HOME NATURE-STUDY COURSE. 



The work of the Nature-Study courses for the year 1908-9 has 

 been more than usualy satisfactory, both on the part of the students 

 taking the courses at college and of the extension work conducted 

 by correspondence. 



The purpose of the Nature-Study courses in the University ii 

 to give the pupils the point of view necessary to make a successful 

 presentation of subject-matter to children of the primary and gram- 

 mar grades. This also involves the selection and organization of 

 scientific facts on a new basis — that of the interests and environ- 

 ment of the child. The Home Nature-Study Course is a part of 

 the Cornell University extension work. It has for its object the 

 instruction of the teachers of elementary and rural schools in the 

 subject-matter and methods of nature-study. 



Course 91 in Nature-Study was taken by twelve young women 

 who were preparing themselves to undertake this work as teachers. 

 The advanced class (Course 100) contained four hard-working 

 students. The lectures weekly were given in each class and out- 

 door lessons were a most interesting part of the work. Not only 

 was the work in class and lecture room earnestly and well done 

 but much individual observation of an excellent kind was submit- 

 ted in regularly kept notebooks. 



During the year there have been published four leaflets of the 

 Home Nature-Study Course, consisting of sixty-five lessons, mak- 

 ing in all 120 pages. These lessons have dealt with the subject- 

 matter suggested in the Syllabus of Nature-Study and Elementary 

 Agriculture issued by the State Education Department, and cover 

 the more important work of the fifth and sixth grades. In the 

 preparation of these leaflets, the editor has given especial consid- 

 eration to the needs of those teachers who have received no train- 

 ing for this work, for whom it was desired that the lessons should 

 be most helpful. In the beginning of each lesson its purpose has 

 been indicated, the material needed and the best way to obtain it, 

 followed by a series of questions covering the observations which 

 should be made by the pupils. For the use of the teacher, facts 

 concerning the subjects of the lessons were given, with suggestions 

 as to the best methods of presenting them to the pupils. 



