WORD STUDY IOI 



taken up in the daily drills of the year. Type words are 

 made the bases for the accumulation of many lists of words 

 in the first three or four grades. 



From the first acquaintance with words careful attention 

 is given to their spelling, one of the essentials in a school 



course. Spelling can not be learned inci- 

 Spelling 



dentally; much can be taught in connection 



with all written exercises, but a regular place should be pro- 

 vided on the program for persistent daily drill on selected 

 words. A carefully chosen list for every grade is a neces- 

 sity. It is the core of the work in spelling, and should be 

 made up of a stock of common words from the vocabularies 

 of the children. It should not be so exhaustive as to prevent 

 the teacher from adding other words that are needed from 

 day to day. 



The majority of pupils learn to spell most accurately 

 through the use of the eye ; many, however, acquire a surer 

 knowledge through the ear ; all are assisted by speech. The 

 best results are secured by appealing to the mind through all 

 these avenues of approach. The unit of pronunciation is 

 the syllable, and no method has produced better readers or 

 spellers than the old-time oral spelling with its pronunciation 

 of syllables. 



Pupils are trained to avoid guessing at spelling. In the 

 primary grades, if they do not know how to spell any word 

 needed in their writing, they are encouraged to ask help 

 from the teacher; in the grammar grades, they consult the 

 dictionary. Teachers keep lists of words frequently mis- 

 spelled, and the children are encouraged to make notes of 

 words which they have missed. Occasionally some pupil's 

 list is taken as the basis of the day's spelling. In all grades, 



