LB 15 2.5 Atithos Title Imprint How to Teach Beginners to Read. Thought Method. QUIGLEY :' •- i HOW TO TEACH BEGINNERS TO READ THOUGHT METHOD BY E. M. QUIGLEY SUPERVISOR OF PRIMARY WORK TROY, N. Y. COPYRIGHT, 1906 BY E. M. QUIGLEY J LIBRARY of CONGRESS J Iwo Copies Received I OCI 30 iW Copsmahf Errtiy CLASS /} XXC, No. COPY B. f PREFACE As reading is the most important subject to the primary child great care should be taken that the best method be employed in presenting it. The main object in teaching reading is to train the child to interpret the thoughts of others and to express them naturally as if they were his own. This is best done by the thought method. The child should never begin to read with less than a sentence. The teaching of words and their meaning, sounds, etc., should be used as a means, only, in getting the thought, never as an end in themselves. As soon as the teacher becomes acquainted with the little folks, the first step is to get them to talk easily and naturally about familiar objects, things they have seen, etc., to answer questions correctly and intelligently and to express them- selves in complete and connected sentences. This will not be found a difficult task as the children think in sentences and have talked at home and to their little companions in complete senten- ces long before they entered school. An attempt, then, by the teacher to teach reading to little children by the a, b, c, word, phonic, or any method that takes from the thought is a great mis- take. Some time should be spent in conversational lessons ; then from three to four months in development work from the blackboard. The work should be presented in the following order : 1 Object. 2 Spoken thought. 3 Written thought. 4 Recognition of words in sentences and their meaning. 5 Transition from script to print. The lessons to be developed and read by the pupils should always be prepared in advance by the teacher. In preparing these lessons the sentences should be arranged in an orderly sequence; then the blackboard development lessons will train the children to think in an orderly way. This training will be very valuable later in the composition work, helping the chil- 3 dren to an orderly and logical arrangement of their ideas in written as well as oral work. Use objects in the early development lessons. If objects can- not be obtained, use pictures; in every case the real object is better than a picture, a picture, however, is better than nothing. The outline given in this little book consists of two parts. In the first part the "foundation" words are developed in sentences. The one hundred words included in this list are the most import- ant ones in the language. They are part of the spoken vocabu- lary of every little child long before he enters school and should be among the first to be developed and their written form mem- orized by the children of first grade. If you select a paragraph from any book or paper, and with a lead pencil draw a line through these little words as often as they occur, you will find that from one-half to two-thirds and sometimes nearly three-fourths of the words in that paragraph have been crossed out. In order to facilitate the instruction in reading, the first grade teacher will find it a wise plan to develop these words in sen- tences at the very earliest stage of the work. She will endeavor by every aid and device she can think of to make the little chil- dren not only recognize their written and printed form but also their relation to other words in the sentence. Children even those in higher grades often make mistakes in calling these little words. Who has not heard a child say "saw' 1 for "was," "that" for "what," "then" for "when"? If the chil- dren of first grade are drilled daily on these words in sen- tences no such rediculous mistakes will ever be heard. When teaching sounds show that we get ready to blow out a lighted match every time we make the "wh" sound and always place our tongue under our upper teeth when we make the "th" sound. A few such drills given during the phonic period will enable the children to see the difference between these groups of words. (The sound drills should be entirely distinct from the reading.) In reviewing the words the children should be required to use them in sentences. The games found in this book may be used in fixing these words, also any other devices thought of by the ingenious teacher. A set of cards, two words printed on each, has been prepared to help fix this foundation list of words. The teacher holds up a card, the child names the words and uses them in original sentences. In this way these very important words will soon be- come old friends and as familiar to the children as the faces of their little schoolmates. The teacher will find that the time given these drills will be time profitably spent as results will show both in the blackboard development work as well as when the child begins to read from books. It is a well known fact that children love rhymes and jingles. With this thought in mind the "foundation" list of words has been arranged to rhyme. (We say, "The little words got tired of being in books and newspapers with the great, long hard words all the time and thought they would have a party all by them- selves. A, an, and the gave the party. The hard words were not invited.") Write the first verse of WORD PARTY on the blackboard using colored crayon for words in large type, only, (color of party dresses) red for first verse, yellow for second, etc., thus giving a lesson in color and at the same time fixing in the minds of the little ones the word representing each color. When the verse has been memorized, let each child come to the board, and, while reciting, touch with the pointer and em- phasize the words written in color. (Do not allow the child to touch "and" or "with" with the pointer.) Later the words may be written in columns for a reference list or in sentences for review. There is very little difficulty experienced in developing name, quality, or action words ; it is the little abstract words that make the most trouble. Every teacher of reading in first grade can readily see how this device will aid in helping the children to recognize quickly these little words in all reading matter. Every little child should be able to recognize, use in sentences, write, and spell all these little words before being promoted to second grade. THE WORD PARTY. (Given by a, an, and the. ) Air "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas." I and you and he and she, We and it and they, My and your and his and her, All are here at play. Is came with are and was with were, Has with have and had, May with can and shall with will, See with say and said . In and out walked up