Oral Spelling
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.
Testing
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—to teach to spell correctly, not to find out how many words may be spelled incorrectly. Review lessons should be given frequently, and these are sufficient for test purposes. All other lessons should be thoroughly taught with instruction the aim and object of the lesson.
Interest
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 interest in the old-fashioned “spelling-bee.” Spelling matches of various sorts are desirable for creating interest. The review lists and special 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.
Pupils’ Lists
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 note book. 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.
Homophones
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.
Order of Presentation
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.
Enunciation
Poor enunciation is a common source of incorrect spelling. Occasionally test your pupils on sounding words. See to it that they learn to give the right value to the vowel sounds and do not omit any that should be sounded. Do not permit in for ing, final ed to be sounded like t, or “body” to be sounded “buddy.” Remember that “A word correctly pronounced is half spelled.”
Proper Names
No place has been given in this book to proper names, since the needs of different classrooms vary so widely. They must be thoroughly taught, however, and it is the teacher’s duty to teach such proper names as her pupils need to use. Strongly emphasize the fact that these proper names always begin with a capital letter.
Using the Stories
Read the stories, “The Two Scouts” and “The Two Boys” with the pupils. See that they understand the meaning and the object of telling these stories. Keep them before the pupils by constant application to their own efforts. If you wish, you may keep records of the work of the scouts, giving the successful ones decorations—stars or crosses on the blackboard, or on especially prepared charts.
Careful Teaching
In teaching every lesson, do your part by pronouncing every word clearly and correctly; by requiring the children to do the same, paying especial care to final d, t, and ing; by training the child really to see the word, calling attention to silent letters, unusual combinations, and applying the rules that are given in their books.
Use and Meaning
Remember, it is not enough that children pronounce and spell words correctly. They should know the meaning and how to use each word. To help them to make the words in their book part of their vocabulary, certain devices are used.
1. Many of the words are grouped in their natural connection—school words, letter words, business and trade words, journey words, etc. A few suggestions showing how these group words may be used are given in the book. Oral work should always precede the written work. See Lesson 89, Sixth Year, for illustration. See that the children’s sentences are well expressed before allowing any writing. Perhaps it will not be necessary to write at all. It is necessary that every child should know how to use and spell the words correctly.
2. When a word is taught, one or more of its common derivatives are given,—a saving in study of the spelling lesson, and an added clearness to meaning. For illustrations see Lessons 39 and 42.
3. Well-selected quotations from the best sources are given, showing the words used correctly. Many of these quotations should be memorized; some should be dictated; some are to be reproduced; some are to be copied, substituting other words in place of underlined words; all are to be read intelligently, that the pupils may learn the true meaning of the words by meeting them in their right context.
Spelling Demons
On pages 11 and 12 is a remarkable list of words frequently misspelled. They are given here by permission of the compiler, Dr. W. F. Jones of the University of South Dakota. He has happily named them the “One Hundred Spelling Demons of the English Language.” As the result of a most exhaustive and careful investigation he finds them to be not only the most commonly misspelled words, but frequently and persistently to be misspelled in all grades.
These words have been taught and frequently reviewed. Call the children’s attention over and over again to the difficulties in them. Use some of them daily. Hold the children to the correct spelling of them in all written work. Make opportunities to use them. Keep a record in plain sight, showing the children’s progress in conquering them. Make the mastery of these words a matter personal to yourself, even to the extent of considering your teaching a failure if every child in the fifth year does not form the habit of correctly spelling this list. Call attention to these pages at the beginning of the year, and arouse the children’s interest and ambition to master the words as early as possible.
On page 49 is given another list of lesser “demons.” The sixth-grade teacher should in like manner hold herself responsible for this list. Keep on urging and testing until each child has mastered his particular “word demons.”
Review Lists
On pages 27-28 and 65-66 are lists of words for review. These are selected from “The One Thousand Commonest Words” as found by Dr. Ayres, and are here used by permission. Without special study, at least seventy-nine per cent of those given on pages 27-28 were spelled correctly by the fifth-grade children in eighty-four cities in the United States, and at least seventy-nine per cent of those given on pages 65-66 were spelled correctly by the sixth-grade children in the same schools. Careful teaching should give a much higher percentage.
The Vocabulary
The vocabulary, alphabetically arranged for each year, will be found on pages 29 and 67. Encourage the children to use this vocabulary to check up the words that they are positive they can spell correctly, and for reference in finding any word they may wish to use in their written work. These lists of words may also be used for oral spelling matches or written reviews.
Summary
To sum up: Arouse a spelling interest; develop a spelling sense; teach the children how to study intelligently; review constantly; keep definite records of progress; find each child’s “word demons” and master them; do thoughtful teaching.