2.
2.
ELEMENTS IN LEARNING TO READ.
Since language is composed of thought, symbol, and sound, the main elements to be considered in learning to read are the thought, the symbol, and the phonic elements.
THE THOUGHT ELEMENT.
The Purpose of the Thought Element.The problem of elementary reading is to establish a permanent association between the written or the printed symbols and the thoughts which they represent. The thought is all-important; it is the vitalizing element in learning to read. In learning to talk the child associates the meaning with the spoken symbol; in learning to read he associates a thought content with a sight symbol. The strength of the association depends in each case upon the worth the thought has for the child; hence the great necessity of giving especial attention to the thought element in learning to read.
Action Sentences.A sentence is the unit of language and the life-giving factor in the process of learning to read. It is important, therefore, that in the beginning the child should form the habit of grasping sentences. In the first reading lessons it is necessary to find subjects which interest the child and furnish clear mental pictures. Children are interested in actions. They like to move and will read for the purpose of performing an action. Action sentences appeal to all children, because that which a child does makes a deep impression and involves large self-activity.
Nursery Rhymes.Children are so influenced by rhythm that it is impossible to train them aright without giving due consideration to this form of expression. There are many interesting complete rhymes and poems that are valuable for reading lessons. In content the poetry of childhood should contain familiar images, tinged with enough of mystery to give that subtle mingling of sense and nonsense which stirs the imagination of the child and also relates him to the actual world in which he lives. The Mother Goose melodies fulfil these conditions, but it is the rhythm far more than the thought that attracts the child. Have the children learn the rhymes by ear and recite them with no thought other than that they are to be enjoyed. Incidentally, they will afford valuable exercise in pronunciation, articulation, and tone modulation, if the teacher is careful about these matters, for children are great imitators. Later the children will read these rhymes and poems with great pleasure, thus associating a valuable thought content with its printed symbol in a way that will make the association abiding.
Stories.Children express in action, and ultimately in character, the influences which they receive from stories. Therefore, stories containing true and good ideals should be selected. Children appreciate and love what appeals to the best and the highest in them. Nursery rhymes, fables, fairy lore, and classic myth should be used. They have nourished the race, and will also feed the soul life of the individual child. The outer form varies with the age and the country, but the inner meaning is of the spirit and will outlast the centuries. Every teacher should, therefore, carefully cultivate the art of story-telling. It is far better to present a story orally than to read it from a book. If it is told, the teacher can adapt it to the needs of her classes, and by the magnetism of voice, eye, and personality awaken an abiding love for good literature. At a later period the child will enjoy reading these same stories in the reading books of the first and second grades.
Observation Lessons.Observation and description should precede reading in the early lessons. The teacher may write on the blackboard simple sentences based upon these observations and descriptions. Anything in the environment of the home or the school which interests the child should be utilized. Encourage the children to observe their household pets and to tell the other children about them. Whatever the child makes in the time devoted to handicraft, or observes in the nature lessons, or plays in the recreation period may be used as material for reading lessons. Color is so intimately connected with the emotional life that its value and importance should be recognized.
THE SYMBOL ELEMENT.
Use.All thought which rises to the plane of self-consciousness is communicated by means of a material, a pictorial, or a lingual symbol. The thought element and the symbol element are two sides of the same thing, namely, language. They form theimpressionandexpressionof language, and hence of social communication and identity.
Kinds of Symbols.There are two kinds of symbols which must be mastered in learning to read, namely, the vocal and the graphic, appealing respectively to the ear and to the eye. These symbols are made by the voice and the hand, and are recognized by the ear and the eye. They must always be regarded in the light of that which they represent in connection with elementary reading, whether used in receiving or expressing thought. This thought must be kept clearly in mind in silent and oral reading, in word repetition, and in word drill. It will aid also in the spelling and the phonic work of the children.
THE PHONIC ELEMENT.
Definition.The phonic element deals with articulate sounds and the letters or the symbols which represent them. Here, as elsewhere in learning to read, the unity between meaning and symbol—impression and expression—must be kept clearly in mind. The spoken symbol implies training in pronunciation, enunciation, articulation, inflection, and all that makes for clear understanding and agreeable oral expression of thought. Ear and voice, eye and hand, are tools which must be trained to work with automatic perfection as the means in communicating thought.
Purpose.The purpose of the phonic lesson is the association of a sound with its written or printed symbol, so that the child will be able to get and to express the sound when the symbol is presented to him. The sight symbol and the sound symbol should be so thoroughly associated that immediately upon the presentation of either one of them the other will appear in consciousness.
Ear and Voice Training.It is of the utmost importance that children be given a broad experience with sound in the way of ear and voice training exercises for a few weeks before the formal study of phonics is begun. These exercises may be carried on in connection with the thought development in learning to read and in the music work. In the nature work the children should be trained to listen to bird note, insect hum, and other sounds of nature. Story-telling is most helpful in this ear training. It should begin in the first grade and continue through the entire elementary school period. The reading of poems aloud should be a regular part of the school program, not only to stimulate the imagination, but also to give the enjoyment that comes from the cadence of rhythmic language and to train the ear to make fine discriminations. Ear training and voice culture are so intimately related that it is impossible to cultivate one without cultivating the other, for they sustain to each other the vital relation of impression and expression.
