How to Teach Phonics | Page 7

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 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;