1. The order of the letters should be thoroughly familiar at this time.
If not, it must be made so. (See suggestions for drill on page 27.)
2. Have the pupils read clearly and distinctly the words in any
lesson,—as, for example, Lesson 1, page 25,—telling the first letter in
each, saying, “The first letter in _moon_ is _m_; the first letter in
_soon_ is _s_; the first letter in _noon_ is _n_; the first letter in
_spoon_ is _s_.”
3. Have the pupils group words that begin with the same letter, as,
Lessons 1, 2, and 3. Teacher says, “Find all the words in these three
lessons that begin with _s_.”
Teacher: Find the words that begin with _b_.
Pupils: _Bid_ and _bar_ begin with _b_.
Later the pupils may make a list of all the words on a page beginning
with the same letter.
4. Have the pupils copy in a column all the words in a lesson, or in
several lessons, or on a page, that begin with the same letter. This
should be done under definite direction of the teacher, as, “Make a list
of all the words on page 25 that begin with _b_; with _c_; with _d_;
with _f_.” Pupils write as follows:
bar cross dine find
boss cloud did far
bid crust dust fine
bind fell
bell
5. Turn to the vocabulary of second year words (page 63). Have the
pupils observe that they are arranged in alphabetical order.
(_a_) Pupils find the place in the list of words beginning with any
given letter, thus:
Teacher: Where must we look for words beginning with _a_?
Pupils: At the beginning, for _a_ is the first letter in the alphabet.
Teacher: Where must we look for words beginning with _w_?
Pupils: Near the end, for _w_ is near the end of the alphabet.
Teacher: Where must we look for words beginning with _m_?
Pupils: Near the middle, for _m_ is near the middle of the alphabet.
(_b_) Pupils find any word called for in the list. Teacher asks, “Where
shall I find _barn_?”
Pupils answer, “With words beginning with _b_, near the beginning.”
Pupils find the word and touch it. In the same way the teacher calls for
other words. In each case the pupils decide where in the list to look
for it according to the initial letter, then find and touch it.
(_c_) Let the pupils go through the list to see if every letter in the
alphabet has been used as an initial letter. They will find that there
are no words listed beginning with _q_, _x_, and _z_.
(_d_) Have the pupils write the alphabet in vertical columns omitting
_q_, _x_, and _z_, and opposite each letter copy a word beginning with
that letter from their lists on pages 63 and 64, thus:
a—after
b—baby
c—children
d—dog