PART ONE
FOR GRADES ONE AND TWO
BY
CATHERINE T. BRYCE
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.
AND
FRANK J. SHERMAN
FORMERLY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
MONSON, MASS.
NEW YORK
NEWSON & COMPANY
Copyright, 1916, by
NEWSON & COMPANY.
All rights reserved.
To teachers and the public alike, probably no subject taught in the public schools has been more disappointing than spelling. This disappointment is undoubtedly due to:
1. Defective material for study and poor methods of teaching;
2. Too much testing and too little teaching;
3. Finding errors rather than preventing them;
4. The use of a theoretical, rather than the practical, vocabulary of children and adults.
The teaching of spelling must be done from a spelling book in the hands of the children, since the individual teacher does not have the time to prepare lists of words which will produce as good results as the lists given in a spelling book, the selection and preparation of which are the result of years of special observation and testing.
A plan of teaching spelling to secure the best results should consist of a thoughtful, systematic, and comprehensive presentation of the words and spelling facts which every pupil must learn. It must contain an adequate and simple system of phonics for the primary grades, since a large percentage[iv] of the words in common use are purely phonetic and present no spelling difficulties once a sane and practical phonetic foundation is fixed. It must have a vocabulary selected and graded with such care that it will give the child the ability to spell correctly those words which he needs to use in his written work, and that it will also develop and broaden his vocabulary for his future needs. It should contain suitable directions and hints to the teacher, sufficiently removed from the pupil’s text so that he may not be confused by them. It may, and in many grades should, contain information and suggestions to the pupil that will help him to master the many peculiarly non-phonetic words which present their individual problems and must be individually mastered. It should contain a very few of the most important spelling rules simply stated. It should contain a large variety of sentences for dictation, which may wisely take the form of gems of thought. Such a plan, well taught, constantly supplemented by the teacher with such words as the peculiar difficulties of individual pupils and classes may require, will produce a maximum of ability to spell correctly.
In the Aldine Speller the authors have presented a plan of teaching which in actual results has proved singularly effective. The vocabulary has been selected and graded with unusual care to meet the actual needs of life and to develop a spelling sense. In its preparation a careful comparison[v] was made of the vocabularies of several of the most popular spelling books of the day in respect to both gradation and selection. Paralleling this, the various recent tests and investigations, notably those of Ayres, Jones, and Cook and O’Shea, have been checked. The resulting vocabulary is thought to represent the real writing vocabulary of the average child of the grade in which it is taught. Special and repeated drills are given on the real trouble makers—the one hundred and more words that comprise four-fifths of the misspelled words of the schoolroom.
In the primary grades use is made of exceptionally valuable phonetic lists. Emphasis is placed upon this important and very practical foundation for the development of a spelling sense, and its mastery in the primary grades will do much to train children to spell correctly. A few comparatively uncommon words are used in these lists chiefly for the value of the phonetic drill.
As every error creates a tendency, and if repeated quickly establishes a habit, it is important that the correct spelling of words be taught before children have occasion to write them. Every worth-while test and investigation shows the most common and most useful words in our language to be the words used early by children. It is likewise certain that very many of the misspelled words are one-syllable words in very common use. It would, therefore, seem essential that the real teaching of spelling should be done as early as possible[vi] in the grades—somewhat earlier than has frequently been the case—that correct habits, rather than incorrect ones, may be formed.
Obligation is expressed to Dr. Leonard P. Ayres of the Russell Sage Foundation for kind permission to make use of his list of “The Thousand Commonest Words.” These and some four thousand other very common and important words constitute the Aldine vocabulary.
That the Aldine Speller may lead to some real teaching, and decrease “lesson hearing,” is the hope of the authors.
Oral spelling should always precede written spelling in the primary grades. Careful and distinct pronunciation by the child should always precede oral spelling. Children cannot be expected to spell correctly words that they cannot pronounce. It is well to emphasize the form of a word of more than one syllable by syllabication. It makes the spelling more obvious, promotes clear enunciation, and assists in creating a correct mental picture of the word. The sight words in this book are so syllabicated when first presented. A slight pause between the syllables is usually sufficient in oral spelling. In writing the words they should not be divided.
