A New Discovery of the Old Art of Teaching School, Chapter 4
Chap. IIII.
How a child may be taught to read any Engliſh Book perfectly.
THe ordinary way to teach children to read is, after they have got ſome knowledge of their letters, & a ſmattering of ſome ſyllables and words in the horn-book, to turn them into the A B C. or Primar, and therein to make them name the letters, and ſpell the words, till by often uſe they can pronounce (at leaſt) the ſhorteſt words at the firſt ſight.
This method take's with thoſe of prompter wits, but many of more ſlow capacities, not finding any thing to affect them, and ſo make them heed what they learne, go on remiſſely from leſſon to leſſon, and are not much more able to read, when they have ended their book, then when they begun it. Beſides▪ the A B C. being now (I may ſay) generally thrown aſide, and the ordinary Primar not printed, and the very fundamentalls of chriſtian Religion (which were wont to be contained in thoſe books, and were commonly taught children at home by heart before they went to Schoole) with ſundry people (almoſt in all places) ſlighted, the matter which is taught in moſt books now in uſe, is not ſo familiar to them, and therefore not ſo eaſie for Children to learn.
But to hold ſtill to the ſure foundation, I have cauſed the Lords Prayer (Sect. 20.) the Creed (Sect. 21.) and the ten Commandements (Sect. 23.) to be printed in the Roman character, that a childe having learned already to know his letters and how to ſpell, may alſo be initiated to read by them, which he will do the more cheerfully, if he be alſo inſtructed at home to ſay them by heart.
As he read's theſe, I would have a childe name what words he can at the firſt ſight, and what he cannot, to ſpell them, and to take notice what pauſes and numbers are in his leſſon. And to go them often over, till he can tell any tittle in them, either in or without the book.
When he is thus well entered in the Roman character, I would have him made acquainted with the reſt of the characters now in uſe (Sect. 23.) which will be eaſily done, by comparing one with another, and reading over thoſe ſentences, Pſalms, Thankeſgivings, and Prayers (which are printed in greater and leſſe characters of ſundry ſorts) till he have them pretty well by heart.
Thus having all things which concerne reading Engliſh made familar to him, he may attaine to a perfect habit of it. 1. By reading the ſingle Pſalter. 2. The Pſalmes in meeter. 3. The Schoole of good manners, or ſuch like eaſie books, which may both profit and delight him. All which I would wiſh he may read over at leſt thrice, to make the matter, as well as the words, leave an impreſſion upon his mind. If any where he ſtick at any word (as ſeeming too hard) let him marke it with a pin, or the dint of his nayle, and by looking upon it againe, he will remember it.
When he can read any whit readily, let him begin the Bible, and read over the book of Geneſis, (and other remarkable Hiſtories in other places of Scripture, which are moſt likely to delight him) by a chapter at a time; But acquaint him a little with the matter beforehand, for that will intice him to read it, and make him more obſervant of what he read's. After he hath read, aske him ſuch generall Queſtions out of the Story, as are moſt eaſie for him to anſwer, and he will the better remember it. I have known ſome, that by hiring a child to read two or three chapters a day, and to get ſo many verſes of it by heart, have made them admirable proficients, and that betimes, in the Scriptures; which was Timothies excellency, and his Grandmothers great commendation. Let him now take liberty to exerciſe himſelf in any Engliſh book (ſo the matter of it be but honeſt) till he can perfectly read in any place of a book that is offered him; and when he can do this, I adjudge him fit to enter into a Grammar Schoole, but not before.
For thus learning to read Engliſh perfectly, I allow two or three years time, ſo that at ſeven or eight years of age, a child may begin Latine.