Throughout the book, review lists are common. The time usually allotted
to the spelling lesson is short and, therefore, only those words which
have been shown by investigation to need reviewing occur in these review
lists. Words presenting the most difficulty are often repeated in the
same and succeeding grades. The words which are recurring constantly in
the written vocabulary of children are the words which they need to be
sure that they have mastered. Including only such words for review will
enable both teacher and pupil to conserve the time of the school day.
The lessons are short and it is expected that each word is to be
carefully taught the first time. If this is done and the pupil’s list of
the misspelled words is kept, the need of long reviews will be
minimized.
Other lists in the form of reviews consist of groups of words especially
alluded to by other authors. For example, at the close of the work of
the third grade will be found the hundred commonest words in the English
language. Ayres points out that these words with their repetitions
constitute about one-half of all the words we write. There is no
question about the need of thoroughly mastering them early. On pages 42
and 43 of the fifth year work and pages 84 and 85 of the sixth year will
be found lists of words taken from the 1,000 commonest words of the
English language. At the end of other grades will be found lists of
known trouble makers which should be carefully reviewed.