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All othar original copiaa ara fiimad beginning on tha first paga with a printad or iiiuatratad impraa- sion. and anding on the last paga with a printed or Iiiuatratad Impreaaion. The laat recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol —^(meaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol y (meaning "END"), whichever appiiaa. Mapa. plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratioa. Thoae too lerge to be entirely included In one axpoaura ara filmed beginning in the upper left hand comer, left to right and top to bottom, aa many framea aa required. The following diagrama iiluatrata the method: Lee exempiairea originaux dont la couverture er< papier eat imprimAe sont filmAs en commen^ant par la premier plet at en terminant solt par la darnlAre page qui comporte une amprainte d'impraaaion ou d'iiiustration, solt par la second plat, salon le caa. Toua lee autres exempiairea originaux aont flimte an comman^ent par la pramlAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impreasion ou d'HIv^tration at en terminant par la darnlAre paga qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un dee symboiaa suivants apparu?tra sur la derniira image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: la symbols »»>signifie "A SUiVRE". le symbols ▼ signifie "FIN". Les cartea. pianchee, tableaux, etc., peuvent *tre filmia k dee taux de rMuetlon dlff^rents. Lorsque le document esv trop grand pour Atra raproduit an un seu! cliche, II est film* k partir de I'angia aupAriaur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut an baa, en prenant le nombre d'imegea nAcassaira. Las diagrammea suivbnts iliustrant la mithode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 THE RATIONAL METHOD OF TEACnmG BEADING. BY THOMAS PACKER. KINGSTON: SMITH, PRINTER, KING STREET. 1883. J^'B.— The author would he pleased to receive your opinion of the Rational Method, no matter whether it i.s good, had or in- different Address: — THOMAS PACKER, Jr., 24- Division Street, Kingston, Ont % ' y f '!w^-.v»'jtMiV:^^i-::i\ t. ' *» THE RATIONAL METHOD OF TEACHING READING. Eeading being the means by which we acquire u large portion of our knowledge, it is of paramount importance that it should be quickly learned; and to be quickly learned it must be rightly taught. It has been taught for thousands of years; but has it been rightly taught ? Within the last few years there has been a complete revolution in the teaching of mathe- matics. Instead of rules, principles are now taught, and results are reached which it was impossible to reach under the system previously pursued. But alDliough many changes have been made in the teach- ing of reading, it is well known that there has not been any marked improvement in the results. The following extracts are proofs of this. "Insufficient and unsatisfactory results are probably approximated more nearly in reading than in any other study. " — J. B. M'Chesney. "The problem of teaching begin- ners to read is the most difficult one the teacher has to encounter." — Canada School Journal, Nov., 1882. "The problem of teaching children to read has, in my belief, never yet been fully faced or thoroughly solved. * * * In England * * ^- we meet with the * PRINCIPLES OF EDUCATION. problem in a form of extremest difficulty; and tlie want of a solution that shall bring confidence with it into all our Primary Schools makes itself still every- where feW'—Meiklejohn. And thousands of toiling teachers, who have not put their opinions in print, are forced to the same conclusion every time they teach a class of beginners. * And why is this ? Wliy is not the teaching of reading as satisfactory as the teaching of arithmetic ? Our irregular orthography is partly responsible for it, but we believe the chief reason is that we are teaching most of our arithmetic on sound principles of education, but in the teaching of reading many of those principles are constantly violated. As assertions without proof are little re- garded in these days, we will proceed to substantiate this statement. First, we will enunciate those lead- ing principles which might well be called the axioms of education. /. ANALYSIS BEFORE SYNTHESIS. The quickest way to learn the mechanism of a clock or any other machine is to take it apart and then put the parts together again. As iti teaching grammar we first take sentences and separate them into their parts, and afterwards take words and make up sentences, so in teaching reading we should first separate words into their parts and afterwards com- bine the parts to make words. //. PROCEED FROM THE KNOWN TO THE UNK^OWN. Knowledge, to be practical, must form a chain. Each succeeding link must be connected with the preceding one, and then thoroughly welded. Giving r PRINCIPLES OF EDUCATION. i Jisconnected facts is not educating. Tlierefore the tirst lesson in reading should begin with something with which the child is familiar, and each after lesson be connected with the one before it. ///. DO NOT TRY TO TEACH TOO MUCH AT ONCE. When we eat just as much as nature requires, our bodies are strengthened; but if we eat three times as much, sickness certainly will, and death may, follow. And yet many pupils are compelled to take, not merely three times, but often ten times as much intellectual food as they can digest. Is it any won- der that mental dyspepsia or even mental death is the result ? Has not every observant teacher seen pupils, especially in the primary reading classes, who had ceased to make any intellectual effort ? And what brought their minds into this state of inertia ? Doubtless one principal cause was, having to swallow more knowledge than they could assimilate. IV. BEGIN WITH THE EASIEST AND GO ON GRADUALLY TO THE HARDEST. In teaching algebra we do not introduce quadratic equations or the binomial theorem in our first les- sons. Yet many of our first readers present some of the greatest difficulties of the language in the first lessons, instead of the easiest words. V. TEACH THE PUPIL HOW TO APPLY HIS KNO WLEDGE A T ONCE. If we place a microscope in the hands of a child who does not know what to do with it, he will soon throw it aside, or break it; but if we show him how to examine minute objects with it, he will prize and 6 ALPHAnETIC METHOD. use it. So if we comnuinioate facts to our pnpila without toaching their application, we make no per- manent impression on their minds, but if we teach them how to use their knowledge, their memories will retain it. Now let us apply these tests to the different methods of teaching reading that are in use. Tlic tirst of these is the ALPHABETIC METHOD. Millions of pupils have been taught by it It seems to be the first method that suggests itself to the mmd. This is why it was first in the field, and why those who have not studied education as a science adopt it without question. The method con- sists m teaching all the letters of the alphabet first and then getting the pupils to combine them in syl' lables and words. 1. This violates the first principle. It is puttin- the parts (letters) together to form wholes (words)" whereas it ought first to separate the wholes into their component parts. 2. It violates the second principle. The letters of the alphabet are among the things that are farthest from the child's stock of knowledge. It would be easier for him to learn some of the first lessons in algebra, for in it the letters are supposed to represent something, but in the alphabet, taught thus before readmg, they represent nothing to him. They are simply a collection of barbarous characters, havin^ no connection with any of his previous ideas. There IS a - missing link" in the chain of knowledge, which cannot be supplied until reading is fairly begun. 3. As it is commonly taught, it violates the third alphauktk; method. principlo. The prevailinp^ plan is to point to each hitter of the alphabet and have the child name it. The Rev. Henrv Hteinhanor, an Indian missionarv to the Indians of WhitefiHli Lake, tells us that for six months he pointed with a stick to the letters on a card, and by the time ho knew them he had worn holes thronpfh the card where the letters had been. Such was the hyper-barbaric process by which he was introduced to civilization. And doubtless many of those who have had a few years experience in teaching by this method could tell us of some who have been twice six months learning the letters. I have heard of a teacher who gave a aild a penny for every letter he learned. This was done for the same reason that pills are sugar-coated. 