pub. Co., Kansas City, Mo. The following books by Mc-
Donald-Dalrymple: Rafael in Italy, Colette in France, Josef a in
Spain, Marta in Holland, Gerda in Sweden, Boris in Russia, Chan¬
dra in India, 80 cents each, Little, Brown & Co., Boston.
HISTORY
Textbook—Evans, First Lessons in American History, 55 Cents
In this grade the pupils begin the study of a history text which
should at all times be supplemented by outside books, papers, and
stories.
70 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
The adopted text, Evans' First Lessons in American History,
gives valuable suggestions to teachers on pages VIII-X.
Biography continues to assume an important place in the his¬
tory work.
Fifth grade history should be constantly correlated with geogra¬
phy, literature, and picture study.
In biography, a fuller study of the lives and work in broad out¬
line of such men as these should be given: James Otis, Patrick
Henry, Samuel Adams, Benamin Franklin, and the part they
played in pre-Revolutionary events; sketch of the causes of the
Revolution; the leaders, Washington, and the other American gen¬
erals; something of the British generals and of LaFayette; the
Declaration of Independence and the significance of July Fourth;
stories of army life; of settlers and settlements in the West;
Boone, Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, Andrew Jackson, Lin¬
coln and other prominent historical characters down to Woodrow
Wilson; lessons on the internal development, industries, schools,
occupations, inventions.
Dramatize history lessons. Keep dramatizations limited to a
minimum of stage settings or costuming, the less the better, if the
children can be led to imagine them vividly instead of having them
actually present. Let the dramatizations grow out of the chil¬
dren's conception of the events rather than out of what the older
people suggest to them. Dramatize at least one story every month.
Attainments to be sought—Give pupils acquaintance with the
outstanding personages and events and with the interesting fea¬
tures of American history and American life.
Make pupils comprehend that there has been continuity in the
history and develop ideas of "earlier than" or "later than" in con¬
nection with one outstanding period or event when referred to an¬
other outstanding period or event.
See that pupils know what are some of the typical struggles that
have accompanied the growth and molding of the nation.
Help pupils to form the habit of reading historical narrations for
enjoyment, and of finding pleasure in historical plays, dramatiza¬
tions, and pageants.
In the lessons arouse admiration for bravery, power, resourceful¬
ness, loyalty, foresight, and helpfulness as human attributes.
Extend the pupils' thought-life to include peoples, times, modes
of life, and events remote from those with which they have actual
contact.
Things helpful in teaching fifth-grade history.—Poems relating
to American history.
Pictures related to American history. See historical list in
Perry Pictures catalog.
FIFTH GRADE
71
Many interesting concrete details can be added to the lessons by
the teacher from some of the following books: Lefferts, American
Leaders, Book One, J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia. Catherwood,
Heroes of the Middle West, Ginn & Co., Atlanta. Elson-MacMul-
lan, The Story of Our Country, Book One, Book Two, World Book
Co., Yonkers, N. Y. Gordy, Stories of American Explorers, Charles
Scribners' Sons, Atlanta. Morton, Lake Michigan and the French
Explorers, Ainsworth & Co., Chicago. Eastman, Indian Legends
Retold, Little, Brown & Co., Boston. Brooks, The Story of Cotton,
Rand, McNally & Co., Chicago. Tucker and Ryan, Historical Plays
of Colonial Days, Longmans, Green & Co., New York.
Standard Drills in United States History, twenty-five drills of
one kind in an envelope, Garden City Educational Co., Chicago. In¬
tended for intensive drill on facts already studied. A drill set may
be secured on any of the following: Exploration and Colonization;
Colonial History; The Revolution; The Constitution; The Adminis¬
trations; Political History; Foreign Relations; Slavery; The Civil
War; Growth and Progress.
The work suggested for Grades Four, Five, and Six will be found
in the course of study for fourth grade.
The work suggested for Grades Four, Five, and Six will be found
in the course of study for fourth grade.
Textbook—Emerson and Bender, Modern English, Book One,
pp. 151-210
HOME MAKING
INDUSTRIAL WORK
LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR
1. Oral Work.
Conversation Lessons.
Special Days.
Pictures.
Stories.
Poems.
Vocabulary Work.
2. Written Work.
Letters.
Sentences.
Paragraphs.
Copying.
Dictation.
Attainments to be sought.—Secure more development of pupils'
thought-life than there was in the fourth grade. Information,
ideas, sentiments, imaginings, interests, and experiences should be
72 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
more abundant. Parallel with this development there should be
development of their expressional abilities.
Make children's desire to use language effectively for their own
purposes stronger in the fifth grade than it ever was before. Make
them want to convey adequately to others what they feel, have
seen, and know.
See that pupils become able to use some complex sentences, at
least in oral composition. Show them how to use interrogative or
exclamatory sentences and gain variety. Pupils should be able to
write half a page or less observing correct paragraph form (not
construction), margin, indention, and spelling.
Teach pupils to avoid mispronunciation of certain words. The
following are suggested but the list should be modified if errors
made in the same grade show the need of other words: "asked",
"something", "reading", "writing", "nothing", "library", "picture",
"children", "further", "drowned", "across", "twice", "eleven",
"where", "why", "while", "because", "everything", "everybody",
"history", "was", "column", "arithmetic".
Teach pupils to avoid certain verb errors. The following are
suggested subject to such modifications as the actual usage of the
grade indicates should be made: "lay" in the sense of "lie"; "set"
in the sense of "sit"; the following past tenses used as perfect par¬
ticiples: "saw", "did", "went", "began", "rang", "broke", "gave",
"took", "came".
Teach pupils to avoid errors in the use of pronouns. These
might include "I", "she", "he", and "who" as objects of verbs or
prepositions in simple constructions, such as, "They asked you and
I", "Who shall I send it to?"
See that pupils habitually use certain punctuations correctly:
those taught in preceding grades; the period after abbreviations;
the comma with "yes" and "no"; quotation marks to enclose direct
quotations; the apostrophe with the possessive singular and with
contractions.
Suggestions about fifth-grade language.—Arouse desire to talk
in order to tell incidents, give information that others want, ex¬
press feeling, or reveal opinions about life at home, in the streets,
on the farm, in school; about sports, amusements, tasks, duties;
about things pupils have heard, seen, felt, and imagined. Encour¬
age them to tell about good times that they have had rowing,
swimming, horseback riding, working on the farm; good times they
have had making things with tools, scissors, paints; about feats of
skill as running, jumping, shooting, fishing, hunting, throwing;
about good times they have had with favorite books, or with mag¬
azines, such as St. Nicholas, The Youth's Companion, and the
American Boy; about their favorite songs, poems, pictures.
FIFTH GRADE
73
Give pupils training in getting the thought from arithmetic, ge¬
ography, and history because language is the tool by which the
ideas in those subjects are conveyed to them. Give training also
in expressing to you and to the other pupils the ideas they do get
from the subjects so that erroneous ideas may be corrected.