The mere “hearing” of spelling lessons is happily a thing of the past in most schools. However, teachers cannot be too strongly impressed with the worthlessness of such exercises. The primary object is to instruct, not to examine—to[viii] teach to spell correctly, not to find out how many words may be spelled incorrectly. Review lessons are frequently given, and these are sufficient for test purposes. All other lessons should be thoroughly taught with instruction the aim and object of the lesson.
The best possible preparation for teaching to spell is thoughtful, intelligent drill in phonics. As all modern methods of teaching reading give systematic phonic drills, and thus most children have had some preparation before spelling is begun, the phonetic lists in this book will be found to be easy. Not only will they be easy, if intelligently taught, but they will serve the double purpose of teaching the children to spell intelligently and independently, and of enabling them to recognize new words. In other words, the right kind of phonetic teaching may be made of great educative value, teaching at the same time both spelling and reading. Thoughtful consideration will show the teacher that a large proportion of words are strictly phonetic, i.e. “spell themselves.” In learning the spelling of one word, if the phonetic elements have been properly and thoroughly taught, the child is learning the spelling of all words containing the same phonograms. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance in the primary grades that a phonetic sense be developed and utilized.
The lists used in this book are presented first in the text as short lists, each of which precedes the use of any word of the series in dictation. On page 61 will be found more complete lists for supplementary drill. These are numbered in the same order and are similar to those found on the Aldine Phonic Chart, which the teacher will find to be of great assistance. Drills on these complete series may well be given whenever a review or additional lesson is possible. The pupil may study from his book; quick drills may be given from the Phonic Chart; then a selected list may be dictated by the teacher. Too much intelligent drill on these phonic series cannot be given.
It has been well said that “interest is nine-tenths of education.” This is true in teaching spelling. Any means which will arouse interest in mastering words is likely to be effective. So far as our forefathers succeeded in securing results in this subject they did so by the interest in the old-fashioned “spelling bee.” Spelling matches of various sorts are desirable for creating interest. The review lists and phonetic lists will be found admirable for this purpose. It should be remembered, however, that this is testing what is already learned and is not teaching something new.
Each pupil has his own difficulties in spelling. Teach him to make private lists of the words which he finds especially hard to spell and have him use extra effort to conquer these trouble makers. These may be listed in the back of his textbook or in his individual notebook. Occasional lessons may be devoted entirely to this kind of exercise, and they should be individual and painstaking. Such words should be watched for in the other written work and misspelling prevented rather than corrected. Besides making the misspelled words the basis of a lesson they may well be correctly and carefully written on the board with the difficulty shown in colored crayon. If possible leave them in sight for several days.
Frequent reviews are given, and these should be used to test the children, to check their accomplishment, and to supply a record of their individual ability. The lists of “Initial Words of Phonetic Series” at the end of the work for each grade should be used for the same purpose, and much valuable reviewing may be done with the Series themselves. The Phonic Chart is valuable for this purpose.
That the teacher may know just what words have been taught, an alphabetical list of all sight words is given at the end of the book.
Words spelled differently but pronounced alike should be kept apart until the spelling of each has become fixed and the ability to use correctly in sentences, reasonably sure. Then only may they safely be brought together for comparison. When this is done, much care must be used that no confusion may exist in the child’s mind as to the proper use of each.
All children do not learn spelling equally well in the same way. Some are sense-organ learners, while others are largely motor-organ learners. Most children are both. In all cases the order of seeing words, hearing them pronounced, pronouncing them, spelling them aloud, and then writing them, will be found to be most effective. Appeal is thus made successively to the eye, the ear, the memory, and the hand.
In the first grade the child should be taught to spell his own name. In the second grade he should be taught the most common names of other children in the room, the name of the teacher, of the city or town, and of the state. He should be taught that these names always begin with a capital letter. Other local names of special importance may be presented at the discretion of the teacher.
Often the spelling of words is forced upon the child before he has properly mastered the alphabet. This is the cause of much poor spelling, much guessing in the primary grades. Before a child is allowed to spell orally he should be absolutely sure of the name of every letter, and he should be able to recognize and name it at sight. Before he is allowed to write one word in a dictated spelling lesson, the pupil should be able to write any letter of the alphabet from dictation. This means that the real study of spelling should not be undertaken until the middle of the first year or later.
