unately
every lesson cannot be made so enthralling that the pupil's mind is kept
upon it in spite of distractions. To prevent this possible waste of
time, suggestions have already been made in another connection (page 112
above). These will bear repetition here. Questions upon the matter to be
studied might be placed on the black-board and pupils asked to prepare
answers for these. The difficulty with this plan is, that, unless the
questions are carefully thought out by the teacher, the pupils may get
from their reading only a few disconnected facts instead of organized
knowledge. The pupils might be asked to prepare lists of questions for
themselves, and the one who had the best list might be permitted to put
his questions to the rest of the class. The difficulty here is that
most pupils have a tendency to question about what is unimportant and
to neglect the important. In the higher classes, the pupils might be
required to make a topical outline of the lesson studied. This requires
considerable analytic ability, and the results at first are likely to be
disappointing. However, it is an ability worth striving for. The
individual who can readily outline what he has read has mastered the art
of reading.

=Use of Study Lessons.=--There is a danger that the study lesson may be
used too much or too little. In an ungraded school containing many
classes, the teacher may be tempted to rely solely upon the study lesson
as a means of intellectual advancement. Used exclusively it becomes
monotonous, and the pupils grow weary of the constant effort required.
On the other hand, in the graded school, where a teacher has charge of
only one class, there will be a tendency to depend entirely on the oral
presentation of lessons, to the exclusion of the text-book altogether.
The result is that pupils do not cultivate the power to obtain knowledge
from books. The study lesson should alternate with the oral lesson, so
that monotony may be avoided, and the pupils will reap the undoubted
benefits of both methods.

THE RECITATION LESSON

=Purpose of the Recitation Lesson.=--The recitation lesson is the
complement of the study lesson. Its purpose is to test the pupil's grasp
of the facts he has read during the study period. Incidentally the
teacher clears up difficulties and corrects misconceptions on the part
of the pupil. The facts of the text-book may be amplified from the
teacher's stock of information. Abstract facts may be illustrat