The petty-schoole Shewing a way to teach little children to read English with delight and profit, (especially) according to the new primar. By C. H.

Chap. II. How a childe may be taught with delight to know all his letters in a very little time. (Book 2)

THe usual way to begin with a child, when he is first brought to Schoole, is to teach him to know his letters in the Horn-book, where he is made to run o∣ver all the letters in the Alphabet or Christ-cross-row both forwards & back∣wards, until he can tel any one of them, which is pointed at, and that in the Eng∣lish character.

This course we see hath been very ef∣fectual in a short time, with some more ripe witted children, but othres of a slower apprehension (as the most and best commonly are) have been thus learning a whole year together, (and though they have been much chid and beaten too for want of heed) could scarce

tell six of their letters at twelve moneths end, who, if they had been taught in a way more agreeable to their meane apprehensions (wch might have wrought more readily upon the senses, and affe∣cted their mindes with what they did) would doubtlesse have learned as cheer∣fully, if not as fast as the quickest.

I shall therefore mention sundry ways that have been taken to make a childe know his letters readily, out of which the discreet Teacher may chuse what is most likely to suit with his Learner.

I have known some that (according to Mr. Brinsl••y's direction) have taught lit∣tle ones to pronounce all the letters, and to spell pretty well, before they knew one letter in a book; and this they did, by making the childe to sound the five vowels a, e, i, o, u, like so many bells up∣on his fingers ends, and to say which finger was such or such a vowel, by chan∣ges. 2 Then putting single consonants before the vowels, [leaving the hardest of them till the last] and teaching him how to utter them both at once, as va, ve, vi, vo, vu, da, de, di, do, du. 3. and a∣gain, by putting the vowels before a consonant to make him say, as, es, is, os, us, ad, ed, id, od, ud. Thus; they have pro∣ceeded from syllables of two or three, or

more letters, till a child hath been pret∣ty nimble in the most. But this is rather to be done in a private house, then a publick Schoole; how ever this manner of exercise now and then amongst little Scholars will make their lessons more fa∣miliar to them.

The greatest trouble at the first en∣trance of children is to teach them how to know their letters one from another, when they see them in the book altoge∣ther; for the greatnesse of their number and variety of shape do puzle young wits to difference them, and the sence can but be intent upon one single object at once, so as to take its impression, and commit it to the imagination and memo∣ry. Some have therefore begun but with one single letter, and after they have shewed it to the childe in the Alpha∣bet, have made him to finde the same any where else in the book, till he knew that perfectly; and then they have proceed∣ed to another in like manner, and so gone through the rest.

Some have contrived a piece of ivory with twenty four flats or squares, in eve∣ry one of which was engraven a several letter, and by playing with a childe in throwing this upon a table, and shewing him the letter onely which lay uppermost,

have in few dayes taught him the whole Alphabet.

Some have got twenty four pieces of ivory cut in the shape of dice, with a let∣ter engraven upon each of them, and with these they have played at vacant hours with a childe, till he hath known them all distinctly. They begin first with one, then with two, afterwards with more letters at once, as the childe got knowledge of them. To teach him like∣wise to spell, they would place conso∣nants before or after a vowel, and then joyn more letters together so as to make a word, and sometimes divide it into syl∣lables, to be parted or put together; now this kind of letter sport may be profitably permitted among you beginers in a School & in stead of ivory, they may have white bits of wood, or small shreads of paper or past-board, or parchment with a letter writ upon each to play withall a∣mongst themselves.

Some have made pictures in a little book or upon a scroll of paper wrapt upon two sticks within a box of iceing-glass, and by each picture have made three sorts of that letter, with which its name be∣ginneth; but those being too many at once for a childe to take notice on, have proved not so useful as was intended.

Some likewise have had pictures and let∣ters printed in this manner on the back side of a pack of cards, to entice children, that naturally love that sport, to the love of learning their books.

Some have writ a letter in a great cha∣racter upon a card, or chalked it out up∣on a trencher, and by telling a child what it was, and letting him strive to make the like, have imprinted it quick∣ly in his memory, and so the rest one after another.

One having a Son of two years and a half old, that could but even go about the house, and utter some few gibber∣ish words in a broken manner; observ∣ing him one day above the rest to be busied about shells, and sticks, and such like toys, which himself had laid toge∣ther in a chair, and to misse any one that was taken from him, he saw not how, and to seek for it about the house; became very desireous to make experiment what that childe might presently attain to in point of learning; Thereupon he devi∣sed a little wheel, with all the Capital Romane letters made upon a paper to wrap round about it, and fitted it to turn in little a round box, which had a hole so made in the side of it, that onely one let∣ter might be seen to peep out at once;

This he brought to the childe, & showed him onely the letter O, and told him what it was; The childe being overjoyed with his new gamball, catcheth the box out of his Fathers hand, and run's with it to his playfellow a year younger then himself, and in his broken language tell's him there was an O, an O; And when the other asked him where, he said, in a hole, in a hole, and shewed it him; which the lesser childe then took such notice of, as to know it againe ever after from all the other letters. And thus by playing with the box, and en∣quiring concerning any letter that ap∣peared strange to him, what it was, the childe learnt all the letters of the Alpha∣bet in eleven dayes, being in this Cha∣racter A B▪ C, and would take pleasure to shew them in any book to any of his acquaintance that came next. By this instance you may see what a propensity there is in nature betimes to learning, could but the Teachers apply them∣selves to their young Scholars tenuity; and how by proceeding in a cleare & facil method, that all may apprehend, every one may benefit more or less by degrees. According to these contrivances to for∣ward children, I have published a New Prim••r; in the first leafe, whereof I have

set the Roman Capitalls (because that Character is now most in use, & those let∣ters the most easie to be learn't) and have joyned therewith the pictures or images of some things whose names begins with that letter, by which a childs memory may be helped to remember how to call his letters; as A, for an Ape, B. for a Bear, &c. This Hieroglyphicall devise doth so affect Children (who are gene∣rally forward to communicate what they know) that I have observed them to teach others, that could not so readily learn, to know all the letters in a few houres space, by asking them, what stands A. for? and so concerning other letters backwards and forwards, or as they best liked.

Thus when a childe hath got the names of his letters, & their several shapes with∣all in a playing manner, he may be ea∣sily taught to distinguish them in the fol∣lowing leaf, which containeth first the greater, and then the smaller Roman Characters, to be learned by five at once or more, as the childe is able to re∣member them; other Characters I would have forborn, till one be well acquain∣ted with these, because so much variety at the first doth but amaze young wits, and our English characters, (for

the most part) are very obscure, & more hard to be imprinted in the memory. And thus much for the learning to know letters; we shall next (and according to Order in Teaching) proceed to an easie way of distinct spelling.