4. As it is usually taught, it violates the fourth principle. Most of those who teach by this method teach the letters in the conventional order, a, b, c, d, e, f, g, (fee. Now b and d are the two hardest letters to learn; and x, w, s, t, y, r, z, u, and v are all easier than p or q. From observation and experiment the author has concluded that the following are the easiest orders: o, X, s, i, w, t, g, n, a, f, y, c, r, h, z, k, u, m, v, 1, j, e, q, p, d, b, for the small letters; and O, X, S, I, W, Z, V, C, J, K, Y, P, T, U, N, R, A, B, D, H, M, L, G, Q, F, E, for the capitals. These arrangements are not absolutely perfect, be- cause all children do not experience the same amount of difficulty with the same letters. Some may learn o more quickly than n, and others may learn n more quickly than c, but while the middle letters might vary in their arrangement with different pupils, it is 8 ALPHABETIC METHOD. firmly believed that those at the beginning are the ea«,e«t and those at the end the hardest to ifara oiple. I have before me a small book entitled whole alphabet in capitals. "Lesson II." contains he whole alphabet in small letters, together with the Inlu"! T'"" "<""*''°»«<'°« -fi. ff. fl. ffi, ffl, ». ce. Afte, « , , f " "° "PPM^^tion of knowledge. After th.8 rfeft^A,/„; exercise the pupil is readv for ab eb ib Ob ub ba be bi bo bu da de di do du fa fe fi fo fu na ne ni no nu ma me mi mo mu al„rr *f fT '" " P"""''^ "* a s°ail «rawlin<. ^ril , ", '^f °° '*« ^^ This is an appro": pnato symbol of the p„pa at this stage, althoughl subject will declare that the snaU makes considerably tourth and fifth lessons consist of such instructive sentences as "As lam," "Is it I," ..doIso''"Ir the sixth lesson is jiore sensible. The severrT^ about a pig but the picture above it isthat ola L' Seve«a of the other Ulustrations are equallylaS Cv^, tT^'"^ *° ^^' '=««-P»8«' 269,000 of tCe books had been printed, and as this was L old one it IS probable that 300,000, or perhaps even 400,000 have E3gs =- — » .. ALPHABETIC METHOD. 9 : are the tarn. *st prin- entitled tins the 3011 tains (vith the H, se, oe. wledge. ady for g edify- >> and awling appro- >ughl to the erably The ^uciive "Am v^ever, ith is goat. ppro- these >ne, it have been printed by this time. Who can bear to reflect on the tortnres endured by thousands of little inno- cents while •' Learning to Read" in these outrageous primers? And yet these "Reading Books for In- fants" were iDublished by "Educational Publishers," who tell us that "These Books have been prepared with great care by practical Teachers. The Lessons are interesting and instructive * * *; they are * * * suitably Illustrated." They "received the recom- mendation of the London (Eng.) School Board" and had the "Testimony of a School Inspector" that "The Lessons have been carefully drawn up and well arranged." Having pointed out the defects of the Alphabetic Method, it is but fair to mention its merits also. Thev are, 1. The teaching of spelling. No one can recognize a word wherever he sees it unless he knows the let- ters which compose the word, and the order in which they are arranged. For example, how could we distinguish the word " big" from the word " dig" if we did not know the difference between b and d, or " man" from " men" if we could not tell a from e ? The recognition of a word is simply the recognition of letters in a certain order, and as learning spelling means learning that order, it is ab«olutely necessary to reading. 2. It teaches the names of the letters. That this is an advantage is proved by the preceding statements. Teachers should not take it for granted that begin- ners can. easily discern the composition of a word. They should apply some test; and the readiest one is, asking them to name the letters in order. Besides, 10 PHONIC METHOD. Children want to know the name of everything they see In - Primer I." of Prof. Meiklejohn's series of readers - It is earnestly recommended that the names of the letters be not taught until a need for their names has arisen in the pupil's mind." This is ex cellent advice; but it must be understood that the need arises just as soon as they realize that a word 18 a compound body and that letters are its elements Any one who has observed children so little as not to know this may easily prove it in the following man- ner. One day as a little girl was standing beside me 1 took out of my pocket a piece of India-rubber, and showed It to her without saying a word. Immedi- ately came the question " What is this ?" And when told It was India-rubber, she asked - What is it for 9" I did not make this experiment because I had any doubt about the fact, but because I was going to lecture on the Bational Method before a Teachers' Association, and wished to have a particular case to refer to.^ As Currie says:-- The mind of childhood IS remaiivable for its curiosity." These points will be more fully discussed in con- nection with the Rational Method. The next method we shall consider is called the FHOmC METHOD. This method aims at teaching the sounds or powers of the letters without their names, and then getting the pupil to combine these sounds to give the sound of the worn as a who^e. In the March number of I he Cwtaaa Educational Monthly them is an article taken from The Schoolmaster, entitled -A Glance at Education in Germany." In it occurs the following description of this method:-- When a boy enters a PHONIC METHOD. 11 ling they series of he names for their his is ex- that the tt a word lements. as not to ng man- Bside me ber, and fmrnedi- ad when it for ?" had any foing to eachers' ' case to ildhood in con- Ithe powers getting I sound iber of article tnce at lowing iters a German school at six years of age he usually learns to read and to write the alphabet simultaneously. His ear, his eye, his tongue, and his little hand all find employment. He hears the schoolmaster utter the sound of a letter, he sees that letter immediately written upon the blackboard; he is then told to imi- tate with his tongue the sound uttered by his school- master, and, lastly, to imitate with his hand upon a slate the same letter which he has seen written upon the blackboard. The names of letters are not men- tioned for a long time. " 1. This violates the first principle, (See Alphabetic Method, 1.) As Meiklejohn says, "It introduces the child to an analysis (?) — into letters — in which it can have no interest, before it has laid in a stock of words on which it can perform the analysis. Nature everywhere presents us with totals, and we should, in the beginning of teaching, imitate this procedure of nature." 2. It violates the second principle. While a few of the vowel sounds may be part of " the known" to the child, what does he know of the barbarous sounds attached to the consonants by the advocates of the Phonic Method ? Their strangeness and indistinct- ness are utterly repugnant to his feelings, and school becomes repulsive to him at once. "The child has no sympathy with, because he cannot understand, what is abstract and technical." — Gurrie. 3. It violates the fifth principle. Until reading is begun, the pupil has no use for either the forms or the powers of letters. 4. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to separate consonantal from vowel sounds. A conso- 12 PHONETIC METHOD. nant is -a letter which cannot be perfectly soiindod without the aid of a vowel. "_ Worcester. - A conso- nant is a letter which cmi be perfectly sounded without the aid of a vowel" is the dogma of hardshell phoni- cians. But they do not practise their belief. I have heard several try it, and all but one affixed the sound of u in but, thus, bit for b, til for t, &c. The one who did not do so was surprised that any one should think that It was e.er done, although he had noticed that ' Gnrrie makes that mislnke^' However, instead of a^ving the short sound of ic he prejived ii, thus, uh uL for b, L If well-educated men are unequal to the task, who can expect little children to accomplish it '> 5. The sounds of the letters in the English lan- guage are not immutable. There are letters and combinations of letters which represent several dif- ferent sounds, as o in go and got; ou in bough, cmujh ought, &c. •' ' There are different letters and different combina- tions of letters representing the same sound, as s and ^m grease and peace; oi and oy in void and annoyed. Two or three letters often represent onlv one sound • as, au in naught; eau in beau, &c. Letters often have no sound at all ; as, u, g, and h m dough; i and p in receipt, &c. But there is one thing we may learn from the Phonic Method, and that is that the pupils should be made to perceive the power of each letter in a word The next method is the PHONETIC METHOD. It differs from the preceding method only in having an alphabet of more than forty letters, each repre LOOK-AND-SAY METHOD. 18 senting but one sound. When the pupil has learned to read in these characters he is set to read books ])rinted in the ordinary way. 1. This method violates the first principle. (See Phonic Method, 1.) 2. It violates the second principle. (See Phonic Method, 2.) 3. It violates the fifth principle. (See Phonic Method, 3.) 4. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to separate consonantal from vowel sounds. (See Pho- nic Method, 4.) 