THE AMERICAN NORMAL READERS PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION AND WITH THE DEC 11 1930 Archdiocese of New York VICAR-GENERAL'S OFFICE New York, December 9, 1909. Dear Miss Harvey: I submitted the American Normal Yours sincerely, JOSEPH F. MOONEY, V.-G. COPYRIGHT, 1907, BY PREFACE "The clay is moist and soft; now, now make haste And form the vessel, for the wheel turns fast." There are many definitions of what we call education, many different aspects of this great subject, all true in themselves. But when we say that education means leading a child into his highest possible relation to Nature, to God and to his fellows, does it not include everything— all we are and all we hope to be? The suggestions and possibilities are absolutely limitless. It is not a question of reaching the goal, but of moving steadily toward it. "The sailor who is guided by a star brings his ship into port." The three stages of education of the individual and of the race are : rules, habits, principles. Authority is to be obeyed simply because it is rightful; habits are acquired by imitation and by repetition; true reverence instills the desire to choose and to follow the good wherever it is recognized. The child must learn that he is under law; the ideals for imitation, whether in fact or in fancy, must always be of the best; and he must never forget that in God he lives, moves and is. In the First Book of this series all these truths are presented only in their natural and symbolic forms. In the Second Book, the child's mental and spiritual vision is extended by interesting him in other lands and in other times, by opening treasures of literature and of art in different forms, and by presenting types of character worthy of imitation. Whatever the form or subject of the lesson, the child's love of action and his love of the ideal, the poetic, the spiritual are never forgotten. There is a constant effort to stimulate observation of nature and of human activities, and by appealing to his imagination to store the mind with true and beautiful associations. Little can here be said of the material in detail. It is hoped that teachers will be pleased with its simplicity, its careful grading, with the wide range of subjects closely correlated, and with the artistic value of the illustrations. For the convenience of those who wish to use phonics in their work, a list of words easily taught by sound has been prepared (p. 166). This list contains only the words which involve the new phonograms in this book. Pupils should first review thoroughly the 350 sight words of the First Book, also the 68 phonograms, which they will continue to use in gaining new words. They should go over in review the list of phonic words in the First Book, p. 142, for the blend, giving the sounds from the board and pronouncing the words. Introduce the new phonograms of this book (p. 166), one by one, continuing the drill on all; then combine them in words taken from the list (see p. 166). Besides the daily drill on phonograms and the blend, there should always be a specific preparation for each reading lesson. Make a complete list of words in the lesson which contain phonograms new and old. After the blend drill upon these, leave the list on the board so that each pupil may refer to it in his private study of the lesson. The Manual of the Rational Method in Reading is very suggestive and helpful in carrying on this phase of reading work. The lists of phonetic words in this Manual give abundant practice in the blend; they also give a wide vocabulary and aid greatly in securing a correct intonation. The corresponding readers of the Rational Method may also be used to advantage in connection with the present series. Grateful acknowledgment is made to the John Lane Company for permission to use the poem "The Wonderful World," and to The Independent for "Who Loves the Tree Best?" |