From the very beginning of the course in reading, the teacher should make sure that each pupil gets a clear conception of the thought expressed in each sentence. Without undue emphasis on grammatical analysis, the pupil should be encouraged to note the form in which the principal proposition is expressed, and the manner in which it is modified by the subordinate elements, for it is only by the careful consideration of the syntactical relations that the pupil can get accurately the thought expressed. The development of the thought through a series of sentences constituting a paragraph must be analyzed with equal care, so that the pupil may see clearly the development of the thought and the relation of each sentence to the preceding and succeeding ones and to the paragraph topic. The amount and character of analysis in each assignment of reading should be carefully determined by the teacher as he prepares his work for each day, and he must beware of having the reading lesson become merely a formal analysis of sentence and paragraph structure, for nothing more effectively kills the pupil’s interest in reading than too much of this formal analytical drill on detail. Various methods may be used to assist the pupil in grasping the thought expressed in the literature. In narration, the retelling of the story, paragraph by paragraph, from memory, will lead the pupils to get the details of the story in logical groups. In description, the pupils should be required to visualize the scene, object, or person portrayed in words. Boys and girls can readily be interested in exercises of this kind and will respond eagerly when asked to describe the mental pictures which they obtain from a given piece of description. Sketches on the blackboard to make clear the position of the details in the description and other devices tend to emphasize to the pupil the importance of reading carefully and accurately in order to get the whole thought of the author.