Present materials with the major emphasis on the forming of
correct habits. Whatever grammar is given should function in the
forming of the habits desired.
Things helpful in teaching fifth-grade language.—Pictures from
the Perry Pictures Co., Maiden, Mass., or other picture company.
Deming, Language Games for All the Grades, with cards for
pupils' use, $1.20, Beckley-Cardy Co., Chicago.
Harris and Gilbert, Poems by Grades, Vol. 11, 84 cents, Charles
Scribner's Sons, Atlanta.
Teachers will find one of the following, or other good language
books, valuable in supplying additional lesson materials: Potter-
Jeschke-Gillet, Oral and Written English, Book One, Ginn & Co.,
Atlanta. Driggs, Live Language Lessons, Second Book, University
Pub. Co., Lincoln, Neb. Bolenius, Elementary Lessons in Every¬
day English, American Book Co., Cincinnati. Simons-Orr-Given,
Better English for Speaking and Writing, Book Two, John C. Win¬
ston Co., Philadelphia. Smith-McMurry, Language Series, Book
Two, B. F. Johnson Pub. Co., Atlanta. Bobbins,Row, Studies in
English, Book One, Row Peterson & Co., Chicago. Elson-Runkel,
Good English, Book Two, Scott, Foresman & Co., Chicago.
SCHOOL MUSIC
The course in music for grades Four, Five, and Six will be found
in the course of study for the fourth grade.
PHYSIOLOGY AND HYGIENE
Textbook—Emerson and Betts, Hygiene and Health—Book I,
60 cents, pages 104 to 206
Throughout the course in Book One emphasize indoor exercise,
outdoor recreation and play, cleanliness, cheerfulness, physical
development and prevention of disease.
Attainments to be sought.—Impress pupils with the importance
®f good health, and help them understand some of the losses that
come to the individual and to society through lack' of good health.
Make them realize that much of the loss is preventable. Make pu¬
pils personally desire good health.
74 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Arouse pupils to wish to prevent disease; give them some ways
of doing so and have them participate in activities designed to
prevent the spread of disease.
Develop in pupils enough general intelligence about health to
eradicate popular misunderstandings and to produce open-mind-
edness toward effort to improve public health.
Pupils should form habits and gain information tending toward
the prevention of accidents.
The health of the pupils should be as good or better at the end of
the school year than it was at the beginning, and in the case of the
pupils with remediable defects it should be better.
Suggestions about fifth-grade health.—Read the list of habits to
be secured in the fourth grade and do not allow them to lapse.
Give attention to any individuals who are unsatisfactory with re¬
spect to these attainments.
See that all fifth-grade pupils are in the habit of playing active¬
ly. Keep the interest in outdoor fun keen.
Through the work of this grade, especially through the study of
accident prevention, and through the study of loss from disease,
try to develop a sense of social responsibility and the idea that one
owes it to the world to keep his physical powers intact, and that it
is an obligation to prevent waste of human life or power. Let these
impressions come as you deal with concrete instances.
Make instances supplied by the children the starting point of
most of the instruction.
Things helpful in teaching fifth-grade hea'th.—Teachers will find
good material for lessons in the following books: Ritchie, Primer
of Sanitation, World Book Co., Yonkers, N. Y. Gulick, Emergen¬
cies, Ginn & Co., Atlanta. Winslow, Healthy Living, Book One,
Chas. E. Merrill Co., Chicago. Jewett, The Body and Its De¬
fenses, Ginn & Co., Atlanta.
READING
State adopted books—Elson's Fifth Reader, 75 cents;
Howe, Fifth Reader, 80 cents
Attainments to be sought—
Rapid, intelligent silent reading.
Clear reproduction of thought.
Entertaining oral reading.
Forceful, intelligent sight reading.
Through individual responsibility for entertainment and instruc¬
tion of class, direct the child to use oral reading as it will be used
throughout life.
FIFTH GRADE
75
Suggestions about fifth-grade reading.—In this grade use the
following types of supplementary materials: Literature, both prose
and poetry. Narratives of geographical nature. Readings from
history. Bible readings. Magazines, such as American Boy and
The Youth's Companion. Health Readings. Readings about science
and inventions. Fourth readers. Fifth readers.
Have pupils bring and read to class clippings, poems, jokes.
Encourage pupils to read to the members of their family in
order to share enjoyable things at home.
Let individual pupils keep a list of selections or books read from
one author whom they like.
Give pupils practice in pointing out the important things in
what they read, likewise the unimportant things.
Have pupils tell of experiences of their own which are somewhat
like those they are reading.
Set problems to be solved by pupils through what they read.
Encourage pupils to give names to paragraphs, that is tell what
the topic is.
Show pupils .how to look things up in reference books and give
them practice in doing so.
Give practice in using the dictionary.
Have pupils dramatize stories that they read.
Give programs made up of selections that pupils have learned to
read particularly well.
Things helpful in teaching fifth-grade reading.—The third and
fourth readers that are used by the younger pupils, for practice in
rapid reading.
As many different fifth readers as it is possible to secure.
Such magazines as St. Nicholas, The Children's Magazine, John
Martin's Book and Youth's Companion.
Sunday School papers.
The Instructor School Library, Set F, for Fifth Grade. High
quality of content and style. Well adapted to afford diversified,
interesting reading. Limp cloth, 12 cents each. Entire library of
25 books and record book, $3.25, F. A. Owen Pub. Co., Dansville,
N. Y.
SPELLING
Textbook—Arnold, The Mastery of Words, Book 1, Completed
Use the Measuring Scale for Ability in Spelling, Appendix, pages
10-17, at least once a month.
A page represents a week's work. Use the first lesson on every
other page for dictation and occasionally for memorizing. The
first lesson on every alternating page is on homonyms. Not only
the spelling of these homonyms must be learned but their meaning.
76 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
See that pupils frame their own sentences to test their knowledge
of these words.
Test all words before teaching.
Let each child work only on the words difficult for him and pro¬
vide him with a definite method of learning them.
Provide for vigorous reviews.
Show the pupil his progress daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly.
Keep up the interest.
Pages 131-134 contain typical exercises. The teacher will find
very helpful suggestions on these pages to make the lessons live
and interesting.
WRITING
Smithdeal Copy Book, No. 4, 7 cents
Muscular movement writing is divided into three important
stages. The first involves the teaching of position, muscular relax¬
ation, penholding, and the application of movement to the first
easy exercises. This is essentially the work of the first two
grades, but if a child for various reasons has not mastered this
stage he must be taught it, no matter what grade he may be in,
before the work of learning muscular movement can advance.
In the second stage the chasm between movement drill and
movement writing is bridged, and the pupils are taught how to do
all their writing tasks with muscular movement. To lead pupils
through this stage is the work of the third and fourth grade
teacher, and only those teachers who have studied, digested, and
mastered the first stage can do this successfully.
