Daily Lesson Plans in English — Context and Discussion

Recurring Patterns in Weekly Plans

Across both years, Griffin repeats a predictable weekly rhythm. Mondays often open with a concrete object or a question about the natural world (sunflower, weather, snowflakes). Tuesdays introduce movement or dramatization: first-year children play “Hey, diddle, diddle” by jumping over a makeshift moon; second-year students act out a dog’s vigilance. Wednesdays typically involve copying or memorizing a short poem or maxim. Thursdays return to oral discussion or storytelling, and Fridays close with listing or writing tasks. This pattern gives teachers a stable framework while varying the specific material.

Movement and Dramatization as Teaching Tools

Griffin frequently turns language lessons into physical activity. In the first week, children do not merely recite “Hey, diddle, diddle”—they become the cat, fiddle, dish, and spoon, with the “cow” stepping over a held object. Later, a lesson on verbs asks a child to demonstrate “run” or “walk” while classmates observe. The second-year story of a wise dog is first told by the teacher, then retold orally by students, and finally written in three sentences. This progression from listening to speaking to writing mirrors the embodied start of the lesson.

Observation and the Natural World

Many lessons begin by directing children’s attention to something visible: a sunflower, the day’s weather, a flag, snowflakes. Griffin uses these prompts to elicit descriptive language and to connect schoolwork to everyday experience. In September, children name flowers by color; in winter, they discuss where snow comes from and why it is called a blanket. The plans also incorporate riddles (“What am I?” about the tongue) that require children to infer from clues. These exercises train careful looking and logical thinking alongside vocabulary.

Emphasis on Cleanliness, Manners, and Memory

Griffin weaves social and moral instruction into the academic plan. In the second week of first year, children are asked who washed their faces and combed their hair, leading to a talk on cleanliness. Later, a dictation line reads “Be kind in all you say and do, That others may be kind to you.” Memorization of poems—such as Lord Houghton’s “Lady Moon”—is spread over several days, with each stanza copied and recited before the whole is performed. The combination of rote learning and gentle moralizing reflects early twentieth-century classroom values.

Griffin’s plans are best read as a teacher’s script rather than a student textbook. The daily entries assume a live classroom where children speak, move, and respond aloud. Readers interested in historical pedagogy will notice the absence of standardized testing and the presence of group recitation, object lessons, and physical play. The book offers a concrete picture of how one educator structured the first two years of English instruction in 1914, with an emphasis on oral language, observation, and polite behavior.