“Essentials” is unremarkable in its physical appearance. It features a few paintings and photographs, and some drawings, but nothing comparable to the illustrations in our modern readers and grammars. Approximately 5 by 7 inches, its exterior is small, drab, and worn, so much so that it’s impossible to tell whether the original cover was green or blue.
Bricks Make Buildings
“Essentials of English” begins by introducing the student to the sentence, specifically to declarative and interrogative sentences. This is a logical first step, as the sentence is the marrow and bone of the English language. Throughout the rest of the book, Pearson and Kirchwey introduce students to other kinds of sentences along with plenty of practice in writing them.Today, we call this technique incremental learning. Much as a mason builds a home brick by brick, incremental learning gives students small bits of information in a logical order, all with a final object in mind: mastery of the subject. In “Essentials of English,” students first learn the basic construction of the sentence, after which Pearson and Kirchwey in each new lesson add another piece to that puzzle—the use of capital letters for proper names, apostrophes, direct and indirect quotes, and so on.
The benefits of this method extend beyond the subject studied. Without being directly instructed, students absorb concepts about order and logical sequences, a habit of thinking for life.
‘Repetitio Est Mater Studiorum’
That’s the old Latin tag for “Repetition is the mother of studies.”Many modern educators frown on memorization, contending that rote learning may eliminate comprehension. Others argue there’s little reason to learn a poem by heart when students can bring up the verse in an instant on their phones.
But these critics miss the point. Poetry, the times tables, historical dates—it not only exercises the brain to memorize such things, but the acquired information becomes a part of the students’ intellectual luggage, carried with them wherever they go.
In “Essentials of English,” memorization, repetition, and review are the keys to learning and retention. On page 7, for instance, fourth graders are asked to read some proverbs, or “wise sayings that have come down to us from olden times.” These include such adages as “Many hands make light work,” “A penny saved is a penny earned,” and “It takes two to make a quarrel.” After discussing the meaning of each proverb, they are asked to memorize the three “they like best,” and then write them from memory.
The Good Stuff
The stories and verse used by Pearson and Kirchwey constantly deepen the student’s familiarity with their culture, traditions, and the past.Here are poems by the likes of Lord Alfred Tennyson and Oliver Wendell Holmes, maxims by the dozens, incidents and biographical sketches from American and European history, and folk tales from other countries—all with sets of questions to spark discussion and thought, accompanied by oral and written exercises.
Lighting a Flame
“Essentials of English” exists “to promote growth in language power by giving constant practice in the use of language under stimulating conditions” and “to stimulate the pupils to speak and write the language with freedom, clearness, and correctness.”On the last page of “Essentials of English” is a list of sayings and sentences for practice in the parts of speech. Among these is “How great a fire a little spark kindleth!” Like those parents and teachers of a century ago, let’s make it our goal to strike a flame in the hearts and minds of our children.