and down, With to and two and too, Me and him with us and them, How and now with who. Yes played with no and off with on, Or with nor and for, Be and by and but and if With some and many more. This and that and these and those, Then and there and their, Why and which and what and when Ran 'round 'most every where Ever, never, any, such, Each danced once with could Well and not,so f very, much Played tag with would and should. Under, over, far, across, About, above ,away, As and from,— all baby words, How many can you say? We'll meet again in reading books, In pretty stories, too, You'll help us read our stories well, If we remember you. CONVERSATIONAL LESSONS AND BLACKBOARD DE- VELOPMENT LESSONS The following lessons are given as hints and suggestions for conversational lessons, also for development of "foundation" words. Later these lessons may be used as a guide in the first steps of the development work from the blackboard. The children should always give the stories. Always insist upon the questions being answered in complete sentences, as, "What is your name?" "My name is Mary Brown," not, "Mary Brown." Insist also upon an answer to the question asked, as, "Where do you live?" "I live on State Street," not, "My home is on State Street." The latter answers the question "Where is your home?" If we wish to develop the word "home" in a sentence, we ask a question containing that word and require the child to use the same word in answering for the sake of repitition. In these preparatory lessons which we use first for conversa- tional lessons and later for blackboard sentences reading, the teacher may use any objects, the names of which are found in the vocabulary of the first book to be read. Only four objects, — book, top, doll, and pen are used in these lessons, because just at this stage of the work the leading thought should be the develop- ment in sentences of the foundation list of words. These words enter so largely into all reading matter that too much attention cannot be given them in first year reading. In connection with these lessons the set of cards prepared for drill on this very important list of words should be used and the "WORD PARTY" sung, one verse at a time. Give a child a book. "What have you, John?" "I have a book." "Watch the chalk tell John's story, children." I have a book. I have a book. I have a book. 8 Have John, still holding the book, slide the pointer through the sentence and tell the story. "John, please give the book to Mary. Mary may tell the story." Do not refer to words until all have read. Then, "What does the story say you have, John?" "Show me the book." Now find "chalk book." "Cover "chalk book" with your book. "Please find book again." "Nellie may find the word that tells who has the book." "Cover "chalk I" with your hand. Find have, etc.. When every child can read the sentences in the day's lesson, recognize the words and use them in original sentences, the words may be written in columns on the blackboard in full view of the children to be used later as a reference list. (Their position on the blackboard should be changed frequently.) Teacher holding pen —"What have I, May?" You have a pen. You have a pen. You have a pen. Boy with top, — He has a top. He has a top. He has a top. She has a doll. We have books. They have pens. She has a doll. We have books. They have pens. She has a doll. We have books. They have pens. Then, — fpen. I have a book. *I *I book. You have a pen. You you top. He has a top. He he doll. She has a doll. She she pens. We have books. We we books. They have pens. They they •Foundation words. tName-words from reader. 9 Have I a book? have Have Have you a pen? has Has Etc. had Had No new lesson should be begun until the fifteen words included in the above list can be easily and quickly recognized also used in original sentences by the children. Other suggestive lessons, — I am a boy. i You are a girl. am Am boy He is a boy. are Are girl She is a girl. is Is boys We are boys. 1 girls They are girls. Change sentences given above to questions. I was here. was Was You were there. were Were He was here. here Here She was here there There We were here. They were there. It is my book. my My It is your pen. your Your This It his top. his His That It is her doll. her Her These It is our book. our Our Those It is their top. their Their Change "It is" to This is, That is, Here is, There is, are, was, were, also These and Those. 10 Make the stories true. You can see me. can You can see him. me You can see her. him You can see us. us You can see them. them Come in here. in Come up to me. out Go out there. up Go down to him. down You may go too. to I see two boys. two too see Continue in this manner until all the "foundation" words have been developed. The following lessons will be found an excellent test of the ability of the children to read sentences composed almost wholly of the words in the foundation list. Twenty of these words may be found in Lesson I. The position of these words in the different sentences should be changed frequently by changing statements to questions, trans- posing the words or writing new sentences containing them. LESSON I. Have you my pen ? Have you my Yes, I have your pen. Yes I your Has he her doll ? Has he her No ; she has his top. No she his We had their books. We had their They had our pens. They our all All the books are here. are here 11 Go to school, May. You may go, too, Tom. You have two books. Give me that book. Give him this book. Give us these pens. Give them those pens. ON II. to this them go two that him school too these may give me those us Where are you, Tom ? I am up in this tree. Look down at me, Tom, I am under the tree. What did you say? I said I could see you. Do not go away, Grace. DN III where am not look what at under nest say in away tree said up could Tom down the Grace did LESSON IV. Look for the nest, Tom. Can you see it? Not now, it is high above me. Fly out of the nest, little bird. I shall soon be with you. Then you or I will sing May and I will sing for you, too or for can it out of shall soon be with not now is high above will then and LESSON V. bird sing little How many will sing ? Give each one a book. Has every one a book, now? Who would like to sing? many each one every 12 how must about should robin dear You should try, May. who You could sing about the robin. You must try, dear. LESSON VI. could vvnere is your scnooir was ever late Is it very far from here ? very never No, it is over there. far over It is across the way. from there Once I was late. across were Were you ever late ? once No, I was never late. LESSON VII. Who has some cake? some any cake Have you as much as May ? much on table Tom has the most. more as Do not eat any more. most been