In the third stage accuracy and ease of movement are taught.
The element of speed application and movement direction in let¬
ters, parts of letters, words and connective lines, is emphasized.
Pupils learn that a line is the product of the motion used; that the
motion preceding the contact of the pen to the paper must be in
the direction of the line to be made, and that some lines, being
more complex than others, should be made with less speed. Through
observation and mental concentration the relation of one letter to
another in size, plant and spacings is taught. The average pupil
properly instructed in the first four grades will be in this stage of
writing when he enters the fifth grade. It is then the work of the
teacher of these grades to foster the habits established in the pre¬
ceding grades and to teach precision and accuracy of form in writ¬
ing.
In this grade, however, there will be found pupils in all of the
three stages of writing and these pupils will need to be taught the
principles of good writing as it is developed in the primary grades.
SIXTH GRADE
AGRICULTURE
The work in agriculture for both fifth and sixth grade will be
found in the course of study for the fifth grade.
ARITHMETIC
Textbook—Colaw Series, Practical Arithmetic, 68 cents, to p. 278
Attainments to be sought.—Fundamental operations. Habits
and ability that will make the use of addition, subtraction, multi¬
plication and division easy and correct.
Fractions. Speed and accuracy in performing work with frac¬
tions.
Denominate numbers. Automatic control of the tables of meas¬
ures that are ordinarily used. Ability to solve problems involving
the ordinary uses of denominate numbers.
Decimals. Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide satisfac¬
torily in problems limited to three-place decimals.
Percentage. Understanding of the relation between percentage,
decimal, and common fractions. Ability to find a part when the
per cent is given and to find the per cent when a part is given.
Interest. Ability to find simple interest at integral per cents
and for periods consisting of months and years.
Suggestions about sixth-grade arithmetic.—Make certain that
any deficiencies in skill in adding, subtracting, multiplying, and
dividing are corrected. Know exactly what the deficiency is and
who possesses it, and train specifically for its removal. Do not
waste the time of pupils whose proficiency is already satisfactory.
Ascertain whether pupils have the abilities with reference to
fractions that are listed under "Attainments to be sought in the
Fifth Grade". Give drill to secure the specific ability which any
individual pupils fail to possess.
The work should be made as practical as possible. Use problems
that might arise in the everyday life of the child.
Early in the study of percentage have pupils learn the following
facts thoroughly: 100% of a number equals all; 50% equals Vz;
Compound Numbers.
Decimals.
Percentage—Intere st.
Review of Fundamental
Practice Problems—The
Equation.
Reviewed.
Operations—Shorter Methods.
Practical Measurements.
Percentage
78 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
33 1/3% equals 1/3; 25% equals %; 20% equals 1/5; 16 2/3%
equals 1/6; 12% equals %; 10% equals 1/10; • 8 1/3% equals
1/12.
If possible, secure some blank notes and bring to class so that
the pupils may see what is meant by a promissory note.
In giving the review of interest, devote little time to the prob¬
lems which require finding the rate when the principal, interest,
and time are given; or the principal when the rate, interest and
time are given; or the time when the interest, principal and rate
are given.
It is the especial responsibility of the sixth grade to round out
and perfect the arithmetic achievements of the elementary school.
Teach the finding of simple interest. Use integral per cents.
Use months and years, not days, in the time for which interest
is computed.
Teach multiplication and division of decimals, having the deci¬
mal point in both the multiplier and multiplicand of the problems,
and in both the divisor and dividend of the problems. Limit the
problems to three-place decimals. Drill on all unsatisfactory
adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing of decimals.
Things helpful in sixth-grade arithmetic.—One copy, for the
teacher's use, of one of the following, or other good arithmetics, to
afford additional exercises: Hoyt and Peet, Everyday Arithmetic,
Book Two, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. Hamilton's Essentials of
Arithmetic, Middle Grades, American Book Co., Cincinnati. Lennes-
Jenkins, Applied Arithmetic, Book Two, Teacher's Edition, J. B.
Lippincott Co., Philadelphia. Wentworth-Smith, Essentials of
Arithmetic, Intermediate Book, Ginn & Co., Atlanta.
ART EDUCATION
Textbook—Applied Arts Drawing Book, No. 46, 20 cents
CIVICS
The course for both fifth and sixth grade will be found in the
course of study for fifth grade.
GEOGRAPHY
Textbook—Tarr and McMurry, World Geography, Second Book,
$1.35, to p. 197. Alabama Supplement, pp. 1-64
Suggestions about sixth-grade geography.—The chief emphasis is
placed upon the establishment in the minds of the children of types
SIXTH GRADE
79
of geographic features and phenomena. Each industry, for in¬
stance, is treated fully, once, in the place where it is most conspic¬
uous and important. Thus lumbering, fishing, and certain manufac¬
tures, as boots, shoes, and textiles, are treated very fully in con¬
nection with New England. The mining of coal and iron, and the
manufacture of goods requiring these, are discussed at length while
studying the middle Atlantic states. Gold mining is treated in con¬
nection with the states of the far west and southwest; irrigation
and grazing, with the great plains states. By thus treating each
important industry once, and very fully, in its most suitable local¬
ity, types are established which explain conditions in other locali¬
ties, and avoid the necessity of that tiresome repetition which has
rendered geography forever distasteful to so many pupils. In so
far as possible, the types are drawn from the United States, where
many of them can be inspected by the students, and where all of
them can be so explained as to make them easily comprehensible.
Every topic has been approached and receives its entire consid¬
eration from the point of view of man's interest in it. Descriptions
of continents and countries offered without reference to human re¬
lationships are likely to be colorless and tiresome to the young
mind. But when they are presented from the human point of view,
they become immediately interesting and permanently valuable.
This relation frequently takes the form of a problem-question in
which the conditions are given and the conclusion required, or the
effect is indicated and the cause left to be determined by the pupil.
It makes the study personal to the child, places him in a position
from which he is required by his reason to find his way out.
Things helpful in teaching sixth-grade geography.—The follow¬
ing books supply much additional geographic material: Werthner,
How Man Makes Markets, Macmillan Co., Atlanta. Brooks, The
Story of Cotton, Rand, McNally & Co., Chicago. Chamberlain, The
Continents and Their People: North America, South America, Eu¬
rope, Asia, Africa, Macmillan Co., Atlanta. Rochleau, The Geog¬
raphy of Commerce and Industry, Educational Pub. Co., Chicago.
Carpenter, Foods and Their Uses, Charles Scribner's Sons, Atlanta.
