A New Discovery of the Old Art of Teaching School, Chapter 3
Chap III.
How to teach a childe to ſpell diſtinctly.
THe common way of teaching a childe to ſpell, is, after he know's the letters in his Alphabet, to initiate him in thoſe few ſyllables, which conſiſt of one vowell before a conſonant, as, ab, eb, ib, ob ub, &c. or of one vowel after a conſonant, as, ba, be, bi, bo, bu, &c. in the Horn-book, & thence to proceed with him by little and little to the bottom of the book, hereing him twice or thrice over till he can ſay his leſſon, and then putting him to a new one.
In which courſe I have known ſome more apt children to have profited prety well, but ſcarce one often, when they have gone thorow the book, to be able to ſpell a word that is not in it; And ſome have been certaine years daily exerciſed in ſaying leſſons therein, who after much endeavour ſpent, have been accounted meer block-heads, and rejected all together as uncapable to learn any thing; whereas ſome Teachers that have aſſayed a more familiar way, have profeſſed, that they have not met with any ſuch thing as a Dunſe amid a great multitude of little Schollars.
Indeed it is Tullies obſervation of old, and Eraſmus his aſſertion of latter years, that it is as natural for a childe to learn, as it is for a beaſt to go, a bird to fly, or a fiſh to ſwim, and I verily beleeve it, for the nature of man is reſtleſſely deſirous to know things, and were diſcouragements taken out of the way, and meet helps afforded young learners, they would doubtleſs go on with a great deal more cherefulneſs, and make more proficiency at their books then uſually they do; And could the Maior have the diſcretion to make their leſſions familiar to them, children would as much delight in being b…ſied about them, as in any other ſport, if too long continuance at them might not make them tedious.
Amongſt thoſe that have gone a readier way to reading, I ſhall onelyonly mention Mr. Roe, and Mr. Robinſon, the latter of whom I have known to have taught little children not much above four years old to read diſtinctly in the Bible, in ſix weekes time, or under; their books are to be had in print, but every one hath not the art to uſe them. And Mr. Cootes Engliſh-School-Maſter ſeem's rather to be fitted for one that is a Maſter indeed, then for a Scholar.
Beſides the way then which is uſuall, you may (if you think good) make uſe of that which I have ſet down in the new Primar to help little ones to ſpell readily, and it is this.
1. Let a childe be well acquainted with his vowells, and made to pronounce them fully by themſelves, becauſe they are able to make a perfect ſound alone.
2. Teach him to give the true valour or force of the conſonants, and to take notice how imperfectly they ſound, except a vowel be joyned with them. Both theſe are ſet apart by themſelves. (p. 2.)
3. Proceed to ſyllables made of one conſonant ſet before a vowel (Sect, 5.) and let him joyne the true force of the conſonant with the perfect ſound of the vowel, as to ſay, ba, be, bi, bo, bu, &c. Yet it were good to leave ca, ce, ci, co, cu, and ga, ge, gi, go, gu, to the laſt becauſe the valor of the conſonant in the ſecond and third ſylables doth differ from that in the reſt.
4. Then exerciſe him in ſyllables made of one vowel ſet before one conſonant, (Sect. 6.) as to ſay, ab, eb, ib, ob, ub, &c. till he can ſpell any ſyllable of two letters, backwards or forwards, as, ba, be; bi, bo, bu; ab, eb, ib, ob, ub; ba, ab; be, eb; bi, ib; bo, ob; bu, ub; and ſo in all the reſt comparing one with another.
5. And if to any one of theſe ſyllables you adde a letter, and teach him how to joyne it in ſound with the reſt, you will make him more ready in ſpelling; as, if before a b you put b, and teach him to ſay bab; if after ba, you put d, and let him pronounce it bad, he will quickly be able to joyne a letter with any of the reſt, as, nip, pin, but, tub, &c.
To enure your young-Scholar to any, even the hardeſt ſyllable, in an eaſie way.
1. Practiſe him in the ioyning of conſonants that begin ſyllables (Sect. 7.) ſo as that he may give their joynt forces at once; thus,
Having ſhewed him to ſound …l or br together, make him to pronounce them, and a vowel with them, bla, bra, ble, bre, and ſo in any of the reſt.
2. Then practiſe him likewiſe in conſonants that end ſyllables, (Sect. 8) make him firſt to give the force of the joyned conſonants, and then to put the vowels before them; as, ble with the vowels before them ſound able, eble, ible, oble, uble, to all which you may prefix other conſonants and change them into words of one ſyllable, as, fable, peble, bible, noble, bubble: (with a b inſerted or the like. Where obſerve that e in the end of many words, being ſilent, doth qualifie the ſound of the foregoing vowel, ſo as to make words different from thoſe that have not e; as, you may ſee made, differeth quite from mad, bete from bet, pipe from pip, ſope from ſop, and cube from cub. Whereby I think them in an error, that leave out e in the end of words, and them that in pronouncing it make two ſyllables of one, in ſtable, bible, people, &c. which judicious Mr. Mulcaſter will not allow.