Be sure that your pupils know their letters before beginning spelling. Following are some suggestions for Alphabet drills. Use any that you think helpful.
1. Have pupils read the alphabet in order, pointing to each letter as it is named.
2. Have pupils point to the letters in any order as you call them.
In this drill teach them the approximate place of the letters, that is, to look for a, d, c, f, near the beginning; j, n, k, o, near the middle; t, v, w, near the end.
3. Ask such questions as, “What letter comes after m? n? d? t?”
4. Consonant Drills.
(a) Call a letter and have pupils give the sound.
(b) Sound a letter and have pupils give the name.
5. Written Work.
(a) Have pupils copy the alphabet in script from print.
(b) Have pupils write the alphabet from memory.
(c) Dictate the letters in any order and require the pupils to write them. Time the children in this exercise, encouraging them to write as rapidly as possible.
6. The Typewriter Game.
Call the alphabet on page 1 of the child’s book the keys of a typewriter. Have the children spell words, touching the letters as the letter keys. Dictate as follows: “Write at on your typewriter.” The pupils touch a and t as they spell aloud. Then dictate cat, bat, hat. Use phonetic words or words made of letters near together in the alphabet. The object of the exercise is to find quickly the place of each letter in the alphabet, as well as to give the ability to quickly recognize the letters.
Page 2, Lesson 1
As may be seen at a glance, this lesson contains five words using the phonogram un.
The directions and suggestions given below for the study of this particular lesson apply to all similar phonetic lessons in the book.
1. Pronounce each word distinctly, giving its meaning or using it in a sentence, as, “sun—The sun is shining brightly.” You thus give the children the word properly used and leave in no pupil’s mind the idea that you meant son. “Fun—Did you have fun at recess time, Tom?” Tom’s recollection of the recess games will associate the word and its meaning. “Gun—Who has seen a gun? What is its use? Bun—The baker puts currants in the bun.” By the variety of ways in which you give or suggest the meaning of the word, try to arouse the pupil’s interest in the word itself. Never require a pupil to study the spelling of a word until he has heard it properly pronounced and knows the meaning.
2. Have the pupils read the words, pronouncing each correctly. The children may give original sentences, using any unusual word.
3. Pupils pronounce and spell each word orally.
4. Ask what letters are found in every word. Teach the[xv] children to call the common part the “family name” of the word and to spell it as a unit, as, “sun—spell, s-un.”
5. Tell the children to look at the list of words and choose the hardest. They may look at the word for a moment, then spell it without looking at the book. In some such way arouse interest in the spelling of each word in the lesson, as, “Who can find and spell the word that is the name of something that makes a great noise?” “The one we all enjoy at recess?” “The one that opens the flowers?” “The one we like to eat?”
6. Pronounce each word, give the family, and spell the word thus, sun, -un, s-u-n. Have pupils emphasize the first letter—the part of each word that is not common to the series—as, sun, fun, bun, gun, nun.
7. Children place their books face down on their desks, while the teacher dictates the words. Children spell orally. If a word is missed, do not pass it to another child. The one who missed turns over his book and studies the correct spelling while the teacher continues to dictate words to the other pupils. After all the children have spelled, those who missed have a chance to spell their words correctly. From the beginning every child must feel a responsibility for every word dictated to him. He must spell it correctly before the lesson is ended for him.
In all oral spelling, save time by having the children respond[xvi] in turn without being called upon by name. Perhaps the best way is to go up and down the rows.
Spell the first word very softly and write it on the blackboard as you pronounce each letter. The children look at the written form on the board, and copy the word, saying to themselves each letter as they write. Do the same with other words.
It is not necessary to copy each word more than once. The common part or family name—the combination of letters that requires special drill—is repeated in each word.
As pupils gain facility in written letter forms, they should copy their lessons once in script from the printed lesson in the book. For the first ten lessons, however, the teacher may well take the time to have the work copied from the board.
The teacher who truly means to make her children realize the importance of accurate spelling and neat writing will see that each child has a notebook in which to keep his spelling lessons. She will show him just how the work should be arranged in his book. (The child’s Spelling Book shows a good arrangement.) She will insist that he follow the arrangement and that his penmanship be neat. If the teacher cannot provide regular blank books for spelling, the[xvii] children may make their own of regular writing paper, fastening the requisite number of sheets together with two Magill fasteners, or sewing them with thread or raffia.