What is on the table? Take it off, May. Where have you been ? LESSON VIII. It is such a cold day. such I never was so cold. so Sit by me, May. by Why is n't Tom going? Why He is going when it is time. when Grace will go if I go. if One, two, three, four, five one six Bees are in the hive, two seven Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, three eight All are out again. four nine five ten 13 PART II. A Beginner's Vocabulary. Developed by the Thought Method. The development lessons which follow are simply suggestive and were prepared as an aid in systematizing the work. The words in the foundation list are not considered in these de- velopment lessons, although the children are supposed to recog- nize them at a glance. In this way the whole attention may be given to the new words. These words will be found to comprise almost the entire vocabulary of the average primer or first book. These lessons will be found helpful as a guide. The teacher will know at all times how much of the work has been accom- plished also what part of it remains to be completed. When the forty short lessons have been developed so that the children can read at sight short sentences built from the two hundred words developed, and are also well acquainted with the foundation words, the first grade teacher may be sure that her pupils will be ready to read any primer or easy first reader placed in their hands. Familiarity with the foundation words alone will go more than half way toward reaching this end. The phonic drills, too, if properly conducted, will give the children added power to recognize new words themselves without taking from the thought. I. look Look, mama, look. see See baby. baby Mamma can see baby. mamma Baby can see mamma, II. doll See my doll. little My doll is little. play I like my little doll. like I play with it. I play I am mamma. I like to play. 14 III. May This is May. Tom May is my big sister. big Tom is my big brother. sister I love my brother Tom. brother I love my sister May. love I play with Tom and May, IV. top Tom has a top. hoop May has a hoop. spin Tom can spin his top. roll May can roll her hoop. Fred Alice Good morning going bird tree nest fly Spin your top, Tom. Roll your hoop, May. V. Good morning, Fred. Good morning, Alice. Where are you going, Fred? I am going to school. Where are you going, Alice? I am going to school, too. VI. I see you, little bird. You are up in the tree. Have you a nest, little bird ? Yes, my nest is in this tree. Fly to your nest, little bird. I like to see you fly. I can not fly. 15 REVIEW See my mamma. Look at baby. May is my sister. Tom is my brother. Can you spin a top? Yes, I can roll a hoop, too. Good morning, Fred. Are you going to school? The nest is in the tree. Fly, little bird. I love mamma and baby. VII. mouse See the little mouse. catch Kitty can see you, little mouse. run Run to your mamma. kitty Kitty will catch you. Kitty likes to catch a mouse. Run, run, little mouse. VIII. robin I am a robin. sing My nest is in the cherry tree. song I love a red cherry. pretty I can sing a pretty song. cherry Here is a cherry, little robin. Sing your pretty song. IX. Frank Where did Frank go? went He went to the store. go Did Tom go to the store? 16 did store school Anna goldfish fins swim do name girl boy John good=by Willie throw ball back No, Tom went to school. Frank went to the store for mamma. Frank will go to school, too. X. Anna has a goldfish. The goldfish can swim. It has fins. It swims with its fins. Swim, little fish, swim. Anna loves her goldfish. XL How do you do, little girl? How do you do, little boy ? What is your name, little girl? My name is May. What is your name, little boy ? My name is John. Good-by, May. Good-by, John. XII. Willie has a ball. Willie can throw the ball. Throw the ball to me, Willie. I will throw it back to you. Roll the ball back to me, Tom. REVIEW Run, little mouse. Kitty will catch you. Frank went to the store. Did he go to school? 17 Jack papa ride pony horse Ned give gave oats eat cow milk sweet drink water dear Anna's goldfish can swim. It has fins. Throw the ball back, Willie. The robin is in the cherry tree. It can sing a pretty song. How do you do, John? Good-by, little girl. Good-by, little boy. XIII. Jack is papa's horse. I have a pony. Can you ride on your pony? Yes, I can ride on papa's horse, too. Papa's horse likes me. The pony likes me, too. Jack likes the pony. XIV. Ned is my pony. Who gave you the pony ? Papa gave me the pony. I give Jack oats to eat. I give Ned oats to eat, too. XV. Tom has a cow. The cow gives milk. The milk is sweet. I like to drink sweet milk. You like to drink water. I will give you some water. You dear, dear cow. 18 XVI. dog Tip tricks beg meat rose lily get got garden face hands wash Tip is Tom's clog. He can do tricks. He likes to do tricks. He can beg for meat. Beg for meat, Tip. Here is some meat for you. You are a good dog. XVII. Where did you get the rose? I got it in the garden. Where did you get the lily? I got the lily in the garden, too. What a pretty garden ! Get a rose and lily for me. REVIEW Papa rides on his horse. I ride on my pony. Give Jack some oats to eat. Tom gave Ned some oats. The cow gives sweet milk. Drink some water, dear cow. Did you get a rose in the garden? Yes ; I got a lily, too. My dog can do tricks. He can beg for meat. XVIII. Is my face clean, mamma? No, dear, your face is not clean. Your hands are not clean. 19 clean neat time late bell ring learn read write spell books paper pen teacher blot sun I must wash my face and hands. Now you look neat. My teacher likes neat boys. XIX. What time is it? It is time for school. Did the bell ring? No, the bell did not ring. The bell will ring soon. Are we late, mamma? No, you are not late. You will be in time. XX. What do you do in school? We learn to read. We learn to write. We learn to spell. We read from books. We spell from books. We write on paper. XXI. My papa writes on paper. I write on paper, too. My papa writes with a pen. I write with a pen, too. I do not blot my paper. My teacher does not like blots. We all love our teacher. XXII. The sun is in the sky. 20 moon sky light grass flowers rain helps grow leaf leaves maple oak pick The moon is in the sky. The sun gives light. The moon gives light. The sun gives light to the moon. XXIII. See the green grass. See the pretty flowers. I love the grass and flowers. Rain helps flowers grow. Rain helps grass grow. The sun helps them grow, too. XXIV. Tom has a maple leaf. May has an oak leaf. The maple leaf is red. The oak leaf is green. We will pick more leaves. I will pick red maple leaves. You pick green oak leaves. REVIEW Wash your face and hands. Be clean. Be neat. Is it time to ring the bell ? Do not be late. We