How to Teach Phonics | Page 7

discovered.
4. "Run Home."
For reviewing phonograms and fixing the vowel sounds as well, the following game is
used.
Draw pictures of several houses on the board, writing a different phonogram in each,
explaining that these are the names of the families living there, as, "ed," "eg," "est," "en,"
etc. Distribute to the class cards containing a word with one of these endings, and let "the
children run home." Those holding the words ten, pen, men and hen, will run to the house
where "en" lives. The children holding rest, best, nest, etc., will group themselves at the
house of "est."
Again let several children represent mothers and stand before the class holding
phonograms. As Mother "ed" calls her children, those holding cards containing red, led,
fed, Fred, and bed, will run to her. If a child belonging to the "est" family should come,
she will send back the stray child, saying pleasantly, "You do not belong in my family."
A little voice drill as practiced in the music lesson may be used here. The mother calls
"Children" on 1 and 8 of the scale (low and high do thus:
1-8 8-1
child-dren), the children replying as they come, "We're here."

For individual tests let the mother call out all her children from the other families, the
children coming to her as she calls their card names.

RHYME STORIES
Enliven the phonic drills occasionally by originating little rhymes, using the words of the
series to be reviewed. Write the words on the board in columns, or upon cards. As the
teacher repeats a line of the jingle, she pauses for the children to supply the rhyme words.
Grandma was taking a cozy nap Her hands were folded in her (lap) When she wakened
she heard a (tap) In the maple tree that was full of (sap.) She soon spied the tapper--he
wore a red (cap) White vest and black coat, and his wings gave a (flap) As he hopped
about with a rap-a-tap-(tap) What did he want--was he looking for (sap)? Ah no, but for
grubs, which he ate quick as (snap) Can you name this gay drummer who wears a red
(cap)?
II.
As soon as possible introduce a number of phonograms into the same story.
I have a little pet Who is as black as (jet) She sits upon a mat And watches for a (rat.) Her
coat is smooth as silk, She likes to drink sweet (milk) She grows so fast and fat That soon
she'll be a (cat) Can't you guess? Now what a pity 'Tis the dearest little ( ).

SPELLING BY SOUND
An easy step now, which the children will enjoy is the writing of the words of given
families as a dictation exercise, followed by sentences as soon as the use of the capital
and period have been taught. Such sentences as the following may be given after a
number of short "a" phonograms are mastered:
The cat sat on a mat. Nan has a fan. The cat is fat. The cat can see the pan. The man has a
hat. Dan has a bat. Dan has a hat and a cap. The bag is in the cab.
When phonograms containing the other short vowels are known, words may be
pronounced miscellaneously from different series or families; as, run, cap, pet, ran, pin,
top, followed by sentences made up of miscellaneous words, as,--
"Run red hen." "Nan has a fan." "Get the hat pin." "Ned can spin a top." "Nat set the
trap." "Jack run back and get the sack." "A fat man got in the hack." "Can Sam get the
hat?"

THE ALPHABET AND ORAL SPELLING

The names of letters should not be formally taught until their sounds are thoroly fixed in
mind; otherwise the names and sounds will be confused. Pupils who begin by "learning
their letters" will be found spelling out a word (naming over the letters) in order to arrive
at the pronunciation. Attention must be focused on the sounds only, at first. When the
consonant sounds are mastered by every member of the class, and they have gained some
proficiency in pronouncing words by blending these with the short and long vowel
sounds, the names of the letters may be taught, and the alphabet committed to memory in
order.
While as a rule, most children learn the majority of the letters incidentally by the end of
the first year, it often happens that some remain ignorant of the alphabetical order until
they come to use the dictionary, and are greatly handicapped.
To Associate the Name of the Letter With Its Sound.
(1) The teacher names the letter as she points to it and the children give the corresponding
sound; (2) As the teacher sounds the letter, pupils