Atithos

Title

LB
15 2.5 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.
J
LIBRARY of CONGRESS J
Iwo Copies Received I

OCI 30 iW
Copsmahf Errtiy

CLASS /} XXC, No.

f
COPY B.

COPYRIGHT, 1906
BY E. M. QUIGLEY
 :

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 developedand read by the pupils should

always be prepared advance by the teacher.
in 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 part the "foundation" words are developed in sentences.
first
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. Whohas 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 thought in mind the "foundation" list of words has
this
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 difficulty experienced in developing name,
little
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 and they,
it

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 very, much
f

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 year reading.
first

In connection with these lessons the set of cards prepared for

drillon 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

Have I a book?
Make the stories true.

You can see me.

 ON II.

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.
You should try, May. who could
You could sing about the robin.
You must try, dear.
LESSON VI.
vvnere is your scnooir
 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
 III.

May
 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.
did No, Tom went to school.
store Frank went to the store for mamma.
school Frank will go to school, too.

X.

Anna Anna has a goldfish.

goldfish The goldfish can swim.
fins It has fins.

swim Itswims with its fins.

Swim, little fish, swim.
Anna loves her goldfish.

XL
do How do you do, little girl?
name How do you do, little boy ?
girl What is your name, little girl?
boy My name is May.
What your name, little boy ?
John is

good=by My name is John.

Good-by, May.
Good-by, John.

XII.

Willie Willie has a ball.

throw Willie can throw the ball.

ball Throw the ball to me, Willie.
back I will throw itback 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
 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 Jack is papa's horse.
papa I have a pony.

ride Can you ride on your pony?

pony Yes, I can ride on papa's horse, too.
horse Papa's horse likes me.
The pony likes me, too.

Jack likes the pony.

XIV.
Ned Ned is my pony.
give Who gave you the pony ?
gave Papa gave me the pony.
oats I give Jack oats to eat.
eat I give Ned oats to eat, too.

XV.
cow Tom has a cow.
milk The cow gives milk.
sweet The milk is sweet.
drink I like to drink sweet milk.
water You like to drink water.
dear I will give you some water.
You dear, dear cow.

18
 !

XVI.
dog Tip is Tom's clog.

Tip He can do tricks.

tricks He likes todo tricks.

beg He can beg for meat.
meat Beg for meat, Tip.
Here some meat for you.
is

You are a good dog.

XVII.
rose Where did you get the rose?
lily I got it in the garden.
get Where did you get the lily?
got I got the lily in the garden, too.
garden 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.
face Is my face clean, mamma?
hands No, dear, your face is not clean.
wash Your hands are not clean.

19
clean I must wash my face and hands.
neat Now you look neat.
My teacher likes neat boys.

XIX.
time What time is it?

late It is time for school.

bell Did the bell ring?
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.
learn What do you do in school?
read We learn to read.
write We learn to write.
spell We learn to spell.
books We read from books.
We spell from books.
We write on paper.

XXI.
paper My papa writes on paper.
pen I write on paper, too.
teacher My papa writes with a pen.
blot I write with a pen, too.
I do not blot my paper.
My teacher does not like blots.
We all love our teacher.
XXII.
sun The sun is in the sky.

20
moon The moon is in the sky.
sky The sun gives light.

light The moon gives light.

The sun gives light to the moon.

XXIII.
grass See the green grass.
flowers See the pretty flowers.
rain I love the grass and flowers.

helps Rain helps flowers grow.

grow Rain helps grass grow.
The sun helps them grow, too.

XXIV.
leaf Tom has a maple leaf.

leaves May has an oak leaf.

maple The maple leaf is red.

oak The oak leaf is green.
pick 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
 Rain helps flowers grow.
It helps grass grow, too.

I have a red maple leaf.

You pick green oak leaves.

XXV.
dolly Isyour dolly ever cross.
cross No, my dolly is never cross.
cry Does n't she ever cry ?
cries No, she never cries.
sick Does n't she cry when sick ?
does n't Dolly is never sick.

