Through it the children should gain life-long habits of exploring,
through reading, the great fields of history, industry, applied
science, life in other lands, travel, invention, biography, and
wholesome fiction. To this end the work should be made more extensive
and less intensive. As an indispensable means toward this end the
books should be supplied by the schools instead of being purchased by
the parents.
3. The teaching of spelling should aim to give the pupils complete
mastery over those words which they need to use in writing and it
should instil in them the permanent habit of watching their spelling
as they write. Drill on lists of isolated words should give way to
practice in spelling correctly every word in everything written. The
dictionary habit should be cultivated, and every written lesson should
be a spelling lesson.
4. The time devoted to language, composition, and grammar is about the
same as in the average city. The chief result of the work as done in
Cleveland is to enable the pupil to recite well on textbook grammar
and to pass examinations in the subject. The work in technical grammar
should be continued for the purpose of giving the pupils a
foundation acquaintance with forms, terms, relations, and grammatical
perspective, but this training need not be so extensive and intensive
as at present. The time saved should be given to oral and written
expression in connection with the reading of history, geography,
industrial studies, civics, sanitation, and the like.
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