The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-03-22
PRIMARY METHODS OF READING.
XII,
The Phonic-Word Method.
bY WILLIAM NOETLING.

inc lttSDuiS, L d. oCIlOOb.
Miss Fundenberg gave an exhib.
tion of the results of her method, with
a class of her pupils, at the State
Teachers Association at Beaver Falls.
The pupils had had one years instruc-
,ion, and their ability to read, spell,
and express themselves in writing,
was regarded as remarkable. The
intelligence they manifested in what
ever they did proved conclusively
that the method employed harmonic
ed with the natural development of
the powers of the mind. They had
been taught to think, and to make
their own discoveries, and they could
do both well.
The teacher who follows this
method, namely, training the children
10 think, and to make their own dis
coveries of facts, laws, and rules, need
have no fear Of going wrong.
will let Miss Fundenberg herself
state the principles upon which her
method is based, as she has laid them
down in the introduction to her
Teachers Edition of First Lessons in
Reading.
The teacher who follows Natures
methods must be right. In no part
of his work is this more apparent
than in the very beginnings of instruc-
tion.
"The child commences to learn
oral language by pronouncing words
in imitation of others. He should al
so commence to learn printed and
written language by imitation.
"1'he true starting for the teaching
of reading is the thought, then comes
its sign.
Language deals with thought, and
neither letters nor sounds are elements
Of thought, but merely elements Of
words.
" The first teaching should connect
the words already known to the ear
with their written or printed forms,
the letters and the sounds they repre-.
sent being left to future step.
Believing this to be the logical
order in training beginners in the art
of reading, the Sentence or Word
Method has been adopted as the
basis Of this work and when the
child has become familiar with the
printed and written forms of con-
siderable number of the words which
are in his oral vocabulary, he gradu
ally passed to the Phonic Word
Method, so that he may acquire the
power to pronounce new word-iorms
without the aid of the teacher.
The Word Method calls out only
one faculty-memory. BY the Phonic
Word Method the learner is requir-
ed to observe, to compare, to analyze,
and to construct words.
"If the Word Method only is used,
the child is deprived of the power to
pronounce new word forms, and is
continually dependent upon his
teacher for aid.
"By the use of the PEonic Method
only, too much Importance is given to
the characters which compose the
word, and the child consequently
hesitates, stammers, and loses the
thought expressed by the sentence.
Hence the necessity for judici-
Gus combination of these methods,
that thought may be developed in the
pupil, and machine teaching avoided.
''.Ihe author, recognizing the fact
that sense and not sound is the main
thing desired, has used in this (FlrsD
book such words as are in the chlld's
known or needed vocabulary"
The author says (r) that the teacher
should, in the construction of script
sentences, use any word understood
by the children, whether the word is
found in the lessons or not (2) that
the proper place to develop word Is
IN its proper place in sentence 60
that the teacher should ever keep in
mind the daily review, and that read,
ing does not mean the calling OF
words, but the obtaining of thought,
The sounds of the letters found
at the top OF each lesson in the first
book are to be taught independently
OF the words used in the lessons, and
have as far as possible been arranged
IN pairs, so that the children as well
as the teacher may learn which sounds
formed by the same position OF the
vocal organs use breath and which |
use 0Oice."
All the new words of the lessons are
found at the top of the lessons.
The following is the order in which |
the sounds are taught: h, k, 6 (as in
glrD, p b, I'd, lr, sg, m n, fv, wb
W, tn Gn the), VI, ng, x=ks, So,
c-k, lin ate) Gn at), o Gn note) |
ing o lin noD, lin me) ou ow
(in metz, i lin ice) Gin it, (n use)
u lin buD, ch Gn catch) sh, ck=k,
qu-kw, ai=aGn ale), er ay=aQn
ale), ee=eGn me), c=sGn sin),
I'm all ea-eGn mel q lin armA GA