SOME DISTINGUISHING FEATURES.
Modern Methods made easy.—Education is a progressive science. Methods of the last century must be discarded. The question “How shall we teach reading?” is fully answered in these books, and teachers who have adopted and followed this method have greatly improved their schools.
Word and Phonic Method.—By taking at first words with which the child is quite familiar, and which contain sounds easily distinguished and continually recurring, both teacher and pupil will find the sounds a great help in reading new words as well as in acquiring a distinct articulation.
Spelling.—Words selected from the lessons are given for spelling with each piece, thus affording the best opportunity for oral and written spelling-lessons as well as for definitions. In the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Readers, graded exercises in spelling analysis, together with daily lessons of words often misspelled or mispronounced, are placed in the Appendix for constant study. With these Readers no “Speller” will be needed.
Illustrations.—The illustrations are beautiful and attractive, and are well adapted to serve as a basis for the language and thought lessons that are so prominent in these books.
Helps for Teachers.—Teachers will find in these books a simple plan that will greatly aid them; while the notes, questions, and suggestions will help the teacher to impart the most instruction and the best culture, which makes the reading-lesson something more than a mere naming of words.
Oral Reading.—Proper oral expression depends on the sense. Get the sense of each extract and the correct oral expression will be an easy matter. This is the key-note to Professor Bailey’s excellent lessons on accent, emphasis, inflection, and general vocal expression, that are placed as reading-lessons in the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Readers.
Selections.—The selections embrace gems of literature from leading authors. No other Readers include such a wide range of thought, showing from the simple stories for children in the earlier books, to the extracts from the best authors in the Fourth and Fifth, unity of design and a just appreciation of the needs of our schools.
Great Success.—Since the publication of these Readers, their sale has averaged nearly a million a year, which is unprecedented in the sale of school-books.