Southworth and Kramer, Great Cities of the United States, Iroquois
Pub. Co., Syracuse, N. Y. Yard, The Top of the Continent, Charles
Scribner's Sons, Atlanta. Gilson, Wealth of the World's Waste
Places, Charles Scribner's Sons, Atlanta. The Little Journey Se¬
ries: Through the Great Southwest, California, Alaska and Canada,
Mexico and Central America, Hawaii and the Philippines, Cuba
and Porto Rico. A. Flanagan Co., Chicago.
80 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
HISTORY
Textbook—Thompson's United States History, 90 cents, to p. 268
Attainments to be sought.—Pupils should become acquainted
with the portion of the story of American history which is in¬
cluded in this year's work, and should be able to tell it in a connect¬
ed narrative that includes just outstanding events and features.
Pupils should have considerable understanding of life in the
United States at different times and in different sections of the
country and of the larger steps and achievements by which Amer¬
ican life has become what it now is; and some understanding of the
ideals which have come to be accepted ideals in America.
Pupils should desire to be helpful members of the various
groups and should possess some insight into the simpler relations
involved in human society.
At the end of the sixth grade pupils should be able to write a
good paragraph about each of twenty characters from American
history.
Pupils should be able to give at least ten dates important in
United States history and tell the significance of each.
To supplement the textbook lessons in Thompson's United States
History: Chapters: YI, VII, XI.
As a review, after the study of "The Southern Colonies" and
"The New England Colonies," the pupils may write a comparison
and contrast of the two groups of colonies pointing out the simi¬
larities and differences of them. They should give evidence for
their statements about them. In preparation for writing this com¬
parison they might copy from the text such statements as these:
Southern Colonies—
1. Types of settlement
"Plantations were large, and
the homes of the settlers were
far apart."
2. Climate
"The hot summer came; they
were surrounded by marshes
and so many sickened and died
that before autumn brought
cooler weather more than half
had found graves."
New England Colonies—
1. Types of settlement
"By 1640 in only twelve years
there were 20,000 persons living
in the towns."
2. Climate
"The winter was severe."
SIXTH GRADE
81
3. The Soil
"The large comfortable plan¬
tation homes were surrounded
by broad acres of tobacco and
waving fields of wheat, barley,
and corn."
Pupils may make booklets of each group of colonies. Illustrate
with maps, drawing, clipping, paper cutting; lists of favorite his¬
torical persons, lists of most important events, lists of persons
famous in colonial times.
Chapter IX. One of the pupils may impersonate Champlain,
another Marquette, and another LaSalle. They may meet and each
tell the story of his adventures, where he went, what he did, who
was with him, how he traveled, how he dressed, how he secured
food, where he slept, what the country was like, etc. Other pupils
gather around campfire to listen while hero talks and may question
him. Somebody else may come in to tell how each of the brave
explorers lost his life.
Chapter X. Governor Dinwiddie . (pupil) appoints George
Washington (pupil) and tells him what message to convey to the
French, where he is to go, and how. Governor Dinwiddie later
reads a letter (written by the pupil) that tells about Washington's
adventures and about his final surrender of Fort Necessity.
An American soldier describes to several of his companions what
he has just seen happen to Braddock and his forces. They question
him.
Chapter XII. Dissatisfied colonists gather in a town hall and
various ones tell about the different injustices of the British Gov¬
ernment. A Tory tells the British side of the story.
Chapter XIII. The reception of the taxed tea may be dramat¬
ized. Pupils may make and distribute copies of the "New York
Hand-Bill" p. 158.
Two or three letters from the "Intercolonial Committees of Cor¬
respondence" arrive at a central office of the organization and are
read to others in the office. (Pupils write such as they think
might have come from Va., Mass., and Pa. These are the letters
that arrive and are read.)
Chapter XIV. (Pupil.) A survivor of the Battle of Bunker Hill
tells other colonists about the battle. They question him about
details of the battle.
A girl representing a grandmother reads to the class Oliver
Wendell Holmes' poem, "Grandmother's Story of Bunker Hill
Battle".
Pupils, using crayolas, make copy of first American Flag.
3. The Soil
"The soil was sterile."
82 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Pupils write a letter (as persons living in Colonial times) telling
about the meeting of Congress when Independence was declared.
The best letter is selected and read to the class. The writer of the
best letter reads the Declaration of Independence to the class (see
pp. ii-v of Appendix).
Pupils make design of Liberty Bell and cut out to use as seals
for above letter.
Chapter XVI. Pupils make flag (with crayolas) to show change
from first flag to the Stars and Stripes.
A Colonial girl may keep a diary during the third year of the
war. Long afterward her grandchild reads it to her friends (pupils
of the history ciass).
Chapter XVII. Benjamin Franklin, George Rogers Clark, and
John Paul Jones happen to be in Philadelphia together. Each tells
about the events of the fourth and fifth years of the war that he
has been connected with or participated in. The other pupils may
question him.
Chapter XVIII. Make a map of the Southern States and mark
in red the places famous in the sixth year of the Revolutionary
War (see p. 195).
Make a list of generals famous in Revolutionary War whose
names are the same as the names of counties in Alabama.
Francis Marion's granddaughter writes a friend things that she
has heard about her grandfather's adventures. The letter is
brought to school and read to the class.
Chapter XIX. Pupils write a story vividly for the third grade
in language simple enough for them to understand and tell them
interesting adventures connected with the attempt of Cornwallis
to capture Morgan and Green with their American armies.
Pupils dramatize the surrender of Cornwallis. The scene
changes and shows the people receiving the news of the close of
the war.
Things helpful in sixth-grade history.—See "Standard Drills in
U. S. History" given under fifth grade.
Books helpful for supplementing the facts given in the text¬
book: Beard and Bagley, A First Book in American History, Mac-
millan Co., Atlanta. Morton, Lake Erie and Story of Commodore
Perry, Ainsworth & Co., Chicago. Lefferts, American Leaders,
Book Two, J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia. McFee, American
Heroes from History, A. Flanagan Co., Chicago. Bailey, Boys
and Girls of Colonial Days, A. Flanagan Co., Chicago. Gordy,
Stories of Later American History, Charles Scribners' Sons, At¬
lanta. Morris, Elementary History of the United States, J. B. Lip¬
pincott Co., Philadelphia. Stevenson, Dramatized Scenes from
SIXTH GRADE
83
American History, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. Sparks, Expan¬
sion of the American People, Scott, Foresman & Co., Chicago.
HOME MAKING
The work suggested for Grades Four, Five, and Six will be found
in the course of study for fourth grade.
INDUSTRIAL WORK
The work suggested for Grades Four, Five, and Six will be found
in the course of study for fourth grade.
LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR
Textbook—Emerson and Bender, Modern English, Book Two,
66 cents, to p. 207
Grammar. Review parts of speech and parts of sentences al¬
ready learned; transitive and intransitive verbs; prepositions; in¬
terjections; conjunctions; phrases; clauses; classes of sentences
according to form; analysis of sentences simple, complex, or com¬
pound having no more than two clauses.
