The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-04-05
PRIMARY METHODS OF READING.
XIII.
The Pollard Synthetic Methcd.
by WILLIAM NOETLING.

sumo, new method, but an Old one
in somewhat new garb. 1t had a
short lease of life about forty years
ago, but in much simpler form than
that in which it now is presented as
the Pollard Method. About five or
six years ago Rebecca S. Pollard of
Chicago revived the method, arranged
it into more Of system than it
originally constituted, loaded it down
with rules, exceptions. songs, &c. &c,
and published it as the Pollard Syn
thetic Method of Reading and
Spelling.
Like that of most methods of so
called primary reading, the name is
misleading 1t is not a method of
reading, but of pronouncing. 1t is
synthetic, deductive, method of
ready-made rules which the children
are to learn and learn to apply. In
making the application, they begin at
the end of a word, mark the letters
(diacritically) according to the rules,
and then pronounce the word.
The Manual contains one hundred
and nineteen rules; but a number of
these consist of two and three rules,
making the actual number one hund.
red and fifty four and if to this sum
we add the twenty.nine exceptions,
we have altogether one hundred and
eighty-three.
The method is purely mechanical,
and, owing to the numerous directions
and instructions to teachers as to how
1t must be taught, it is difficult to
present 1t In newspaper articles. /
will however try to give as much of it
as may be necessary to convey to the
readers of this article an idea Of what
it is, and will do SO largely in the
authors own words as found in her
Manual.
Motion Signs. "Say nothing to
pupils about learning to read when
you begin the instruction. Let your
first talk be about signs. Beckon TO
a little girl and ask her what that
means. Her reply will be, 1t means
Come
illustrate by simple movement
of your right hand, that you wish a
child to go away. Ask what is meant
by nod Of the head. Ask If we can
say No, without speaking. Signify
by motion that you wish the window
raised.
" In this way lead the pupils to see
that there are motion signs signs
used to convey our meaning without
the aid of the voice"
Voice Signs. "Ask pupils to
laugh. Ask the meaning of a laugh
and write down the answer given.
Susie, perhaps, will say that laugh
means something funny; Lucy. that
it shows when we are happy; Ned,
that it is sign that we are pleased.
Ask about crying, moaning, in the
same way. Lead pupils to tel you
that these are voice signs of pain or
sorrow. You may also suggest here,
that there are silent signs which ex,
press both pleasure and pain. We
smile and we frown we look pleased /;
we look sad.
"Ask what voice signs are made
by dogs, cats, hens, roosters, pigs,
ducks, geese, &c. Draw from pupils,
in turn, the meaning of these sounds.
Dogs growl and bark when they feel
cross hens cackle and roosters crow
when they are glad pigs squeal when
they are hurt or hungry.
Explain whisper signs by illustra-
tion. The cat purs when she is happy,
but makes different sound when she
raises her back and tells the strange
dog to go away. Who can make this
whisper (0?'
The names applied to the sounds
of some of the letters are the follow
ing "a, the lambs cry m, the hum
ming sound, the sound that draws
the lips together; f, Kitty's hiss b,
the first sound in Bess, the sound that
presses the lips together; v, the way
Bessie made Kitty's hiss, or the horse
hy's buzz n, the first sound in nat,
the sound that makes the tongue
touch the ceiling (roof of mouth),
little further back than ! !, the ring
ing sound, the sound that sends the
tip of the tongue to the ceiling (the
roof of the MOUTH r, GypS cross
bark ; h, the tired sound d, the young
pigeons cry; j. the first sound heard
in Jennie; S, the sound Grandma
made driving out the pigs ); W, Gyp's
soft bark, or the wind among t c
trees p, the steamboat puff t, the
watch tick sound; G (hard), the frogs
croak 2, the bees buzz; sh, baby
sleeps sound ch Gn church,, the
children's sneeze sound. or the steam
cars whistle tn Gin think), the baby |
geese sound tn I'm this), old geese
sound VIII, the blow out light sound
k=q=c (hard), the fish, sound"
Other sounds are Short sounds OF |