128 THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [*4-apr., , 9 os 



E. Plants floating in the water. 



Most plants are fastened to the ground by roots but you must find in the 

 pond two kinds that are not. 



i. One kind looks like a very minute leaf flat on the water with 



delicate white roots hanging down — called duckweed. 

 2. The other kind of plant looks like a tangle of green threads 

 floating in the water and such plants are called Algae. Do 

 the Algae have any roots? 

 Put some of each kind of plant in your mason-jar. 



Much of the above outline could be given in the form of 

 verbal explanation of the outline, but it seemed well to indicate 

 rather fully the details necessar\ for the student to know. 



4. The list of the animals to be studied and the facts about each 

 to be discovered must be memorized by each student. A sufficient 

 number of rehearsals of these points should be required of the 

 class to make sure that each child when he reaches the pond will 

 know r exactly what he has to do and in what order it is to be done. 

 He must have all of the questions in his head in order that he may- 

 turn directly to nature for the answers, independent of teacher 

 and fellows. The mental attitude of a boy thus prepared is radi- 

 cally different from that of one who in obedience to vocal direc- 

 tions "sees this and sees that." The importance of this pre- 

 liminary knowledge on the part of the student cannot be over- 

 estimated. A field trip properly conducted will make an impres- 

 sion which will last for a life-time and there should be no slip- 

 shod methods. 



5. Each student must know that he is to be held responsible 

 for the working out of each detail of the outline and that he must 

 do it without help. A careful test should be given the class as 

 soon after the excursion as possible. Give the child the know- 

 ledge of what he must do and then hold him individually responsi- 

 ble for doing it and success follows inevitably. 



6. If the class is very large, divide it into sections, let each 

 section elect a leader, and assign to each the direction from which 

 it shall approach the pond. 



Any one desiring to conduct an excursion to ponds or streams 

 will find the following books helpful in identifying common water 

 Eorms: ••Aquatic Microscopy for Beginners." by Stokes; "/;/- 

 sect Life," by Comstock; "Fresh-Water Aquaria," by Bateman; 

 "X at ura/ History of Aquatic Insects," by Miall (best). 



The general nature-study trips in which the attention of the 

 children is called to everything in the heavens above, the earth 