5. In the transition from the Phonetic alphabet to the ordinary one the pupil has to unlearn a great deal of what he has learned, which causes him much confusion. However, we get one valuable idea from this method, which is, that the difficulties of our irregular spelling should be postponed until some progress has been made in reading. The fourth method is called the L 0K-AND-8A Y METHOD. This method begins by teaching all the small and capital letters, grouping them according to their for- mation. The pupil is then set to read easy sentences. The teacher names each word and the pupils repeat it simultaneously and individually. They are after- wards required to read the words in various orders. When they have made some progress the teacher po'nta out the resemblances between words and teaciies the individual powers of the letters. This method is also called "Beading without Spelling." 1. This method is not fully in accord with the first ,i u LOOK-AND-SAY METHOD. principle. It takes it for granted that the child analyzes the words mentally for himself, without any assistance from the teacher. A few precocious chil- dren who do not come to school at the usual age may accomplish this philosophical task unaided, but the vast majority of children are unable to do so. Those who appear to do so have been taught Ho spell at hmne. "It introduces each individual child to each individ- ual word; and it hopes that the child will, by the steady use of his eyes, get to know the look of the word and to attach to and associate with, by mere arbitrary habit, the sound which is considered to be the usual property of that vfOTfV—Meiklejohn. 2. It violates the second principle. (See Alphabetic Method, 2.) Currie, in arguing against the Phonic Method, ma^ .^s these truthful remarks: ** The natural way for the child to learn language, or anything else, IS to begin with wholes, as alone giving him ideas which his mind can apprehend, and from wholes to proceed to their parts. For a part, unless it is con- templated by him after, and in connexion with the whole to which it belongs, has no meaning for him; and, so far as it can be said to be learnt at all, can only be learnt mechanically." Yet he advocates the Look-and-Say Method, and says: ''The alphabet, both of small and capital letters, should be learned as soon as the pupil comes to school." " Consistency, thou art a jewel." 3. It does or does not violate the fourth principle according to what letters are introduced first. Some teachers may teach the easiest letters first and some may not. (See Alphabetic Method, 4.) 4. It violates the fifth principle more than any of MODIFICATIONS OF PBECEDING METHODS. 15 the preceding methods, as it teaches two alphabets without teaching their uses. The Alphabetic, Pho- nic, and Phonetic Methods teach the use of the letters I as soon as the child knows them all, but the Look- and-Say method leaves the child to find out their use for himself, or rather it leaves him to be taught their use by his parents or some one else. We learn from this method: 1. That pupils should not be required to spell frmri memory until they have made some progress in reading. 2. That spelling should be learned from words be- fore words are learned through spelling. (See First Principle. ) MODIFICATIONS OF PRECEDING METHODS. In discussing the different methods we have taken the plans originally followed by the advocates of each method. These plans are not, followed very strictly by some teachers. Some who teach by the Alphabetic Method teach only a part of the alphabet before com- mencing reading. Some who teach by the Look-and- Say Method do the same, and some do not teach the alphabet at all in the first stages of reading. Some who use the Phonic Method begin by analyzing words. Others combine the Phonic with the Look- ar.d-Say Method. As far as these plans agree with those already discussed, they are liable to the same objections, but where "a new departure" has been made in the right direction, some of the objections will be either partly or wholly inapplicable. If, however, any good feature of a method is left out, or any new feature introduced which is contrary to standard edu- cational principles, additional objections may be made. H 16 RATIONAL METHOD. We now come to the main subject of this book, the RATIONAL METHOD. When the author adopted his present profession he was made to believe that the Look-and-Saj Method (without the alphabet) was the acme of pedagogy He commenced teaching by it, with a fim belief th'at all who taught by the Alphabetic Method were old fogies. It seemed at first to be successful, but in a few months his faith began to waver, and by the end of the year it was completely shaken, although he still continued to teach by it. During the next year he discovered the secret of its apparent success. He had one pupil who seemed to be far superior to his classmates. When they halted at a difficultv he gen- erally surmounted it. He was taught to spell at hcxme. After a while it began to dawn upon the author's mmd that a union of the Alphabetic and Look-and- Say Methods would give better results; but, giving up teaching for a year in order to have more time for study, he did not develop the idea. On entering the active work of the profession again he used the Look- and-Say Method for more than a year, not because he had any faith in it, but simply for want of a better However, so great a tax was it upon his patience that he often wished some angel of mercy would show him a method that would give satisfaction to himself and his pupils. As no angel of mercy appeared he at last concluded to look for a system himself. His thoughts were something like this: Each of the four different methods now in use has had strong advocates: their originators must have accomplished or attempted to ' accomplish some good end; as they have been more or^less extensively used, they probably have some RATIONAL METHOD. 17 book, the 'ession he 7 Method edagogy. elief that were ohl but in a ' the end loiigh he lext year ess. He or to his ' he gen- at home. author's 3ok-and- i, giving time for ring the le Look- 3ause he I better. Qce that low him self and B at last loughts liiferent s: their pted to jn more e some good point or points in them; and as they have been so fiercely assailed, they probably have some bad point or points in them. If all their good points can be discovered and combined in one harmonious whole without incorporating their bad points also, the re- sult will probably be a perfect, or, in other words, a raticmal method of teaching reading. After much thought, the author developed a system which he believes has all the advantages of other systems with- out their disadvantages. In order more eifectually to carry out the method he invented an apparatus called a ♦'Sectional Blackboard," for which he ob- tained a patent in November, 1882. It consists of two parallel grooved bars connected by three trans- verse stays, and having two handles, to which straps are attached for suspending it from the wall. Four sections of blackboard, two of which are 4x4 inches and the other two 4x2 inches, have cleats attached to them which slide in the grooves. There is a stop pin at each end to prevent the sections sliding out. Two hooks are screwed into the wall, just above the ordi- nary blackboard, seven and a half inches apart. The straps are hung on these. Words of two letters re- quire two sections of the blackboard; words of three letters, three sections; and words of four letters, four sections. A picture illustrative of the lesson is hung upon small hooks in the straps. The system will be presented first, and arguments in its favor advanced and objections answered afterwards. It comprises fifteen lessons. When the pupil has mastered these he is able to read fluently and expressively and spell easy monosyllables. 18 BATIONAI* METHOD. LESSON I. ox Suspend the frame from the wall at a suitable height; hang up the picture of the ox and put in the two large sections. Direct the attention of the class to the picture and say : Have you ever seen anything like this before ? Where did you see it ? How many legs has this animal ? How many horns ? Where ire its horns ? What is this ? (Head.) And this ? (Tail.) And this ? (Mouth,) &c. What does it eat ? What is it ? (They will probably say it is a cow. ) What does a cow do ? (It gives milk. ) But this animal doesn't give milk; it works at ploughing, drawing a cart, &c., or is fattened up and killed for beef. Did you ever eat any beef ? &c. (Then if they do not know what it Is, tell them it is an ox. ) Now what is it ? (Make the class repeat the word simul- taneously and individually. ) Now I am going to put its name under the picture. What is its name ? Now see me make its name on here. (Print the word so that o is on one section of the board and x on the other. ) There is its name. What is it ? (Make the class again repeat it simultaneously and individually aj8 you point to it.) Now see what I am going to do. (Move the sections as far apart as possible, as in Fig. 2. ) What have I done ? I have taken the word to pieces. This piece is called o. All say it. And this piece is called x. What is this piece called ? And this ? Now we will put them together again. (Move them until they are as in Fig. 1.) Now what is this word ? Again. Now we will take it apart again. What is this part called ? And what is this I I % suitable put in the f the class I anything Jow many ? Where \nd this ? 