Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-11-05
Teaching Reading.

| Jcp w ichIu budJ bItTt lS d0OJHeT anu, as Wa
think, better way. By this method chil
dren are first taught the names of letters
without any association of idea with what
they learn. For the average child to become
familiar with the alphabet requires from
six to twelve weeks, and during that tims,
by the word method, he can learn from one
to two hundred words. In the other way all
this is to him dreary and meaningless toll.
What object can there be in his mind 10
learning the names of those strange-lookiBe
marks They are associated with nothing
he has ever seen or heard about before. he
does not know why he is made to do it, and
1t is more than probable that before the de
sired end ,is,rnaeba1, w1tn MS feading lesson.
But at last the work is accomplished-the
child can say his letters.
The difficulty has but Just begun. lie
has now before him the task of making
twenty-six letters do duty for about forty
sounds, and with mind entirely undevel-
oped he must be able to mark the distnc-
tions between the varying sounds which the
same letters have in the different positions.
He is told that some spells some, and spells
out come and calls that some, too. And
why shouldn't he 2 Again, gave is gave,
wave wave, but have is have, word
that sounds like neither Of the above. So
he goes on through the strange anomaly |;
working by faith and not by sight, sound,
or precedent; the names of letters furnish
ing very little or no guide to the pronuncia-
tion Of words. Aud this, perhaps, is one of
the greatest faults of the alphabet method.
As an illustration, take the word cat This
pronounced according to the sounds of the
letters becomes sdyte. Again, take the word
log. The name of the first letter is ell of
/ h., aaaanI ha lrnn pnnnI of of ha "a; r1
je Now if we use these sounds in the pro-
nunciation, we have el-o-gy, significant
word of very different meaning from log.
But perhaps the greatest fault in the alpha
bet method is the habit which its users ac-
quire of partially spelling every new word !;
and this is habit for in many instances the
spelling of word or the sounds of the
letters which compose it sustain no relation
to its pronunciation. 70 break up this
habit is among the most difficult of the
teachers tasks in teaching reading. No
good reader ever does more than glance at a
word or phrase as his eye runs along in ad-
vance of his voice, but by the outline aud
form of a word his mind instantly recognizes
its name. IL has ever been by learning to
recognize words as wholes, that children
who have been taught the names of letters
have learned to read for, when child has
named all the letters that enter into word
he usually knows no more about its pronun
citation than if he had not named the letters
the teacher must give him the word aud if
he forgets it, must give it again and again
until he learns to recognize it by its form,
and this is the word method with the useless
appendage of learning the names of letters.
We see that we unconsciously acquire and
use this method to the exclusion of all 9TH
ers. Why, then, should we not teach it
| from the start, since all who have used it
pronounce it much simpler and more
natural
With the advent OF new readers in which
this is the only, or only prominent, system,
we have before us the question, How shall
we teach the word method in order to bring
about the results which it is capable OF
producing when in the hands of intelligent
and ingenious teachers
The first requisite for eloquence is to I" get
full of the subject" This is not inapplica
BILE to teaching the word method, or it may
as truthfully be said of teaching anything
else. We must first study it thoroughly, thai
we may feel ourselves masters of the situa
tion. The design of this method is to teach
children to recognize words as signs of ideas
without, at first, giving any attention to the
children will as readily recognize words by
their form as they will other objects in th,
same way.
In all these early lessons the aim shoult
be to get the children to talk freely. A littl
time spent in familiar conversation is by N,
means lost. OF course no fixed rule or set o
questions can be given for each lesson, bu
the following may serve as suggestion
We will suppose the first lesson to be abou
cat Let the teacher begin by familla
conversation with the class about cal
"How many have cats at home Wha
color are they? What can you tell abou
, their size Z" Call their attention to tn
picture. "What is this Why do you say
: is a cat ? What can a cat do +? How man
think this cat can catch mice New Run
: Then why do you say this is a cat 2" b
, these and similar questions lead them. TO ca
it the picture of cat, and not real ca
When this idea is fixed and familiar, let tn
+ teacher point to the word cat and sa,
t "This is picture, too, and means Just th
- same as the picture of the cat. 1t Is a pi
J, ture of what you say when you say cat an
r we say it is the word cat" Let the teach,
t direct special attention to the word IN tn
n book, print one on the board and con
>, pare the two. "Who can tell me what tn
word is ? Can you find it again on th
Q page Can you find it on any oth'
l, page ?" Let them all lind the place. " No
= who can find cat first Z" Speak in praise
s the one who does. Get up rivalry and e
e thusiasm in the class by showing Il
,r same eagerness yourself In three or fl
,r minutes the work is done. They ha
le learned word, and no amount of reaso
s. ing would lead them to call it anything ell
| A..l . tl..xr mil of oil tlxt
in sight, without drawling out the letters I" G
lie uh, a--uh, t." and then look to +
rs teacher to find out what the word is.
r. When asked you, What is tins picture
Te some of you said a cat | will now sh,
lit you picture of what you said" The teach
points to the phrase a cat, and says, "Ths
be it, and we call it a cat. As | point TO it y
as may all speak it," Great care should
cd taken about the pronunciation OF the let
if a, as it stands connected with other wor
to 1t should be given the sound ah, and spok
ch with the other word the same as in
III word again. A common error is TO Civ,
nd the sound of a in hate. To avoid this,
to not allow the class to pronounce it alone
first, but always with the word to VIII
* it belongs. The same Is true of
to the true sound being about halfway
I'll tween thee and thy, or like the syllable
me in the word nevertheless. The effort
snt have the children give and the their pro
set sounds should be persisted in till it becoI
mt, natural, or till they give them correctly.
ige The amount 10 be accomplished at e
an lesson must, OF course, be left TO the dis
t ton and judgment of the teacher.
her have only indicated the general plan to
rim pursued. 1t is hardly necessary to cont
out these directions. To any ingenious and
is, thusiastic teacher ways that will cover Q,
hat new word will readily suggest themsel
and she will be delighted and surprise
This the aptness of her pupils in acquiring
or words. DO not try TO advance the class
,on- rapidly. One new word in day, then
OF in a lesson, then two,-making haste
sch- slowly. No spelling OF any word shoul
now attempted for few days, and no specia
8 OF fort need be made to teach the nam,
best the letters at first, as they are OF little
live to children in learning to read. After a
days, this can be begun by allowing
the child TO print the words with which
the familiar and by printing, more than in
ach- other way the child distinguishes diifere
pro- in words and learns the names OF letter
this, Too much stress can hardly be pl
upon the subject OF printing each
be lessons. This should be kept up until
least class has printed most of the matter il
than first reader. BY this practice the chill
COM besides having been kept busy. have acu