The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-05-03
METHODS OF PRIMARY READING.
XIV.
The Rational Method.
RY WILLIAM NoETLING.

The author says: The Rational
Method is peculiar combination OF
the word and phonic methods. 1t
utilizes each for that part of the work
to which it is especially adopted.
The word method is used, first as
principal, because of its value in
developing a habit of reading thought
fully. and afterward as auxiliary, to
remedy the short comings of the
phonic method, and increase the stock
of word phonograms. The phonetic
method. which is introduced by easy
stages during the ascendency OF the
word method, finally becomes the
principal means Of growth and pro-
gress. 1t imparts power, while 1t
supplies the key which the word
method is inadequate to give.
"The aims of the rational are =
7. "To make the child not only
independent in his reading, but gener-
ally self-reliant
2. "To enable him to read vast
ly greater amount than heretofore In
given time, and thus to acquire not
only fuller vocabulary, but greater
maturity of mind.
Z. "To put him in possession dur
ing the first year or year and a halt OF
school life, of complete key to the
language, so that, no matter how soon
thereafter his schooling may cease,
his ability to read will be assured.
"The following are the leading
features of the phonetic part of the
work -
1. "The presentation of the
sounds and their symbals (phonograms)
in a rational order that is, an order
in which the easier precedes the
harder. The easiest sounds to use in
phonetic reading are those that may
be indefinitely prolonged, and the
blending Of which in words may there.
fore be most readily shown and per
ceived.-These sounds the Rational
Method deals with first.
2. "The teaching of an initial
stock of pkonograms Sound symbals)
before any phonetic reading is done.
z. "The training of the ear in the
perception of phonetic blends (unlon
of several sounds), before phonetic
reading is begun.
a. "An extensive and systematic
use of rd,phonograms fold in fold
is word phonogram) and other com
pound phonograms (words Of more
than one letter.. The difficulty the
child experiences in determining a
new word, is, in general, directly pro,
portional to the number of parts he
has to recognize in it. By the use,
then, of compound phonograms,
which, being taught as wholes, are no
harder to recognize than simple ones,
hundreds Of long and hard words are
practically transformed into short and
easy ones, Thus, the word lightning,
which the child learning by this
method reads, lightning, he finds no
more difficult than the short word
left, in which also he has to recognize
and put together four separate sounds.
s. GA careful grading OF the pho
netic words introduced. The first
phonetic words presented contain but
two phonograms each, the next but
three, and so on.
6. "The gradual introduction Of
phonetic words into the sentence
reading. At first but one such word
is introduced into sentence. This
prevents the phonetic word from Offer
ing any serious impeachment to the
thought getting.
2. "Separate daily drills in the
recognition of the individual phono-
grams and the reading of single pho
netic words. The purpose of these is
expertness.
For sight reading the following di-
rections or hints are given in the
Manual: Commence with the black
board, using script charact RS only,
and teach the following list of words
comprising the full vocabulary for
Part 1. (Primer) Of the First Book -
a, all, am, an, and, any, apple, are, at,
boy, bread, can, come, COW, do, does,
dog, drink, ear, egg, for, fruit, full,
girl, give. go, good, has, have, he, her,
here, him, l. Ill, in, is, it, Jack, let,
like, look, make, me, milk, much, no,
not, of, old, out, play, see, shall, she,
some, take, tell, that, the, them, there,
they, to, too, us, want, water, we, well
-what, where. will, with, yes, you,
One of the peculiarities, as well as
advantages, of this method is that
from the beginning, sounds or phonic'
are introduced in connection with the
word method. Every lesson is also ir
part review of something previously
taught.
AS already indicated, any repre-
sentative of sound, whether lette
or combination of several letters, i
called a phonogram. The following
is the order in which the phonogram
(except those found in list of word