learn to read in school. We read from books. We can write and spell. I can write with a pen. Do not blot the paper. The sun gives light to the moon. 21 dolly cross cry cries sick does n't grandpa keeps hens ducks barn Rain helps flowers grow. It helps grass grow, too. I have a red maple leaf. You pick green oak leaves. XXV. Is your dolly ever cross. No, my dolly is never cross. Does n't she ever cry ? No, she never cries. Does n't she cry when sick ? Dolly is never sick. Baby cries when she is sick. XXVI. Grandpa keeps hens. He keeps ducks, too. He keeps the hens in the barn. He keeps the ducks in the barn, too. Grandpa gives them corn to eat. They like corn. » XXVII. eggs Where did you find the eggs ? find I found them in the barn. found How many did you find? put I found six eggs. basket Put the eggs in the basket. Which basket, papa? Put them in the little basket XXVIII. sew Can you sew, Rose? make Yes, I can sew. made dress Rose new flag stars stripes cheers house window door I can make a dress. I made a dress for my dolly. Mamma made a dress for me. I will make a dress for your doll. XXIX. I have a new flag. See my new flag, Rose. It is red, white, and blue. It has stars and stripes. The stripes are red and white. The stars are like stars in the sky. Three cheers for the stars and stripes ! Three cheers for the red, white, and blue ! REVIEW Is dolly ever cross? No, she is never cross. Does baby cry when she is sick? Grandpa keeps hens and ducks. He keeps them in the barn. Where did you find the eggs ? I found them in the basket. Rose can sew. She can make a dress. She made one for my doll. See my new flag. It is red, white, and blue. Three cheers for the stars and stripes ! XXX. This is my doll house. It has windows and doors. There is a front door. 23 front sit There is a back door. You can sit at the front window. You can sit at the front door. It is a pretty little house. chairs table dishes box XXXI. See my little table. See my little dishes. See my little chairs. Mamma gave me the table. Grandma gave me the dishes. Grandpa made the chairs. The dishes are in a box. tub clothes soap rub hang line Mother Hen chicken sleep wings warm XXXII. The tub is in the doll house. I wash dolly's clothes in the tub. I rub soap on the clothes. Soap cleans the clothes. Then I rub and rub and rub. I hang the clothes on the line. I like to hang them on the line. XXXIII. This is Mother Hen. She has ten little chickens. What do your chickens do, Mother Hen ? They eat and sleep. Where do they sleep, Mother Hen ? They sleep under my wings. It is warm under my wings. They like to keep warm. 24 squirrels nut acorn winter feed bees bee honey mother work buttercup XXXIV. I see two little squirrels. One has a nut. The other has an acorn. Squirrels like nuts. They like acorns, too. They get them for the winter. In winter they feed the baby squirrels. REVIEW The doll house has a door. Sit at the front window. I have chairs and a table. Put the dishes in the box. Put the clothes in the tub. Rub soap on them. Hang them on the line. Mother Hen's little chickens are asleep. It is warm under her wings. Squirrels like nuts and acorns. In winter they feed the baby squirrels. XXXV. Oh, see the little bee ! The bee makes honey. Honey is good to eat. I like bread and honey. Honey is sweet. Do all bees work? No, mother bees do not work. Our mothers work. XXXVI. O, look, look! 25 daisy daisies field butterfly caterpillar asleep woke hurt cups saucers plates teapot sugar = bowl bicycle Uncle Jack birthday present See this pretty buttercup. I found it in the field. Have you a buttercup, Rose? No, Ihave two daisies. I found the daisies in the field. One daisy and one daisy are two daisies. XXXVII. What a pretty butterfly. Once this butterfly was a caterpillar. The caterpillar fell asleep. When it woke it had wings. It was a butterfly. I will not hurt you, pretty butterfly. Do not hurt caterpillars. XXXVIII. These are my cups and saucers. I have plates too. The cups and saucers are on the table. Put the plates on the table. Put the sugar-bowl on the table. Here is the teapot. Put some tea in the teapot. XXXIX. I have a bicycle, Tom. Who gave you the bicycle, Frank? Uncle Jack gave it to me. It was a birthday present. Uncle Jack always gives me a birthday pres ent. Don't you wish he was your Uncle Jack ? 26 XL. knives forks spoons tea sugar Have you knives, forks and spoons ? Yes, I have little knives, forks, and spoons. Please give me a knife and fork. Give May a spoon. Put sugar in the sugar-bowl. Put tea in the teapot. Ask mother for some more tea and sugar. REVIEW Bees make honey. Mother bees do not work. Buttercups are field flowers. Daisies are field flowers, too. A caterpillar fell asleep. It woke a butterfly. Do not hurt butterflies. Uncle Jack gave me a bicycle. It was a birthday present. I have cups and saucers. I have a teapot and sugar-bowl. See my knives, forks, and spoons. Ask for some tea and sugar. Let us have a party in the doll house. SING TO ME Little robin in the tree, Sing to me, sing to me, Sing of roses in the garden, Sing of pretty stars above What do you think they're saying? God is Love, God is Love. 27 Robin in the cherry tree, Sing to me, sing to me, Tell me, pretty little robin As you trill your joyous song, To be patient, kind, and loving, All day long, all day long. Pretty robin in your tree, Sing to me, sing to me, That, like you, I may bring sunshine To the hearts that pass my way, And grow kinder, nobler, sweeter, Every day, every day. When the work has been completed thus far, the children will be able to recognize and use correctly in original sentences about three hundred words. These words represent the vocabulary of a majority of the primers and first readers now used in the schools. Every one of these three hundred words has been developed in a sentence, the child giving the sentence. The words have been reviewed in sentences and the child in reading from the blackboard has been trained to look ahead and take in an "eye- full" of words, or in other words master the thought before read- ing aloud. Every first grade teacher can readily see how valu- able this training is in teaching beginners to read. It is utterly impossible for the child to get the thought if he is looking for words, sounds, or if he is allowed to spell the words before reading. 28 SUGGESTIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT WORK The following lessons, taken from the THOUGHT METHOD, PART II, will illustrate the most important points which should be brought out in the blackboard instruction. bird 1 see you, little bird. little You are up in the tree. nest Have you a nest, little bird? tree Yes, my nest is in this tree. fly Fly to your nest in the tree, little bird. I like to see you fly. I can run. You can fly. The new words to be developed, (those at the left) have been taken from the vocabulary of the first book to be read by the children. The strong points referred to above, as illustrated in this type lesson, are the following: 1. ' Continuity or logical sequence. 