Composition. (1) Oral work; home interests; school subjects;
special days; pictures; stories; poems. (2) Written work; sen¬
tences; paragraphs; letters, dictation.
Attainments to be reached by end of sixth grade.—Pupils should
be able to express clearly and consecutively, in speech and in writ¬
ing, ideas which are familiar.
They should be able to compose and mail a letter, using a form
acceptable for general purposes.
They should spell correctly the vocabulary which they commonly
write and should make sure of new or doubtful words.
They should avoid, in speech and in writing, gross incorrectness
of grammar.
The pupils who drop out of school at the end of the sixth year
should know how to make the practical uses of language and writ¬
ing which the ordinary affairs of the relatively uneducated person
demand; such as, writing of promissory notes, writing of bank
checks,, filling out post office money orders, writing subscriptions
to papers and magazines, ordering gocds by mail, sending goods
by mail or express, corresponding with friends, writing receipts for
money paid, writing to secure bulletins published for the public.
Pupils who complete the sixth grade should be able to use diction¬
aries, encyclopedias, and library books intelligently.
Pupils' pronunciation of ordinary, familiar words should be hab¬
itually correct.
Pupils should write ordinary contractions and abbreviations with
a fair degree of correctness.
84 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
Pupils should write plurals and possessives correctly when they
use them.
Suggestions about sixth-grade language.—Encourage children
to criticise their own written work:
I. For technical mistakes in spelling, capitalization, and punc¬
tuation.
II. For faults in sentence structure.
1. Does it say one thing?
2. Does it say more than one thing?
3. Does it say anything clearly?
Encourage variety of sentence structure:
I. Teach ways of beginning sentences.
1. Inversion of words, phrases, clauses.
2. Introductory words and phrases.
II. Avoid repetition of words and phrases.
See that sixth-grade pupils avoid the errors in pronunciation and
the errors in verbs and in pronouns that have been corrected in
fourth and fifth grades. Continue drill on them if needed.
Gain for pupils habits of using as objects of verbs or preposi¬
tions words that are in the objective case, and of using past tenses
and past participles correctly.
Pupils may get valuable language practice through telling how
they study a lesson in reading, arithmetic, history, geography;
through writing promissory notes, making out bank checks, mak¬
ing out post office money orders, ordering goods sent by mail,
writing subscriptions to papers, selecting and ordering books from
publishing companies, selecting and ordering Victrola records, se¬
lecting and ordering pictures for the school or home, writing re¬
quests for public bulletins, writing receipts for money paid, and
other practical exercises in which is given, informaton about what
is worth wanting to secure and where it may be obtained as well as
the practice in the formal side of the written transaction. Insist
on accuracy and completeness about details.
Let compositions both oral and written, grow out of pupils' in¬
terests. In Drigg's Our Living Language: How to Teach It and
How to Use It, the author gives the following lines of fundamental
interests, things of common and constant appeal:
"1. Recreation-Outdoor, sports and games, hunting and fishing,
indoor pastimes, holiday celebrations, plays, shows, music, and
other recreative activities."
"2. Nature-Animal, bird, insect, reptile, and water life, the
woods, prairies, streams, hills, canyons, lakes, ocean, the stars, and
all other nature phenomena."
"3. Companionship-Family, playmates, people of the neighbor¬
hood, school, and social circle."
SIXTH GRADE
85
"4. Work of the World—Various human activities connected
with making and producing, buying, selling and transporting the
commodities of the world; as, farming, ranching, mining, manufac¬
turing, railroading, shipping, building, inventing, trading."
"5. Peoples and Places—Folk of other lands, strange customs,
travels and tales of travel, life in city and country."
"6. Historical Tales—Local history, stories of the fireside, sto¬
ries of State and country, stories of other lands, romance of hu¬
man struggle and achievement."
"7. Civic activities—Work of the policeman, fireman, soldier,
sailor, postman, and others connected with civic duties."
"8. Literature and Art—Stories, poems, authors and their books,
current literature, pictures, sculpture, architecture, and other
forms of literary and art expressions."
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE DICTIONARY
(For Pupils)
I. In order to find words you should know that:
1. The arrangement of words in the dictionary is alphabetical.
This is true of all letters of the word just as it is of the first letter,
for instance the third letter of "Seam" comes before the third let¬
ter of "Seem" therefore "Seam" would appear before "Seem" does.
2. At the top of each page of the dictionary, the word on the left
names the first word on the page and the word at the right names
the last word on the page.
3. Some dictionaries are indexed, that is, they have what are
called "initial letter guides" which are little markers attached to
the front side of each page on which are started words beginning
with a new letter, as, a marker on the page on which begin words
that begin with "C", or "D". Sometimes little notches are taken
out of all the pages between that one and the next page on which
the words with a new letter begin.
II. In order to spell words you should know that:
1. The correct spelling will be found in the words just as they
occur in the dictionary. If more than one spelling is correct many
dictionaries will show both.
2. The spelling of the names of prominent people and places may
be found in some dictionaries, usually at the back of the book.
III. In order to pronounce words you should know that:
1. The syllables into which words are divided are shown in the
dictionary.
2. Where to accent words is indicated in the dictionary. Both the
primary and the secondary accent are usually shown.
3. Words are often respelled in parenthesis just after the word
in order to show how they are pronounced.
86 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
4. Diacritical marks are used to show how the letters are sound¬
ed. The special sound which each mark indicates is given in "A
Key to Pronunciation" or "A Guide to Pronunciation" in the front
of most dictionaries. Usually some easy word that contains that
sound is given. Dictionaries also list the diacritical marks at the
bottom of every page.
5. The pronunciation of names of prominent persons and places
may be found in some dictionaries. Usually at the back of the
book.
IV. In order to find out meanings you should know that:
1. The words or statement following a given word tell its mean¬
ing. Sometimes a word has several meanings each of which the
dictionary tells.
2. The pictures in dictionaries often make meanings clearer than
words can make them. Sometimes the pictures are opposite the
words, as a picture of a greyhound beside the word "greyhound";
sometimes the pictures are inserted on separate pages scattered
through the book containing pictures only; sometimes the pictures
are placed in the back of the dictionary and arranged under head¬
ings, as pictures of plants, pictures of tools, etc.
3. Lists of prefixes and suffixes and their meanings may be
found in some dictionaries. These help one to understand the
meaning of the words in which they occur.
4. Brief explanations following each name of a list of mytholog¬
ical and classical names may be found in some dictionaries. These
help to make meanings clearer.
5. A list of foreign words and phrases with their meaning and
pronunciation may be found in some dictionaries.
6. A sentence containing the word is often given to show its
meaning.
V. In order to find out the correct forms of the word you should
know that:
1. Lists of correctly written abbreviations are to be found, usual¬
ly in the back of the dictionary.
