1066
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 32

“predicate” (which, indeed, need not be used at all at this stage, although their use may be found convenient), but the ability to break up a sentence into its two parts. This power will probably be gained most easily by the answering of such questions as “Who hit the cat with a stone?” Answer: “The bad boy” (subject). “What did the bad boy do?” or “What is said about the bad boy?” Answer: “(He) hit,” &c. (predicate).

The sentences should be direct statements of simple character. The chief word of the subject should be identified as a name or “noun,” or as a substitute for a name (as a pronoun), and the essential part of the predicate as a verb. Synthesis of sentences to correspond, supplying subjects where predicates are given, or vice versâ, and so forming complete sentences. The synthetic exercises might embrace the joining-together of simple sentences to form easy compound or complex sentences (the terms “simple sentence,” “compound sentence,” “complex sentence,” need not be known): e.g., “Tom saw the cat — Tom hit the cat with a stone”; “Tom saw the cat and hit it with a stone”; or “When Tom saw the cat he hit it with a stone,” &c.

Oral and written composition: The pupils should be able to write several consecutive sentences on subjects that have been dealt with in oral composition exercises, using easy connectives such as “who,” “which,” “when,” “and,” “but,” “for,” “because,” “while,” &c.

Writing.—Continued instruction in the formation of letters and junctions, and of figures. Transcription of easy prose or poetry, including the use of the full stop, the comma, the notes of interrogation and exclamation, and the use of inverted commas.

Spelling. — Dictation of words from the reading-book and of easy sentences. Word-building continued. Spelling of all common words contained in one of the reading-books. Common homonyms, as their, there; air, e’er, ere, heir; to, too, two, &c.

Some such scheme of word-building is recommended as the following, which is based upon a more complete treatment of the various vowel sounds than has been given in earlier classes—e.g., father, papa, fah, lah, aunt; fat, ant, attach, &c.; gate, cage, mare, mane, dame, ancient, &c.; bait, maid, saint, remain, pair, &c.; stray, betray, spray, &c.; eight, rein, reign, neighbour, &c.; set, get, &c.; health, breast, &c.; heifer, said &c.; been, eve, succeed, precede, teach, piece, believe, receive, machine &c.; live, engine, build, guinea, forfeit, &c.; all, awl, alter, gaunt, naughty fought, &c.; top, cough, knowledge, &c.; bone, loaf, toe, potato, snow, follow, &c.; cut, tough, dove, son, &c.; flute, pool, true, soup, shoe, through &c.; full, good, could, &c.; find, dine, try, dye, sigh, height, buy, guide &c.; boy, boil, buoy, &c.; cow, found, plough, nikau, &c.; pew, due, mule beauty, feudal, &c.

Recitation.—Not less than 150 lines of suitable standard poetry. A syllabus of the work done during the year to be given to the Inspector.

STANDARD IV.

Reading.—Two books, suited to children of ten or eleven years of age; treated as for Standard III.

Composition.—Analysis, synthesis, and variation of the form of very easy sentences. The recognition of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, by their functions in easy sentences. Distinction between singular and plural, between past and present, present and future, taught by examples and by the variation of simple sentences. Correction of common errors of the spoken and the written language corresponding to this stage. Oral description in consecutive sentences of simple objects or phenomena, or of simple incidents, or of pictures, or the oral reproduction of easy stories and fables. Written composition to correspond. Letter-writing.

Writing.—Transcription of prose or of the poetry learnt for recitation, with due regard to paragraphs or to the lines and stanzas of the poetry, and to all punctuation marks. Copying simple invoices relating to ordinary retail trades.

Spelling. — Word-building continued; other words from one of the reading-books. Dictation suited to this stage.

The word-building might include the formation of plurals (regular and irregular) of nouns, and of the particles and past tenses of verbs; also words with silent consonants and vowels more completely treated than before—e.g., climb, palm, yacht, design, bough, height, ghost, honest, thyme, carriage, business, knowledge, wrinkle, castle, sword, autumn, &c.

Recitation.—Not less than 150 lines of poetry as before, but suited to this stage. A syllabus of the work done during the year to be given to the Inspector.