  Show the children a sunflower. What is it? Who can think of another flower of the same color? (Nasturtium, goldenrod, dandelion, buttercup, etc.) Who can think of a flower that is blue? (Hyacinth, bachelor’s button, flower de luce, etc.) Who can think of a flower that is red? (Rose, carnation, geranium, poppy, etc.) Have each child name some flower that he likes. TuesdayAllow the children to play “Hey, diddle, diddle.” One child is the cat, another the Hey, diddle, diddle, The cat and the fiddle. As the two lines are being recited, the children representing the cat and the fiddle stand up at their seats and bow. As the words, The cow jumped over the moon, are recited, the child representing the moon, stooping down, holds out a round piece of pasteboard, a piece of paper, or anything else that happens to be handy, even a book will serve, and the “cow,” steps or jumps over it. At the words, The little dog laughed to see such sport, the little dog laughs. At The dish ran away with the spoon, the two children representing dish and spoon take hold of hands and run across the room. Then other children may be selected for the various parts, and the game may be played thus again and again. WednesdayHave the children practise writing their names, and if possible, their home addresses. ThursdayWhat kind of a day is it, sunny or stormy? What color is sunshine? Point to the sun. What color are storm clouds? How does the rain come down? What does the sunshine do for the trees and flowers? What does the rain do for the trees and flowers? What does the rain do for us? FridayHave the children name all the objects they can see in the school-room. SECOND WEEKMondayHow many children had their faces washed before coming to school this morning? How many had their hair combed? Have each child tell who combed his hair, whether mother, nurse, or the child himself. Talk about the necessity of cleanliness, and why every child must come to school looking clean and tidy. TuesdayWrite the name of the day of the week on the blackboard, and have the children practice writing it. WednesdayAsk each child to stand up at his seat and recite a “Mother Goose” rhyme. ThursdayWho can show me what I mean when I say, “Run.” Allow some child to run. What do I mean when I say, “Walk.” Have the word illustrated. Continue similarly with talk, laugh, sing, jump, sit, stand. FridayShow the children a flag. What is it? What are the three colors of the flag? Have the children count the red stripes; the white stripes. What is the color of the stars? THIRD WEEKMondayShow the children a red apple and a green, or a yellow apple. What are the colors of the TuesdayHave each child tell his father’s or his mother’s first name. WednesdayHave the children practise writing the date. ThursdayHave each child tell something that he can see out of the school-room window. Write the word given by each child on paper and let him practise writing it. FridayLet the children dramatize, with a little suggestive help, “Old King Cole.” FOURTH WEEKMondayWhat day of the week is this? How many days are there in a week? Who can name them? What is done in your home on Monday? TuesdayHave the children play the game, “This is the way we wash our clothes.” WednesdayPractise writing September. ThursdayPractise writing the day of the week. FridayHave the children tell what they had for breakfast. SECOND YEARFIRST WEEKMondayTell, or read, the following story, the children to guess what animal is referred to. Look what a small, shy thing I am! Do not frighten me, and I will tell you all about myself. It is quite Please do not tell the cat where I am, or she will come and eat me up. I do not like cats a bit. But there is something that I hate more than cats, and that is the horrid traps you set to catch us in. When one of my friends finds himself inside of one of these, you do not know how badly he feels! How would you like it yourself? We do some good in the world, though people fancy we do nothing but harm. Men and women throw about bits or scraps of food enough to give us many a nice meal. We run out and eat this, and leave the floor clean and tidy. We run off to our holes as quickly as can be if you frighten us, and you will see no more of our soft fur and long tails. If you are kind we shall be glad to make friends with you.