2. The forms of verbs are usually given in brackets after the
word.
3. The part of speech is indicated after the word, as, v, for verb;
n, for noun; pron., for pronoun; adv., for adverb; a., for adjective;
prep., for preposition; conj., for conjunction.
PREPARING AND TELLING A STORY
(Directions for Pupils)
I. In preparing the story:
1. Select something that has happened to you or to someone you
know, or something you have read or been told that you think will
interest the class.
SIXTH GRADE
87
2. Decide on a name that could be given to your story.
3. Decide what the parts of your story will be and in what order
you will tell them.
4. Decide how you are going to have the story begin and how
you are going to have it end.
5. Practice telling the story.
II. In telling the story to the class:
1. Explain briefly the situation and plunge into the story.
2. Tell the parts of your story in the right order.
3. Tell the story as if you were interested in what is happening
in the story and expected the class to be interested. Keep the story
moving.
4. Keep the class from being sure just how the story will turn
out until the end.
5. Have the people in the story talk. Make what they say sound
natural to the persons who are listening.
6. Make it clear how things turned out and then stop without
dragging the story along.
7. Be careful not to halt and fill in with "ur," "why-a", "well-a",
"und", "so", "then".
8. Stand erect.
9. Look into the faces of your hearers.
10. Pronounce words properly.
11. Enunciate the sounds in words clearly.
12. Make everybody in the class hear you.
WRITTEN COMPOSITION
(Directions for Pupils)
I. If your composition is satisfactory the following should be true:
1. It should be written on clean, untorn paper having all the
sheets of the same size and shape.
2. The margins should be even.
3. All the important words in the title of the composition should
begin with capital letters.
4. The writing should be distinct and easily read.
5. The beginning of paragraphs should be indented.
6. Every sentence in the composition should begin with a capital
letter and end with the proper punctuation mark.
7. There should be no incomplete sentences in your composition,
that is, no sentences that do not have both subject and predicate.
8. You should have used the best nouns, verbs, and adjectives
that you can use to express your meaning.
9. You should not have used any forms which you know are
mistakes in English.
88 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
10. Every word in the composition should be correctly spelled.
You should have looked up in the dictionary any words about the
spelling of which you were uncertain.
11. The space between sentences should be twice the space be¬
tween words.
12. The composition should be as interesting as you can make it.
CRITICISM OF LETTERS
(Directions to Pupils)
I. If your letter is satisfactory the following should be true:
1. You should have used a capital letter to begin every sentence.
2. You should have used a period at the end of every sentence
that needs one.
3. You should have used a question mark after every question.
4. You should have begun the first word and the principal word
in the greeting of the letter with a capital letter, as:
My dear Friend:
My dear Brother:
Dear Sir:
5. You should have used the colon (:) after the greeting of the
letter.
6. You should have used a capital letter to begin the ending of
the letter, as:
Yours very truly,
Charles Allen.
Very sincerely yours,
Edith Baker.
Your old friend,
James Egbert.
7. You should have used the comma after the first line in the
ending of the letter.
8. You should have used a comma in the heading of the letter to
separate the name of the city from the name of the state or coun¬
try, as:
Montgomery, Alabama.
London, England.
9. You should have used the comma in the date to separate the
day of the month from the year, as:
December 25, 1920.
July 21, 1921.
II. Examine your letter and mark it "Correct" or "Incorrect" on
each of the nine points given above.
SIXTH GRADE
89
MAKING A PLAY OF A STORY OR POEM
(Directions to Pupils)
1. Find out all you can about the place and times that the events
are supposed to have occurred. How did people dress? How did
they feel and act? What objects were commonly found in their
surroundings? What customs were common in those times?
2. Familiarize yourself with every detail of the story or poem.
Try to see it as if you had been present.
3. In connection with each person in the story or poem try to
imagine how he looked; how he acted; what he said.
4. Now write this in the form of a play:
(1.) Make a name or title for the play:
Title (fill in)
(2.) Decide where the action takes place:
The Scene, or Place (fill in) -
(3.) Make up names for the persons in the play:
Characters or Persons of the Play:
(fill in) (fill in)
(fill in) _ (fill in)
(fill in) (fill in)
(4.) You are ready now to write what each character says and
does. In writing what a character says, write the name of the
character in the margin of the paper to make it stand out well.
Write what he said following the name:
Miles Standish (fill in what he said)
(5.) Put in parenthesis and underline whatever characters do or
feel:
Standish (frowning) —
PREPARING FOR A TOPICAL RECITATION
(Directions to Pupils)
1. Make a list of the important topics in the lessons, as in a his¬
tory lesson, geography lesson, etc.
2. Read the entire lesson through carefully so as to see what each
topic has to do with the other topics.
3. Study the lesson with the idea of mastering the important
facts that it contains.
4. Close the book after you have read each topic and go over it
in your mind to see if you know all the facts belonging to it.
5. Open the book and see if you have omitted any important item.
If you have, go over the topic again with the book open; then
close book and go over it again.
6. Plan your recitation to bring out the most interesting facts.
Add any appropriate facts you can learn outside of your textbook.
90 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
7. In the recitation, face the class, speak distinctly, and try to
make them interested in what you are telling about that topic.
CRITICISM OF PRONUNCIATION
(For Pupils)
1. Did the pupil omit the final t in such words as kept, slept?
2. Does he omit or slur sounds in words, as the 1 in help?
3. Does he use wrong sounds, as kin for can; tin for ten; cint
for cent; ketch for catch?
4. Does he omit the initial sound in such words as arithmetic,
eleven ?
5. Does he omit the final g in such words as, evening, running?
Things helpful in teaching sixth-grade language.—Standard
Drills in Correct English, an assorted set of seven drills for train¬
ing the ear to correct forms, 20 cents, Garden City Educational
Co., Chicago.
Harris and Gilbert, Poems by Grades, Vol. II, 84 cents, Charles
Scribner's Sons, Atlanta.
Carpenter, Stories Pictures Tell; Book Four, Book Five, Book
Six, Rand, McNally & Co., Chicago.
Bolenius, Elementary Lessons in Everyday English, American
Book Co., Cincinnati. Potter-Jeschke-Gillet, Oral and Written
English, Book One, Ginn & Co., Atlanta. Driggs, Live Language
Lessons, Second Book, University Pub. Co., Lincoln, Neb. Simons-
Orr-Given, Better English for Speaking and Writing, Book Two,
John C. Winston Co., Philadelphia. Robbins-Row, Studies in Eng¬
lish, Book. One, Row, Peterson & Co., Chicago. Elson, Good Eng¬
lish, Book Two, Scott, Foresman Co., Chicago.
MUSIC
The courses for Grades Four, Five and Six will be found in the
course of study for the fourth grade.
