DIRECTIONS TO TEACHERS
Oral spelling should always precede written spelling in the primary grades. Careful and distinct pronunciation by the child should always precede oral spelling. Children cannot be expected to spell correctly words that they cannot pronounce. It is well to emphasize the form of a word of more than one syllable by syllabication. It makes the spelling more obvious, promotes clear enunciation, and assists in creating a correct mental picture of the word. The sight words in this book are so syllabicated when first presented. A slight pause between the syllables is usually sufficient in oral spelling. In writing the words they should not be divided.
The mere “hearing” of spelling lessons is happily a thing of the past in most schools. However, teachers cannot be too strongly impressed with the worthlessness of such exercises. The primary object is to instruct, not to examine—toteach to spell correctly, not to find out how many words may be spelled incorrectly. Review lessons are frequently given, and these are sufficient for test purposes. All other lessons should be thoroughly taught with instruction the aim and object of the lesson.
The best possible preparation for teaching to spell is thoughtful, intelligent drill in phonics. As all modern methods of teaching reading give systematic phonic drills, and thus most children have had some preparation before spelling is begun, the phonetic lists in this book will be found to be easy. Not only will they be easy, if intelligently taught, but they will serve the double purpose of teaching the children to spell intelligently and independently, and of enabling them to recognize new words. In other words, the right kind of phonetic teaching may be made of great educative value, teaching at the same time both spelling and reading. Thoughtful consideration will show the teacher that a large proportion of words are strictly phonetic, i.e. “spell themselves.” In learning the spelling of one word, if the phonetic elements have been properly and thoroughly taught, the child is learning the spelling of all words containing the same phonograms. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance in the primary grades that a phonetic sense be developed and utilized.
The lists used in this book are presented first in the text as short lists, each of which precedes the use of any word of the series in dictation. Onpage 61will be found more complete lists for supplementary drill. These are numbered in the same order and are similar to those found on the Aldine Phonic Chart, which the teacher will find to be of great assistance. Drills on these complete series may well be given whenever a review or additional lesson is possible. The pupil may study from his book; quick drills may be given from the Phonic Chart; then a selected list may be dictated by the teacher. Too much intelligent drill on these phonic series cannot be given.
It has been well said that “interest is nine-tenths of education.” This is true in teaching spelling. Any means which will arouse interest in mastering words is likely to be effective. So far as our forefathers succeeded in securing results in this subject they did so by the interest in the old-fashioned “spelling bee.” Spelling matches of various sorts are desirable for creating interest. The review lists and phonetic lists will be found admirable for this purpose. It should be remembered, however, that this is testing what is already learned and is not teaching something new.
Each pupil has his own difficulties in spelling. Teach him to make private lists of the words which he finds especially hard to spell and have him use extra effort to conquer these trouble makers. These may be listed in the back of his textbook or in his individual notebook. Occasional lessons may be devoted entirely to this kind of exercise, and they should be individual and painstaking. Such words should be watched for in the other written work and misspelling prevented rather than corrected. Besides making the misspelled words the basis of a lesson they may well be correctly and carefully written on the board with the difficulty shown in colored crayon. If possible leave them in sight for several days.
Frequent reviews are given, and these should be used to test the children, to check their accomplishment, and to supply a record of their individual ability. The lists of “Initial Words of Phonetic Series” at the end of the work for each grade should be used for the same purpose, and much valuable reviewing may be done with the Series themselves. The Phonic Chart is valuable for this purpose.
That the teacher may know just what words have been taught, an alphabetical list of all sight words is given at the end of the book.
Words spelled differently but pronounced alike should be kept apart until the spelling of each has become fixed and the ability to use correctly in sentences, reasonably sure. Then only may they safely be brought together for comparison. When this is done, much care must be used that no confusion may exist in the child’s mind as to the proper use of each.
All children do not learn spelling equally well in the same way. Some are sense-organ learners, while others are largely motor-organ learners. Most children are both. In all cases the order of seeing words, hearing them pronounced, pronouncing them, spelling them aloud, and then writing them, will be found to be most effective. Appeal is thus made successively to the eye, the ear, the memory, and the hand.
In the first grade the child should be taught to spell his own name. In the second grade he should be taught the most common names of other children in the room, the name of the teacher, of the city or town, and of the state. He should be taught that these names always begin with a capital letter. Other local names of special importance may be presented at the discretion of the teacher.