To THE Teacher : 



This is the second of a proposed series of leaflets designed to 

 suggest methods of presenting nature study upon common-place 

 subjects. This is a new field of effort for the College of Agri- 

 cnltnre, and zve therefore look upon the metJiods as largely ex- 

 perimental. We are endeavoring to determine the best zvay of 

 interesting cJiildren in country life. You can give us many 

 suggestions, and zve should like a free expression of yonr opinions 

 and experiences. It should be borne in mind that the object of 

 these lessons is not to impart direct and specific informatioji, but 

 to train the child in the powers of seeing and inquiring. The 

 teacher sJiould keep the attention of the pupil closely fixed npon 

 the experiments, asking him to describe everything which he sees. 

 Require that the pupil sees all that is specified in this Icafiet, 

 and endeavor to lead liim on to see things zvhich are not here 

 described. Once the inquiry is started, you zvill no doubt be able 

 to conduct other similar experiments from time to time. If ques- 

 tions come up zvhicJi you cannot anszver, zvrite them to us and we 

 may be able to help you. 



We suggest that you ask your pupils to zvrite short compositions 

 upon these lessons and to make sketches of the observations, and 

 that you send us some of these from time to time in order that we 

 may learn how the experiment is zvorking. We do not care for 

 the best essays alone, but simply the average. The suggestions 

 which zve obtain from teachers zvill aid us greatly in the prepara- 

 tion of futiLie leaflets. We should particularly appreciate sug- 

 gestions as to the most useful subjects to be taken tip in these tracts. 



