The Elson readers - Primer [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION This book is based upon the belief that interesting material is the most important factor in learning to read; that the keynote of interest is the story-plot; and that the child's delight in the oral story should be utilized in the very first steps of reading. This basis is the distinguishing feature of the Primer. In consequence, real stories, rich in dramatic action, have been chosen—stories which make use of the child's curiosity in "what is going to happen next"—stories which have a plot, a series of incidents, and an outcome. The story element has been unfolded in such a way as to make each page a distinct unit. The PRIMER lessons presuppose that the teacher has first told the children the fuller stories, as given in the Teachers' Edition. While these oral stories will add greatly to the children's content and interest, nevertheless, the stories in the PRIMER are complete units in themselves. Review stories, systematically introduced, refresh the child's memory of words found in previous lessons. The sources of child literature have been searched for stories of genuine interest, which deal with life within the range of the child's experience. The stories and verses chosen—thirty in all— make a strong appeal to children by reason of their conceits and their joyous note. Moreover, these stories impress a wholesome influence of high ethical ideals, particularly the ideal of service to others. During the World War, American children gained a new conception of this ideal, and this book lays the foundation for perpetuating the lesson through a large number of its stories, notably. The White Dove, Bobbie and the Apples, Alice and Her Mother, The Windmill, How Patty Gave Thanks, The Little Christmas Tree, In the Barn Yard, and Alice and the Bird. Modern stories by such well-known writers of children's literature as Laura E. Richards, Maud Lindsay, Emilie Poulsson, Carolyn S. Bailey, and others are included, as well as some of the simplest and best of the Mother Goose Rimes and Folk Tales. The illustrations, which are by L. Kate Deal, have been so drawn as to present in visual form the unfolding of the narrative.