Excerpt from The Browne Readers, Vol. 2: First Year-Second Half

Preliminary blackboard reading is not necessary in this grade. The story may be read directly from the printed page. Keep in mind that the aim of the reading lesson is to secure speed and accuracy in the process of obtaining the thought of the written page, and that silent reading is the great means to this end.

In all the stories the thought element must precede the correct oral expression. Arouse an intelligent interest in the story before taking up the reading itself. Talk about the story and the setting; discuss the characters in the story and let the children discuss the pictures. Correlate your work in nature and ethics with the reading lesson. As each sentence or paragraph is read aloud, make sure that its full meaning is understood. Give to the children as much related information as is practicable.

Unknown Words. The teacher is referred to the Re view Words following the stories in the reader, wherein are listed, in the order in which they first appear, all the new words, both sight and phonetic, that occur in the reader. A glance through the lists shows the teacher the phonetic elements that must be drilled upon and the sight words that must be taken up each day. The child must learn the phonetic words from the phonetic drill which precedes the reading lesson. If he cannot get thesight words through adroit questioning by the teacher, he must be told what they are. Every word in the new sentence or paragraph must be known to every child before the sentence or paragraph is read aloud. Particular stress is laid upon the word drill after the reading lesson. This does not contradict the statement Every word in the new sentence or paragraph must be known to every child before the sentence or paragraph is read aloud. It refers simply to the drudgery of the reading lesson, the drill on sight words, the object of which is to impress the visible form of the unknown word so thor oughly upon the mind of the child that he will recognize the word when he sees it in new surroundings. If fifteen or twenty minutes are spent in trying to teach isolated words before anything is said about the content of the reading lesson, the child is tired out; his mind is not in the best condition to take up the reading itself. Let the child's interest be aroused by the story or content at the beginning of the reading period. The drill on the new words of the lesson will be more spirited because thought has been associated with these words. The following method of taking up the reading lesson is suggested for use with this reader I. Phonetic drill upon the new and unknown pho netic words that occur in the story to be read. 11. Conversation; picture study; discussion of the characters in the story; the setting of the story; a short talk about the story, perhaps no more than the title of the story will suggest.

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