—Adapted. TuesdayHave the children tell, in their own words, the story of “The Mouse.” WednesdayCopy the following: A mouse has gray fur. A mouse has bright eyes. ThursdayHave each child tell about some animal, the other children to guess the animal meant. For example: I have four legs. I have fur. When I am hungry I say, “Miow.” When I am happy I purr. What am I? If you find it to be too difficult for the children to give the descriptions, you can describe the animals, and let all the children guess what you are describing. FridayWrite five words that rhyme with cat. SECOND WEEKMondayWhat month is this? How many months are there in the year? How many days in this month? Teach the rhyme, “Thirty days hath September.” TuesdayHave the children write the names of the months. WednesdayHave the children complete the following sentences: Roses are ——. Asters are ——. Goldenrod is ——. Lemons are ——. Trees are ——. My eyes are ——. ThursdayTo be memorized: MY SHADOW I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me, And what can be the use of him is more than I can see. He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head; And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed. The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow— Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow; For he sometimes shoots up taller, like an Indian-rubber ball, And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all. He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play, And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way. He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see; I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me! One morning, very early, before the sun was up, I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup; But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head, Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed. —Robert Louis Stevenson. Have the children copy two stanzas of the poem. FridayHave the children copy the rest of the poem, “My Shadow.” THIRD WEEKMondayTeach the children the first stanza of “My Shadow.” Who has a shadow? When can we see our shadow? How does the shadow “Jump before me, when I jump into my bed”? TuesdayTeach the second stanza of “My Shadow.” How does the shadow grow tall? How does it get “so little”? WednesdayTeach the third stanza of “My Shadow,” questioning the children to make sure that they understand its meaning. ThursdayTeach the fourth stanza of “My Shadow.” FridayHave the children repeat the entire poem, “My Shadow.” FOURTH WEEKMondayWrite five sentences, telling what the shadow does. (Refer to the poem.) TuesdayWrite five name words (nouns), to be found in the poem “My Shadow.” WednesdayWrite a letter to your sister or brother, telling what you do at school. ThursdayMake an envelope of paper, and address it to the one to whom you wrote yesterday. FridayWrite five words that rhyme with run. To the Teacher: The proper method of addressing an envelope may be taught here. THIRD YEARFIRST WEEKMondayHave the children repeat the old rhyme, “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,” then let them see if they can write it. TuesdayFor dictation: I know that when my bed-time comes, And I am tired of everything, I cannot go to sleep unless I hear my mother softly sing The Bye-low song. WednesdayStory for reproduction: JIM CROW When Jim Crow became a member of our family he was very young, and could hardly balance himself upon his slender legs. We fed him upon raw eggs and scraps of raw meat until he grew strong and the black feathers had become smooth and glossy, and the bright eyes were brighter, and Jim Crow had changed into a beautiful bird. A smart bird was Jim, devoted to his master and mistress, hailing them with a loud caw whenever their steps were heard, and hopping about to greet them. Jim could talk a little, and would have acquired much more knowledge of the language if he had lived longer. He would spread his wings, purple in their deep black, and call in a hoarse voice, “Come on, come on,” very distinctly. He would greet his master with “Hello, Papa,” and delighted in feeding from his hand. He knew when the butcher boy came with the meat, and was at the cook’s side when she received the basket, croaking for his share. Jim delighted in a plunge bath, and would splash away in an earthern crock a dozen times a day, if it was filled for him. He liked red and blue, and if ladies called at the house dressed in these colors, the young crow would become frantic, spreading his wings and tail, and crying, “Come on, Come on,” to the amusement of all. He would often eat corn with the chickens, and would act in a very greedy way, filling his bill with the grain, rushing away and hiding it, then coming back for more. If the chickens did not eat as fast as they could, Jim had the lion’s share. Jim was hurt one day by a stray dog, and then we didn’t have a crow any more.