Produced by John Hagerson, Kevin Handy, Renald Levesque and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
[Illustration: El Alcázar de Segovia]
A FIRST
SPANISH READER
_WITH QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY_
BY ERWIN W. ROESSLER, PH.D.
=CHAIRMAN OF THE MODERN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT HIGH SCHOOL OF COMMERCE,
NEW YORK, N.Y.=
AND
ALFRED REMY, A.M.
HIGH SCHOOL OF COMMERCE, NEW YORK, N.Y.
_Pen Drawings by CLARENCE ROWS_
AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY NEW YORK CINCINNATI CHICAGO
This Reader is the outgrowth of a desire for a textbook that combines
simplicity with variety. To make it available for use almost at the very
beginning of the Spanish course only the present tense has been employed
in the first twenty-three selections and difficult constructions have
been consistently avoided.
With one or two exceptions, many changes have been made in the
selections taken from Spanish authors in order to adapt them to the
needs of the beginner. The greater part of the reading material,
however, is either original or adapted from other languages. The
questions are intended to aid the pupil in the preparation of his
lessons. Teachers may alter or amplify these questions as they see fit.
Suggestions as to the method of treating the text may seem impertinent
to some. The authors however merely wish to suggest a method which they
have successfully employed:
I. Regular preparation of the advance lesson should be made as follows:
_a_. Reading of the text by the teacher, a sentence at a time. Each
sentence to be translated by a pupil after the new words have been
explained by the teacher, in Spanish if possible.
_b_. A second reading by the teacher, followed by chorus reading of the
class.
II. At home the pupil should read the text aloud several times and copy
the text once or twice, then study it carefully.
III. In the recitation, translation should be reduced to a minimum, thus
allowing a maximum of time for conversation based upon the text. There
should also be considerable blackboard work consisting of the questions
and answers that were given orally. Repetition of answers by the entire
class as well as chorus reading are also profitable. After the reading
selection has been thoroughly mastered, oral and written résumés should
be given by the pupils.
The authors wish to thank the firm of A. P. Schmidt of Boston for
permission to reprint the songs _Bolero_ and _Me gustan Todas_. They are
especially indebted to Dr. Manuel Barranco for many valuable suggestions
and for assistance in proof reading.
ERWIN W. ROESSLEE
ALFRED REMY