Baby cries when she is sick.

XXVI.
grandpa Grandpa keeps hens.
keeps He keeps ducks, too.
hens He keeps the hens in the barn.
ducks He keeps the ducks in the barn, too.
barn Grandpa gives them corn to eat.
They like corn.
»
 !! !

made I can make a dress.

dress I made a dress for my dolly.
Rose Mamma made a dress for me.
I will make a dress for your doll.

XXIX.
new I have a new flag.
flag See my new flag, Rose.
stars It is red, white, and blue.

stripes It has stars and stripes.

cheers 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.

and blue.
It is red, white,
Three cheers for the stars and stripes

XXX.
house This is my doll house.
window It has windows and doors.
door There is a front door.

23
front There is a back door.
sit You can sit at the front window.
You can sit at the front door.
It is a pretty little house.

XXXI.
chairs See my little table.
table See my little dishes.
dishes See my little chairs.
box Mamma gave me the table.
Grandma gave me the dishes.
Grandpa made the chairs.
The dishes are in a box.

XXXII.
tub The tub is in the doll house.
clothes I wash dolly's clothes in the tub.
soap I rub soap on the clothes.
rub Soap cleans the clothes.
hang Then I rub and rub and rub.
line I hang the clothes on the line.

I like to hang them on the line.

XXXIII.
Mother Hen This is Mother Hen.
chicken She has ten little chickens.
sleep What do your chickens do, Mother Hen ?
wings They eat and sleep.
warm Where do they sleep, Mother Hen ?
They sleep under my wings.
It is warm under my wings.

They like to keep warm.

24
 !

XXXIV.
squirrels I see two little squirrels.

nut One has a nut.

acorn The other has an acorn.
winter Squirrels like nuts.
feed 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.
bees Oh, see the little bee
bee The bee makes honey.
honey Honey is good to eat.
mother I like bread and honey.

work Honey is sweet.

Do all bees work?
No, mother bees do not work.
Our mothers work.

XXXVI.
buttercup O, look, look!

25
daisy See this pretty buttercup.
daisies I found it in the field.

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.
butterfly What a pretty butterfly.
caterpillar Once this butterfly was a caterpillar.
asleep The caterpillar fell asleep.
woke When it woke it had wings.
hurt It was a butterfly.
I will not hurt you, pretty butterfly.
Do not hurt caterpillars.

XXXVIII.
cups These are my cups and saucers.
saucers I have plates too.

plates The cups and saucers are on the table.

teapot Put the plates on the table.

sugar = bowl Put the sugar-bowl on the table.
Here is the teapot.
Put some tea in the teapot.

XXXIX.
bicycle I have a bicycle, Tom.
Uncle Jack Who gave you the bicycle, Frank?
birthday Uncle Jack gave it to me.
present 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 Have you and spoons ?
knives, forks
forks Yes, I have little and spoons.
knives, forks,
spoons Please give me a knife and fork.
tea Give May a spoon.
sugar 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

islooking 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 stood under an apple tree. Looking up she saw

little girl
a dear bird looking down at her. She wished the little bird
little
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 Many teachers consider its use a hindrance
optional.
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 the story about ?" "The story

is 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 can read the stories correctly and with good ex-
all
pression upon the new words until the children can name
drill
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 thisone 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.

not allow a child to read a sentence aloud until the thought

Do
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 incolumns 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
 — —

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 inword-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 whenthe 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
rills
 :

"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 you
n't 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

littlefolks, 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,

pi, pr, tr, Tr, st, gr, br, cl, dr, fr, sw, spr, etc.
h, j, J, p, b, d, g,

(Use green crayon for leaves, red for apples, etc.)

(b) a circle on the board, (world) write the phono-

Draw
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 front of a house on the
the blackboard and write
a phonogram, as, ear on the door-plate. Have the children find
how many children in Mr. Ear's house.
Whenthe 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, from script to print.
also for transition

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, your hoop.
roll

8. Alice going to school.

is

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
21
41
OCT 30190?