Workbook teacher's manual for Grade 1 Pathway Reading Series.

Foreword

The pupils' workbook, Before We Read has been prepared especially for first graders in Amish parochial schools. Pictures have been carefully chosen to be of objects the average Amish child is familiar with. Not only was the book prepared with the children in mind, their teacher was also considered. Since the average Amish teacher has eight grades in her care, the lessons in the first-grade books have been designed to train the children to work independently with a minimum of teacher assistance.

Before We Read is recommended to be handed to the children on the very first day of school, and the teacher should help the pupils with the first lessons the same day. Though the initial lessons are simple enough that the average preschooler should be able to do them, they are very important pages. It is through discovering that "book work" is easy and interesting that the children build up the confidence they will need in tackling more difficult exercises.

The exercises in Before we Read become progressively more difficult, yet remain simple enough that the children should be able to do most of the work by themselves. To get full value of each lesson, teachers should follow this teacher's edition, then allow their imagination and that of the children to lead them into deeper and more interesting learning experiences.

Teacher's Edition for First Steps begins on page 35 of this book. You will find copies of the children's textbook pages as well as the workbook, along with teachers' instructions. This should make it convenient for the teacher to make use of the suggestions provided. Helping children understand what they read is a very important part of the teacher's role. These instructions should help you to do just that.