PHYSIOLOGY AND HYGIENE
Textbook—Emerson and Betts, Physiology and Hygiene, Book II,
84 cents, pages 1 to 144
Attainments to be sought.—Pupils should have the ability to live
hygienically in the home and to keep the home and school surround¬
ings fairly sanitary.
Pupils should feel admiration for physical prowess and splendid
health.
Pupils should have sound physical habits.
Pupils should understand many of the simpler explanations
about health and sanitation.
SIXTH GRADE
91
Pupils should have a socialized conscience with reference to
health and sanitation.
Pupils should have at the end of the elementary school perma¬
nent interest in the public health and individual health and know
how to co-operate in securing them.
Pupils should possess some efficiency in the care of the sick.
Suggestions about sixth-grade health.—Give the information, the
habits, and the socialized attitudes needful to secure improved gen¬
eral public health.
Children in this grade admire physical power. Interest them in
concrete ways of adding to their strength and that of others:
Summarize and repeat frequently enough so that the most im¬
portant things with regard to health that you have been striving
for all through the six grades may remain to be carrie'd in a usable
form either into junior high school or into life if the pupil should
be so unfortunate as not to go to the high school.
Continue to check up on the habits listed for the fourth grade
and see that pupils possess them and that none are allowed to
lapse.
Read the courses of study in health for the second, third, fourth
and fifth grades. Renew effort in connection with any parts of the
work that do not seem to have been acquired.
Things helpful in teaching sixth-grade health.—Teachers will
find valuable lesson materials in the following books: O'Shea and
Kelogg, Health and Cleanliness, Macmillan Co., Atlanta. Winslow,
Healthy Living, Book Two, Charles E. Merrill Co., Chicago. Jewett,
Physiology, Hygiene, and Sanitation, Ginn & Co., Atlanta.
READING
State Adopted Book—Elson Sixth Reader, 72 cents
Attainments to be reached by the end of the sixth grade.—A. In
reading mechanics.
Rate of silent reading. Ability to read simple prose at a rate
of approximately 220 words per minute.
Comprehension of what is read. Ability to reproduce 50% of the
ideas in a 400-word passage after one reading.
Word Pronunciation. Independence in determining pronuncia¬
tion.
Word meaning. Ability to analyze many words for meaning.
Habit of trying to get meanings from context. Ability to deter¬
mine meanings from dictionary.
Sentence grasp. Ability to phrase so as to get the tense with¬
out retracing.
Expression. Ability to read aloud expressively with good enun¬
ciation and pronunciation.
92 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
B. In getting thought:
Ability to pick out essentials by rapid cursory reading.
Ability to get exact meanings by careful reading.
Ability to trace facts by use of indexes, cyclopedias, reference
books.
Understanding of when to employ cursory reading, careful
reading, and reference reading.
Ability to gain material for problem-solving through reading.
Ability to get the meanings in reading the school subjects, as
history, etc.
C. In appreciation and thought growth:
Pupils should get enjoyment from selections in which English is
used effectively and should usually choose rather discriminatingly
when the difference is one of literary merit rather than of content.
The ability of pupils to understand people and the life about
them should constantly increase as a result of their reading.
Pupils should have opened up to them through their reading
varied fields of knowledge and activities, such as literature, his¬
tory, biography, travel, occupation, health, nature and science,
recreations, art, home and community life.
Pupils should constantly grow in power to enter vividly into the
ideas and experiences in the reading matter.
Pupils should be acquainted with and care for the sentiments
artistically expressed that constitute a literary common-to-all and
that serve to express or inculcate the ideas, ideals, and apprecia¬
tions that bind humanity together.
Pupils should leave the elementary school with reading firmly
established as one of their chief forms of leisure enjoyment.
Pupils should become acquainted with enough different sources
of information about home interests and needs, so that those who
do not continue in school can make intelligent use of printed
matter for practical purposes.
Suggestions about sixth-grade reading.—Encourage much vol¬
untary reading by keeping interesting books that you have talked
about where pupils can get them to read whenever other work is
finished.
Have pupils choose a name for important divisions of what is
being read.
Have pupils read to class the introductory and closing words of
important divisions of a story.
Teach meaning and use of footnotes if they occur in what the
pupils read.
Teach use of table of contents and of index.
Give much practice in use of dictionary.
Things helpful in teaching sixth-grade reading.—Fourth and
SIXTH GRADE
93
fifth readers that are used by the younger pupils. For rapid prac¬
tice in reading.
As many different sixth readers as possible to secure.
A few books particularly useful for training in reference work.
The Instructor School Library, Set G, for Sixth Grade affords
valuable reading of many types that is interesting and suitable for
pupils of this grade. Well printed and attractively bound in limp
cloth, the books cost 12 cents each, or the entire library of 25 books
and record book costs $3.25, F. A. Owen Pub. Co., Dansville, N. Y.
SPELLING
Textbook—The Mastery of Words, Book II, 38 cents, pp. 1-57
Read the preface and the Appendix. You will find there many
things that will help in the teaching of spelling.
Use the Measuring Scale for ability in spelling in the Appendix,
pages 6 and 7 at least once a month.
Read and discuss with the class page one; also page two on the
"stumbling blocks" in spelling.
Beginning on page 42 the first lesson on each page is a list taken
from the one-thousand words most commonly used in English
Writing. It is, therefore, important that these words be mastered
above all others.
Have the class keep in a special notebook a list of all words they
misspell. These words should be frequently reviewed.
A plan for children to follow in learning to spell: Close your
eyes and try to recall how the word looks, syllable by syllable.
Open your eyes to make sure that you are able to recall the correct
spelling. Look at the word again, enunciating the syllables dis¬
tinctly. Recall again, with closed eyes, how the word looked.
Check again with the correct form. This recall should be repeated
at least three times, and oftener if you have difficulty in recalling
the correct form of the word. When you feel sure that you have
learned the word, write it without looking at the book, and then
check with the correct form.
Helps in the teaching of spelling.—Embeco Improved Word
Builder consisting of three-hundred fifty letters on both sides of
manila cards. Use for spelling the words of the lesson, 20 cents,
Milton Bradley Co., Atlanta.
Horn and Ashbaugh, A New Spelling Book, J. B. Lippincott Co.,
Philadelphia. Tidyman, The Teaching of Spelling, World Book Co.,
Yonkers, N. Y.
WRITING
Smithdeal Copy Book, No. 5, 7 cents
Read fifth grade and continue the work described there as the
third stage in the development of muscular movement.