Phonic Facts.The question of the exact number of elementary sounds in the English language is still unsettled. This Manual is based on the belief that there are forty-five elementary sounds in the English language, twenty vowel sounds and twenty-five consonant sounds. The difficulty in mastering the phonic element in learning to read English is greatly increased because some of the elementary sounds are represented by two letters, asthinthin,eainhead; and some sounds are represented by two or more symbols, aseinher,uinturn, andiinfirm. It is neither necessary nor desirable that little children should learn all the equivalent symbols; nor is it considered wise to give to children all of the forty-five elementary sounds. Forty is the number taught in the phonic lessons of this Manual. Use has determined the order of presentation.
1.Vowel Sounds.The vowels are always pure sound. They express the emotions and are the rhythmic, musical element which gives language its beauty. There are many equivalent spellings for the twenty elementary vowel sounds in the English language. Those most frequently used are found on page 113; the others will be learned unconsciously as the child develops. See page 113 for a scientific arrangement of the vowel sounds.2.Consonant Sounds.The consonants limit and define sound. Of the twenty-five elementary consonant sounds, ten have no vocal quality whatever. They are commonly known as breath sounds—f, h, k, p, s, t, ch, sh, th, wh. With the exception ofh, every one of these breath sounds has its corresponding vocal sound:fvocalizedbecomesvp""bt""dth (thin)""th (then)wh""wk""gs""zch""jsh""zh
1.Vowel Sounds.The vowels are always pure sound. They express the emotions and are the rhythmic, musical element which gives language its beauty. There are many equivalent spellings for the twenty elementary vowel sounds in the English language. Those most frequently used are found on page 113; the others will be learned unconsciously as the child develops. See page 113 for a scientific arrangement of the vowel sounds.
2.Consonant Sounds.The consonants limit and define sound. Of the twenty-five elementary consonant sounds, ten have no vocal quality whatever. They are commonly known as breath sounds—f, h, k, p, s, t, ch, sh, th, wh. With the exception ofh, every one of these breath sounds has its corresponding vocal sound:
See p. 112 for a scientific arrangement of the consonant sounds.
3.Phonograms. In all the phonic lessons used in this Manual aphonogram is the symbol of a sound group, usually composed of a single vowel sound combined with a single consonant sound. For example,ingins-ingis a phonogram, but insee-ingit is a syllable.
3.Phonograms. In all the phonic lessons used in this Manual aphonogram is the symbol of a sound group, usually composed of a single vowel sound combined with a single consonant sound. For example,ingins-ingis a phonogram, but insee-ingit is a syllable.
Diacritical Marks.Useless phonograms are a burden rather than a help; therefore the child should learn only those which he actually uses. For this reason it is not advisable to use diacritical marks during the earlier stages of learning to read. They make the symbol complex and cumbersome, and at the same time their need and great value do not become apparent until the child begins to use the dictionary, say, in the fourth school year. In the earlier stages of learning to read, symbols acquire meaning by being constantly associated with their respective sounds and thoughts. Habits of pronunciation are formed by always attaching the samesound values to letters and groups of letters. When a child forms an image of a word burdened with diacritical marks, he must later form an image of the word without these. When children are taught to look for diacritical marks their imaging power is centered upon the markings of the words instead of the thoughts for which these words stand; hence it takes longer to get the thought, and as a consequence they are apt to be slow readers. Rapid readers are usually thoughtful readers, because they have the power to grasp quickly a large number of words and to interpret them in mental pictures.
Phonic Drill.Phonic drill and reading are distinct processes and should be taught at different periods of the day during the first two years of school. The purpose of the elementary reading lesson is to associate permanently the thought and the symbols which represent it, so that the thought can be gained from the written or printed language. The purpose of the elementary phonic lesson is to associate permanently sounds and the characters which represent them, so that new words can be readily recognized. Both processes are necessary in teaching reading, but phonic lessons should be relegated to a subsidiary place so that they may not become an impediment to the main purpose.
Phonic Method.In the phonic method sight words are analyzed into their elements, which are then combined in new relations to form new words. These new combinations of familiar elements in new relations are recognized again and again, until the association grows permanent, and so new words are acquired. Consonant sounds are recognized as initial, final, and medial. Next the phonogram element is analyzed into its vowel and consonant sounds. By means of familiar symbols the child has the power to pronounce new words. A knowledge of individual symbols is the foundation uponwhich the sight recognition of words rests; hence the necessity of rapid and varied drills.
The method suggested in this Manual for phonic lessons is as follows:
1. Separate sight words into their consonant sounds and phonograms.2. Separate phonograms into their consonant and vowel sounds.3. Associate these sound elements with their symbols.4. Combine the sound elements to form new words (Phonic Synthesis).5. Teach initial and final syllables as phonograms.
1. Separate sight words into their consonant sounds and phonograms.
2. Separate phonograms into their consonant and vowel sounds.
3. Associate these sound elements with their symbols.
4. Combine the sound elements to form new words (Phonic Synthesis).
5. Teach initial and final syllables as phonograms.