—Selected. ThursdayHave the children tell, in their own words, the story of “Jim Crow.” FridayHave the children write the story of “Jim Crow.” SECOND WEEKMondayPoem to be memorized: THE LAND OF STORY BOOKS At evening when the lamp is lit, Around the fire my parents sit; They sit at home, and talk and sing, And do not play at anything. Now, with my little gun, I crawl All in the dark along the wall, And follow ’round the forest track Away behind the sofa back. There, in the night, where none can spy, All in my hunter’s camp I lie And play at books that I have read Till it is time to go to bed. These are the hills, these are the woods, These are my starry solitudes, And there the river, by whose brink The roaring lions come to drink. I see the others far away, As if in firelit camp they lay, And I, like to an Indian scout, Around their party prowled about. So when my nurse comes in for me, Home I return across the sea, And go to bed with backward looks At my dear Land of Story Books. —Robert Louis Stevenson Have the poem copied. TuesdayHave the children commit to memory the first two stanzas of “The Land of Story Books.” WednesdayHave the children commit to memory the third and fourth stanzas of “The Land of Story Books.” ThursdayHave the pupils commit the entire poem, “The Land of Story Books.” FridayRepeat the poem of the week, entire. THIRD WEEKMondayWrite a list of the adjectives to be found in the poem, “The Land of Story Books.” TuesdayWrite a list of the verbs to be found in the poem, “The Land of Story Books.” WednesdayWrite two words that rhyme with each of the following: Sit, wall, bed, lay, sea. ThursdayWrite, in complete sentences, answers to the following questions, referring to the poem for the answers: What do my parents do? Where do I go with my gun? What do I play? What do I play that I am? How long do I play? FridayWrite a letter, thanking your aunt for a birthday present, and telling what the present is. FOURTH WEEKMondayComplete the following sentences: I am —— to New York. I —— to school yesterday. Will you —— to the circus with me? Has your aunt —— home yet? Are you —— to school to-morrow? Shall we —— part way home with you? TuesdayWrite the names of five objects made of wood; five of iron; five of wool; five of cotton. WednesdayWrite a composition telling about grapes. ThursdayWrite a letter telling a friend about a squirrel you once saw. FridayWrite an invitation to a school party. FOURTH YEARFIRST WEEKMondayWrite five sentences telling about good manners in the school-room. TuesdayDescribe, orally, some game you know how to play. WednesdayCopy the following from Whittier’s “The Barefoot Boy”: How the tortoise bears his shell, How the woodchuck digs his cell, How the ground-mole sinks his well, How the robin feeds her young, How the oriole’s nest is hung; Where the whitest lilies blow, Where the freshest berries grow, Where the ground-nut trails its vine, Where the wood-grape’s clusters shine. ThursdayWrite sentences explaining each reference in the poem copied yesterday. For example, “How the tortoise bears his shell”—The tortoise carries his shell on his back. FridayHave pupils dramatize “Little Red Riding Hood,” without preparation, and in their own way. SECOND WEEKMondayFor dictation: Ere, in the northern gale, The summer tresses of the leaves are gone, The woods of Autumn, all around our vale, Have put their glory on. —William Cullen Bryant TuesdayProverbs, to be copied and committed to memory: He who does his best, does well. It takes two to make a quarrel. Make hay while the sun shines. More haste, less speed. Waste not, want not. A place for everything, and everything in its place. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Better late than never. Look before you leap. Honesty is the best policy. WednesdayWrite a composition about “Sparrows.” ThursdayWrite a telegram, congratulating either President Taft or Governor Wilson upon his nomination for President. FridayConversation on how we can tell that Fall and Winter are coming. THIRD WEEKMondayCopy the following from “Hiawatha.” THE FEAST OF MONDAMIN And the maize-field grew and ripened, Till it stood in all the splendor Of its garments green and yellow, Of its tassels and its plumage, And the maize-ears full and shining Gleamed from bursting sheaths of verdure. Then Nokomis, the old woman, Spake and said to Minnehaha: “Tis the Moon when leaves are falling; All the wild rice has been gathered, And the maize is ripe and ready; Let us gather in the harvest, Let us wrestle with Mondamin, Strip him of his plume and tassels, Of his garments green and yellow.” TuesdayCommit to memory the selection from “Hiawatha.” WednesdayConversation on the meaning of the “Mondamin” story. ThursdayWrite a story on “Corn—How It Grows.” FridayWrite ten sentences about the uses of corn. FOURTH WEEKMondayWrite the abbreviations for month, year, the days of the week, the months of the year. TuesdayFor dictation: Chestnuts in the ashes Bursting through the rind, Red leaf and yellow leaf Rustling down the wind; Mother “doin’ peaches” All the afternoon— Don’t you think that Autumn’s Pleasanter than June? WednesdayWrite five reasons why autumn is pleasanter than June. ThursdayWrite ten sentences containing the word blue. FridayWrite a rhyme of four lines about apples. |
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