deabnbssI THE WEATHER AS NA1UR EST UDY 259' 



beginners. Against the objection that the terms used in the 

 headings are too technical and difficult, it may be said that if they 

 are used judiciously at first the children soon come to under- 

 stand them and employ them correctly themselves. 



Suppose the schedule has been ruled on the blackboard. 

 Immediately after the opening exercises the teacher will conduct 

 a class discussion of the entry to be made in each column. It 

 may be agreed that the temperature is very cold; the direction 

 of the wind, northwest, — its velocity, hardly any ; the kind of 

 clouds, high and thin, — the amount, all over the sky; rain-fall 

 or snow-fall, none ; special observation, sun-dogs last night ; prob- 

 abilities, zvarmcr tomorrow. "Why do you think it will prob- 

 ably be warmer?" "Because the last time we had high, thin 

 clouds all over the sky they became thicker and it got warmer and 

 turned to snow." (The italicized words are the ones which 

 should be written in the columns.) 



It need not be discussed whether such words and phrases 

 are sufficiently exact and appropriate. At first the language 

 will be less scientific even than the examples quoted, but with 

 experience, under right guidance, the learners will make satis- 

 factory progress in the use of right terms. The effort to get the 

 appropriate term tends to clarify the judgment. Every teacher 

 must have observed the pleasure it affords children to use new 

 words, especially when they are long ones. 



For intermediate grades a column may be added for atmos- 

 pheric pressure. This should be preceded by an elementary study 

 of buoyancy and of the physical relations of water vapor and 

 dry air. The observation is made upon smoke from a chimney 

 and may be recorded in a phrase or by a drawing of a curl of 

 smoke showing its relation to the line of the chimney-top. With- 

 out understanding the reason, children may infer from repeated 

 observation that rain is indicated by falling smoke. It is a 

 question whether it is worth while introducing the observation 

 before the observers are capable of understanding in some meas- 

 use the reasons for the phenomena. 



In a school moderately well equipped witli meteorological 

 instruments, the higher grade pupils may profitably make indi- 

 vidual records of : 



I. Date 

 Hour 



