IO6 METHODS IN TEACHING 



and to see the word. Careful attention is given to this in 



in the different subjects, reading, drawing, 



numbers. The first real attempt at spelling 



is to reproduce the word by copying from the blackboard. 



This is done with the cardboard letters with which every 



teacher is supplied ; later the word is copied upon the board 



by the child. After much preliminary work of this kind, 



flash spelling is introduced and continued throughout the 



year. Words and simple sentences are dictated. 



The names of the letters are used only incidentally at 

 first; but as the child becomes familiar with the long and 

 the short sounds of the vowels and with the consonant 

 sounds, there are associated with the characters their alpha- 

 bet names. When a pupil leaves the first grade he should 

 know all the letters by name and be able to give them in 

 order. 



SECOND YEAR GRADE 



The first work of this year is to review carefully what 

 was done in the preceding grade, for little folks forget 



easily. For new drills some of the sounds 

 Phonics 



that were only touched upon in the first 



year are used, as: a in ask; oo in stoop and in look; u in 

 rude ; ph in cipher ; gh in laugh, and others that proved too 

 confusing during the first lessons. This is an individual 

 matter with every class, depending upon conditions often 

 external to the schoolroom. Abundance of material is found 

 in the words of the day's lessons in history, literature, nature 

 study, reading, numbers. 



Copying exercises and flash spelling are continued 

 throughout the year. There are oral and written lessons in 



