River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-02-05
SPELLING.

In discussing this much neglected,
but very essential bianch of study,
shall endeavor to give my ways of
teaching it.
Pupils just beginning to learn to
read should be required to name the
letters in some of the words of their
reading lessons with open books. The
teacher selects few words from the
lesson and writes them on the black
board, in neat form, and has them
copied by the pupil. In this way the
pupil is learning to write as well as
learning to spell by the best method,
namely, the written; for, by this way,
the sense of sight IS busily engaged in
forming mental picture of the
word, while the hand is transcribing
it; and may we not believe that there
is a kind of muscular education going
on at the same time, (rehex action)
which enables us, after writing a
word many times, to write it semi
mechanically and correctly?
The pupil who is completing the
First Reader SHOULD be able to write
his lesson legibly, and then after
writing the lesson he should be requir-
ed to re-write in a list, the difficult
words of the LESSEN, each word at
least two or three times. These
words to be spelled orally in the reci-
tation.
Have the Second and Third Reader
classes copy part Of each lesson, and
| always see that thework is criticised,
as regards the spelling, either by the
teacher or by having the pupils ex-
change states. If any words are mis-
spelled, see that tiey are erased, and
rewritten correctly. A pupil can be
easily convinced that there is no ex.
cuse for misspelli1g when he has the
privilege of copying; and that it is
carelessness on hispart.
Now, / do not mean that the spell
| ling book shall he discontinued; on
the contrary, all pupils in the Second
Reader should be doing work accord
ing to some good textbook, say, Har-
rington's or Swinton's Word Book.
In the B spelling class my pupils are
required to write sentences contain
ing the words OF the spelling lesson
| ten to twenty-five i'll number-either
on states or on paper, understanding the
| words used. The class work, then, is
to have each pupil read his sentences,
and criticise the language used. Then
have states exchanged and criticised
as to spelling Of each word in the SEN
tence, also, capitalization, and term
inal marks.
The class mas some oral work to
do, and let me say that any word spell
ed should be both defined and its use
illustrated,
In my advanced class, the "A", the
work is exclusively by the "written
method, 4" something as follows:
A lesson of suitable length being as
signed and prepared, select about ten
of the words, pronounce them, and
have the pupils write, syllabify, place
accent, mark accented vowel and 9TH
er letters that shoald be marked.
Then call upon he members of the
class to spell the words, and any mis-
| spelled word is ,heckmarked and re.
toritten, also re-sIelled orally.
You may say, You seem to have
| the studies oyerlp, and would have
composition, punctuation, orthepy
and several othes things interviewer
into your spelling work. The an
swer is, Eyes; but l should make
them of secondart Importance and al
ways keep in vfw the main object.
namely; the correct spelling of the
words. The fiveshief rules of orthog-
raphy should he thoroughly taught in
the Upper Form.