M. W. Haliburton

“ His first book should show the words as wholes. This fact, however, need not prevent the teacher from using the phonic jingles for word analysis. The words in the column having been shown as wholes to the child, he sees that they not only rime to his ear but resemble each other to the eye. Moreover, the words in the column look exactly like the same words when he finds them in the sentences he reads. Before he reaches the phonic jingle on any given page, the child has learned to know by sight and sound the consonants that are the initial letters of the words he is to sound in the jingle. ”

“ Those who have seen Miss Haliburton teach know that her power to inspire, interest, and develop her pupils is not only due to the fleeting influence of the much talked of “teacher’s personality,” but is largely a transferable ability, due to a gifted woman’s sympathetic insight into the processes of the child mind, illuminated by the scholar’s knowledge of genetic psychology. ”

“ As a natural outgrowth of the acquaintance with old words comes the power to decipher new words. The phonic lessons are well graded, and the subject is [iv] properly subordinated to thought getting. The appeal made to the primitive, æsthetic enjoyment of the jingle, with simple melody and captivating rhythm, as the phonics are presented, is followed by the gratification of finding them contributory to the ability to read the classic rimes which follow. ”

“ Such teachers will rightly consider it as more important than anything else that the child be led to regard the book as a storehouse of attractive stories, and each sentence as expressing a thought which he can get and express again. But when this object is attained the teacher will be wise to let the child find out how he may help himself to the thought getting by the power the initial letter gives him of “feeling for” the new word, and later by the power the jingles give him of “making sure” of the words. ”

“ The teacher who realizes the value of motor activity will be glad to find early in this book such words and phrases as run, march, jump, sing, whistle, bounce the ball, toss the ball, etc. She will know how to utilize these in “action sentences” developed in the blackboard lessons that usually precede reading from the book.
The vocabulary consists of 274 words, listed on pages 123 to 126, with the number of the page on which each first occurs. They are printed in clear type that they may be used at will for word drills.
Children vary much in their power to learn and apply phonic facts. ”

“ As will be seen, these phonic jingles contain words that are alike in symbol as well as in sound. It is confusing to the child at this early stage of the work to have before his eyes different symbols for the same sound, as is the case, for instance, when he has high and sky to rime with I, or see and me to rime with sea. ”

“ In the interest of veracity, all attempts to beguile the child into believing that “Wag the rag in the bag” is either an interesting or an instructive “story” are avoided; it is frankly acknowledged to the child that the alliterations and rimes in this book are “nonsense-jingles” from the side of reason, though capable of affording enjoyment on the side of musical appreciation. ”

“ The various combinations of any or all of these methods, and the various devices employed will depend upon the training, the experience, and the pedagogic faith of each teacher. The book can be thus taught throughout without the use of phonics.
It is expected that the wise teacher will watch her class, and present to the whole class, to the class by groups, or to individual children, the phonic facts, when she thinks they can be best assimilated. ”

“ A short phonic drill is then deduced from the Mother Goose rime in much the same way as from the phonic jingles.
When the children have learned to sound cat, mat, hit, sit, etc. (pages 51 and 68) , and to find, from these words, the stems at and it, the teacher should reverse the process, leading the children to build words from such stems as an, am, and, end, in, on, up, all, is, as, etc. ”

“ I like to see a rabbit jump. Don’t you?
Yes. I know a rime about a rabbit.
It is a rime that I can sing.
Please sing it for me, Frank.
[87]
PHONIC JINGLES
M. S. Willis.
Lively.
[Listen]
1. Wild lit-tle Bun, Sit in the
sun; Then run, run, That is fun.
[88]
Look, Frank! ”

“ PHONIC JINGLES
M. S. Willis.
Lively.
[Listen]
4. “Twit-twit-ter! Twit-twit!” Sang lit-tle
Tom-tit. Then, “Chick-a-dee-dee!”
[69]
I see Father at the barn.
He has the horses.
The horses are glad to be at home.
The horses and cows live at the barn.
It is home for them.
The pigs sleep here, too, Max.
We keep the little pigs in a pen.
Come this way and see the pigs.
Alice has a greedy, greedy little pig.
I have a pig too.
[70]
Here is Piggie Wee. ”

“ No, she is too little to catch rats.
But Dot did catch a little bat.
She saw the bat and ran to catch it.
A rat saw Dot, and ran.
Did Dot catch the rat, Alice?
No, but she saw it jump and run.
Then I saw it run and hide.
[51]
PHONIC JINGLES To be read by teacher and sung by pupils.
M. S. Willis.
[Listen]
1. The kit-ty-cat Sat on a mat. She
saw a bat. Said she, “What’s that? Ah, that’s a rat! Ah,
that’s a rat!” “Pit pit-ty pat, Pit pit-ty pat.”
[52]
I like rabbits, Max. ”

“ Tin-kle, tin-kle, tin-kle, Bos-sy’s lit-tle bell.
Tin-kle, tin-kle, tin-kle, Bos-sy likes it well.
[111]
PHONIC JINGLES
[112]
Play “Two Little Black Birds,” Baby.
I will show you the birds.
Here are two black birds on a hill.
One is Jack. The other is Jill.
The two black birds will fly away. ”