again several times without any comment: Repetition. finally repeat the verbs once. As regards the number of repetitions the teacher must be guided by his pupils' faces. Bright eyes, eager faces, will show that the pupil is ready to try what he can do. Puckered brows show, as plainly as possible, that the pupil does not see clearly what is required of him. At first, be content to go slowly, and above all be patient. Durable buildings must rest on firm foundations. Now let the pupils repeat, each one taking a verb. At once the great value of this principle of Association of ideas, about which we have already spoken, will become apparent, for the pupils will be able to recall the actions in their proper order. We find it an excellent plan to adopt simultaneous repetition during these initial stages. It does away with that shyness and confusion often experienced by pupils when they hear their own voices uttering strange sounds; in addition to this, it makes every pupil work. When the verbs are assimilated, the teacher should write them on the black board, and have them read through; then the black board should be reversed whilst the teacher, taking each verb separately, groups the words of the sentence around it. The verb, the action, is the important part of the sentence. An action demands some one to perform it, and usually requires a complement. So take the first verb, "mets." Describe the subject. Who puts? "Je mets." Describe the garment. "Je mets" what? "Je mets mon pardessus,' etc. Each word-verb, noun, adjective—is to be fully described, so that every one may be connected with a mental picture of the object or idea, and not with the written word. Deal with the sentences in the same manner and in the same order as you dealt with the verbs, and let all needful explanations be given with the first repetitions. The final repetition given by the teacher should be. unaccompanied by any comments, and thus the pupils should be left free to concentrate their attention entirely upon the foreign sounds. As in the case of the verbs, the pupils must now be required to say the sentences through, and afterwards to read them from the board. The first book, containing short, simple lessons of from four to eight sentences, is suitable for very young pupils. After that, the exercises become longer and more difficult, care being taken to use only the language of every-day conversation. In the last two books, the lessons are drawn up in a literary style, and are intended to carry the student on to the writing of composition and the study of literature. We would advise teachers to make each lesson of Book VIII. the subject of French conversation in class, bringing out and explaining the different points of the lesson, and encouraging the pupils to discuss these points, draw their own conclusions, and give their opinions in their own words. This having been done, the pupils should be requested to read the text and compare their way of expressing their ideas with that of the author. The lesson should afterwards become the subject of an essay. At the end of each exercise we have prepared sentences which only require to be completed, thus showing the pupil how, and in what order, he should express his thoughts. A glance at the subjoined list will give an idea of the subjects treated in the following pages : FIRST PART. [Cours préparatoire.] Book I. Les parties du corps. Les cinq sens. Impressions et sensations. Petites scènes de la vie courante. Récitations et chansonnettes. SECOND PART. [Cours elementaire.] BOOKS II. AND III. L'enfant dans la famille. Vie scolaire. Récréations. Le ménage. Les mois et les saisons. Initiation à la conjugaison des verbes. Récitations et chansons. THIRD PART. [Cours moyen.] Books IV., V., and VI. Travaux d'intérieur. Relations extérieures. Usages du monde. Les magasins. Sport et passe-temps (chasse, pêche, etc.). Excursions. Étude des verbes réguliers. Grammaire. Morceaux choisis. FOURTH PART. [Cours supérieur.] Books VII. AND VIII. La lutte pour la vie. L'agriculture et les récoltes. L'industrie; usines et manufactures. Le commerce et les affaires. Un voyage; le paquebot et le chemin de fer. Mœurs et coutumes françaises. La Presse. Étude des verbes irréguliers. Grammaire et syntaxe. Composition. Morceaux choisis. It will be found that nearly every lesson is on a different subject, so as to bring into the class with each lesson, fresh interest and a new vocabulary. This book furnishes ample material for pupils of every age, children, or adults. The lessons may be taught easily and effectively. We have proved this in our own classes. Teachers who wish to visit these classes and see for themselves what can be done by this method are cordially invited to communicate with us. It is impossible to do the system justice by theory only: it should be seen in actual practice. DIX-NEUVIÈME LEÇON. Les parties du corps. 1. Je prends un crayon; 2. je dessine un bonhomme; 3. je dessine les trois parties de son corps: la tête, le tronc, les membres. VINGTIÈME LEÇON. La tête. 1. Je dessine la tête; 2. je dessine le front; 8. je dessine la bouche; 9. je dessine le menton; 10. je dessine le cou. |