2. Repetition of new words. (Each new word appears three times). Personification. The child talks to the bird and the bird to the child. This, every teacher knows is an invaluable aid in securing good expression. 4. Dialogue or conversation. This has the same object in view, — getting natural expression from the child. Object used, bird, nest, and branch of tree, or Drawing on blackboard, or A story like the following told the children, — "A little girl stood under an apple tree. Looking up she saw a dear little bird looking down at her. She wished the little bird to know that she saw him. What did she say, Mary?" She said, "I see you, little bird." 29 Now watch the chalk tell Mary's story. (Of course the word sentence is correct, but "story" appeals more to the imagination of the child.) If Mary cannot be heard, say, "Who will tell the story loud enough for all to hear?" If good expression is lacking, ask some one to tell the story as if he were really talking to the bird, etc., thus making strong the important points. When the third sentence has been developed and written on the blackboard by the teacher, ask a child to read the three stories. Continue in this way until the whole lesson has been developed. Have as many pupils as time will allow read the whole lesson and reward in some way those who read it correctly and with good expression. (A plus and times sign joined in the center will form a star that can be made quickly, its size to vary accord- ing to the quality of the reading. Colored crayon may be used for the best reading.) The use of the pointer in reading the lessons from the black- board is optional. Many teachers consider its use a hindrance instead of a help in thought reading and have discarded it en- tirely. The most successful teacher of reading is always the one who aids the child to form the habit of looking ahead while reading, — "taking in an eyeful of words." If the use of the pointer in reading from the blackboard or the finger in reading from the book is found a hindrance to the formation of this habit they should be discontinued. The pointer may, however, be made a factor in the successful teaching of reading in the first grade if the child is guided in the proper use of it. If allowed to point out the words one by one the child is forming the habit of reading word by word ; that is he is simply saying so many words and it will take more time to break up this most pernicious habit than to teach the subject correctly. The child should be trained to slide the pointer through the story once when studying the story and again, more rapidly when reading aloud. Once the pointer starts on its jour- ney there should be no stops. The second time, when reading 30 aloud, tell the child to "make believe" the pointer is an automo- bile and see how fast he can make it go. When the children are able to read this lesson correctly and with good expression the new words and their meaning may be drilled upon. "What is the story about ?" "The story is about a bird." "Willie may find the word bird." "Alice may find it again." "Who will find it in another story?" "What word tells the size of the bird?" "Tom may find the word little." "Nellie may find it in another story." "Alice may find the name of the bird's home." "Frank may find nest again." Continue in this way until the children are able to recognize every new word in the lesson. As a further test of their ability to recognize the new words quickly, very short sentences, each of which shall not contain more than five of the developed words, may be written on the blackboard, then quickly erased, and the children required to tell them, (visualization.) I see a bird. It is in the tree. The bird is little. The bird is in it. Can a bird fly? Fly to your nest. Fly, little bird. What a pretty nest ! I can see the nest. I cannot fly. Can you see it, May? Kitty can see you. &c. & c - The following lesson in the form of conversation, also taken from Development Lessons, Part II, illustrates how < very help- ful this form is in developing natural expression in reading. The lesson is very easily developed and two children may be allowed to act it. 31 Good morning, John. Good morning Good morning, May. John Where are you going, John? May I am going to school. going Where are you going, May? school I am going to school, too. good- by Good-by, May. Good-by, John. "One morning May met John on the street, what do you think she said to him ?" She said, "Good morning, John." When written on the blackboard ask Anna to say it as if she were really glad to see John. "John is a very polite boy; what do you think he said to May?" He said, "Good morning, May." When all can read the stories correctly and with good ex- pression drill upon the new words until the children can name them at sight, also use them in original sentences. While busy with the development work in class the children at their seats must be kept busy and quiet. If the teacher is obliged to stop during the blackboard instruction and call out to this one and that one, all interest and enthusiasm will be lost and the lesson may be set down as a failure. The development in reading will be found a thorough and sys- tematic training in language. It will lead the children to a log- ical arrangement of their ideas, also the intelligent expression of their thoughts. Before books are placed in their hands from which to read, they will be able to recognize and use correctly in sentences all the words included in the vocabulary of that book. Successful blackboard instruction will invariably give the fol- lowing all-important results, — 1. Ability on the part of the child to grasp the thought ac- curately and quickly and give it in a pleasing tone of voice, using natural expression. 