HISTORY IN PRIMARY GRADES 283 



studied as an isolated fact. Its importance to man, its re- 

 lation to the advancement of civilization, and its place in 

 modern life, are all points for consideration. These studies 

 are elementary, suited to the stage of development of the 

 children; their purpose is to turn the young minds toward 

 existing conditions, the way in which they came into being, 

 and the part taken by man in their evolution. 



Local history, first studied in the third grade, begins to 

 take its place in relation to the history of the nation. The 

 first local history concerns the Indians, but 

 History ^is year it is the California Indians that 



are studied. The children see the actual 

 daily life of the Indians of our state woven into an interest- 

 ing story, that of " Docas." After the work on the natives, 

 there come the lives and adventures of some of the earliest 

 explorers in California and along the Pacific coast. This 

 naturally leads into the accounts of the Spanish gold seek- 

 ers, then into the settlements made by the Spanish in the 

 west. The connection is kept with explorations in Mexico 

 and trips of Spanish galleons to the Philippines. Maps and 

 the globe are in constant use, so that a fairly clear child's 

 idea of these events is obtained, and deep interest in them 

 rarely flags. As the first of this period antedates the settle- 

 ments of the English on the Atlantic coast, it is a fitting 

 introduction to American history in the following year. 



The presentation of a story is similar to that of the third 

 grade, except that the ripening powers of the children per- 



Presentation m ^ ^ e Use * more mature methods. The 



teacher now rarely tells the story ; it is read, 



if it is obtainable in a form suitable for the understanding of 



the children. The pupils are also reading for themselves. 



