The Greeley tribune., 1906-05-17
A GOOD TEST
GREELEY SCHOOL PUPILS
ABILITY TO SPELL PROVEN
System of Improvement Along
These Lines as Tried in Pub
lie Schools the Past
Year

From our experience iaSC year We
decided that greater effort than ever
should be used to secure better re-
suits in spelling. 1t Is a common
criticism, not confined to the Greeley
public schools, that our boys and
girls cannot spell. When this fact
was presented to the board the same
sentiment was expressed that the
spelling in our schools should be I'M
proved.
This the teachers and pupils have
worked earnestly to do. 1t has been
my belief that we are drifting away
from oral spelling too much, not only
in the grammar grades, but in the
high school.
In the high school some time has
been devoted at the beginning Of the
different recitations to spelling the
practical words of that recitation;
also our instructor in English has
formed a class Of those most in need
of this work. Miss Lee reports fav-
o1ably as to the results.
Oral spelling along with the writ
ten tends to impress the concept OF
the word upon the mind of the
learner, by using both his sight and
hearing. The pupils are reviewed
thoroughly upon the misspelled
words, the teachers making lists OF
the same. In the primary grade the
word is learned as a whole, by
vizualizing it. then separating it into
phonic elements, syllables and let
tiers. The diacritical marks are
used as the pupils are able to under
stand them, and the syllabication OF
words Is insisted upon.
The Importance of this subject in
the curriculum :. is the reason why
there is such wide spread interest In
spelling, Newspaper men are COM
menting upon this subject, high
schools and colleges condemn the
work of the grades, while the graded
school teacher is very frequently
wrongly blamed. Often teachers are
greatly embarrassed by not having a
spelling book containing carefully
chosen words, we'll graded, suited to
the age, vocabulary and advance:
ment of the pupils for whom the
work is intended.
Pupils must be taught to pro-
nounce words correctly before at
tempting to spell them. Since cor
rect pronunciation is essential in
learning. to spell, diacritical marks
must be used to indicate the pro-
nounciation. Pupils not only learn
spelling by hearing the word, but
they obtain concepts Of the order of
the letters in word by studying the
word on the written or printed page.
1t is best to have the words pre-
sented on the printed page not dis
figured by the diacritical marks but
as they appear in ordinary print.
The syllibication and diacritical
markings of the words should appear
in a column to the right some dis
tance from the study list. Pupils
may be good spoilers upon the specific
list of words assigned for a lesson,
but unless the habit Of. using the
dictionary is formed the pupils in
after life may be poor spoilers. 1t
is because the habit of using the
dictionary has tendency to make
good spoilers that we insist upon its
frequent use. For the teachers to
establish this habit upon the part Of
her pupils, definite daily exercise
must be assigned to the pupils.
Since experience teaches US that
pupils make more errors in spelling
small, familiar words, than longer
and apparently more difficult ones
because they do not look as closely
at the form of these smaller words
we request frequent drills and re-
view Of such words as are trouble
some. We are endeavoring to teach
the pupils to not confuse homo
phones, by impressing upon their
minds their meaning and correct use
in sentences.
To add to the interest In each
room l directed the divisions of each
of the fourth, fifth and sixth grades
to compete with one another to de-.
termine who would be pronounced
the first anu second best spoilers for
this term in each Of these respective
grades. The first and second best
were 10 receive some recognition Of
their superior excellence in spelling,
while the names Of the ten best
spoilers In these grades were to be
published in the local papers. The
same rule applied to the seventh and
eighth grades except that the best,