In this exerciſe of ſpelling you may do well ſometimes to make all the young beginners ſtand together, and poſe them one by one in all ſorts of ſyllables, till they be perfect in any; and, to make them delight herein,
1. Let them ſpell many ſyllables together which differ onelyonly in one letter; as, and, band, hand, land, ſand.
2. Teach them to frame any word of one ſyllable, by joyning any of the conſonants which go before vowels, with thoſe that uſe to follow vowels, and putting in vowels betwixt them; as, black, bl…ck; clack, clock.
And this they may do afterwards amongſt themſelves, having ſeverall looſe letters made and given them, to compoſe or divide in a ſporting manner, which I may rightly terme the Letter-ſport.
When a childe is become expert in joyning Conſonants with the vowels, then take him to the Diphthongs (Sect. 9.) and there,
1. Teach him the naturall force of a Diphthong (which conſiſts of two vowels joyned together) and make him to ſound it diſtinctly by it ſelf; as, ai, ei, &c.
2. Let him ſee how it is joyned with other letters, and learne to give its pronountiation together with them, minding him how the ſame Diphthong differs from its ſelf ſometimes in its ſound, and which of the two vowels in it hath the greateſt power in pronouncation, as, in people e ſeemeth to drown the o.
And beſides thoſe words in the Book, you may adde others of your own, till by many examples the childe do well apprehend your meaning, and ſo, as that he can boldly adventure to imitate you, and practiſe of himſelf
Thus after a childe is throughly exerciſed in the true ſounding of the vowels and conſonants together, let him proceed to the ſpelling of words, firſt of one ſyllable (Sect. 10.) then of two (Sect. 11.) then of three (Sect. 12.) then of four (Sect. 13.) in all which let him be taught how to utter every ſyllable by it ſelf truly and fully, and be ſure to ſpeak out the laſt. But in words of more ſyllables, let him learn to joyne and part them according to theſe profitable rules.
1. An Engliſh ſyllable may ſometimes conſiſt of eight letters, but never of more, as, ſtrength.
2 In words that have many ſyllables, the conſonant between two vowels belongeth to the latter of them; as, Hu-mi-li-tie.
3. Conſonants which are joyned in the beginning of words, are not to be parted in the middle of them; as, My-ſte-ry.
4. Conſonants which are not joyned in the beginning of words, are to be parted in the middle of them; as, for-get-ful-neſs.
5. If a conſonant be doubled in the middle of a word, the firſt belong's to the ſyllable foregoing, and the latter to the following; as, poſ-ſeſ-ſi-on.
6. In compound words, every part which belongeth to the ſingle words, muſt be ſet by it ſelf; as, In-a-bi-li-ty.
And theſe rules have I here ſet down rather to informe the leſs skilful teacher, how he is to guide his learner, then to puzle a childe about them, who is not yet ſo well able to comprehend them.
I have alſo divided thoſe words in the Book, to let Children ſee how they ought to divide other polyſyllable words, in which they muſt alwayes he very carefull (as I ſaid) to ſound out the laſt ſyllable very fully.
To enable a child the better to pronounce any word he meets withall in reading, I have ſet down ſome more hard for pronuntiation; (Sect. 14) in often reading over which he may be exerciſed to help his utterance; and the Maſter may adde more at his own diſcretion, till he ſee that his willing Scholar doth not ſtick in ſpelling any, be it never ſo hard.
And that the child may not be amuſed with any thing in his book, when he cometh to read, I would have him made acquainted with the pauſes, (Sect. 15.) with the figures, (Sect. 16.) numerall letters, (Sect. 17.) Quotations (Sect. 18.) and Abbreviations (Sect. 19) which being but a work of few houres ſpace, may eaſily be performed after he can readily ſpell, which when he can do, he may profitably be put to reading, but not before; for I obſerved it a great defect in ſome of Mr. R. Scholars, (whoſe way was to teach to read preſently without any ſpelling at all) that when they were at a loſſe about a word, they made an imperfect confuſed ſound, in giving the force of the conſonants, which if they once miſſed they knew not which way to help themſelves, to find what the word was, whereas if after a childe know his letters, he be taught to gather them into juſt ſyllables, and by the joyning of ſyllables together to frame a word, (which as it is the moſt antient, ſo certainely it is the moſt naturall method of teaching) he will ſoon be able, if he ſtick at any word in reading, by the naming of its letters, and pronouncing of its ſyllables to ſay what it is, and then he may boldly venture to read without ſpelling at all, touching the gaining of a habit whereof, I ſhall proceed to ſay ſomewhat in the next chapter.