A NOTE TO THE TEACHER THIS reader is a supplement to the HOWELL PRIMER. The two books, in fact, make one elementary work, bound in two volumes, designed to acquaint the beginner with all the English spellings he will have need for. The commonest, most important, are given in the HowELL PRIMER; this volume adds all the rest, except a few unimportant spellings of unusual words, such as no child needs to know. All the spellings in the HOWELL PRIMER are repeated in this book; and for any child it is a complete introduction to reading in the English language. When he masters the HOWELL FIRST READER, he can read anything he may have occasion to read. For the beginner in this series does more than learn mere words; he learns the spelling elements, and thus becomes an independent reader. This book begins with the spellings taught in the HOWELL PRIMER; pages 9-20 contain nothing new in the way of spelling to the child that has mastered the Primer, though some new words are met with here. The method is the same as that of the Primer: only one new spelling element is taught at a time; thus the grading is regular and easy. Without taking too much space for a discussion of methods of teaching (which would be unfair to the purchasers of a book for children), the author would urge teachers to see that their pupils learn the word lists; review them often; a mastery of them will give pupils power to read not only this book, but any other book. Do not, however, require beginners to learn by heart the spelling of all these words; if elementary pupils can read them easily, that is enough to expect. A manual on the teaching of elementary reading, with special application to the HOWELL PRIMER and the HOWELL FIRST READER, is in preparation. |