STATE ADOPTED TEXT BOOKS
FIRST GRADE
Reading— Price
First-basal Primer, Free and Treadwell Series (Row) $ .40
Manual (Row) Free
Pupils' Word Cards for Primer (Row) . .12
Primer Perception Cards (Row) _ _ .80
Sentence Cards (Row) .52
Phonic Cards (Row) .16
First Reader Perception Cards (Row) 1.60
Phonic Chart (Row)- 1.60
Second-basal Primer, Child's World Series (Johnson) 45
First-basal First Reader, Free and Treadwell Series (Row) 44
Third-basal Primer, Elson Series (Scott) .47
Second-basal First Reader, Child's World Series (Johnson) .48
Suggested supplementary: McMurry's "Tell Me a Story" (Johnson) .45
Drawing—
Applied Arts Drawing Book, No. 41 (Atkinson) .15
SECOND GRADE
Spelling—
Arnold's The Mastery of Words, Book 1 (Iroquois). $ 0.38
Alabama Writing Speller 05
Reading—
Third-basal First Reader, Elson Series (Scott).... 50
First-basal Second Reader, Free and Treadwell Series (Row) .48
Second-basal Second Reader, Child's World Series (Johnson) 54
Third-basal Second Reader, Elson Series (Scott) .• 54
Suggested Supplementary: Fi'nley's Little Home Workers (Sanborn) 35
Writing—
Smithdeal Copy Book, No. 1 (Johnson) 07
Arithmetic—
Wentworth-Smith's Work and Play with Numbers (Ginn) 40
Drawing—
Applied Arts Drawing Book, No. 42 (Atkinson) .15
THIRD GRADE
Spelling—
Arnold's The Mastery of Words, Book 1 (Iroquois) 38
Alabama Writing Speller — 05
Reading—
Peter and Polly in Summer (American) 60
First-Basal Third Reader, Free and Treadwell Series (Row) 53
Second-basal Third Reader, Child's World Series (Johnson) .60
Third-basal Third Reader, Elson Series (Scott) 61
Suggested Supplementary: Brown's Stories of Woods an! Fields (World) .40
Eggleston's Stories of Great American for Little Americans (Amer¬
ican), Use as history text .36
Young's Somebody's Little Girl (Hinds) .35
Language—
Arnold's Primary Language Book, With Pencil and Pen (Ginn). .40
Arithmetic—
Colaw Series, Elementary Arithmetic (Johnson) .55
Nature Study and Geography—
Payne's Geographical Nature Studies (American) .23
Drawing—
Applied Arts Drawing Book, No. 43 (Atkinson) .15
Writing—
Smithdeal Copy Book, No. 2 (Johnson)— .07
STATE ADOPTED TEXT BOOKS 95
FOURTH GRADE
Spelling:— Price
Arnold's The Mastery of Words, Book 1 (Iroquois)— 38
Alabama Writing Speller - — .05
Reading—
Elson's Reader, Fourth Grade (Scott) _ .69
Basal Supplementary: The Howe Reader, No. IV (Scribner's) .68
Suggested Supplementary: Eggleston's Stories of American Life and
Adventure (American) — - - - .60
Brown's Stories of Childhood and Nature (World) 94
Writing—
Smithdeal Copy Book, No. 3 (Johnson) .05
Language—
Emerson & Bender's Modern English, Book 1 (Macmillan) 48
Arithmetic—
Colaw Series, Elementary Arithmetic (Johnson) - 55
Supplementary: Brooks' New Normal Mental Arithmetic (Sower).. 28
Geography—
Tarr & McMurry's World Geography, First Book (Macmillan) 85
Drawing—
Applied Arts Drawing Book, No. 44 (Atkinson) — 15
Hygiene—
Emerson and Betts, Hygiene & Health, Book I (Bobbs) .60
Dictionary—
Webster's Common School Dictionary (American) 65
FIFTH GRADE
Spelling—
Arnold's The Mastery of Words, Book 1 (Iroquois) $ .38
Alabama Writing Speller- 05
Reading—
Elson's Reader, Fifth Grade (Scott) - - 72
The Howe Reader, No. V (Scribner's) 80
Suggested Supplementary: Maitland's Heroes of Chivalry (Silver) 45
Writ ing—
Smithdeal Copy Book, No. 4 (Johnson) 07
Language—
Emerson & Bender's Modern English, Book 1 (Macmillan) .48
Arithmetic—
Colaw Series, Elementary Arithmetic (Johnson) .55
Colaw Series, Practical Arithmetic (Johnson) 68
Brooks' New Normal Mental Arithmetic (Sower) 28
History—
Evans' First Lessons in American History (Sanborn) 55
Geography—
Tarr & McMurry's World Geography, First Book (Macmillan) .85
Hygiene—
Emerson and Betts, Hygiene and Health, Book I (Bobbs) .60
Drawing—
Applied Arts Drawing Book. No. 45 (Atkinson) ! .20
Dictionary—
Webster's Common School Dictionary (American) .65
96 MANUAL OF ELEMENTARY COURSE OF STUDY
SIXTH GRADE
Spelling-— Price
Arnold's The Mastery of Words, Book II (Iroquois) $ .38
Alabama Writing Speller _ 05
Reading—
Elson's Reader, Sixth Grade (Scott) 72
Suggested Supplementary: Niver's Great Names and Nations (Sanborn)
Volume One 40
Volume Two 40
Writing—
Smithdeal Copy Book, No. 5 (Johnson) 07
Grammar—
Emerson & Bender's Modern English, Book II (Macmillan)-. .66
Arithmetic—
Colaw Series, Practical Arithmetic (Johnson) _ .68
History—
Thompson's United States History (Heath) 90
Geography—
Tarr & McMurry's World Geography, Second Book (Macmillan) 1.35
Physiology and Hygiene—
Emerson and Betts, Physiology and Hygiene, Book II (Bobbs) 84
Drawing—
Applied Arts Drawing Book, No. 46 (Atkinson) 20
Dictionary—
Webster's Common School Dictionary (American) .65
SEVENTH GRADE—FIRST YEAR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
The seventh grade textbooks are given because many of the elementary
schools will be required to offer instruction in these subjects.
Spelling—
Arnold's The Mastery of Words, Book II (Iroquois) $ .38
Alabama Writing Speller — .05
Reading—
Elson's Reader, Seventh Grade (Scott) 83
Suggested Supplementary: Johonnot's Ten Great Events in History
(American) .49
Writing—
Smithdeal Copy Book, No. 6 (Johnson) 07
Language—
Emerson & Bender's Modern English, Book II (Macmillan) .66
Arithmetic—
Colaw Series, Practical Arithmetic (Johnson) 68
Agriculture—
Duggar's Agriculture (Macmillan) 80
History and Civics—
Thompson's United States History (Heath) 90
DuBose's History of Alabama, First Part (Johnson) .90
Alternated with McBain & Hill's How We Are Governed in Alabama
and the Nation (McBain) .55
Geography— -
Tarr & McMurry's World Geography, Second Book (Macmillan) 1.35
Physiology and Hygiene—
Emerson and Betts, Physiology and Hygiene, Book II (Bobbs) 84
Drawing—
Applied Arts Drawing Book, No. 47 (Atkinson) .20
Dictionary—
Webster's Common School Dictionary (American) .65