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NOVEMBER 2004

Guest Editorial:
An Intellectual Education for All Children

By Sandra Priest Rose

Watching the History Channel at night on the heretofore arcane subject of the War of 1812, I learned that the fires in Washington, D.C. set by the British were eventually doused by a huge thunder and rainstorm followed by a tornado that sent the British scurrying. I also learned Dolly Madison was the last to leave Washington, having been preceded by her husband and all the craven legislators, while she saved important artifacts from the White House. Why wasn’t I ever taught these exciting facts in school?

If you ever watch kindergarten children on the first day of school, you’ll see that they are all dressed carefully, hair combed or tied in ribbons, and eager to begin school. By fourth grade these bright eager children are slumped over in chairs, listlessly going through the day. Why?

School can be so much more exciting if we give students from day one of their education facts and knowledge about history, science, music and art. They come wanting to learn. Let’s capitalize on it.

First, for beginning reading instruction, all children––no matter from what social or economical group––thrive on good, systematic phonetic instruction that makes use of all sensory pathways. Comprehension begins with the word, proceeds to the sentence and then to the paragraph. As words are written, their meanings can be discussed. Teachers can help students examine words closely for meaning from first grade on. For example, Sunday means the day of the sun, Monday means day of the moon. Children are fascinated by this, and it is the beginning of a wonderful intellectual journey.

While this foundation for reading, writing and spelling is going on, a teacher can read to his or her pupils about ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia or Egypt. Together the teacher and the class can look at maps to see where these civilizations were. They can draw time lines and measure with rulers to place 3000 or 2000 B.C.E. on the line. They can sound out and write words and names pertinent to these studies, such as Mesopotamia, Hammurabi, pyramid, papyrus, (all of these words can be taught phonetically) but most important, they can expand the child’s world and make knowledge exciting. This is how to develop comprehension.

What child on a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the American Museum of Natural History didn’t want to (ghoulishly) see the mummies? But the preservation of mummies explains the religion of ancient Egypt. There is one publisher that is publishing introductory materials at first– and second–grade levels on subjects such as these, and of course, the above-mentioned museums have books and kits for teachers and parents. Teachers could also start reading Greek myths and proceed to studying ancient Greece. Soon, with a good direct instruction and phonetic foundation in reading, second and third graders will be able to read for themselves siÍmple books on these subjects.

These explorations will also make the classroom more exciting for the teacher as he or she broadens his own world in trying to find materials for the children. Art, science, even arithmetic become integral to these studies, not peripheral.

All children can absorb new knowledge, then read about the subject on their own level. We just have to expose every child to an education that really challenges the intellect.

Sandra Priest Rose is a reading consultant and Founding Trustee of Reading Reform Foundation www.readingreformny.org

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