1068
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 32

Spelling.—Word-building, including the formation of somewhat harder words of English, French, and Latin origin, and of words containing common Greek prefixes and suffixes; also scientific and technical words in everyday use, and other words from one of the reading-books. Pupils in this class should be able to write correctly at dictation a passage from a daily newspaper, or any similar matter that is not technical in character.

Writing.—The copying from print or from fairly legible manuscript of business letters or forms, or of tabulated matter, showing bold head-lines and marking distinctions such as in letterpress require varieties of type.

Recitation.—Not less than 250 lines of suitable standard poetry or prose. A syllabus of the work done during the year to be given to the Inspector.

STANDARD VII.

English work generally as for Standard VI., but the work must be more advanced in character. The reading must include a study of one or more of the works of some standard author or authors—not less than 800 lines of poetry or 200 pages of prose in the year, or an equivalent in poetry and prose.

The subjects for the essays and other composition exercises should be such as are suited to more mature minds; especially should the pupils be practised in reproducing, in abstract or in outline, literary and other matter, and there should be training in very elementary commercial correspondence. In addition, the pupils might be expected to have a more complete knowledge of the analysis and synthesis of sentences than is required in class S6.

The English of this class need not be allotted a separate place on the time-table in schools below Grade 4.

ARITHMETIC.

39. The following shall be the complete course in arithmetic:—

PREPARATORY CLASSES.

The numbers from 1 to 20. The composition of every number up to 20 should be known, and the children should be taught to perform mentally and orally every kind of operation with these numbers that is within the mental powers of children of their age and development, and similarly to apply the power thus acquired to concrete examples and to various easy problems.

Where the preparatory classes have separate teachers, part of the work of Standard I. may be attempted also.

STANDARD I.

The numbers from 1 to 100. The composition of every number up to 100: e.g., 28 would be known (1) as 2 tens and 8 ones or units; (2) as 27 + 1, 26 + 2, 25 + 3, &c.; (3) as 14 + 14, i.e., 7 + 7 + 7 + 7, &c.; (4) as 4 sevens, 7 fours, 14 twos, 2 fourteens. Again, it should be known that ½ of 28 = 14, ¼ of 28 = 7, &c. Also that 28 + 72 = 100: thus, 28 + 2 = 30; 30 + 70 = 100. Also that 28 + 17 = 45: thus, 28 + 7 = 35; 35 + 10 = 45; &c. In short, there should be instruction to secure the power of working orally addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of the numbers 1 to 100, neither operating numbers nor the result being greater than 100.

Each number should be taught in the first instance by concrete examples, and the composition and the grouping should be similarly taught. Examples should include examples in shillings and pence; yards, feet, and inches, which should be taught by the actual measurement of the length and breadth of books, slates, desks, the class-room, of the height of a desk, of a window-sill, of the mantelpiece, of the children themselves, &c. The written work to be within the same limits.

It is recommended that subtraction should be taught by the method of complementary addition. This method is just as easy to teach as any other method, and, inasmuch as the modern contracted methods of division, practice, &c., depend upon it, the children would have nothing to unlearn at a later stage.

Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon the fact that success in teaching arithmetic is proportional to the attention given by the teacher to the oral work at every stage, but most especially in the early stages. This oral work should begin with concrete examples, which should be repeated again and again in various forms until the relationship of the numbers is grasped. When any principle is grasped it should at once be applied to new concrete problems based upon the experience of the children. The chief advantage to be gained from the written work in