April 20.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1165

ENGLISH.

The object of the instruction should be to teach the Maori children to use English correctly, first in speech and afterwards in writing also. As the difficulty of the language is overcome, the work of the teacher in every branch of school work becomes less difficult, and teachers are therefore instructed to get on speaking terms in English with their pupils as soon as possible, and to spare no effort to lay a thorough foundation in this subject in the lowest classes.

The speaking of the child must at first be by pure imitation—more or less parrot-like—the echo of what the teacher says, and the language used by the teacher should, on this account, be as correct as possible, as the force of his own example is the chief instrument wherewith he has to work.

A series of conversational lessons on objects is the best method of teaching English orally. Thus the teacher may begin by showing the child an object—e.g., a hat, and causing the child to repeat after him the words “It is a hat.” When the child has acquired in this way the names of common objects thus presented to him, he may be taught in a similar manner words marking distinction—e.g., “It is my hat.” Later on the idea of place may be illustrated and such sentences as “My hat is on the peg” may be formed.

When this stage has been reached the children will be able to converse with the teacher and with their classmates in asking and answering such questions as “What is this?” “Whose is it?” “Where is it?” “What can you see?” &c.

This will form a sufficient program in English for the Preparatory Class, and an extension of this work to embrace the common plural forms, together with simple words denoting action, will suffice for Standard I.

The variety of objects presented and the number of statements made about the various objects will go far to relieve the monotony of this part of the work, and further assistance in this direction will be rendered by the use of pictures containing representations of familiar objects.

(Teachers will note that in the teaching of English by conversations on common objects actually presented to the children the requirements of the lower classes in nature-study—observation-talks on common objects—will be satisfied. This is, of course, not so in the lessons in which pictures are used instead of objects.)

In every instance teachers must insist upon answers expressed in complete sentences; questions which admit of “Yes” or “No” as a correct answer should be avoided, and the end of the sentence should be marked by the falling cadence of the voice.

Teachers are strongly advised to use the blackboard in teaching English, and the children, as they advance in reading, should be made to read from the board the sentences they have acquired in the English lesson.

In Standard II further progress should be made by combining sentences of the type formed in Standard I—e.g., “My hat is on the slate, and my book is on the desk”; “I see the hat on the slate and the book on the desk.” Words denoting kind or quality should also be introduced, and more words denoting actions performed by the children—e.g., “He holds a red book in his hand.” Practice may also be given in completing sentences given in incomplete form—e.g., “The boy —” (ran home). The sentences should be afterwards written on the blackboard, and should be read by the children. Then they may be transcribed, and, in suitable cases, learned by heart.

In the later stages in this standard some written composition consisting of simple sentences already taught in the oral composition may be taken, and the subject-matter of the reading-lessons will also be found of material use in this way. Oral instruction is, however, in every case during the first two or three years to precede written work.

In Standard III more difficult changes in the form of words should be introduced. The comparison of such adjectives as are already known to the children should be taught, the objects spoken of being still presented to their view. The simplest cases of changes in words to indicate time should now be taught, the past by conversations on actions that took place and formed the subject of an oral lesson on the previous day or during the previous week, and the future by what will take place to-morrow or next week.

Analysis of easy sentences into subject and predicate taught by the answering of such questions as “Who shot the pig?” “The man” (subject). “What did the man do?” Answer: (He) “shot the pig” (predicate). Also the joining together of easy simple sentences to form easy compound and complex sentences—e.g., “The man saw the pig”; “The man shot the pig with his gun”; “The man saw the pig and shot it with his gun”; “The man shot the pig that was in his garden.”