contrary, let it be intelligent, spirited, enthusiastic. Emotion comes
largely from the imagination. The pupil himself must be taught not only
to feel what he reads, but to make its meaning clear to others. It is
important that children be taught to acquire thought through the ear.

CONCERT READING.--Reading in concert is generally of little value, and
the time given to it ill-spent. It does not aid the children in getting
thought, or in expressing it fluently. As an exercise in teaching
reading it is ineffective and often positively harmful. A concert
recitation to which special training has been given partakes of the
nature of a hymn or a song, and then becomes an element of value. If
occasionally there must be concert reading in the class room, it should
always be preceded by individual mastery of the selection.

POEMS.--In the first lesson, a poem, like a picture, should be presented
as a whole, and never dissected. The teacher should first read it
through, not stopping for note or comment. He should then read it again,
part by part, stopping, for question, explanation and discussion.
Lastly, the whole poem, should be read with suitable emotion, so that
the final impression may be made by the author's own words. It is
important that the pupil get the message which the author intended to
give. In teaching a descriptive poem, make the pictures as vivid as
possible, and thus awaken the imagination. In dealing with a narrative
poem, the sequence of events must first be made clear. When this is
done, the aim should be to give fuller meaning to the story by bringing
out clearly the causes, motives and results of acts. All this will take
time. Be it so. One poem well read, well studied, is worth more than a
volume carelessly read over. In reading poetry, be careful that the
pupils, while giving the rhythm of the lines, do not fall into the
singsong tone so common and so disagreeable.

EXPLANATIONS.--Explanations should accompany every reading lesson,
without which there can be no serious teaching of the vernacular. By
their means the teacher enters into communication with his pupils; he
gets them to speak, he corrects their errors, trains their reason, and
forms their taste. It has been said that a teacher able to explain
selections in prose and poetry "holds his class in the hollow of his
hand." The teacher should insist that the pupil express himself clearly
and correctly, not only during the reading lesson, but on ever