Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1912-02-10
ALPHABET TEACHING
NO LONGER POPULAR

SCHOOLS are not asked. Why don &
you teach my child the alphabet
being told that the alphabet "a no
Longer taught rs such. the parent or
guardian is liable % say: Wen. !
learned b., and ! believe that m,
child should learn e too. But as
a matter OF fact the teaching 1f The
alphabet after the Old style. has been
passing so gradually for The PAS, sag-
eral years. That few seemed tc real
ize the change until thew stood face
20 face with Il os an actualitv. and
then the demand for the explanation
came.
In view OF this state OF affairs the
following special article clipped from
the Kansas CITY Star OF comparative
" recent date, will Dee Interesting:
When You went 20 school In the
little rCral schoolhousc or even IN
the large public school building 70
YOU were reared On the city. me first
thing Won were taught was tho al
phabet. a large chart was placed or
a 3-leeced stand with an the letters
printed IN large black type, and slow
~ and laborou iy y0H learned your
a. T., Cs 70 vou hadn't already
done so 40 mothers knee. Thou
whom yol mastered these letters 20 a
certain extent yor we're taught that
cat spelled cat
But that ls not the case with your
children. They are not taught the
alphabet rrt they can pick mp a
primer even if they are still On the
primary department. and can read
you sentence after sentence; stlll
they 1o nee know the alphabet For
like many other things that we're
common in your childhood. tho al
rhahot is Oh style.
\ Mental Picture of Each Word.
The rational method Of reading is
taught go tho schools now. and has
been TAUGHT several years, but prob
baly you did not realize a. When a
child enters the primary grade now n
simple word is written on the black
board and the child is told what that
word is. lie learns Il. gets q men
tai picture OF q, he knows Il. More
word are gradually learned until h.
has acquired a large number. And
any combination Of these words Is
familiar 10 him.
a visitor sat In the primary room
at the FaNon school yesterday after
100 while q class in reading vas IN
progress. Tho children have beer in
school six weeks and they have learn
cd eictty-throe words all simple.
easy words. chiefly nouns and vcrhs.
Rut they can read out of the Urim-
or with ease and expression any zen
tence in which any Of these words
are used They have been reading
in the primer since Monday and have
read tWenty-siN pages.
You NAV read for MS now. rlar-
riot" said Mrs. Sallie T. Hunt. the
teacher. and little coldcn-haircd
Harriet arose IT, her seat with tho
primer in her hand She stood a
few moments. her lips moving inaudi-
blv. Their see the doc. The dog
secs Jack she read with express
sion and meaning.
The Alphabet Comes Later.
She knew what she was reading,
yet had You asked her what letters
made mp the word dog. she could not
have told YOU. Their dark-haircd
GEORGE read that lack had some
bread and that be was going 10 give
Il 10 the log. and many other in
terestins and enlightening sentences
when YOU read in your old primer,
YOU slowl, spelled out the fact that
the hoy sees the dog, and YOU read It
with about as much expression as a
Judge swearing In n prisoner. For
you had only a hazy idea what you
were reading You we're thinking
too much about spelling out each
combination Of letters.
In the spring. when .he children
have read their primers through.
they learn the alphabet. II g., easy
then They are familiar with the
appearance of the letters, ard Il
docs not take them Ions 10 learn
their names The pupils now are Dec
inr taught the ~phonogroms The
souui OF the letter I is told them.
and then the word ight is added. and
thew know instantly that IN. word
Is hrht Ana IN the same way the
other words are placed together
And They Can Whisper. Too.
In the tiny front seat @ small bog
was busy With q slate. Ie wa- writ
Ing, But how can he write &c he
doesn't know the alphabet" rou
ask. Easily enough TIE knows what
the words look like and he can
write them on MS slate. lie can
write ont that the hoy runs. and
know what q means without know
In that the letters are {, h.. q. 3. o..
Y ard the Ike.
This is by far the easiest and tho
simplest method Of teaching read
Ing said Mrs Hunt. I'VE woull
ratter that the parents not teach
their children the alphabet before
the come 10 school. rs u does them
no rood"
Now You NAV study YOUR lessons