234 METHODS IN TEACHING 



must be able to visualize, to typify. The local river, creek, 

 slough, becomes his type for the study of other water 

 courses; the distance from his home to some known place 

 is his unit of measurement; the length of his play-time or 

 his study period is his standard of time ; the hottest day or 

 the coldest morning is a unit for climatic comparison. 

 When the local types have been fixed, the imagination is 

 brought into play in order to understand distant conditions. 

 Pictures, books, stories, all aid in giving that larger view 

 by which the young mind passes to new types. Thus, from 

 the local stream, the type changes to the Mississippi, a 

 standard for measuring all great rivers. In similar man- 

 ner cities, countries, governments, and peoples become 

 known, but the home type is the point of departure. 



FIRST AND SECOND YEAR GRADES 



The geographical work of these years is incidental and 

 is usually associated with nature study; the teaching is 

 objective, and it should always be within the limits of the 

 child's observation and experience. Distance, location, 



direction, are the first three thoughts pre- 

 Distance sented tQ the dass> The dt block {& the 



Direction 



Location standard of measurement with these begin- 



ners, who are led to notice and remember 

 how many blocks it is from home to the school, to the car 

 line, to some public building. Cardinal points are learned 

 in connection with objects outside the schoolroom; later, 

 they are applied to the interior of the room and building. 

 The child is led to observe in what direction a certain street 

 car runs, where the sun rises and sets, how the shadows fall 



