For many years the spelling lesson has been, with many teachers, a means
of obtaining a breathing space in the day’s work. It was comparatively
easy to say to the children “Take the next twenty words.” The study of
these words took some time, and it was easy work to dictate the lesson
at the end of fifteen or twenty minutes, have the pupils exchange
papers, and correct the words. What was the net result at the end of the
year? No one knew. Had they tested the right words for the given grade?
No one knew. They had tested the words that were given in the spelling
book adopted by the city, town, or state. Most of the books contained
from 10,000 to 12,000 words. That the children did not use many of these
words in their written work made little or no difference. In some cases
at least, the author of a spelling book took the dictionary and started
with the _a’s_ and proceeded through the alphabet, deciding that the
children ought to know how to spell this word, and that word, and so on
through the dictionary, No attempt was made to find out whether the
pupil used the words or not, and no attempt was made to place the words
according to their use in the proper grade.
Was it possible for a teacher using such a book to test the right words?
Probably not. She tested all she could. She assigned ten words a day for
about 150 days during the year, or if she dared, or the course of study
called for it, twenty, or twenty-five words were given in the upper
grades. The teacher was compelled to do so in order _to finish the
speller_. Did she _teach_ the words? How could she teach even the ten
words in the short time allowed? In order that spelling words might be
_taught_ some teachers suggested that five new words a day would be
sufficient to meet the needs of the pupil. The answer of many teachers,
following ancient traditions, shows that they think that this would be
unwise. Not to teach “which,” “there,” “their,” and such words until the
upper grades certainly would be even more unwise.
Teachers have had the mistaken idea that children learn to spell many
words because of constant use, and that there is no need of teaching
them. Recent studies have shown that this is not true except with
respect to occasional children who have already developed what has been
called a _spelling consciousness_. In the vast majority of cases this
spelling consciousness needs to be developed. To accomplish this words
have to be selected, and carefully and systematically taught, to most
children. The selection of words, therefore, is an important work of the
author of a spelling book.
Thanks to recent investigations the day has come when two important
questions are being asked: