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 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.
DIRECTIONS TO TEACHERS
Oral Spelling
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.
Testing
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 teach to spell correctly, not to find out how many words may be spelled incorrectly. Review lessons should be given frequently, and these are sufficient for test purposes. All other lessons should be thoroughly taught with instruction the aim and object of the lesson.
Interest