The vocabulary of the ALDINE SPELLER has been selected with great care.
All the important lists were tabulated in such a way as to show the
recurrence of the words and the grade distribution. Careful testing and
study were given where there were significant variations in order to
determine the correct selection and gradation. In addition to this the
vocabularies of several of the best known textbooks were tabulated to
ascertain the basis, if any, of their selection of words. These
vocabularies varied so largely as to be of little value except to show
the defects of unscientific selection.
Approximately 5,000 words were finally chosen. These include the words
in common use and such words in the upper grades as are necessary to
teach the varying vocabulary of life by the development of desirable
forms. Without this attention to derivatives, difficult endings, the
error producing problems of _ie_ or _ei_, and the doubling of the final
consonant, no course in learning to spell is complete or fully
effective.
After the selection of the words a series of illustrative sentences was
gathered from many sources. Many of these sentences are quotations from
our best authors, are within the grasp of the children, and will be
found invaluable for memorizing, as dictation exercises, or used simply
to illustrate the use of the words taught in the previous lessons.
Finally, at the end of the work for each grade, will be found an
alphabetically arranged list of all the words taught in that grade, with
the exception of the phonic words taught in the first and second grades
which are not alphabetically arranged. The latter will be found, with
others of the same “family,” or series, at the end of Part I.