In stories, poems, legends, fables, is found a vast amount of material which protrays the beauty of common things much more successfully than could a formal class-room lesson. The few volumes in the class library of the 2 A which seem most useful in this way are: "Fairy Stories and Fables" (American Book Co.), "Child's Book of Poetry" (Maynard, Merrill & Co.), “Rhymes and Fables," and "Ship Literary Readers." Robert Louis Stevenson, Eugene Field, Lucy Larcom, Mary Howitt and others provide excellent additional material. Personal experiences of the teacher are usually far more interesting to the child than a "book story." Not every teacher has been blessed with a free, happy childhood in the country. She who has picked thousands of violets in some old apple orchard, with the pink blooms overhead; who has sat for hours watching the wild creatures of wood and field as they live at home has much for which to be thankful. In reviewing their knowledge of the squirrel, one class enjoyed beyond all the rest, the story of the red squirrel family which made its home in an old butternut tree near the house where teacher lived "when she was a little girl." In this class a hint of a story of this sort brings instant attention. “It's real," as one boy said; "Why, teacher knows what train to take to get to where it happened." It is the same with the horse that was given teacher as a colt. That class know his gentleness, his trustworthiness, his habits, almost as well as the teacher herself. They have been with her in imagination. In the prescribed Nature Study group of camel, deer, goat and sheep is a specially rich field for fable and story correlation. "The Wise Goat," "The Three Goats Named Bruse," "The Goat Which Fell in a Well," all these are at hand. "The Camel and His Master" is in the same volume, "Fairy Stories and Fables." Much of the material should simply be read to the class. The short fables are better told and reproduced. A particularly pretty poem can be memorized, at least in part. Bird lore is common. Here again stories from one's actual experience are useful. The robin family in the apple tree near the house where one New York teacher spent last July interested her very much. She found that the story of the friendly little mother bird had a peculiar fascination for the class when she taught the "robin" this spring. The fable of "The Grasshopper and the Cricket" is one that boys find easy to "act out," and it emphasizes the difference between these insects as to habits and characteristics. The legend of the origin of the sunflower is a graceful story for reproduction. The imagination is cultivated, and the general facts about the flower impressed. The sowing of seeds, watching the germination, caring for the plants, etc., can be used as the basis for little morning talks which need not be at all dull or prosy. Many pretty little poems and stories can be found in current period icals if one bring intelligent taste to bear in their selection. Often a long story contains points which taken out and abridged make just that which "fits in" best with the work of the class. For instance, several months ago the Ladies' Home Journal published a charming story of the way a squirrel made friends of the occupants of a summer cottage. This was found very useful. The April number of Scribner's magazine contains "The Camp of the Good Fairy,-a story specially adapted to this sort of reconstruction. It makes the little squirrel "hero" seem almost human. No boy who hears the story can be quite thoughtless of the life of a squirrel again. A real live boy figures in it all, too. Whatever develops naturally from the class-room conditions of a particular day, from a conversation, from a lesson, is far more interesting that anything dragged in bodily, just to get it in. Because a poem was taught successfully to last term's class is not in itself a good reason for teaching it to this term's. In fact, it may constitute a very good reason for looking for something new. The teacher is too familiar with it to bring to it the fresh energy that she gave to it the first time. Besides, some of the "left back" children know it already, and it is fatal to bore! It might be brought to the attention of the class if it be a particularly choice bit by calling on one of the last-term children to recite it. One of the very bitter days last winter, the teacher found in her day's plan a conversation about the beaver. The windows over the radiators had begun to frost over, and the children immediately noticed it. Quickly deciding upon a new plan, the teacher encouraged comment upon what could be seen upon the different panes. Theodore, who should be a poet when he has a few more years added to his age, saw, "Palms, Miss Gray, -tall, tall palms. And there are birds with wide wings that sweep,— so!" Three days that week the severe cold continued, and each day some notice was taken of the frost. Then a lesson from a supplementary reader was given, a cute "Jack Frost" story. The copied sentence was taken from a boy's statement: "Jack Frost pinches our noses." poem was taught: "JACK." This I. There's a lively little fellow who's as busy as can be, Making pictures on our windows, flower, and bush, and stately tree, There are moss, and fern, and spreading palm, and birds of graceful wing, There are dainty little fairies in a happy, dancing ring. 2. Who would think this skilful artist could be such a saucy scamp? Have you guessed who is this jolly imp? Then listen! He's Jack Frost. Near Christmas time the conversation lesson one day suggested these lines, which were afterward made use of in the Christmas celebration by the little folk: MY WISH. I. I'd like to be old Santa,-guess I would! 