Ernest J. Ashbaugh

“ Study each word by this method. Take special pains to attend closely to each step in the method. Hard and careful work is what counts.
Take Pains with Your Spelling in all Writing.—Take pride in having your compositions and letters free from spelling errors. When you are in the slightest doubt as to how to spell a word, look it up in the dictionary before you write it. When you have found the word in the dictionary, learn it by the method by which you study your regular spelling lessons. ”

“ How the Lessons Should be Taught.—The lessons are planned to be completed in a week. A week's work, therefore, consists of twenty new words and twenty review words except in grade one, where the week's work consists of ten new words and ten review words. The following schedule is recommended.
Monday.—The first step in teaching a lesson is an exercise in pronunciation. Have the pupils open their books at the advanced lesson. Pronounce each word, enunciating the syllables very distinctly. Each word which in your judgment is not understood by the class should be used in a sentence. ”

“ Many attempts have been made to substitute devices for these wholesome and fundamental interests. Such attempts not only fail in their purpose, but actually distract the child's mind from the work he has to do. Sugar-coating inevitably destroys the child's appetite for healthy vigorous work. ”

“ Second, the pupils quickly see the advantage of centering their efforts on words which they have actually missed. Third, by means of standard scores they are enabled to compare their spelling ability with that of children in other parts of the country. Fourth, they can see what they are accomplishing. Fifth, these provisions make possible the joy which comes from doing vigorously and thoroughly a clean-cut task that needs to be done. These are the interests which appeal to sensible men and women in life outside the school, and they have proved sufficient for children. ”

“ The ideal to keep before your class is that they should learn their lessons so that they will not misspell a single word, but this ideal is intensified by the use of the standard errors.
How to Teach the Lesson.—Four points must be kept in mind as more important than any others:
1. The teacher must test her pupils on each lesson before they begin to study.
2. Each pupil should study only the words which he misspelled on the test.
3. He must be taught an economical method of study. ”

“ After the words have all been dictated, have the pupils exchange papers for the purpose of correcting. Be sure that each pupil understands that he is marking his neighbor's paper, so that errors which have been made may be corrected. Instruct the class to mark a word wrong if it is misspelled, if it cannot be read, or if any change in the first attempt at spelling has been made. Be sure that each pupil understands that, until he is able to write a word correctly the first time, he has not sufficiently learned it. ”

“ Occasionally when you are at home, you will find it interesting to have your mother or father or some friend test you over all the words you have missed during the year. You should not be satisfied until you can spell every word correctly.
Notebook.—Keep a spelling notebook. Whether your teacher requires it or not, you will find it very much worth while to keep a spelling notebook. In this you should record all words missed on any test or in compositions which you write. If you find that you are frequently missing a word, write it in a special list and review it frequently. ”

“ This practice should be continued until you are satisfied that the pupils understand thoroughly how to go about their work. Remember that even though teachers in the preceding grades are using the method, there may be pupils in your grade who are new to the system, as well as some who have forgotten how to study. From the nature of the method, it is easy to detect any child who is not using it. Insist that the correct method be used from the outset. As soon as the pupils have learned the method of study, the regular work of learning the lessons may begin. ”

“ Tuesday.—On Tuesday the pupils study, each working on his own errors and using the method recommended under directions to pupils. Pupils who made no errors on the test may be excused from this study period, but not from the succeeding test. It frequently happens that a pupil will spell a word correctly on one test and misspell it on a following test.
The teacher should closely supervise the pupils' study in order to insure that proper methods of learning are used. ”

“ Read also the suggestions to teachers of the first four grades. See to it that your pupils attack their lessons in an aggressive manner. The pupils in grade five do considerable work in written composition, so it will be well to watch very closely the errors made in such work. Have the pupils learn all words misspelled in their written work, using the same method as in their regular spelling lessons.
Remember that the lessons are arranged by weeks rather than by days. The work for each week consists of one advance column and one review column. ”

“ The supplementary lessons are distributed by grades, so that pupils who finish the minimum work for any grade will have additional lessons to study for the remainder of the year. However, before undertaking these supplementary lessons, the teacher should make sure that her pupils have learned thoroughly the minimum list which contains the important words. ”

“ After the directions have been read, have several pupils summarize them. When you have made sure that the class has the main points clearly in mind, the actual work of habituating the method may be begun. The first few lessons in each term should consist of practice in the method of study. ”

“ Pupils in the third grade should be able to make their own corrections so that time may now be saved by having the pupils exchange papers during the first two tests. The teacher should continue to correct the papers written on the final test. The following suggestions will be helpful in getting the coöperation of pupils. ”

“ Note to Teacher:—Have the pupils select in the lessons of your grade, words which have similar prefixes.
[Pg 111] As you can see in the list below, the final consonant of a prefix has often been changed to make the pronunciation easier, but does not disappear when added to the stem. Thus, ad-cord became ac-cord, ad-fect became af-fect, etc.
SUFFIXES
A suffix is a syllable or word which is added to the end of another word to change the meaning of the basic word. ”

“ One must also insure that the pupils' time will not be wasted through their being required to learn words which they will never use. This problem has been solved for you by the authors of the text. The vocabulary of the lessons is taken from a compilation which Doctor Horn has made of ten scientific investigations of the words used in writing letters. These investigations, taken together, represent the careful analysis of over three-quarters of a million running words of correspondence. ”

“ The teams were entertained at the various fraternity houses and the men have been very much crowded to make room for us. We certainly appreciate the good treatment we have received from these men and from everyone. ”