To THE Teacher: 



This is the third of a proposed series of leaflets designed to sug- 

 gest methods of presenting nature-study upon eommon-place sub 

 jects. This is a new field of effort for the College of Agriculture^ 

 and we therefore look upon the methods as largely experimental. 

 We are endeavoring to determine the best way of interesting chil- 

 dren in country life. You cafi give us many suggestions, and we 

 should like a free expression of your opinions and experiences. 

 It should be borne in mind that the object of these lessons is not 

 to impart direct and specific information, but to train the child 

 in the poivers of seeing afid inquiring. We suggest that you 

 familiarize yourself thoroughly with the apple twigs in these four 

 lessons, and then collect a few twigs and examine thetn for your- 

 self. When you think that you understand such twigs, collect 

 some more {or have the children collect them), and giving each 

 pupil one, conduct an observatioft on them. If this work is done 

 now whilst the twigs are dormant, you will find the children to 

 be greatly interested in the trees when the buds begin to burst. 

 Once the inquiry is started, you will 7io doubt be able to conduct 

 other similar observations from titne to time. If questions come 

 tip which you cannot answer, write them to us and we may be 

 able to help you. 



We suggest that you ask your pupils to write short compositions 

 upon these lessons and to make sketches of what they see, and 

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

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

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

 whicJi we obtain from teachers will aid us greatly in the prep- 

 aration of future leaflets. 