In dictating, pronounce each word clearly and distinctly. Have the children repeat, then write the word. This habit of correct pronunciation of the words cannot be overemphasized. It has been said, and the saying is true, “A word correctly pronounced is half spelled.”
When a lesson is perfect, mark it. Mark it 100%. That is the mark primary children like best. Mark it in colored pencil. If the child has made a special effort in writing or in neatness, show your appreciation and observation by affixing a star or some other symbol to his paper. Encourage him, make him proud of his spelling, proud of his writing, proud of his book, proud of himself.
Give no spelling mark but the mark for perfect work.
When a child makes a mistake in spelling, call his attention to it. If it is only a careless mistake, he will spell the word orally. The teacher then erases the mistake, and the child corrects it. If, however, the child has not mastered the correct spelling, he should be referred to his book. When he can spell the word, the teacher erases the incorrectly spelled word, and the child writes it correctly.
The correcting of the lesson should follow as soon as possible[xviii] the writing of the lesson. In order that this may be done in the same period, the lessons are kept very short. In order that there may be few mistakes the lessons are very simple. If the lessons are studied as suggested, there should be very few errors to correct. If the work is corrected as definitely as outlined, the pupils will soon learn what is required of them, and will take pride in having a perfect, attractive book. The arousing of such pride, and the cultivation of habits of correctness and neatness are of incalculable value.
1. By thoughtful, intelligent study, prevent errors.
2. When mistakes are made, have the pupils correct them immediately as an important duty.
Lesson 3, Page 2
The children have had two series or families in past lessons. In the new lesson ask them to look for words that belong to these families. They will find run in the un family, and me, the, tree, in the e (ee) family. These words should be distinctly pronounced and spelled orally.
The remaining word is to. It belongs to no family that the children have studied. Have the children pronounce it, use it in a number of simple sentences, and spell it.
Give each child a small piece of paper. Tell the children to look at to and spell it silently. Then without looking at[xix] the book have them write the word on paper. Each word in the lesson may be studied and written in the same way.
Lesson 4, Page 2
No new spelling words occur in this lesson. It is a review, an application of some of the words learned.
The first lesson, and perhaps a few others of the same kind, should be taught from the board, although it is better that each child should have a book before him.
A child reads the first sentence from the book. “Run to me.”
The teacher says, “I will write it on the board if you will spell the words. The children in the first row stand.”
Without waiting to be called upon by name the children spell the words in turn.
The teacher says, “Run begins with a capital letter because it is the first word in a sentence. Spell it, capital R-u-n.”
When all the words in the sentence have been spelled and written on the board, the teacher places the period at the end, saying, “There is a period at the end of this sentence.”
The second sentence is to be spelled by the children and written on the board by the teacher in the same way.
The children may now copy the sentences from the blackboard.
The two things to be taught in this lesson are the capital to begin the first word, and the period at the end of the sentence.
Phonetic reviews are given frequently throughout the book. Each lesson contains one word of the series taught. These words are numbered.
Have the children open their books to the review lesson, as that on page 6.
Let the children read the words and the families, as, run-un, me-e, play-ay, fly-y. Then have each word spelled orally.
Now dictate other words from the same families, as, sun, see, gay, cry, sand. If a pupil misspells a word, give him the number of the family in which the word occurs. Let him look in his book, study his word, and be ready to spell it when you have finished dictating other words to the rest of the class. Thus you may dictate the word say. The child hesitates or misspells the word. Give him number 3. He looks in his book, finds 3 and the well-known word play after the number. He knows the word say is in the same family, and he studies out the word while you are hearing the rest of the class spell words in the other families. When you return to him and ask, “What is your word?” he answers, “Say—s-a-y.”
Never pass a word to a second child. Each child must[xxi] spell, with help if necessary, every word that is dictated to him.
For written review, dictate any words from the series represented in the review lesson. Return again and again to these review lessons.
Have the children copy the words and under each write one or more words in the same family. Thus:
| run | me | play | fly | and |
| fun | be | hay | try | band |
Use these reviews for oral spelling matches and for written tests. Keep records of these written tests. There are 36 sight words assigned to the first year.
