THE ALPHABET.
The alphabet should be taught in serial order, because of its use in reading card catalogs, dictionaries, etc. The alphabet characters have been learned in the phonic drill by associating the sounds with the letters as the children require them to master words, but not consecutively. The A B C's, however, in their old-fashioned significance, should be a part of the child's knowledge when he enters the second grade.
SUMMARY.
In the process of learning to read, certain elements are brought together and associated in vital organic unity in accordance with broad general principles. These the teacher must keep constantly in mind if she is to succeed. Reading, like all language, is a combination of thought and symbol. The thought gives the meaning and is the reason for reading, while the symbol is only the tool and instrument of the thought. Care must be taken to see (a) that the child forms clear images of what he is reading; and (b) that he obeys the fundamental law of mind of proceeding from wholes to parts. By holding these principles in full view and giving the thought element the leading place, the symbol and phonic elements will fall into their proper place in accomplishing the purpose of elementary reading, namely, the association of the symbol and its meaning in a vital unity.
Part II.
FIRST HALF YEAR:
FIRST STEP.
Two lines of work are to be developed at separate periods each day.
| 1. Ear Training Exercises. | ||
| 2. Preliminary Blackboard Lessons. |
EAR TRAINING EXERCISES.
Directions. 1. The purpose of ear training is to familiarize the child with the elementary sounds in the language, so that he may have accurate sound images before associating them with the corresponding symbols.