3es it eat ? is a cow.) But this loughing, killed for en if they ►X. ) Now •rd simul- ng to put le ? Now e word so .X on the [Make the iividually ing to do. Die, as in the word ' it. And e called ? ler again. Sovr what 3 it apart tiat is this m 4\ RATIONAL METHOD. 19 letter called? (Move them together again.) And what is tliis word called ? (Separate.) What is the name of this letter ? And this one ? (Move them within a couple of inches of each othf ) And this one ? And this ? (Move them within I if an incli of each other.) Now what is this letter? And this? (Put them close togetlier. ) What is the whole word ? What is this letter ? And this one ? And the word ? Then as you point to each letter and move the pointer quickly underneath the word, let them spell in the good old-fashioned way, o-x. ox; o-x, ox, &c. When the pupils have mastered these three facts — I. , that the word ox is the name of the animal in the picture' ; II. , that that word consists of two parts ; and III. , that the names of those parts are o and x, — let them go to their seats and print the word upon their slates. Letters learned: — o and x. LESSON II. go OX Put in four sections, two at each end, the small ones inside. Print the word go on the first two and the word ox on the other two. Point to the second word and ask them what it is. Point to the first word and pronounce it. Drill on each word and on the reading of the sentence. Separate the words into their parts by moving the small sections an inch away from the large ones. Point to each letter of the second word and ask its name. Do the same with o in the first word. Then point to g and tell them its name. Drill on it. Move the parts together again and let them read the sentence. Drill on the spell- ing, g-o, go; o-x. ox. Now take out the first small I J II !! .1 20 RATIONAIi METHOD. piece Point to ox, and let them name it. Then move the amaU piece to the other end and let them name the word formed. Move it back again and let them pronoiince the word and spell it. Drill on the pronunciation and spelling of each word in thie way unbl satisfied that they remember what they learned m the first lesson, and that they are well acquainted with the new character g. Then let them go and pnnt the lesson on their slates. New letter: — g. [ - LESSON HI. go on ox go on Use the four sections, o. large one at each end and the two small ones together in the middle. Print the word ,0 on the first large section, the word on on the two small ones, and the word ox on the other the third Point to the second word and pronounce t. Dn on each word and on the sentence. Eeview .hespelhng of go and ox; thon separate on intoul IT Pnfth'^"/'; "^* '^"^^- '^"^ ^-^^ t^e next. Put the parts together and drill on the spell- ing of each word, giving special attention to the new lyzed as they are already acquainted with their com- position. When the first sentence is mastered pTt the second one on the ordinary blackboard just below the apparatus. As they are familiar with the word! they can read and spell them without difficultv. Let them read the whole lesson. Point to the" words promiscuously and let them name them. Give them RATIONAIi METHOD. 21 the pointer and let them point to the words as you name them. Drill on the spelling of ox, on; ox, go; go, ox; go, on. This will lead them to compare the words and see wherein they agree and wherein they differ. Take out one small section and clean off the two large ones. Print g on the first large one and x on the other. Move o close to g, and let them name the word formed. Then move o close to x, &c. Move o away and put n in the place of x. Move o back again, &c. After the lesson let them print one or both sentences on their slates. New letters: — n, o. . LESSON IV. I go on an ox Use the four sections as in Lesson II. Print the word a7i on the first two and the word ox on the other two. Or else use them as in Lesson III., print- ing on and ox on the large set tions and an on the small ones. Print the other words to the left of the apparatus. Proceed as usual. They must be told the new words / and mi, and the new letter a. Spelling drill: — on, an: on, ox; ox, go, on. New letters; — I, a. LESSON V. Is it an ox ? It is an ox. So it is an ox. Use the four sections as in Lesson II. Print Is on the first two and it on the other two. Print an ox to the right of the a^-»paratus. When the first sen- i I '• ill 1 I ,ii I ; 22 BATIONAL METHOD. enee 8 mastered, print the second one below if then the third. Let them read the whole lesson sL„7te neously and individually, taking care that thrriit the voice on the last word of the fli^t line and empha! size ts m the second line. «mpna- SpeUingdrill:_is, it;'so, ox. These spelling drills are intended to lead the pupil to compare words which have one or more S common toeach of them. All the words of the le son should be spelled before this drill is given There t^l^J rr^^"'" '^'""'^ untif Lesson ^^ £r:trs:-L^::iX^*~ different sentence each time. ^ New letters ;— 8, i,t,S. LESSON VI. Is it a cat? It is a cat. It can go in a hat. So can a rat. It is so fat. JnS: hat *'''^^---*- -at, and a rat a P-Xlrrsa^n^^r Sftt"! i^X::rCtte^tCtSar? sufficient to print the word c" :t=f rCte' usual reading, separate oat into its pa^s, as n J^t 3. When this sentence is mastered rub J off *f apparatus and print it in its place on thetdllr; RATIONAIi METHOD. 28 blackboard. Print the second sentence underneath it, and the words // can go in a underneath that again. Print hat on the apparatus and lower it until it comes in line with the rest of the sentence. Teach as before. Eub off hat and print it in its place; lower the apparatus and print rat on it with the rest of the sentence preceding it. Afterwards do the same with/«<. Keview the reading and spelling of the whole. Point to the words in various orders, so as to form new sentences, as, is It a fat cat, can a rat go in a hat, It is a hat, &c. Be careful to teach the proper expression. Spelling drill:— cat, hat, rat, fat; can, cat; so, go; is, in, it. These words should sometimes be printed on the blackboard in columns, and sometimes the following better plan should be pursued :— Print a word such as cat on the apparatus. After the children have pronounced it, move the first section away from the others and ask the name of the letter thereon. Rub it out and put r in its place. When the pupils have told the name of it, move the section back and let them pronounce the word thus formed. Take away the first section again, substitute h for r, and proceed as before. Do the same with /. With the next two words of course the last section is moved away. The words of two letters may be similarly treated with two sections. It is recommended that these exercises be given only after the whole lesson has been well learned in other respects, and that the words be se- lected only from the lists given for that or some pre- ceding lesson. New letters: — c, h, r, f. I iff 24 BATIONAL METHOD. LESSON VII. I can sit on a log. So can Sam. Sam hit his leg, I am so sick. Sam has no hat Proceed with the first three sentences as in the last esson, pnnting log, Sam, and leg successive v I the apparatus. In the fourth sentence the four sec lions have to be nsed for the word sick. (See ^ „ letters, they are all printed on the ordinary blaet Spelling drill:-sit, hit; sit, sick; his hit- hit, hat; log, leg; has. hat; has, h s; o'^ no an, on; am, Sam; no, so. »- on, no, New letters;— 1, m, e, k. LESSON VIII. lam on my nag. It can run. I must not vex it. Its neck is wet. We can go fast. The picture for this lesson contains a boy on a horse. u.,e the four sections for the first sentence pnntmg »^ on the first two and n,uj on the oth"; two. Or else use two sections for ^y and print ««! .fter U on the ordinary board. In the^hird'^^^nlZ RATIONAL METHOD. 25 four sections may be used, three for vex and one for it. Or else use three sections for vex, and print it on the ordinary board. The words to be analyzed are iny, run, vex, and wet. Spelling drill:— my, must; nag, not, neck; must, run; vex, wet, neck; is, it, its. New letters: — y, u, v, w, W. I.ESSON IX. Sam sits on the pump. Can he quit it? Sam can quit the pump. I can jump. So can Jack. Jump, Jack ! Jump, quick. The picture for this lesson contains three boys: one sitting on a pump; another standing on the ground; and the third standing on a box. The words requiring analysis are pump, quit, jump, and Jack. Spelling drill:— pump, jump; quit, quick; ho, the; So, Sam, sits; it, sits, quit, quick; Sam, can, Jack. New letters: — p, C, q, j, J. LESSON X. We can get the dog. She can run and bark. Jack must not kick Boz. Boz is a big dog. Bob can sit on her back. Vick is her pup. 26 RATIONAL METHOD. The picture for this lesson contains a big dog and a little one, a boy on the big dog's back, another be- hind her, and two girls in front of her. In the preliminary conversation tell them the names of the dog and her pup. It would also be as well, in all the lessons, to tell them the names of all the per- sons in the picture (when they are given) before com- mencing the reading. Words to be analyzed :—c/o^, hark, Boz. Spelling drill:- We, the, She; bark, back, big Boz, Bob; kick, Vick; back. Jack; on, not, dog; can, and; pup, must, run. New letters:— d, b, B, z, V. LESSON XL A bird is on the tub. Has it a nest? Yes ; but we must not get it. Go and get my cap. Kick that big hat. Let Jack kick it. The picture for this lesson contains a bird on a tub- Its nest in a tree; three boys in a group; and a cap and a hat on the ground. In this lesson, and also in the two foUowing ones the apparatus is at the beginning of the lines instead of at the end. Print the whole of the first line on the ordmary blackboard just to the right of the appa- ratus. When that is learned, print Has on the appa- ratus, lower it, and then print the rest of the line to the right, leaving sufficient space between to print Has when it is needed. When this sentence is learned big dog and , another be- im the names >e as well, in ' all the per- before com- back, big, ; on, not, s:et it. d on a tub; and a cap wing ones, les instead 'st line on : the appa- the appa- bhe line to 1 to print is learned, f RATIONAIi METHOD. 