The following chart is simple and effective in keeping a record of these tests.
We can spell:
| Children’s Names | 12 Words | 24 Words | 36 Words |
| John Smith | 100% | 100% | |
| Mary Brown | 100% | ||
| Tom Good | 100% | 100% | 100% |
This shows that John Smith can spell the first two columns[xxii] of sight words given on page 17, Mary Brown can spell the first column, and Tom Good can spell all three. No mark but the 100% mark is placed on the chart. Arouse the child’s interest and ambition to master these sight words.
In the second year, keep a space on the chart for each review lesson as it occurs.
1. Make the words or sentences in each lesson with “word builder” letters. This work should be carefully examined to see that it is correct and that it follows the arrangement given in the book.
2. Copy in script the lesson from the book.
Lesson 32, Page 8
Teach the use of the question mark as follows, “There is a question mark after ‘Will they fall?’ because this sentence asks a question.”
Lesson 23, Page 25
Have the children copy these sentences, telling them that the quotation marks are put around, “Where are my baby stars?” because these are the words of the moon. If omitted in dictation lessons, have the child open his book and put them in, but do not count this omission an error.
PART ONE
FIRST YEAR
| a | b | c | d |
| e | f | g | h |
| i | j | k | l |
| m | n | o | p |
| q | r | s | t |
| u | v | w | x |
| y | z |
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Run to me.
Run to the tree.
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Run and play.
Play with me.
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The little birds fly.
Fly to the old tree.
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Fly to the nest.
The nest is in the tall tree.
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Hear the wind blow.
It blows the tall trees.
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The birds sing in the tree.
Will they fall?
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Look at the little nest.
Who made it?
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Can you sing?
Yes, I can sing a song.
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Sleep, little bird.
Sleep in the little nest.
Sleep and rest.
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It is night.
The birds are asleep.
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Wake up.
The night is past.
Fly to the tree-top.
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The boy has a dog.
The girl has a doll.
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The birds flew away from the nest.
Will they come back?
PART ONE
SECOND YEAR
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Did you see the sky last night?
The moon was bright.
The stars were shining too.
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The moon is the mother.
The stars are her children.
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One night the little stars were cross.
They would not shine.
They hid behind a cloud.
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“Where are my baby stars?” said the moon.
“Why are they not shining?”
“Tell me why they do not shine,” she said.
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We do not want to shine.
Let the large stars shine.
We are going to sleep.
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You were born to shine.
I will have no lazy stars here.
You must go to the earth.
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The lazy stars shook with fear.
Most of them lost their hold.
Down they fell to the earth.
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The little stars had to lie on the cold grass.
All night they had to lie there.
They wished they had been good.
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Did any one see the stars?
Father Sun saw them.
“What can be done for them?” he said.
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“How cold the stars look.
They will die,” said the sun.
“Not if we cover them with snow,” said the clouds.
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All winter the stars were covered with snow.
The stars above shone down on them.
But they did not wake.
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At last the spring came.
The sun sent his rays down to the earth.
It is time for the stars to wake.
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The stars opened their sleepy eyes.
They looked up at the sun.
He smiled at them.
They were not cross now.
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These stars now live on the earth.
They shine all day long.
Children call them daisies.
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| March winds rock the trees. | March |
| April brings the rain. | April |
| May brings the birds back. | May |
| June brings roses. | June |
| July brings heat. | July |
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Hark! I hear bells.
Santa Claus is coming.
His reindeer are as swift as light.
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Santa Claus came last night.
We were all asleep.
He brought us many gifts.
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We did not see him.
How does Santa carry our gifts?
He has a big bag.
What a very big bag it is!
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Santa brought Nell a doll cradle.
He brought Ned a box of candy.
He brought baby sister a cooky.
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He brought the kitten some milk.
He brought the dog a bone.
Don’t you love Santa?
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I went shopping today.
Mother took me.
We had a ride in the cars.
Then we came to the shops.
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I looked along the street.
I saw a candy shop.
We went in.
I had only a dime.
I bought a box of candy.
I told the man not to wrap it.
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Be on time.
Have a pencil.
Keep your desk neat.
Know your lesson.
Mind your teacher.
Never pout.
Smile and smile.
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