TeachtT and class at the Museum. " Tlie fruit of the Museums influence often appears 

 months afterward in some reading lesson or conversation" 



TUESDAY AT THE MUSEUM 



Bj/ Mary B. C. Bi/rue 

 Primary Teacher, Public School No. 9, The Bronx 



WHEN I caiiie away from the American IVIiiseum of Natural 

 History, Tuesday, I carried witli me a sense of that institution's 

 cfHcient service to the children of our f^reater city; and with 

 an army of other teachers, I am grateful for the inspiring message which 

 the ]\Iuseum daily speaks to New York City's children through us their 

 primary teachers. The work is of \ery tangible assistance to teacher, pupil 

 and home. 



Looking over the suggestive topics in the Course of Sfu(h/ for the Ele- 

 inoiianj Sehools of the City of Xeir Yorh, tlie teacher of fiftli year nature 

 comes upon such large-looming headings as "Adaptation to Knvironment" 

 and "Elementary Classification" and she asks herself, "How can I teach 

 'adaptation to environment' when there is nothing at hand, save a stray 

 fly or English si)arr()w"''" "How shall I teach 'elementary classification' 

 when there is no ilhistrati\e material, save such forms of life as are found 

 on the city's asphalt pavements or within the l)rick walls of the nearby 

 apartment houses or factories?" 



In answer to this problem comes the temj)tation to fall back on the 

 time-honored textl)ook methods, but conscious of the delusion of isolated 

 fact-learning, she an.swers her first qtiestion by asking a second: "What 

 gain shall come to Dominick Ciiiantomasi, or to Moses Rozansky, or to 

 Patrick Sweeney, e\en though they do master such terms with definitions 

 as 'amphibians, molhisks, crustaceans," and all the rest?" It is in this 

 definite and puzzling situation that the Museum comes forward with help. 



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