27 put Has in its place; print Yes on the apparatus; lower it, and then print the rest of the line at the proper distance to the right. Go, Kick, and Let are treated in the same way. Spellingdrill:— bird, big; tub, but, must; hat, that; Has, hat; get, Let; Yes, nest, must; cap, Jack; Kick, Jack. New letters:— A, H, Y, G, K, L. LESSON XII. My box is a zinc box. Zinc is hard. Did Bob mark X on the box ? No; Bob did not mark it. Vick is on my box. Quit the box, Vick. The picture for this lesson contains a box with X marked on the front of it, and a pup standing on the top of it; two girls on one side and a boy on the other. Print the lesson in somewhat smaller letters tlian usual. The first word of each line except the fifth is printed on the apparatus. Spelling drill:— my, mark; on. No; hard, mark; Bob, box; Zinc, Did, Yick,'Quit. New letters:— M, Z, D, X, N, Q. LESSON XIIL This is a fish in a dish. Fish can swim. Up jumps the fish. 28 RATIONAL METHOD. i.'!:|l Pick it up by its fins. Ed Sims can not pick it up. Run and get Dick. The picture for this lesson contains a fish in a diah on a table; two boys behind the table, and a girl at one end. Print this lesson in smaller letters than the last The first word of each line is to be analyzed on the apparatus. Spelling drill :-is, This, fish, dish; pick, Dick; fins, Sims, swim; and, can; Ed, get; Up, R u n, j u m p s. New letters:— T, F, U, P, E, R. LESSON XIV. Let Fred Parks get in the cart. Has Ed Sims got in ? No. Go and get Bob Marks, Run, Dick; be quick! Up jumps Vick. Quit the cixrt, Vick ! I must not vex the man. A fly went in my hand. Tom West has his zinc box. Can Jack Kent mark X on it? Yes. Zinc is hard and so is tin. The picture for this lesson contains a horse and cart; a man and four boys in the cart, one of whom carries a box; and three boys on the ground. This lesson is a review. It contains all the small and all the capital letters. As these have all been learned m the previous lessons, the words do not RATIONAL METHOD. 29 it up. fish in a diali and a girl at lan the last, lyzed on the ish; pick, i; Ed, get; t, Vick ! Yes. horse and le of whom id. I the small e all been ds do not need to be analyzed on the apparatus. Print the letters smaller than in the last lesson. This will prepare the way for the smaller print of the reading books. The whole lesson may be printed on the ordinary blackboard and the class exercised in the reading and spelling. If the previous lessons have been thoroughly learned they will have little trouble with this one. Spelling drill:— Let, get; Ed, Fred; Quit, quick; went, Kent; not, got; O, so, Go, No; mark, Marks, Parks, cart, hard; and, hand; has, his; in, tin; is, his; Dick, Vick; be, the; my, fly; Tom, Bob, box; Up, Run, jumps, must; went, West; Yes, West, must; box, vex; man. Can. When this lesson has been mastered, spelling from memory should be introduced in the following man- ner:— Point to an easy word, such as so, and tell the pupils to spell it. When they have done so, rub it out and ask them to spell it again. Proceed in this way until the whole lesson is rubbed out. Vary the exercise by getting each pupil to point out words, &c. LESSON XV. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, 1, m, 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. N, 0, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z. This lesson is also a review. Print both alphabets on the ordinary board so that each small letter shall be above its corresponding capital. Point to any small letter and then to the capital beneath it, or to 80 RATIONAL METHOD. any capital and then to the small letter above it. Teach the pupil to say a, capital A ; capital O, g, &c. Also, let them point out any letter asked for. When they can do this with ease, teach them to repeat the alphabet in the conventional order, a, b, c, d, e, &o. If in any of these lessons the pupils are slow to perceive the differences between letters which look somewhat alike, show them the differences in the fol- lowing way:— Put in the four sections of the appara- tus; two at each end. Print h on the first two so that the perpendicular shall be close to the edge of the large section, and the oval close to the edge of the small ona. Print d in a similar manner on the other two, and then separate the sections. The pupils may then be easily shown thai in b the "round part" is after the "long stroke," and in d it is befcrre it. In the same way p can be "differentiated" from q, h from n, v from w, n from m, B from P, E from F, &c. In order to impress the necessity of teaching each lesson of the course thoroughly, we quote the follow- ing words from an old teacher:—" When a learner is at first rightly and thoroughly grounded, the rest of the work goes on with readiness, with ease, with rapidity, and with assurance. When he is ill-ground- ed, all falls out contrariwise; much labor and much patience of the master, and much diligence and indus- try of the scholar, will hardly be able to rescue him from the mischievous consequences of previous ill- grounding. So powerful is all habit when it hath once got hold, and so difficult to eradicate, that it is much harder to unteach the wrong than to teach the right. " As soon as the pupils get through the course satis- factorily they should be set to read in any primer RATlONAIi METHOD. 31 r above it. al G, g, &c. :or. When repeat the , d, e, &o. are slow to »^hich look I in the fol- ;he appara- iwo so that sdge of the dge of the 1 the other 3upils may ad part" is 'ore it. Ill from q, h fom F, &c. 3hing each ihe follow- learner is bhe rest of 3ase, with 11-ground- and much md indus- escue him 3vious ill- hath once it is much he right." arse satis- ly primer that may be authorizea for use in the pnbUc schools o tlrProvince. Although the author has examined a ntmher of ,.rin>er, he has u.t seen one whxch the ;:;i coum Ut .et ^^^^^^-^^^Tt teai.nbi ' „i,„„,b the one which has, I., the lecomniend him to choose tne oi *i,e most most interesting (to children) lessons; «• *i">°^' legullr spelling; HI-, the largest type; and IV„ the ^"^"V'^'el/Uult wm te f und on examination TarLT re rfpellg the lessons from memory, that tliey are v j> ^ learnmg spell- ^-t^ Xitfrdi correctly ;• .e m.n 1 • la^ +lv.^t is only its secondary object. Its pn 82 BATIONAL METHOD. the same day. If tliey seem unequal to tlie task, either give them a shorter lesson or turn them back to an easier one. In ungraded schools, two thorough reading lessons a day for the little ones is generally all that time can be found for. In the afternoon the lesson for the next day should bo well read. The new words in the lesson should be spelled simultaneously by the class from their books. In the morning the lesson which had been assigned the previous day should be read, and the pupils required to spell the words from memory, either orally or by dictation. Of course, when the pupils are somewhat advanced, it may be taken for granted that they can spell the easy words of the lesson, and therefore these should not be given, except in phrases. But if the teacher does not feel quite sure that a pupil can spell a certain word, it is better to test the matter. Unless the class is verv large, or the time is very short, the teacher should not be satisfied with hearing each pupil read once only. They should read two or three times if it can be done without prolonging the lesson too much. An ex-teacher once told me that she always used to give her first class four lessons a day, and that as mine generally read three times over at each lesson, she would call that six lessons a day ! What would we say to a man who should say to us, *'I had six din- ners to-day. I took a mouthful of food at 11 o'clock, another at 11:30, another at 12, another at 12:30, another at 1, and another at 1:30"? I think we would be likely to tell him that he would never get fat on such dinners. Two lessons well drilled upon are better than a score skimmed over. If the teacher AKOUMKNTH FOU THE RATIONAL METHOD. 