The advance lessons, numbered 1 to 28 inclusive, contain a minimum list of 528 new words. The supplementary list contains 80 words, which although easy to spell are not so frequently used in writing letters as are the words of the minimum list. This supplementary list is meant for those schools which because of the long school term or for other reasons, finish the minimum list before the end of the term or year. The lessons marked R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, are made up of the eighty words taught in preceding grades, but which still give considerable difficulty to third grade children. They should be thoroughly mastered.
Directions for Teacher.—For the first few lessons direct your attention to systematizing class procedure and to teaching pupils how to study effectively. Read carefully again the suggestions on pagesviitoxvi.
Pupils in the third grade should be able to make their own corrections so that time may now be saved by having the pupils exchange papers during the first two tests. The teacher should continue to correct the papers written on the final test. The following suggestions will be helpful in getting the coöperation of pupils. After the papers have been exchanged say, "In writing, it is important not only that you know how to spell, but also that you make your letters so that the person who reads your paper can tell easily what you have written. This is the reason that I have asked you to exchange papers. Many people write so that certain letters cannot be told from other letters. This is true of z, g, and y; o and a; t and l; n and u; h and k. When you correct papers and cannot tell which of two letters the writer intended, mark the word wrong. Also mark it wrong if a letter has beenwritten over or a change made. Words should be learned so that they will be written correctly without hesitation the first time. Any word which has not been learned so that it may be written correctly the first time should be studied again.
"Remember that the purpose of this test is to find out which words need further study. It does not affect your grades. You will do the pupil whose paper you have a favor by marking his errors so that he may correct them. Mark each error by placing after it a cross—so (x)."
Pupils should keep a special list of words which they have missed in their compositions. These words should be studied by the same method used in studying the regular spelling lesson. Such words will not be taken up, however, in the regular lessons.
Remember that the lessons are arranged by weeks rather than by days. The work for each week consists of one advance column and one review column. The review column in each case is the fourth column preceding the advance work. That is, it is made up of a week's work one month old. For example, column 5 contains 20 new words to be learned in one week. During the same week, column 1 should be reviewed. The lesson for the first week consists of column 1, which is the advance lesson, and of column R 1, which is the review.
The advanced lessons numbered 1 to 32 inclusive contain 620 new words. The supplementary list containing 80 new words is meant for schools which because of the long term or for other reasons, finish the minimum list of words before the end of the year. The lessons marked R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, are made up of the 80 words in the third grade list which are most commonly misspelled by fourth grade children. These 80 words should be thoroughly mastered. There are also reviewed 20 homonyms which commonly are confused by children of this grade.
Directions for Teaching.—Read the preface and study with particular care the suggestions given on pagesviitoxvi. It would be well also to read the suggestions to first, second and third grade teachers. You will need to supervise the correction of papers by pupils very closely.
Remember that the lessons are arranged by weeks rather than by days. The work for each week consists of one advance column and one review column. The review column in each case is the fourth column preceding the advance work. That is, it is made up of a week's work one month old. For example, column 5 contains 20 new words to be learned in one week. During the same week, column 1 should be reviewed. The lesson for the first week consists of column 1, which is the advance lesson, and of column R 1, which is the review.