2. Give the sounds of the letters, not the names. Teach the letter-names later in the Phonic Lessons. Give the sounds softly but distinctly. A loud, harsh voice makes purity of sound impossible.
3. Cultivate the attentive ear in children. Teach them to hear, and then to image, the song of the birds, the patter of the rain, the sound of the wind, the hum of the bee, the puff of the locomotive and other familiar sounds.
4. The rhymes and poems are suggestive, not final. The teacher may choose others if they better meet her need. Those selected from song literature have a tone quality that will interest children and prove helpful in training the ear. Read the poems aloud in a well modulated voice, with clear articulation, that the children may become sensitive to the beauty of the human voice.
5. Ear training should precede the formal study of phonics for a few weeks. The exact time required cannot be arbitrarily named, because it depends not only upon the ability of the class but also upon the teaching power of the one in charge. From six to eight weeks, with daily periods ten or fifteen minutes in length, will accomplish good results.
I.
Consonant sounds are taught by phonic analysis of words, and not by any artificial device. Ear training exercises are helpful as a preparation for this work. Let the first sounding be done by the teacher and have the children perform the actions as she slightly separates the sound elements. In this way the ear soon becomes accustomed to the formation of words from their phonic elements.
Ex.:
| John may r-un. | ||
| Mary may j-ump. | ||
| You may h-op, Frank. | ||
| Mary may bring me a b-ook. | ||
| John may put the b-ook on the t-able. | ||
| William, please bring the fl-ag. | ||
| Frank may wave the fl-ag. | ||
Caution. There should be no abruptness about such an exercise. The slight separation and the gentle prolonging are sufficient to keep the children listening and interested. Avoid giving to separate consonants, sounds which they do not possess.
II.