3:^ tlio tank, thorn back ng lessona t time can :)n for the )r(l8 in tlio y the class son which (1 be read, ords from 3f course, it may be saay words t be given, es not feel word, it is 88 is verv er should read once is if it can Quch. An ed to give t as mine esson, she would we t convey a I standing * as consis- '^ords have need first, le. Every polling, as led in the of the Al- efects. It ; not apart r. It also )tically. he Phonic eaches the manner in g them as ee Lesson :runts and tion, some he letters. Phonetic postpones ot bv in- as far as s regular, etter able ipils have ABOmlENTS FOR THE KAIIONAL METHOD. 35 IX. It has the principal ^-^^-^'-^ ;'J^,,^Z\ ,„a.Say Method -«'-' "^ P^'^f^t tt i faculties in cUstnnshi ^^^^ ^^^^^^.^ rSrd of tClvse. an^d teaches letters only as they are used in the lesson. ^^ ^^^^ ":er:3rrt:^s^-s::r. fhe number of classes, and ttieieoy a-iiuv o Jve n.ore time and attention to each pnp 1. l^e cost of these tablets would pay no small pait of the nrice of a sectional blackboard. "^ irChildren take pleasure in learmng and teach- t»ke leasure in teaching by this method. Let ers take pleasme experience with other pvactical teachers ^^ f «- ^;''Piu ,,, ,g,ee that methods, and I think tn y ^^ ^^^^^ teaching the e'-'^-^^^^J™ exercises. Never the most provoking of ^^ ^<^^ •°°; ^ ^f Job 11 n.o" nvav more fervently for the patience o did the, pia> m ^^^^^^.^ ^j^^^^ B„t *Y^ The teath« mav recall his own siifierings who ": describe thtto^t^ires endured by the pupils ? As can desciibe tne ^^^ ^^ ^j^^^^. ^^.^^ they grow up they foiget tne k ^^ ^^ ^^^^ lessons in reading, and so tliey cannoy lessons partial idea ot tliem -js^p-^tjwl" 3j^W^««*.^*«S« .-:-!*!* n •4 -J*!*?**^-* -!tn -'X^i .ibt*- * ■~iffU- rife -J«*f- "t i*sisrc^ *- ^f00%^" ..-,., -^ .- .- .-^ . ,;>««■ TB i«gu. ifrer- -ilia -ns» t< '■I*^rn^ -.Iwi^ 7«m4i^ < wwt^-^-ti*- -**^«i0r .-rf:gil -ift-^wiiiidif* ^tM' >*««• '.rs*^ '*f rft*«s*i* *i8l*^- 4MB3iwa*«i- ^^1 -W. -.)i^T>ii# ■M'sitjswrTttfiittr i^^iifSK^ iiffit ^^''' ^-fi^mit^^wrrr •%»f>i' %t '^i^r^iirJi^-r. rina i* -* -ntth- j^m-m^^ 3^ ^=33 3^miT w TTZ-B-B ->+ ~ — WST . IK -—-■*-■■■ — — ^ ■ ^smaasT' - — .liw ■'♦-' "^ «... Til mu^rc-- ic ^'lar rift intfuir aa« ^*^ ai -ir-nrm "^ if -mrar!«v in.i tr.«t lE ^ns ;'• - -'" "'"i^" -ea^nflL inifls^t if -^srnur -^*^ -*^l*^ '^^ '^^^ ^\ - laff ^liit^ -iiiininitf' m ininm iml imr to ' ^ui -futmr aits* ^T ^^*^ ^'^ -*- -,jc :a^ le -T^anu? mil x nfeafflir^: ind miw pmafhi imt Liii^imL 3ferIiii»L I ^t ^^ 5^^ ^^ ^^ ^^"^ -^3.1iii^ ji mt. mriiiir^i ^^ B^wfe Bas^ ^. ^n^ ).iinr -THiinfe -n '^^ to ^-ta '^ 'ia««mar*^ o^ :ia*t .f ^fa*^ jaiL lef^ in «^*i«i J*^^'^ ^^^^^ '^^* *^' ^^*: ,.tirfr ihfjnr ire. W^i«i -lift fe*r mjwmnns^^M maO. ^rh -tiem »^ "^ «^ ^'^-^ ^ ^'^^ ^*^ ^*^' ^^ms die- ^re insear Sir wme "ini*^ *»« I "aniitic ^nt iiflnfi. ^«ii ^ ^""** ^'^'«^ "^^^^ ^r" \m Tf imowfelnp. md :i^ b«««m. -fie -^rrgrin .i^n^ -i^Ois-ar Ittii- iyif>w -ti^ Ji^ -iBil i>«^ 3iom -iiaa * ..m^ it-i^^iis .iiBii^ ^1 ^^ ^^ -^,*^ ^^f- P^iW T,««k mil h^^^m -^ -r^^ -ip -»^ ^ ^^^*^ ^^ ^le^TT ^.i^n - i^t '^ -^^ -^ "^^ "^ ^^ ^'''^ "i? 38 ARGUMENTS FOR THE RATIONAL METHOD. XII. And la but by no means least, the pupils make rapid progreas under this system. In the ar- ticle from the Canada Educational Monthly referred to under the Phonic Method it is remarked: "By the adoption of this method the time spent in learning to read common words in simple sentences may be reckoned by months instead of years." That is, learning to read in the German language, whose spelling is regular. It must also be borne in mind that the teaching does not begin until the children are " six years of age." But we may say that by the adoption of the Rational Method the time spent in learning to read common words in simple sentences may be reckoned bv weeks instead of months or years. And this is in the much more difficult Englisli lan- guage, and with children only five years of age. The average time required for the course is probably four weeks, when only two lessons a day are given. In graded schools, where three or four lessons a day are given, the time ought not to be more than three weeks. After finishing the course referred to in the previous argument, I had a class of three, whom I taught with the apparatus. I gave them another course, an improvement on the last, but not so good as the course given in this book. I had only the first picture for the lessons, so I drew the others upon the ordinary blackboard. In nineteeti days (two lessons a day) they had completed the course, and when set to read in the primers, they began to catch up to the pupil who had been taught without pictures or the apparatus, in a course not so good. Not only did they rapidly master the elements, but they did so without losing any of their natural buoyancy of spirit. 1 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 39 Nav, more, thev increased in vivacitv as well as intel- ligence. They came np to their class with sparkling eyes and smiling faces, and went back with them too. Never have 1 seen pnpils more enthusiastic in learn- ing anything than they were in learning the first steps in reading. After mature deliberation I have con- cluded that I can teach fully ten limes faster by this method (with the apparatus) than by any other. OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. None of the objections here given, except IV. and IX., have been actually urged against the Bational Method as yet. Most of them have been directed against the Alphabetic Method, but as we have adopt- ed some of the principles of that method in a modified form, we think it necessary to defend them. We have also anticipated other objections. Prof. Meiklejolm says '-There are three unanswerable arguments against the teaching of the alphabet," and as " unanswerable arguments" are the hardest we ever expect to meet with, we will take them up before any others. I. "In 'learning' the alphabet the child merely attaches meaningless sounds to meaningless sym- bols." Against the teaching of the alphabet in the manner described under the Alphabetic and Look- and-Say Methods we allow to this objection its full force. (See Alphabetic Method, 2, 3, and 5, and Look-and-Say Method, 2.) But in defence of the Rational Method of teaching it, we say that if a, /, and 0, when used as words, have no meaning, then neither has any other word a meaning, consequently all speech is meaningless, " which is absurd. " There- fore a, /, and have meanings, and their names must be taught. But with regard to the other letters, are 40 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. they really meaningless ? If the word cat has a meaning, will it be right to assert that that meaning is represented by three meaningless characters? Would we not have to forget the old proverb, Out of nothinp- nothing comes," before we could make such a sta .-■ '• ? We must admit thatwhen stand- ing alone t.. . majority of the letters convey no com- plete idea to the mind (except in algebra, initials, &c.), but we cannot on that account stigmatize them as meaningless. As well might we say that the bricks of which a house is to be built, or the boards of which a fence is to be made, are meaningless. But if the characters themselves cannot be called meaningless, still less can their sounds be so called. For if the names of letters are meaningless, then all names are meaningless. Has not the watchmaker a name for every part of a watch ? Has not the sailor a name for every part of a ship ? Why then should not the pupil have a name for every part of a word ? Who has not felt the awkwardness of talking about a thing of which he did not know the name ? And how dif- ficult must it be for the little child, whose descrip- tive powers are so limited ! Let those who do not sympathize with it try to speak about some object whose name they do not know, in a language of which they know but little, and they will appreciate names more than they now do. But the Professor himself admits that -When the different letters and the difference of the letters" are " thrown up mto con- sciousness," " the child will demand the names of the letters, because he will feel the need of them when he is obliged to talk about them." Finally, '• mean- ingless symbols'' is a contradiction of terms, if Worces- OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 41 las a ming ters ? "Out make itand- ) corti- , &c.), em as bricks which if the igless, ■ if the les are me for I name lot the Who a thing ow dif- lescrip- do not object lage of oreciate L'ofessor ;ers and Qto con- is of the m when '• mean- Worces- ter'a Unabridged Dictionary is any authority on the meaning of both words. II. "He gives historical names to symbols which are no guide to their functions or powers. Aitch, douhleyou, and gee (in all purely English words) are the best examples of this." This statement is untrue. The name of the symbol o is a complete guide to one of its powers, and a par- tial guide to tht others. The same may be said of e, i, a, and u. And the names of all the other letters are partial guides to their powers, inasmuch as each name contains one power of the letter to which it be- longs. But if the statement was true, it would still be valueless as an objection, because it rests iipon the false assumption that the names of things should al- ways guide us "to their functions or powers." Is the name cow any guide to the animal's " functions" of producing milk, &c. ? Or does the word mule give us any indication of the marvellous " powers" possess- ed by the animal's hind legs ? We have known per- sons named Hunter who never hunted, Bakers who never baked. Fishers who never fished, &c. It is true that there are a few names, such as buzz, hiss, &c. , which are almost complete guides to that which they represent, but in the vast majority of cases, whatever relation names may have borne to the ob- jects they represent when first given, their relation to them now is imperceptible. III. ' ' The sum-total of the addition is often smaller than one of the factors in the addition. Thus we say see->roh-^ douhleyou— cow. But the whole word cow is much smaller than the one letter douhleyou." The last sentence is true so far as the names are o ^2 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. ^f fr» Tcnow the names o! 1 Vxnf it we are not to Know m concerned, Imt u wc ^ ^^ |. tne p»ts of »y«-^'^lfj/:":e na.es o, »11 itself IS e,inal to the s,.m ^^^^ .