How to Teach Phonics | Page 8

name the letter sounded. (3) Repeat
with the letters erased from the board.
Oral spelling may begin after the sounds have first been mastered--and as soon as the
names of the letters are taught. Spell only the phonetic words at first. The lists of families
of words which have been written from dictation may now be spelled orally.
The spelling recitation may be both oral and written, but written spelling should
predominate the first year. Unphonetic words should be taught by visualizing--getting the
form of the word as a whole. The teacher writes the word on the board in free rapid hand,
pupils observe for a moment, getting a mental picture of the form; the word is erased by
the teacher, and reproduced on the board by the pupil.
While oral spelling aids the "ear-minded" pupil and gives variety in the recitation, written
spelling should predominate for the reasons that (1) in practical life, spelling is used
almost wholly in expressing thought in writing; (2) the eye and hand should be trained
equally with the ear. It is often true that good oral spellers will fail in writing the same
words for want of practice. (3) In the written recitation each pupil can spell a greater
number of words and in less time than is possible in oral spelling.

SEAT WORK
1. Distribute pages from magazines or old readers and let pupils underline words
beginning with a certain consonant (the one being taught). If different colored pencils are
used, the same pages can be used a number of times. When the "m" sound is being taught
let all words beginning with that sound be marked with black; at another seat work period,
words beginning with "b" are marked with "green;" and again, words beginning with "f"
sound are marked with blue pencils, etc.
Underline digraphs, blended consonants, and phonograms.

2. The teacher writes a phonogram on the board and below it all the consonant sounds
from which words may be built. Pupils write the entire words.
3. Phonograms are written on the board; pupils supply consonants and write out the
words.
4. Have a number of phonograms and three or four sets of consonants in envelopes. Give
an envelope to each child and let him build the words on his desk. Duplicate copies can
be made on a hectograph, one set for each lesson; then if one envelope from each set is
preserved, those miscellaneous lessons can be used in review for a long time, each child
using a different set each time.
5. Write on the board lists of words ending in various phonograms and let the children
re-write them, arranging in columns according to phonograms.
6. Write families from memory.

GENERAL SUGGESTIONS
1. At least two daily periods should be given to phonics. The first lessons will be short,
but after some advance has been made, ten to fifteen minutes should be given.
2. As far as possible let the words for phonic drill be those that will occur in the new
reading lessons.
3. Constantly review all familiar sounds, phonograms, digraphs, blends, etc., when met in
new words, and so teach pupils to apply their knowledge of phonics.
4. Teaching them to "pantomime" the sounds--representing them mutely by movement of
the lips, tongue and palate, will aid them in silent study at their seats.
5. By the end of the first year the pupil's phonetic knowledge, combined with his
vocabulary of sight words and his power to discover a new word, either phonetically or
by the context, ought to enable him to read independently any primer, and to read during
the year from eight to twelve or more primers and first readers.
6. In reading, pupils should be taught to get the meaning chiefly by context--by the parts
which precede or follow the difficult word and are so associated with it as to throw light
upon its meaning.
7. When a word cannot be pronounced phonetically, the teacher should assist by giving
the sound needed, but the pupil will soon discover that by using his wits in phonics as in
other things, he can get the new word for himself by the sense of what he is reading, e.g.,
in the sentence, "The farmer came into the field" he meets the new word "field."
Naturally a second year pupil, who has learned the reasons for sounding will apply the
long sound of "i;"--as he reads it does not make sense, so he tries short "i." Still the
sentence is meaningless, so he tries again with "e" and reads a sentence which satisfies

him, because the meaning is clear.
If the first year pupil pronounces the word "coat" as co-at (recognizing the last
combination as a member of the "at" family) the teacher will underline and call his