2. I'd have a fat, red face, and one big smile, I just guess. Would I like to be St. Nick? Oh, my! yes! The butterfly, in its metamorphosis, is a most interesting study. The children watch the cocoon with the greatest interest. A little poem which impresses some of the lessons learned is this: THE BABY. There is a queer, funny babe lying all warm and snug, A cocoon is his cradle, as warm as a rug! The cold winds may blow,-they do not alarm him, THE BUTTERFLY. But when Spring comes to us, sunny and glowing, Flowers are blooming, and sweet zephyrs blowing, To taste the sweetness in lily-hearts lying, It is hard to be compelled to confess, but not all the faults in English are to be found either in the homes of the children or in anything outside the teaching force. When the teacher sends a boy to the supply department for "pen points" repeatedly, of course he absorbs the terms. "Bring" and "fetch" are two words constantly misused by the teachers themselves. Let us be on our guard so that our children shall hear at least from us none but the best. Nature Study in 2B. By GERTRUDE B. HUNTER. P. S. 11, Manhattan. The value of a lesson in Nature Study lies in the child's part of the study. In grade 2B the children are too young to know how to study by themselves, therefore much of the responsibility of the study of nature lies with the teacher and depends on her method of presenting the lesson. Before we can study NATURE, we must have nature itself to work from. Pictures, blackboard sketches, stuffed specimens, etc., are never as good as the living objects, for the children can not get a perfect concept of the object for which this substitute stands. How soon little children acquire the habit of looking for certain characteristics in all the animals or plants or birds they study! This same line of thought they begin to apply to what they find outside of the schoolroom. They report their observations to their classmates, who in turn observe for themselves. An added interest is immediately created if the children help to collect specimens for class study. How they love to collect live insects for classroom study in the early fall! All the special insects for our grade came to us alive this fall. (See list for month of September.) Many flowers, too, were contributed by the children; yet the special flowers suggested for 2B we ourselves will probably supply. The vegetables and fruits are always easy to find! It is the bird and animal lessons that make us resort to pictures and stuffed specimens oftenest. We had one lesson on a live bird, but with the other birds we had to do as best we could with talks, stories, pictures and stuffed specimens. At Thanksgiving time, however, we were able to get a turkey with the feathers still on. The children thoroughly enjoyed this lesson. By the time Thanksgiving had come we had covered all the vegetable study work for the term. As an aid in reviewing that work, each child was invited to bring any vegetable he liked best, and to be able to tell four things about how it grew, and to tell me how to plant it and make it grow again. As each child made his contribution other children were allowed to supplement the facts already given until a comprehensive review of all the important facts were given. Some of the vegetables that were brought in that day were, potatoes (white and sweet), cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, radishes, dried peas, beans, a carrot, a parsnip, a piece of pumpkin and the seeds, an onion and a turnip. At the end of the lesson the vegetables were wrapped each by itself and were distributed for home planting. I had some seeds on hand to be given with the radish, cabbage and pumpkin. When the baby vegetables sprout and grow they are to be warmly wrapped and brought to school for insepction. A nature study lesson furnishes an excellent opportunity for correct use of English. Each observation when expressed in words should consti tute a complete English sentence. New words and expressions may be correlated with every lesson but we must be careful not to put more stress on the language than we do on the main object of the lesson,-the thought itself. The statements given by the children may be jotted down on the blackboard as the lesson progresses. This will aid the children in their summary of the lesson. Or, after all the points have been brought out, it is an excellent drill for the children to give an oral summary of the lesson with as little help from the teacher as possible. When help is needed, another child can usually give that help. It is a good drill for several children to tell all they can remember about the lesson. This, however, is not Nature Study, but is language work correlated with nature study. Supplementary reading, a little stanza of poetry, a story, a dictation exercise, spelling or drawing can be advantageously correlated about the facts. learned through Nature Study. Realizing that every Nature Study lesson should be given from the object itself, we must plan our nature supplies some time ahead, and the lesson must be given when the live specimen can be most easily secured. This may be a suggestive arrangement for the lessons in the course of study. MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. Plants. Study specimens of whole plant; save seeds. Recognize and name the flowers. Butter and eggs. Morning Glory. Petunia. Marigold. Nasturtium. Sunflower.* 1. Study. 2. Mount Plants. 3. Save Seeds. * Correlate myth of Clytie and Apollo with sunflower See Normal Instructor. Sept., 1902. Seeds. Plant seeds of pea, bean, corn and tomato for next month's vegetable plant study. Study from nature dispersal of seeds: children gather seeds for class study. Study especially Dandelion. Thistle. Milkweed. Insects. Children help to collect them outside. They can be kept alive in glass jars with a bit of mosquito netting over the top, if a small piece of sod is placed in the bottom of the jar. Study especially Grasshopper. Cricket. Potato beetle. These depend on plant life and at the same time assist plant life. They must have sun and rain. Finally these specimens may be mounted on bits of cork for the class collection. Trees.-Observe leaf buds just forming for another year's foliage, before this year's leaves fall. |