How to Teach Phonics | Page 4

are sometimes used by successful teachers who
do not use the type-words and cards. For instance, the letter may be associated with its
sound in this way:--The clock says "t"; the angry cat, "f"; the cow says "m"; etc. The
difficulty here is to find suitable symbols for each sound. If, for example, the sounds of
"l", "v" and "sh" are represented by a spinning wheel, a buzz saw, and a water wheel
respectively, and if the child is not familiar with these symbols, they will not call up a
definite sound in his mind; but if "l" is taught from "little," "sh" from "sheep," and "v"
from "very", (or other familiar words,) there can be no uncertainty and no time need be
spent by the child in laboring to retain and associate the sounds with unfamiliar symbols.
Not the method, but the motive, is the essential thing. What we want is that every child
should know the consonants thoroly. Get the motive, then use the method that brings the
best results with the least expenditure of time and energy.
(2) For variety in reviewing and fixing the consonant sounds, give frequent dictation
exercises.
a. With all the consonants on the board, the teacher sounds any consonant, the pupil finds
and repeats the sound as he points it out. As the teacher points, pupils sound, occasionally
in concert, and in individual recitation of the entire list. Individual work should
predominate, to make sure that the pupil is giving the correct sound and putting forth
independent effort.
b. Pupils write sounds as teacher dictates. If a pupil fails to recall and write the form, the
teacher may pronounce the type word and ask the pupil to sound the initial consonant
(tell the first sound in the word). To illustrate: The teacher pronounces "cup", pupils
sound "c", then write it. If they have mastered the written forms they will enjoy this
exercise.
Children soon acquire the ability and become possessed of the desire to write whole
words. Then the teacher should direct this effort, teaching the child to visualize (get a
picture of the word as a whole) and write short, simple words.
5. Blending.
When a number of consonant sounds are mastered, practice in blending may begin. When
the need arises--when words are met which begin with a combination of consonants the
blends are taught, e.g., bright--b, r,--br, br ight, bright. f, l,--fl, fl ower, flower. Keep a
separate set of cards for these blends--and drill upon them as the list grows.
(br, pl, fl, sl, cr, gl, gr, bl, cl, fr, pr, st, tr, str, sp, sw, tw, sk.)

gr ow dr aw pl ay s ky sm all sl ay fl ower cr ow st ay st and cl ean fr ay gl ass pr ay tr ay
br own sp in str ay bl ue sw ing sl ow st ore sl ack bl ow tr ack dw arf gl ow
The teacher must pronounce the syllables that the children have, as yet, no power to
master, e.g., with the word "grow", (1) the children will blend g and r, gr; (2) teacher
pronounces "ow"; (3) children blend "gr" and "ow" until they recognise "grow."
Teach also the digraphs sh, ch, th, wh, as they are met in the common words in use: when,
they, chick, etc.
sh eep ch ick wh at th at sh ell ch ild wh en th is sh y ch air wh y th ese sh ore ch ill wh
ere th ose sh ine ch erry wh ich th ere sh ow ch ildren th en th eir sh e ch urch th ey th ey
sh all ch ase sh ould ch est

III. Teach the Short Vowels.
Since more than 60 per cent of the vowels are short, and since short vowels outnumber
long vowels by about four to one, they are taught first. Teach one vowel at a time by
combining with the known consonants. And what fun it is, when short "a" is introduced,
to blend it with the consonants and listen to discover "word sounds." Henceforth the
children will take delight in "unlocking" new words, without the teacher's help. She will
see to it, of course, that the words are simple and purely phonetic at first; as:
c-a-n, can h-a-d, had c-a-p, cap m-a-t, mat c-a-t, cat m-a-n, man r-a-t, rat f-a-n, fan h-a-t,
hat s-a-t, sat
Whole "families" are discovered by placing the vowel with the initial or the final
consonants, thus:
ca n r at f an ca p h at an d ca t c at s an d ca b b at st an d ma t f at l an d ma n s at b an d
The children will