HOME AND LIBRARY READING The definite assignments for silent reading during the study hour set free the class period for other purposes than oral reading, such as stimulating outside reading, discussing book lists, studying the reading tastes of individual pupils and recommending books likely to be enjoyed. The material in the Reader is an open sesame to the big field of literature. Interest in the various authors aroused by reading their stories and poems, or interest in the subjects they discuss may lead under proper direction to extensive library reading. Throughout the Reader and the Manual, books related to the selections under discussion are suggested. Such related reading has definite advantages beyond those offered by mere reading lists. In addition the teacher will find parallel material in the Child-Library Readers, Book Eight. Indeed, the Child-Library Readers are planned throughout as an extension series for the school reading program. In Book Eight of the series, for example, many of the ideas and topics treated in The Elson Readers, Book Eight, are extended and amplified. A class period set apart weekly for the discussion of home. and library reading in which the pupils tell freely of their reading experiences will stimulate an active reading program. In reporting on a book or a selection it is well to have the pupils observe the "five W's" of newspaper reporters-Who? What? Where? When? Why? A pupil may sketch the plot as far as the unraveling, arousing the curiosity of the others to see how the story ends. Or, he may read a single episode, a vivid description, or report any feature of the book that will make others wish to read it. An account of the books read and the books reported on in class will make an interesting notebook record and will aid in refreshing the memory. A helpful pamphlet for the teacher to have at hand is Course of Study in Reading and Literature, Seekell, Western State Normal, Kalamazoo, Michigan (40 cents). It is a scientific and comprehensive analysis of silent and oral reading, with lists of tests, scales, reading lists, etc. The National Association of Book Publishers, 334 Fifth Avenue, New York City, annually publish interesting leaflets such as Book Week Projects in connection with the observance each year, in November, of Children's Book Week. CLASS ACTIVITIES Many activities suggested in the Reader and the Manual, motivating the reading or growing directly from the study of certain selections, vitalize the study of reading and literature. Some of them involve outside work and further study. They especially serve to link the pupil's experience and his life outside the school with his reading in school, and are therefore valuable. In some cases they will serve to keep the bright, keen pupil interested while his slower classmates are spending more time on the text itself. For instance, a rapid and capable reader may be asked to read other stories and report them briefly to the class. Some pupils may even be allowed to read silently during the class period, while others are reciting, or to work on special problems to report later to the class. This does away with the wasting of the quick pupil's time by compelling him to listen to work he has already grasped. This is essentially the differentiated assignment; the text stories constitute the minimum; an added amount forms the average assignment; and another added group makes the maximum. Some of the activities suggested in the Reader and the Manual are: Oral Reading Library Reading Magazine Reading Making Charts Collections Class Projects Class Scrapbook Learning by Heart Studies in Versification Vocational Studies Vocabulary Studies Preparing Programs Assembly Programs Parent-Teacher Association Programs Election Day Cartoon Day Humor Day Socialized Recitation Mutual Teaching and Coöperative Learning NOTEBOOKS The keeping of material in a notebook, preferably of the loose-leaf type, will prove a valuable record of the semester's work in reading. It will make the pupils feel the importance of doing the daily tasks well and it will help them to see the daily work as a part of a comprehensive plan. The notebooks will also prove a tangible stimulus for wholesome competition. Parents and other visitors to the school enjoy looking them over to gain an idea of the scope of the work in reading. One or more pages may be devoted to each of the following subjects: My Silent-Reading Record The Record of My Class in Silent Reading New Words I Have Learned to Use Useful Phrases to Know Choice Sentences Charts Books I Have Read Book Reports Made by Class Members Magazine Articles I Have Read Folk Ballads I Know Lyrics I Know Short Stories I Have Read Rime-Schemes Studies in Rhythm Etc. THE FIRST DAY WITH THE READER GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE READER AS A WHOLE Because The Elson Readers, Book Eight, like the preceding books in the series, is not a haphazard collection of unrelated selections, but, on the contrary, embodies a careful organization of material centering about certain fundamental ideas and ideals, it would be well to spend the first day studying the organization and plan of the book as a whole. It will be observed that each of the four Parts, or main divisions, of the book contains selections grouped around one large unifying idea, and each Part is subdivided into more specific groups designed to emphasize in the mind of the pupil certain ideas and ideals related to the main idea of the Part. The teacher will find this plan described in the Preface to the Reader, under "Organization of Literature," pages 4-5. Since each selection has a direct bearing on the central idea of the group of which it forms a part, it is clear that each story or poem will be greatly enriched if it is taught in the light of its relation to the group. For instance, if the story of "CoalyBay, the Outlaw Horse" is taught, not as an isolated unit, but as belonging to "The World of Nature." the pupil, instead of seeing it merely as another story, sees it as contributing a valuable bit of insight into that "world of nature" of which animals form a large and especially interesting part. It is also clear that, as each selection is shown to have a direct bearing on the central idea or ideal of its group, so this central idea is repeatedly emphasized and driven home in such a way as to make a lasting impression on the minds and characters of the pupils. In discussing the general plan of the book informally with the pupils the teacher may follow the trend suggested by these questions: 1. What forms an introduction to the entire book? ("Literature and Life.") 2. What is the subject of each of the four Parts? 3. How is the theme of each of the four Parts emphasized? (By a quotation, a picture, an illuminated title, and an introduction.) 4. What other purpose do these serve? (They arouse interest, suggest what the reader is to expect, help to create a proper mood in which to read the selections, etc.) 5. As you look at the quotations and pictures, which Parts do you think are most appropriately introduced? 6. What do you find at the close of each Part? (A Review.) The teacher may then proceed to read to the class "The Three Joys of Reading" in an easy, informal manner, often stopping for comments. During the reading the pupils may follow the teacher with the text before them or with books closed just as they individually feel they can best get the thought. Before beginning to read, however, the teacher may ask the pupils to be prepared, when the reading is finished, to state clearly: (1) what the three joys are and (2) why the authors chose this subject for their introduction. (To help the pupils realize that it is worth while to train themselves so as to be able to get these joys from their reading.) After the reading the class may turn to the Table of Contents and, noting the titles under each Part, tell which Part offers the greatest opportunity for experiencing the first of the |