GRADE A-EIGHTH YEAR.

STUDIES.

Reading, including Spelling, Defining, Analysis of Words, Vocal Culture and Declamation; Object Lessons, Mental Arithmetic, completed and reviewed; Written Arithmetic, completed and reviewed; Geography, completed and reviewed; United States History, Drawing, Music, Composition; German, if desired by parents or guardians.

BOOKS.

MCGUFFEY'S Sixth Reader and Spelling-Book, RAY's Second and Third Arithmetics, Metrical System of Weights and Measures, Young Singer's Manual, HARVEY'S Grammar, Eclectic Intermediate Geography and Wall Maps, ANDERSON'S Grammar School History of the United States, QUACKENBOS' Aid to English Composition, FORBRIGER'S Drawing Tablets. Prose and Poetical Selections (for teachers only).

DIRECTIONS FOR TEACHERS.

SPELLING.

All the words in the reading lessons; all written exercises and selected words in geography.

Pupils shall take the remainder of the book, except

Longitude and time; aliquots; duties; second case in insurance; exchange of currencies, duodecimals, and all after cube root.

HISTORY.

Complete the text-book. See directions Grade B, History.

PENMANSHIP.

Principals may, at their discretion, use the time now given to Penmanship, in whole or in part, for any other branch of study needing it; taking care, however, that all written exercises shall be executed with due regard to improvement in this branch.

MUSIC.

Pupils in this Grade shall review the Course laid down in B Grade; shall also study exercises and songs in the Young Singer's Manual in all the keys there laid down.

COMPOSITION.

1. Pupils of this Grade shall be required to write compositions from their Reading Lessons, and to reproduce stories read to them or told them by the teachers.

2. They shall be required to write a sketch of what they heard, saw, read, or did yesterday, and of what they hope to do at some future time.

3. Pupils shall be required to translate the pictures and engravings exhibited to them for the purpose, into a written composition.

4. Pupils shall write descriptions of actions performed in their presence; shall turn poetry into prose; shall be taught to write business letters, also letters descriptive of places they have visited; and they shall write short biographical sketches of some of the eminent men of our country.

5. They shall also write on subjects selected from their Course in Natural Science.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS-FOR ALL GRADES.

COMPOSITION.

Teachers are expected to exercise a discretion in selecting such objects, particularly in the lower grades, as shall be attractive to pupils, and may be easily described.

In all the exercises the greatest care shall be taken to have all the words used, correctly spelled and their meaning understood.

The corrections of mistakes in orthography and syntax, in all the Grades, shall be, as far as practicable, the work of the pupils themselves.

Teachers are especially to keep in mind that they are not, in any stage of the foregoing course, to do the work of their pupils; and that the object of the course is to train up thinkers, having forms of expression peculiarly their own, not mere copyists of the thoughts and language of others.

Every pupil in whose grade composition is required to be taught, shall record, neatly, uncorrected by others, and preserve for inspection at the annual examination, at least one composition for each month of the school year.

Grammar shall be taught practically in all the grades, in connection with composition.

GRAMMAR.

In all the grades, both of the District and Intermediate Schools, particular attention shall be given to the correction of false syntax, and to the construction of written sentences.

MUSIC.

There shall be no written examination on the theory of Music in any of the grades of the District Schools. Oral examinations by the Superintendent of Music shall be held at the close of the year.

SELECTIONS FOR MEMORIZING.

The teachers are expected to write on the blackboards the selections for the week; to see that the pupils thoroughly understand the meaning of each word

and sentence, that they give the substance of each passage in their own language, and make the proper application of the same before requiring them to commit it to memory.

The teachers of the upper grades are expected, also, to give short biographical sketches of the most prominent authors named.

All the selections are to be recited, in concert and individually, from the platform.

One hour per week is to be given to this work in each of the grades.

GYMNASTICS.

Shall be optional for the girls of the three grades, at the discretion of the Principal of the school.

MORAL INSTRUCTION.

Moral Instruction must be given in all the grades by the respective teachers, in such a manner as may be prescribed by the Principals.

TEXT-BOOKS USED

AND

Course of Study Pursued

IN THE

GERMAN DEPARTMENT.

DISTRICT SCHOOLS.

STUDIES.

GRADES H AND G.-Object Lessons and Language Exercises; Reading, Spelling, Writing, Singing and Drawing.

GRADES F AND E.-Object Lessons, Reading and Declamation, Spelling, Writing, Grammar, Composition, Singing and Drawing.

GRADE D.-Reading and Declamation, Spelling, Writing, Grammar and Composition.

BOOKS.

The Board to furnish movable German letters for H Grade, and pictures for the instruction in Object Lessons. The pupils shall have uniform writing-books in each grade, and the following Readers:

GRADE G.--Lesebuch fuer Amerikanische Volksschulen, Part First.

GRADE F.-The same, Part Second.

GRADE E.-The same, Part Third.

GRADE D.-BODE's New German Fourth Reader.

OBJECT LESSONS AND LANGUAGE EXERCISES.

GRADE H.-The Object Lessons in this and the next higher grade shall be arranged with regard to the difficulty of the sentences to be used. They shall begin with the simplest and easiest form of sentences, and gradually advance to the more difficult forms, in the following order, viz.:

1. Names of objects, given in the forms of sentences.

2. Description of objects in respect to their qualities.

3. Number of objects. Use of the plural form of nouns.

4. Description of two or more objects of the same kind in regard to their qualities.

5. Thorough review exercises in the singular and plural forms of nouns.

6. Parts of objects to be named in sentences.

7. Description of the parts.

8. Comparison of objects in respect to their qualities.

9. Material of objects.

10. Manufacturers of different articles.

II. Place of objects, and their position in regard to other objects. Use of prep

ositions.

12. Actions. Use of the verbs in the different persons of the present tense. 13. Uses of things.

14. General review; i. e., oral description of any object in the prescribed list, in regard to each of the above objects.

15. Short and easy stories and poems.

REMARK.-No new form of sentence should be attempted before the pupils are familiar with the use of the preceding forms.

1. Objects in the school-room.

LIST OF OBJECTS.

2. Objects in the dwelling-house.

3.. Objects in the street.

4. Parts of the human body.

5. Clothing.

6. Food.

7. Some familiar animals and plants.

GRADE G.-Same as Grade H, but the exercises are to be both oral and written. Words whose orthography is too difficult for the pupils of this Grade should be avoided in the written exercises.

GRADE F.-Domestic animals, domestic birds, a reptile, a fish, an insect, some familiar flowers, fruit, articles of food, some tools.

GRADE E.—Six familiar mammals, three birds, two reptiles, a fish, some insects. Six to eight familiar plants and flowers. Some minerals.

N. B.-The subjects for Grades G, F and E are to be selected from the respective readers. GRADE D.-Explanations of the Reading Lessons.

READING.

GRADE H.-Reading by sound.

GRADE G.-Through the First Reader. Lessons 23, 36, 44, 60, 80, 121, 86, 125, 83, 110, 92, to be memorized.

GRADE F.-Through the Second Reader, omitting the last five lessons. sons 6, 12, 25, 31, 13, 37, 63, 73, 4, 74, to be memorized.

Les

GRADE E.-Through the Third Reader, omitting the first part. Lessons on pages 142, 88, 40, 114, 122, 42, 128, 86, 89, 144, to be memorized.

GRADE D.—Thirty-six selected lessons in the Fourth Reader. Lessons 38, 109, 118, 12, 20, 32, 81, 84, to be memorized.

GRADE H:

SPELLING.

1. Frequent exercises in spelling by sound, to distinguish between similar sounds.