2. Ability to recognize the words at sight and use them cor- rectly in original sentences, thus giving their meaning in the most practical way. One or two periods of from ten to fifteen minutes each should be given a place on the daily program of exercises to be devoted to sentence building and word review. In this time twenty or more words may be reviewed in sentences given by the children. In two periods forty words may be given a drill. This repre- sents about one-eighth to one-sixth of all the words to be de- veloped from the first book. In the early stages of development and sentence building ac- cept any sentence given by the little ones if correctly formed; later do not allow the building of sentences beginning with the pronoun /. Tell them you do not like to hear them talk about themselves all the time. * Then encourage them to tell long stories like big folks. Do not allow a child to read a sentence aloud until the thought it expresses is in his mind. The main thought at this stage of the work is to train the child to form the habit of looking ahead so as to take in with the eye a number of words at a glance and thus get the thought quickly and easily. In reviewing a reader, if proper training has been given, the children will naturally be quicker in looking ahead for the thought as well as in recognizing the words, and with a little encourage- ment will be able to read continuously. The practice of reading the sentences to themselves and then aloud may be continued too long and become a habit, which, like counting on fingers in adding, will be found very difficult to cor- rect. Many children have the ability to read continuously long before they are permitted to do it. When you think it is time for continuous reading, test each child separately. Have him read each sentence silently at first, then aloud. After reading the whole or a part of a lesson in the book, let him go back and 33 try to read without first reading the sentences to himself. Help him to hurry by naming the first word in every new sentence. All the words developed should be written on the blackboard either in columns or in sentences. This reference list of words should always be in full view of the children. A, an or the should never be considered separately but always in connection with the word which follows. Induce the children to read loud enough to be heard distinctly in all parts of the room and in a sweet tone of voice. The children may be helped in acquiring good expression by creating an interest in the lesson to be read, also by questioning them about the subject matter of the lesson. 34 GAMES AND DEVICES For Sentence-Building and Word Review Various devices may be used for sentence-building and word review. Those which introduce the play spirit in the form of interesting games have been found the most helpful. Irregular attendance and inattention have been recognized as the two greatest drawbacks in the successful teaching of little children. Children like play and the teacher who is full of de- vices and can vary the work by the introduction of a game occa- sionally in order that it may not grow monotonous is the one who will be able to secure and hold the attention of the children and make them love school. Some of the game devices that have helped follow, — BUYING WORDS (a) Words that have been developed are written on the blackboard but not in the same order as found in the reference list. The words may be called oranges, bananas, apples, etc. The child points to a word, names it, and uses it in a sentence. If this is done correctly the word is underscored to denote that it is sold. If the child does it quickly, colored crayon may be used. This is done to show the children the value of time and to encourage them to think quickly. The apple or banana marked in this way is supposed to be larger or better in some way. (b) A selection like one of the following may be written on the blackboard. Care should be taken that this selection should be composed of a great many familiar words, — as 1 "I have a little shadow That goes in and out with me, And what can be the use of it Is more than I can see. He is very, very like me From his heels up to his head; And I see him jump before me When I jump into my bed." 35 2 "To do to others as I would That they should do to me, Will always make me kind and good And as happy as can be." 3 "Children, do you love each other? Are you always kind and true? Do you always do to others As you'd have them do to you?" Let the children "buy" the words they know and put them in sentences to show that they understand their meaning, leaving the unfamiliar words to be developed later. Nearly all the words in these selections will have been developed at a very early stage of the work. In the first the children are familiar with all but six — shadow, use, heels, head, jump, and before. These words may be used in sentences and thus become a part of the chil- dren's vocabulary. This device gives us a game, a reading exercise, a word drill, besides training the children to become accurate, quick, and at- tentive. RUNNING UP AND DOWN STAIRS One or more pairs of stairs may be drawn on the blackboard and a word or very short sentence written on each step. See who can run up and down stairs the quickest, telling the stories, putting the words in sentences, or naming the words quickly. CONDUCTOR Write the words at intervals to represent the names of the streets to be called out by the conductor of the car. If he does not know their names he is dismissed and a new one takes his place. FIREMAN Make a drawing of a ladder as if standing against the side of a house or barn. Write a word on each round of the ladder. If the house were on fire how many brave firemen could climb the ladder without falling and save a pet kitten or doggie ? 36 FISHING Draw a representation of water by passing the flat side of the crayon lightly over a portion of the blackboard ; then draw out- lines of large and small fishes in the water. Write a word on the back of each fish, and using the pointer for a fishing rod, see how many boys and girls can catch every fish in the pond. GRAB BAG Write words or short sentences on slips of paper and place them in a box or bag. Have the children come up, one at a time, draw a slip, tell the word, use it in a sentence or read the sentence quickly. VISUALIZATION (a) Write a short sentence containing familiar words on the blackboard and erase as soon as written. Ask how many can tell the story. Of course those who were not paying attention will not be able to do it. Write another short sentence and again erase. This time you will find that all or nearly all the children will be able to read the sentence. Gradually increase the length of the sentence, always building it from familiar words. (b) Have the children lay their heads on the desk and "make believe" to be asleep. Write a short sentence on the board, then tell them to "wake up" and read the story. Continue until eight or ten sentences have been written and read, thus reviewing quickly all words developed. (c) Write several sentences on the blackboard. Have each child point out a word, and use it in a sentence. If this is done quickly and correctly allow the child to erase the word. This may be kept up until the whole lesson has been erased. (The children always enjoy this privilege). PICKING FLOWERS OR FRUITS Have the children pick buttercups, daisies, golden rod, etc., in the fields, (words) lilies, roses, carnations, pansies, etc., in the garden, and see who will have the largest bunch of flowers. 