n with traditional fairy tales. Another outlined course of
study is given in Section XII of this book.

_First, second, and third grades._ Since pupils in the primary grades
read with difficulty if at all, the teacher should tell or read all
selections presented as literature in these grades.

No kind of prose is better suited for use in the primary grades than
traditional fairy tales. About half a dozen might well be presented in
each of the three grades. For the first grade, the simplest should be
chosen, such as "The Old Woman and Her Pig," "Teeny-Tiny," "The Cat and
the Mouse," "The Three Pigs," "The Three Bears," and "The Elves and the
Shoemaker." As suitable stories for the second grade, we might choose
"The Three Sillies," "Little Red Riding-Hood," "Cinderella," "The Three
Billy-Goats Gruff," "The Straw Ox," and "The Horned Women." For the
third grade, somewhat longer and more complex stories might be chosen.

About half a dozen fables might also be used appropriately in each of
the primary grades. Simple Aesopic fables in prose seem best for the
first two grades. More complex forms might be chosen for the third
grade, for example, "The Story of Alnaschar," "The Good Samaritan," "The
Discontented Pendulum," "The Musical Ass," "The Swan, the Pike, and the
Crab," and "The Hen with the Golden Eggs."

Much of the nature literature of the primary grades may be in the form
of verse, but some simple nature prose may be used successfully. From
the selections in this book, "Peter Rabbit" should be chosen for the
first grade, while "Johnny Chuck," and "Mr. 'Possum's Sick Spell" are
appropriate for the second and third grades.

The simplest of Andersen's _Fairy Tales_ may be used in the third grade,
and perhaps in the second. Some suitable stories are "The Real
Princess," "The Fir Tree," "The Tinder Box," "The Hardy Tin Soldier,"
and "The Ugly Duckling."

The ideal verse for the first grade is nursery rhymes, which may be
chosen from the first 135 selections of this book. These may be
supplemented by such simple verse as "The Three Kittens," "The Moon,"
"Ding Dong," "The Little Kitty," "Baby Bye," "Time to Rise," "Rain," "I
Like Little Pussy," and "The Star." In the second and third grades,
traditional verses from those following Number 135 in Section II may be
used. The poems by Stevenson are ideal for these grades, and those by
Field, Sherman, and Christina Rossetti are good. In addition the teacher
might select suc