III. Call the attention of your class to the printed word and tell them that it stands for the same word they have been pronouncing, and spelling by sound. Have them examine it closely and then find the word elsewhere on the chart, exercising them in this until they are able to recognize it on sight wherever it

occurs.

IV. Have your pupils again spell the word by sound (without pointing to the printed characters), and then show them that each character of the printed word stands for a particular sound of the spoken word.

V. As soon as each point thus far indicated is clearly understood by your pupils, teach them the name of each letter which goes to make up the printed form of the word you have presented. (In order that the children may attach to the names of letters their due force and no more than their due force, it will be well to spend a few moments in leading them to compare names of letters with names of other objects.)

VI. Be very careful to secure in the mind of each pupil a clear distinction between the name belonging to and the sound represented by each letter.

VII. Review carefully all the above-named points, and have each child, at close of review, spell the word both by sound and by naming the letter.

VIII. One step further before leaving the first word. You have thus far taught your pupils to deal with the word, 1, as spoken; 2, as printed. You should now teach them to deal with it as written.

Write the word on the board and lead pupils to observe the differences between the printed and the written form of each letter, and that the letters in the written word correspond precisely, both in number and in names, to the letters in the printed word—the difference in form being the only difference. Teach them, finally, to form (on their slates) the script characters of the word; to pronounce the word as written; to associate each sound with the letter representing it; to call each letter by name both in the written and in the printed form of the word.

IX. Proceed similarly with new words, exercising your own judgment in choice of object to illustrate each new word, wherever the new word represents any visible object, and choosing your own method to secure, on the part of your pupils, a clear understanding of the use of such words as do not represent visible objects.

X. In every instance lead your pupils to a close observation of the forms of the phonetic characters and especially to distinguish between the various forms of the same letter as representing different sounds but having the same name.

XI. Be sure not to neglect silent letters. Call attention of pupils to difference between appearance (in the type) of letters which do and of those which do not represent sounds. Teach them the names of these letters and, when the same letter has appeared both as a silent letter and as the representative of a sound, call attention of children to the two cases, allowing them to discover and state the difference, and to learn in this way that the same letter may in one word represent a sound while in another it may be silent.

XII. From the outset have in view the formation of sentences, so that as soon as the printed and written forms of three or four words have been learned, they may be put together in the form of a representative of a thought, or, in other words, in the form of a sentence. Choose new words with a view to their combination (in sentences) with those already learned. The sentences formed should be very simple.

25

XIII. Always combine the writing with the reading lesson. Let the writing succeed the reading and consist in a reproduction in writing of the word or words, sentence or sentences, of the reading-lesson. (This should continue through the Primer and as far into the Primary Reader as you find it practicable to continue it. Let this consist in a literal reproduction at first, and afterwards, by little and little, lead children to vary the expression found in the book.) XIV. Give special attention to the spelling, both in the reading and in the writing exercises. In the Reading Exercises have each word spelled-1, by sound; 2, by naming the letters; after which the silent letter or letters (if any) should be named and stated to be silent In the Writing Exercises examine slates and make corrections.

XV. (Applicable to all the foregoing suggestions.) Let each point be fully developed. Take whatever time is necessary to do THOROUGH WORK.

This paper was discussed by Mr. HURLBUT, of New Jersey. He thought the most important thing about reading is position, breathing, and voice.

J. W. Bulkley, of Brooklyn, wished to hear the opinion of some one who had tried LEIGH's method.

Mr. Harris, of St. Louis, said the method had been introduced in that city as an experiment. He thinks several months' time with a class of beginners was saved the first year. The transition to ordinary type was in every case easy. Practice has shown that the names and the sounds of the characters should be learned by the child together. This teaching does not require the same care from the superintendent that the phonic method demands. MCGUFFEY's readers are used.

Mr. Farnham, Superintendent of Schools, Binghamton, N. Y., thought the printed words should be a medium for directly communicating thought to the mind of the child, to secure correct expression, and not the representative of certain sounds merely.

