In no instance should material be passed to pupils and mechanical dictation be given them for the construction of a certain problem. Dictation has a value and place, but not until, a necessity has been created for the exercise, followed by a class discussion as to its value and its construction. It is not always wise to give directions verbally. The child is learning to read and to write. To give directions through reading and writing impresses him with the fact that it is really a way he can learn from others, and adds greatly in the work of the upper grades, where the child must be able to read understandingly before he is able to perform much of his work.