37 Let them also pick apples from the apple tree, pears from the pear tree, plums from the plum tree, etc., (words). A RACE Write six or eight short sentences composed of words that have been developed on the blackboard. Have one child read all the stories beginning at the top and at the same time have another read the same sentences beginning at the bottom. The one who finishes first wins the race. Insist that both shall read each story silently before reading it aloud. The same game may be used for quick recognition of words arranged in columns. PHONICS The work in phonics should be entirely separate from the reading lesson and should be employed as a means only, never as an end in the teaching of it. While the reading is entirely distinct from phonics the drills given may be made a powerful aid in the teaching of this very important subject. Only familiar words or words found in the every day vocab- ulary of little children should be included in the list of words developed by sound, and the children should be required to use correctly in a sentence every one of these words. After a time this quick recognition of the meaning of a word and associating it with a thought will become habitual, and each new word will suggest a thought to the child. It can readily be seen how this will aid thought reading. The main objects in teaching phonics are : 1. To train the ear and voice. 2. To teach correct pronunciation. 3. To remedy defects in articulation. 4. To increase the child's vocabulary and to enable him to recognize new words for himself. 38 CHART I m n bl . . end pr. • ay tw . . ine f s— •5 a a br. . ick sc . . urn wr . . ite t P e e cl . . ash sk. . ate gn. . aw kn 1 r i i cr. . ash si . . im sch. . ool h k= =c o o dr. . ink sm. . ell scr . . ape V z= = s u u fl . . our sn . • ug shr. . ill g= J g sh ch fr . . esh sp . . ot spl . . ash d b th th gl . . ad st . . ill spr . . ing w y wh gr . . and sw . . ell str . . oke S c qu = x= = kw ks pi . . an tr . . ick thr. . ill CHART II PHONOGRAMS, an ed ink ug ave ie all ought at en it un ear ore are aught ack ent ing una eat ow air ould ap ell im ay eed old ast edge ad end ot ail ine ew ask ound ash ill ock ain ight ar ass etc. and ip op ate ide ark oon ag in od ake ind art oom est ick og ame y aw ock 39 Thousands of words may be built from these two charts when the children have been taught the sounds of the letters. Many thousand words may be added to this list when the com- mon prefixes and suffixes are used in word-building. The fol- lowing are a few that the children of primary grades may be allowed to use in this work: ing, ed, er, est, ly, ful, less, ness, tion, en, etc. un, en, re, ex, pre, dis, in, etc. Habits of speech formed in street association may be easily corrected when the children are drilled on the different sounds. The most common of these are, — Words beginning and ending with th (voice sound) as, in, this, that, father, mother, with, etc., also the breath sound, as in thumb, three, think, third, tenth, both, etc. Words beginning with zvh, as in wheel, while, white, wheat, zvhere, etc. Not sounding d's and t's distinctly in such combinations as the following, — Did you? Did n't you? Could you? Could n't you? etc. Not sounding last letter in going, coming, singing, etc. Not sounding t in such words as swept, slept, etc. Calling park, pawk ; dark, dawk ; water, watah, etc. The following words are built from the phonogram or sight word ill: ill milling chilly squill iller milled chilliness swill illest miller thill stiller illness millers thills stillest bill nill drill stillness bills pill drills quill billing pills drilling quills billed rill drilled quilling 40 rills driller quilled sill drillers trill till irill trills tills frills trilling will irills trilled tilling irilling twill tilled frilled twills tiller grill twilling tillers grills twilled wills skill shrill willing skilled shriller willed skillful shrillest willful ski//fully shrilly willfully ski//fulness shrillness wilfulness spill squills chill spills thrill chills spilling thrills chilling spilled thrilling chilled still etc. thrilled iill iills iilling filled filler gill gills gill gills hill hills ]ill kill kills killing killed killer mill mills These words are given simply to show the number erf words that can be formed from a single phonogram, thus giving an idea of results which may be obtained from phonetic word- building. When the consonantal sounds have been drilled upon in pairs or singlv until all the children are perfectly familiar with them, the teacher may begin word-building in the following manner: Write a simple ending like at on the blackboard. Of course the children will recognize it immediately. Then say, "Let's have a guessing game. Let's think of a word that has at in it and see who can gues our thoughts." Teacher, "I am thinking of something we like to find at the door on a rainy day." 41 "A mat," will probably be the answer. Do not accept this answer. Insist upon being answered in a complete sentence, ''We like to find a mat at the door." "Now you think of a word, children." "Well, John, we will try to guess what you are thinking of." Mary, "Are you thinking of a kind of meat?" "No." "Are you thinking of something to wear?" "No." "Are you thinking of a little animal that is afraid of a cat?" "Yes." "A rat is afraid of a cat." This, of course will be slow work at first; but we are having the children talk in sentences and every new word developed in this way is accompanied by a thought, thus carrying out the plan outlined in the first part of this book. The following device used in making the "blend" has been found a great help in taking that step. In building words from at, let the children spread out their hands as if they were going to clap; while bringing the hands together have them make the sound of, say / continuously and when the hands touch say, at, thus making the word iat. Have the children separate and pronounce distinctly the fol- lowing words : Did you Did nt you Had you Had n't you Have n't you Don't you Could you Would you Can't you Won't you Could n't you Would n't you etc. In order to obtain and hold the undivided attention of the little folks, use any and all devices or games that will make the lesson interesting and pleasing to them. (a) Draw a tree on the blackboard. At the foot of the tree (root) write a phonogram with which you wish to form new words. The initial letters used in building the words may be the leaves or fruit, also birds in the tree singing to their little ones. (Child giving sounds of the letters.) If the phonogram 42 used is ay the leaves, fruit, or birds will