Teaching Phonetics by MRS. JESSIE G. YOUNG.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 6, 1908

Teaching Phonetics

By MRS. JESSIE G. YOUNG.

I FIND that few pupils have been thoroughly taught the diacritical marks and sounds of the letters.

The ability of the pupil to spell and read well depends very largely on his knowledge of phonetics. He is dependent on another for the pronunciation of every new word, if he is unacquainted with the marks and sounds of the letters composing the word.

I find that young children just entering school are more easily taught phonetics than pupils who have reached the sixth and seventh grades without such drill.

Young children may be taught that it must be learned and applied, but older pupils think that they have advanced so far without this knowledge, and that it must not be very essential, or their former instructors would have taught it to them.

Pupils taught to pronounce according to the diacritical marks do not demand so much of the time and attention of the teacher in the preparation of the lessons. I realize from experience that when I have taught a pupil to spell and pronounce by the marks and sounds, and he makes constant use of that knowledge, I have enabled him to climb from the helpless, creeping, infant stage of learning to where he can walk through his lessons independent of my assistance; that I have done much for him, and for the school, from which he would take each day some of my time; that I have relieved myself of the annoyance of being a constant aisle walker.

I begin with the child in his early days at school. I find that at first he more readily catches and enjoys giving the sounds of b, c, d, f, g, j, k, l, m, n, etc., than the vowel sounds. In teaching him by the word-and-sentence method (and I like a combination of methods), after pronouncing the word a few times, I sound the letters composing the word, which is simply pronouncing the word slowly and distinctly, when he has forgotten it. Then I have him repeat it. He soon sees that he is almost speaking the names of the letters, and pretty soon he “knows his letters” without any special effort having been made to teach him their names.

As he learns to write his words as a spelling exercise, I have him mark the letters, and then have him spell by sound. It is best to introduce but one sound of a vowel at a time, and select words for drill having that sound until it is easily recognized and given before giving another. It may seem to be very slow work, as you can not apparently cover so much ground, but it pays to make haste slowly in starting a child on the True Education road.

I find our “True Education” readers very helpful in teaching sounds and combination of sounds. I like the plan of the books very much.

I have each of my pupils, as far as possible, get a pocket dictionary and keep it by him. Of course beginners can not at first use it, but children feel a great deal, you know; they gradually learn to use it, as they learn to tell the time of day by the clock, and then you can dispense with “pronouncing words.”

It takes much drilling in the different grades, if pupils have not been properly started; so drill, drill, drill, until your pupils, one by one, get above the need of it. MRS. JESSIE G. YOUNG.