Mr. Skinner, Superintendent of the Industrial School, New York, spoke in favor of the method as he had observed it.

Mr. Shortridge, of Indiana, had observed the success of the LEIGH method in schools which he had visited.

Dr. Leigh thinks teaching reading by the word method can be more easily taught by the use of the LEIGH type.

Mr. Wilson, Superintendent of Schools, Washington, D.C., said that the experience of St. Louis had been repeated in Washington. The phonetic system was first introduced in a few schools, with such marked success, in respect both to rapidity of progress and to correctness of pronunciation and spelling, that the books were soon introduced into all the schools. The transition to the ordinary type is rapid and easy.

The Committee on Nominations reported

For President J. H. BINFORD, Richmond, Va.

66

Secretary-A. ARMSTRONG, Council Bluffs, Iowa. These officers were elected by ballot cast by the Secretary.

The Secretary offered the following resolution:—

Resolved, That the officers of the Department of Superintendence for the ensuing year, be requested to introduce discussions only, into the programme of exercises for the next annual meeting; and that they also be requested to appoint, as far as practicable, the meetings at an hour when the other departments are not in session.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

PROCEEDINGS FOR 1873.

OLD BOARD.

The Board met in the parlor of the Rathbun House, Elmira, N.Y., August 4th, and was called to order by the President, Hon. B. G. NORTHROP, of Connecticut.

Present-The President; J. H. BINFORD, Virginia; ADOLF Douai, New Jersey; M. A. NEWELL, Maryland; N. A. CALKINS, New York; JOHN HANCOCK, Ohio; and the Secretary.

Messrs. J. P. WICKERSHAM, Pennsylvania; J. W. DICKINSON, Massachusetts; C. GOODWIN CLARK, Massachusetts; C. C. ROUNDS, Maine; I. N. Carlton, Connecticut; L. L. CAMP, Connecticut; Wм. G. BROWN, Louisiana; W. D. HENKLE, Ohio; and H. E. SAWYER, Connecticut, were elected to fill vacancies in the Board.

Places of meeting were assigned to the different departments and programmes arranged for the first day.

The employment of a reporter was assigned to the Secretary.

The Publishing Committee, through its chairman, presented its report, as follows:

STATEMENT OF THE PUBLISHING COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE YEAR 1872-'73.

272

Proceedings of the Board of Directors.

Voted, that the President with the Presidents of the different Departments constitute a Business Committee for the session.

Voted, that the committee be instructed to adhere closely to the programme of exercises as published.

The hours of meeting were established at 9 A.M., 24 P.M., and 71⁄2 P.M.
Adjourned.
S. H. WHITE, Secretary.

NEW BOARD.

AUGUST 6, 1873.

Board met at 10 o'clock P.M., in the Opera House- President S. H. WHITE in the chair.

The question of time and place of the next meeting was discussed briefly and deferred till a subsequent meeting.

The Presidents of the Asssociation and of the several Departments were constituted an Executive Committee to prepare the programme for the next annual meeting.

Adjourned.

A. P. MARBLE, Secretary.

AUGUST 7, 1873.

Board met at 12 o'clock-President S. H. WHITE in the chair. Invitations were read from the citizens of Utica, N.Y.; Madison, Wis.; Winona, Minn.; and Detroit, Mich., asking that the next meeting of the Association be held with them.

After a decided expression of opinion that Detroit should be the place, and near the first of August the time for the next meeting, it was—

Voted to leave the selection of time and place of the next meeting to the Executive Committee, which consists of the Presidents of the Association and of the different Departments.

Voted that all papers for discussion at the next meeting shall be limited to thirty minutes.

Voted that the Secretary of the Association for the past year and the Secretaries of the several Departments shall constitute the Committee on Publication. They are—

S. H. WHITE, Peoria, Ill.; HENRY FREEMAN, Rockford, Ill.; M. A. NEWELL, Baltimore, Md.; W. D. HENKLE, Salem, Ohio; A. P. MARBLE, Worcester, Mass. Adjourned.

A. P. MARBLE, Secretary.