be, m, M, r, R, s, w, 1, h, j, J, p, b, d, g, pi, pr, tr, Tr, st, gr, br, cl, dr, fr, sw, spr, etc. (Use green crayon for leaves, red for apples, etc.) (b) Draw a circle on the board, (world) write the phono- gram from which the words are to be formed in the center and the initial letters (the cities) around it. In drawing the circle use white crayon in winter (snow) and green in summer (grass.) An auto race "around the world with no stops is greatly enjoyed by the children." In a bag or box place squares of paper or cardboard on each of which is written one of the different phonograms already drilled upon. Have the children draw, one at a time and see how many new words can be formed. Draw the front of a house on the blackboard and write a phonogram, as, ear on the door-plate. Have the children find how many children in Mr. Ear's house. When the children are ready for it the words formed in this way may be used for quick oral spelling. Dictate the words of a group to a child as rapidly as he can spell them. This work should all be done during the period set aside on the daily program for phonics. 43 TRANSITION FROM SCRIPT TO PRINT AND WORD REVIEW The five lessons which follow may be given as a review of all words developed, also for transition from script to print. The following is the order in which the words are reviewed : LESSON I from LESSON 1 to 8 II " " 9 to 16 III " ■" 17 to 23 IV " " 24 to 30 V " " 31 to 40 When the children know the foundation words and are able to recognize all the words in these five lessons, also read the senten- ces quickly and intelligently, they will be able to read any primer or easy first book. Change the position of the words in the sentences frequently so as to give the children no opportunity to memorize the lessons. LESSON I. 1. Look at baby, mamma. 2. See my pretty doll. 3. I like to play. 4. May has a big sister. 5. Tom is her brother. 6. He can spin his top. 7. May, roll your hoop. 8. Alice is going to school. 9. Good morning, Fred. 10. Fly to your nest, little bird. 11. Did Frank go to school? 12. Run, little mouse. 13. Kitty likes to catch mice. 14. Robin in the cherry tree. Sing a song to me. 44 LESSON II. 1. How do you do, little girl? 2. How do you do, little boy? 3. Good-by, Grace and John. 4. Throw the ball back, Willie. 5. Jack is papa's horse. 6. Ned is my pony. 7. They eat oats. 8. Our cow gives sweet milk. 9. I gave her a drink of water. 10. Tip, the dog, can do tricks. 11. He can beg for meat. 12. The goldfish can swim with its fins. 13. I got this rose in the garden. 14. Did you get a lily, too? LESSON III. 1. Wash your face and hands. 2. Be clean. Be neat. 3. Did the bell ring. 4. Am I late for school? 5. No, you will be in time. 6. I learn to read and spell. 7. I write with a pen. 8. I do not blot my paper. 9. Pick a red maple leaf. 10. Pick some green oak leaves. 11. Rain helps flowers grow. 12. How green the grass is ! 13. The sun is in the sky. 14. The round moon gives light. LESSON IV. 1. Can you sew, Rose? 45 2. Yes, I made a dress for dolly. 3. Doesn't baby ever cry? 4. She cries when she is sick. 5. Grandpa keeps hens. 6. The ducks are in the barn. 7. Thank you for. the corn, Tom. 8. Put the eggs in the basket. 9. See my new flag. 10. Three cheers for the stars and stripes. 11. My doll house has windows. 12. I can sit at the front door. 13. Grandma gave me a set of dishes. 14. I have little chairs and a table. LESSON V. 1. Dolly's clothes are in the tub. 2. I rub soap on them. 3. See Mother Hen and her chickens. 4. They sleep under her wings. 5. Squirrels like nuts and acorns. 6. They get them for the winter. 7. Bees make honey. 8. Mother bees do not work. 9. I found a buttercup and daisy. 10. Did you find them in the field? 11. Uncle Jack gave me a bicycle. 12. It was a birthday present. 13. Do not hurt butterflies or caterpillars. 14. See my cups, saucers, and plates. 15. I have knives, forks, and spoons. 16. The teapot and sugar-bowl are on the table. 17. Please ask mother for some tea. 46 ESSENTIALS TO SUCCESS 1. Order. "No teacher can instruct a class effectively until she can secure good order and respectful attention without any difficulty." 2. Attention. "The teacher who can get and hold the attention of her class from the beginning to the end of a lesson may be sure of good results in that lesson." 3. Enthusiasm. "Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm ; nothing great was ever accomplished without it, and none are so old as those who have outlived it." 4. Sympathy. "The best teacher is she who has the head of a woman and the heart of a child. The power to feel as a child is the only way to feel with children. 5. Patience with the slow ones. "The true teacher never ridicules stupidity nor jeers at the slow ones, for this not only engenders fear, but she realizes that among the seeming dunces there may be a second Walter Scott." 6. Don't worry. "Don't worry. A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work." 7. Keep the children steadily and profitably employed. "Idleness is the fountain of disorder in the schoolroom." 47 ♦VOCABULARY OF FIRST GRADE 1 2 3 4 doll top bird fish see spin tree fins play hoop nest swim look roll fly gold baby big flew likes 5 6 7 8 pretty mouse do cherry ball mice did robin round catch girl sing throw caught boy song back kitty good-by think 9 10 11 12 go cow dear give went milk papa gave try sweet horse oats name drink pony eat gone water good feed 13 14 15 16 ride read school paper rode write time pen dog spell bell ink beg books ring blot meat learn late teacher 17 18 19 20 face apple rose grass hands oak lily flowers wash pick garden rain clean leaf get helps neat leaves got grow *Also "foundation" words. 48 21 22 23 24 grandpa sun dolly sew keeps moon sick make hens gives cross made ducks light cry dress barn sky cries like 25 26 27 28 new tub bee house flag rub bees door cheers soap mother front stars hang honey window stripes line work sit 29 30 31 32 chair cup birthday take table saucer present took dish plate uncle come set spoon brother came box ask sister sleep 33 34 35 30 tell eggs squirrel thank told find nut live hear found acorn loves heard put winter wish wake basket fed want 37 38 39 40 one six red yellow two seven blue gray three eight green pink four nine black brown five ten white violet 49 41 42 43 44 great long buttercup chicken small short butterfly wings please high daisy warm dark low summer bed bright right left worm felt fight 45 46 47 48 slow first just within fast last while without week day young into next to-day old upon year self still after best selves well before 49 50 51 52 cold talk must both hot walk might other half speak quick only whole smell best few hard feel strong think soft dance weak know 50 OCT 30190?