^_^^^^^ its parts, ««*f\Xmv«fe names rftoM-Tfe "«.-•/*"• clockmaker will not know the na ^^^^^^ ,,,ri«,.., /---«'•. ^^'l'":':ii't;)fcl m«ch sma^er &e., &c.. &c., ";-"'^*V:e words, and exceedingly than any one of the first nye , ^^ ./„, »tefe, <7«<'.9««. '"f • ^'"* !' &o &c., because ■~'i'^:::rtcr 1 t;S'^ to the the word '2^'" i^aeeditseemstomethatwe names of all 'tf^P;f ^ J^^ „, (.^^ elernity, spn.e, and shall know on y ^^e "J^^ ^^ „ames of parts of unwerse, as all other names "e ^^^ ^^ the universe, spa.e ^t^^'^y- °;^^°,tn „f the names tl.se four names . equaU. *ejv. ^^ ^^^^^ .^ ''\'''' a to « e TZ dispense with the alphabet it^ir'S truth is, --- «irinTe '' -n";:eU':^::::on"w:r^ll^:milar to this. ^T Wi^regtl t!, speUing in the form ..,o^ J it has been objected that the sounds o and . do not make up the sound ox. nobody The best answer we can give to this i«; t°~^^ wal ever foolish enough to imagme that they do. pLle of common sense have always understood o-.r i to be a hort wav of saying that when the form or l2t r namea „ is placed just before the form or letter csSled \ the two together represent the sound o.. We OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 43 18 of ►ject if all The ghts, aller ingly engi- nder, driv- I 'ver, cause ;o the latwe e, ancl irts of one of names ,mes is phabet 9 is no in the bo this. j-x, ox, id X do nobody ley do. aod o-x, form or 3r letter ox. We sav "Potash and grease unite to form ^^^P' ^"^ ;''? x^iional l^ing wonld think we meant tl>at the sound "note/," and •'grease" make up the sound ^P _• We say (or ought to say) "Three and two is five but wl^ ever imagines we believe "-t the sound "three" and "two" make up the sound five ? *" would not these objectors, in teaching chiWren to «ld the flgnres 2, 5, 3, 1, 4, teach them to say 2, 7 1(% 11 16, instead of 2 and 5 is 7, 7 and 3 is 10, &c. ? Wliat would thev think if any one should raise the objec ion that 5 is not 7, 3 is not 10, &c. It *«^7P^Jf" *f the objection was aimed at a phantom which flitted be- fore some imagination of decidedly Pl^"-'; '-"^ "Very much of the argument against the common method has proceeded on the false ^^-^P^T *^»;* the letter-names of a word and its sound are set forth in the relation of phonic parts totheirwhole; and has therefore not touched the merits of the question. - Cm-rie. Those who choose may pronounce the woi^ first and then name the letters, as, o..^ o-.^; but the authorprefersthe old method, because m readmg the eye recognizes the lettei. first and then the mind re- ck the sound associated with that combination of ^T '■' It is anything but a help to a child to make him say tea-aUeh-oh-!)ou-9ee-aUch-tea, thoug.u W aen the child meets with wkich and does not know t, he s stm-in some schools-requested to s.y douHe.ou- aXyeseeam. This is considered in the light of an Tn Eduction to the knowledge of the simple sound °WcJ It is evident that there exists no connection liver between the two-- bridge by w^'h von can cross from one to the other; and that the list ot 44 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. names of the letters which the child repeats is to him an abraca^labra and an obstacle. "^Mrnkkjohn While we believe that in the first stages the pro- nunciation of a word should be given before the spell- ing is required, we think that after a '""e/^^ 1'1«° reL-red to above should be followed. We fa.1 to s.. how repeating the names of the letters m a word can L " an obstacle" to the child. We belxere it may be a great " help" to him in two way8:-l. It makes him observe the composition of the word, and he may re- member the powe, of a letter or combination of ..t- letters in some similar word. Thus, m observing the letters in the word wMch, he may recall the power of ,„/, in such words as .ohat, when-, why, &c., and the power of ch in such, mi^h, ditch, &e., and so ariive at the pronunciation of the word by a mental phonic synthesis. 2. If he has met with the word before 1a r,tndied its spelling, he may recollect the pro- nunciation by the ' ' association of ukas. VI "The student learning a foreigi language never thinks of specially learning its spelling; he gives himself to the reading of it, knowing that m due time the spelling will come of itself. "-C«rm. There is a difference between a person acquiring ms native language and one who has already acquired it studying another. A mmi who has learned to make one kind of boat may build another of ^^ilferent pat- tern .vithout much trouble, but a c7»M would find a great deal of trouble in building a boat by himself the first time he saw one. The truth is that in learning one language a pou-a. of speUing is acquired m time so that in studying another the spelhng is learned almost at first sight. But because a man i„ith consid- erable educcMou learns to spell a foreign language OBJECTIONS ANSWEBta). 45 * «•„,.* U .loes not follow that ft child without ftr'P'"f«°t «*f"*' '* , ! " the soelling of hi« fi.,e ,n- .I..V pear, of age can learn the spell, g •„,other tougne ™i*«"* j;~ti,,t the child had VII. "ExpononcehftB shown th ^^ ^^^ stuthrirr«it^«^ofthe..tBoo.."- *'^' -^ertdtrof^irdr 'f otL teaehe. oxpenence nnd that oi ^ ^j^. r^^'^rrLrr^y -tisl'^ry progress unless gle pupil to make any „„elliug of the lesson either the te-h-e.air^d t^ ^"Xough the in- or else the pnpil studiea a ^^^ toenen of parents, l"-* \<"-\ ^'^^g^; Zhod I once While teaching by «- ^^-^^J'^'^Ld followed the had a large class in the Part i. .^^^^ ^^^ advice quoted above, ''"'1 "'''J^^, He advised '^^^n-*" rSling buVrClss were nearly the teaching of spelling, ^^^ them to fluisb it in the through the book, 1 ^j ^^^^^ ^^^t com- .aytheybegan. But! a ^^^^^^^^^,^,^,^^^ menoing to read m the pnu . parties. The result wa« very sati«t^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^ Vm. " Oral 'P'^";'^.^!'''! "r.,_jjrf„cato»«; Jo"-- the form of the word in writing. ,.al of Virginia. ^^^ i, ao- No; but It IS a good •--- 46 OBJECTIONH ANftWEUKP. no one can read well unlesn he knows the spelluis of the wordB he reads. If the pupil has looked at a word until it has become photographed on his mmd he can name the letters composing it from mem 017 as well as from a book. If he cannot spell a word, neither can he recognize it quickly in reading. It is a great mistake to suppose that oral spellmg is m- tended especially to teach spelling; its main object is to test whether the pupil has learned the spelling h;! looking at the words m the hook or not. Dictation is unquestionably the best test, but there are few schools in which sufficient time can be found to apply it to the whole of every reading lesson, and with children who cannot write it is impracticable. Therefore we must either resort to oral spelling or leave the ma- ioritv of the words untested ; and every teacher knows that'children are not in the habit of learning lessons that they will not be examined in. IX. It has been objected that phonics are not taught in this method. If this means that we do not teach those mysteri6us and repulsive sounds which some suppose to be the powers of the letters, we cordially agree with the re- mark, and consider it an argument in favor of the method. (See Phonic Method, 2, 4, and 5; Argu- ment VII &c. ) But if it means that we do not teach the po^ve>'s of the leUers, we assert most emphatically that we do, and in a more effectual manner than they are taught in the Phonic Method. Let any one who understands little children compare the plan proposed in Lesson VI. with the exercises suggested m the fol- lowing extracts and declare which is the most suitable : __"To teach them the powers and natures (the names 47 OBWSC5TIONB ANRWERBD- f "• u 1 to tl.f power of eael. letter, by n.nn.ng " « el! wSs containing thin letter in strong vonnd the "'"""J' "^' ,, 5,,^ ^he little ones all Bay in tnrn. ^«.A-/«.'.-'x.'., «,'«-;J°; ' '^^ ;,„ ,,^.,,,ha,- /«• /, il,,«-.,«-..«,- ^'--'X:;;;;;::;: tongue; .or ,, ,,v«>.,o; f-' ■ "^^^'^^Vpare these words down to second step .8 to fine and i .^ _^ ^^^ .^ the thinnest sonnd of the letter ^^^^ , fit eoii.li«on «-; j;-^«,^j^,,!:^; :„asoon."- aass .viU say "^y^'^^ ;*,„„, of a letter, direct Meikleiolm. " l" ''"" °" , ,.