The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-08-27
MUM Der 10
EDUCATIONAL.
Tho Question of Oral Spelling and fits
Many Advantages Fully Considered.
Public Opinion on Various Topics by Our
Educational Teachers.
ORAL SPELLING.

ORAL SPELLING.
DO l believe in oral spellingp Yes,
most emphatically. Why? Because
experience has taught me that l can't
get good written spelling without it.
have tried it both ways.
taught for several years under q
superintendent who used to scowl up his
forehead, strike his fist down upon the
desk with resOunding blow, and in
quire in laundering accents: What is
the use of oral spelling? What is there
practical about itp When is it ever
used, except in old-fashioned spelling
matchesp Never! Then why will you
waste your time upon it?"
This would happen about once a
month, in teachers meetings. i was
younger then than l am now by a good
many years. The repetition of this
frightful demonstration caused me to
bury oral spelling very deep in the past,
and to be ashamed to mark its grave to
show that ever had an affection for it.
l suppose l should have built it a huge
monument out of despised spelling
books.
1t stayed buried about three years,
with its ghost haunting me all the time;
no imaginary ghost either, as the hor-
rible spelling on states and paper would
testify. began to be discouraged,-n
by that time was utterly discouraged.
had become better acquainted with
my superintendent, and knew that
when he told lis to work out our plans
and follow our own individuality, that
he meant it, and would wait patiently
for the result. Still, was always afraid
of him, and am to this day. When he
was down on thing. he was very much
down on it; and he was down on oral
spelling,-(and Colburn's arithmetic;
my beloved Colburn's). So didn't
dare tell him was resurrecting it; but
/ would manage to sly in an oral-spell-
ing lesson of about ten minutes duration
every day. would nave old-fashioned
spelling-matches, side pitted against
side, to further my plan.
1t was dreary work at first; such slow,
agonizing spelling would have driven
you distracted; aad I didn't wonder at
it when they didn't know the names of
the letters, and would call an M an n,
and g. j, and q, p. am not talking
about small scholars. but children who
had been to school two years or more.
Az first couldn't begin to get around
the class in the allotted ten minutes.
Then 1 found it was of no use to try to
begin with words that they ought to
know,-words of six letters or more.
But l made myself list of three-letter
words,-every word could find in COM
mon use.--and began to drill on that.
Soon they could spell those with some
rapidity. Next, made list of four
letter words, and taught them to build
from the three-letter. Those lists of
words are in use in my schools now.
DO you know how many four-letter
nine hundred, believe. But not nearly
as many of the three-letter.
In few months time the better SPELL
ing on states and papers was very no.
ticeable. When you have taught as
long as | have, you will find that you
cannot accomplish remarkable i'm
provement in days; it takes weeks and
months to show the great change you
wish.
Then when the uperintendent,-we
had shorter name for him,-would
come in and take up slate, his counte-
nance would fairly beam with delight.
He would come almost daily with visi-
tors to show them the children's work.
Such difference as there is in visitors!
A teacher can tell it the minute they en-
ter the room. Some of those gentlemen
would come and he rs pleased as the
superintendent himself; while others
would almost gnash their teeth in rage
to think they couldn't find more fault.
remember them and know them now,
although they have long ago forgotten
me.
But in spite of the result never dared
mention the faithful service oral SPELL
ing did toward it. So much for ex-
perience. Now for actual practice.
When take in new class, l usually
have an oral spelling lesson four days
of the week, not over fifteen minutes
long, sometimes not more than ten But
as the years work begins to crowd, the
children are all the while getting more
proficient and do not have them so
often.
never saw any one conduct a lesson
as do. So will tell you my method.
There is always one scholar in every
school who is natural speller, as you
may say. Perhaps you may have no
ticed that he is correspondingly poor in
number? 1t happens so many times.
That first came under my observation
as long ago as when went to school.
A girl in my class to whom it was al
most impossible to teach anything in re-
gard to number, once put the whole
school to shame by spelling the word
eleemoSynayy. She didn't know the
meaning of the word any more than the
rest of us, but by some unexplained gift
she knew the spelling of it.
Station that child at the board, some
part of it that is in view of every pupil
in the room. When a word is misspell-
ed have him: write it upon the board
correctly. Train him to pay as good
attention as yourself. and to notice
every error Immediately. There, again,
carry into practice the idea of having
the error made but once. Instead of
having half dozen scholars stumble
over the word until all have become so
confused we hardly know the right way
ourselves, the correct form is put before
us at once. Don't let children see or
hear any more a0rong than you can
help. Have l said that before? Never
mind! l am afraid some one didn't
notice it.
There are many things that can be
done with the list of words. They can
be spelled through at the conclusion of
the lesson. They can be put into sem
fences for busy work. They can be
copied on the states. They can be writ
ten and spelled after school by the boy
who saw iii to be inattentive during the
lesson.
must confess that oral spelling is
about the least attractive lesson to the
children of any during the day, and it
requires all my invention to keep them
interested. After spelling once through
the class have them change position,
and notice how many words are failed;
urge them to do as well or better the
next time around.
One rarely gives more than twenty or
twenty-five words for written spelling
lesson; while in spelling around three
times in n room of over sixty children
many times that number are given. My
tells me that oral spelling
still holds an honored place in to-day's
education.-Lizzie E. Morse, in Journal
of Education.