„„„ire the learn- .ttention first to its foru> »°^^7J„\"^,; Hs sound r:Sw:^B the -a o. -tte.^^^^^^^^^^^^ tinctly. and followed -—^^^^ forc«(repeatasyllahlelike « ^^^^ ^^^^^_^^^ ,^^^ . wards J«-..«, oat; for fa<«, ** "« ^ ^j^,, the other consonant -'-f^'^^^^U the impractica- These exercises clearly '^'^"'"^^ ^ „( ^ consonant Mity of , srU, 48 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. rat, mat, &c. :-" This is a thoroughly practical way of teaching the sounds of the letters, as the pupils learntheirusebyusingthem." Andagain:- These exercises * * * enable them to learn the sounds of the letters in the only philosophical way in which any- thing can be learned; by using them. -James L. Hughes, I.P.S. And this was in reference to pnntmg the words under each other on the blackboard, &c. It will readily be perceived that putting them on the sectional blackboard, as in Lesson VI., is still better than this. But if any have still a lurking sympathy with phonics, the system places no barrier in the way of teaching them. Indeed, the apparatus gives the greatest facilities for doing so, as the word can be visibly analyzed on it while the teacher is attempting a phonic analysis of it. X It may be objected that we have not taught the letters in the order we laid down. (See Alphabetic Method, 4.) This is partly true; but we have made no important deviations. We have taught g, n and a before i, w, and t, but then g, n, and a are not dit- fieult letters, and some children may learn them sooner than they would learn i, w, or t. And as tor the capitals, after the pupils have learned to distin- guish the small letters, their perceptive powers will be developed sufficiently to enable them to learn the capitals in any order. Still, as a rule, we have taught the easiest letters first and the hardest last When- ever we have departed from the order l^i^ down it has been because we could not get a word which be- sides containing the next letter, would be suitable to that part of the course. - XI It may be objected that we have sometimes n«ed more than one power of the same letter. OBJECTIOSS ANSWEBED. 49 This is also true, tat tbe inconsistencies are too «uS t ca-e the ;hiM much troM.le. Th..^hou thfcon.'se it will be found that where a vowel stands Ine or at the end of a word, it ha. the long sound lo /«««.. 66, v,e. te, &c.: tat where it begins a :orcl,t^'l";we'en other letters, it has a short sound Is an m», c,t, r,U, is, in. sit. hit. on, not. do!,. Ed. get Z'et nl Sti 1 we have o and the. which m conver- rlrlallyhavetheshortsound W^rexn^^^^^^^^^ to think however, that this is only an ellipsis tjiron u comWt on with other letters, like saying *«* o rll We have also zi.^c. in which o has indeed the 1 „. 4t has evervwhere else in the course, iTthT. i ^l^h^ tU sound too. A more se rs inconsistency is^iiid in ,«....,.n^^^^ "'s^tr Xr— . we eouia find no bet- ter wo dthL Zi«cto introduce Z, and none better tZluit to introduce ,. Other short -'ds w ndi contl either of these lettei-s are -^'^^^^^^Tc- the child, or^^^^^ff^^^^^-'^^^Z^t^Z 17 Icotn: ttfcourse than to teach an odphabet J u +1.0 Phildmust afterwards unlearn. ihe> win ;'i him to-Xe greater difficulties which he must CeTthe reading books. We are ^'^^^^^^ ever in this matter. Prof. Meiklejohn Bays.- 1 have made the small but important discovery that M 4here existe a Pbb.ecx Notation which i al- ways self-consistent, and in which sound and symbol ways sen cuu . perfect notation rep- H^H?"rirsr ;.':,"£ Engl^h JL Canadian) Beadei-s:-" Only one po.e,- gQ OBJECTIONS ANSWEKEP. Of single letters is used in Pavt I." We cannot see 1 wopriety of calling this a "discoverer Bince it is onl3ng;v^at the first agitators for spelling reform Z^ vC that some of onr orthography is regular Il'some is not. But the Professor deserves credit Jor getting np a primer without many of those glanng nconlteLies of spelling to be found m previous "rrers. Still he is in the same dilemma as ourselves, forTn" Part I." we find cat and cage, hen and he, m and like, pup and used, r.y and «,-,, o. -f «* =^-\/"j and of and one and cUp-nmnk, &c. He says. l thouiht it better to allow a few inconsistencies to .Z; in, rather than allow the lessons to be dull. I thought it better to allow a few -o»— ^ ^^ oreep in because I could not help it. The Boyal ranLlian Primer has caught the contagion also. In l:Unny, so and to and <%, cat and <-'^! - « &„. Nor is the Royal Primer exempt, tor m the fli^t lesson there are / and in, go and dog and to How- ever we are very glad to see primers from which in- •onsistencies of spelling are excluded as far as prac^ ticnble We have no donbt they will do much to clear the path of the little ones in learning to read. XII It mav be objected that it wUl cost something "5fcreTcr:ot be sold for nothing; but then what is usuallv paid for a set of tablet lessons would e a lat help towards buying the blackboard, to. The progress L pupils will make is worth a thousand times tht price of the apparatus to the section. If I "e teaching in a place where the trustees were too ni^gavdlv to furnish the school with it I would rather pa^'for ™e every year than endure the torments of teaching by other methods. I may say. nowuv... OONCIiDSION. 61 that the apparatus onght to last ten years at least. Indeed, the frame might last fifty or a humlred years, as it is mode of wrough t iron. I„ conclusion, we advise all teachers of primary classes to give the system a fair trial, " The p oof of he pndditg is in the eating," tl>-f ore, whether^we have given correct theories or not, if this method produces results satisfactory to both teacher and pupi? they will be a sufficient justiflcataon of its claim to the ti«e "ration,U." The success achieved by the author surpassed his most sanguine expectaUonB He was daily astonished at the fluency and expres Sveness of tiie reading, the rapid progress in spelling, and the superabundant vivacity of the pupils. Ur»e the trustees to procure the apparatus for your school; but if you cannot prevail upon them to get it at on c, try the course without it, as the author did hefore he had made one. He printed * - -rd - o„ the board, and down below he printed the letters o Td .. at s^me distance apart. The pupds -re taug the letters in this wav. Tlie letters were rubbed out ^rdp^ted nearer to each other until «- PupUs were able'to distinguish them when clo- toge - W^^ much better results may be reached by this plan than bv a y of the old methods, yet the success will not Z mo're than half as great as when the apparatus is "f YounTpnpils who have previously known noth- ing omtos think that the letters you have pnnted Town bLv are something new; but when you use ilown uei ^^^^ ^^^^ j^p^t :S"tvetentolLg at, and thus the fact that t fword is composed of two parts is forced upon them. ir Cdo not have to put the word do^vn again, as you analyze the same word that you put down. 52 OTHER USES OF THE SECTIONAL BLACKBOARD. Neither do you have to keep rubbing out the letters and putting them down again in order to get the pupils to recognize them when together, as you can move the sections towards each other. Ill You do not have to draw the pictures on the board or else do without them. Many teachers are unable to draw pictures suitable to the lessons, and it is needless for the author to dilate upon the interest pictures awaken in pupils, or the facilities they give the teacher for introducing and explaining the lesson. Hoping that this little book may be the means of smoothing the path of knowledge to millions of little learners, and considerably lightening the labors of thousands of hard-worked teachers, the author sends it forth upon its mission. Kingston, Ont., August 15th, 1883. APPENDIX. The sectional blackboard may be used for other purposes besides the analysis of words and letters in reading. I. It tnay be used in teaching numeration and nota- tion, thus':— Put down a number such as 23416109 upon it. The parts may then be separated so as to show that there are 23 millions, 416 thousands, and 109 units. In a similar way 15 may be shown to con- sist of 1 ten and 5 units; 248 of 2 hundreds, 4 tens, and 8 units, &c. II. It may be used to analyze many simple forms in drawing and writing. On the following pages will be found tables showing the number of small and capital letters in each lesson, and the number of times each occurs in the course. They represent only a small fraction of the pupil s experience, as each letter is drilled upon until it is mastered. The teacher should give the most attention to those letters which oec ur the least number of times. TABLE OF SMALL LETTERS. (NQOlCOCOrH-^kOrH ^O^Oi CO t- <© ^ |»2 '^ 1^ CO O a M ■^l^TTr^-^ircr^ iO ?:) th ico .-I '^'r-l iCO t- r-l X ICO lO Id Ir-l' -rH- ^lO pp"|CO'|iO |C0^1- jCO |rHJ^ [O^ItH^ — r^ lo^'ic^T^^i^ 1"^ 1"^" 1^ r^r^]^ r IS r 1"! T [^ CO t- ItH CI jCO jCO |b- jtH "tH^tHICO :Ci -^ ^ CO IQO tH CO ^^irprj^-^Oj^|Q0|;-|^|^ c3 o 03 Hi IC^ p I-* I [CO |-:H iCO |C6 |?0 |f- |tH 'tH CO ico" CO '"j-^'ico ICO i«o it^-'j^ 1^ "[i^ p I'-' 'coTr-t ibl lO lOO IQO it- l'-^ j»0 g I'rH en t> >^. >^ 54 TABLE OF CAPITAL LETTERS. V :^MM- CO "c6~ 'co Is o