3O2 METHODS IN TEACHING 



The outline may or may not be left before the pupils dur- 

 ing the written reproductions. If the story is long, requiring 

 several days for writing, the outline will be a great aid, and 

 results will be better. If the memory is to be trained, the 

 prop should be taken away by erasing the outline. Memory 

 is a useful servant, but other faculties are of equal or greater 

 importance of life work. 



If the topic for writing is assigned occasionally a day or 

 two in advance, the pupils have a chance to think over what 

 they wish to say and how best to say it. 

 Careful workers soon learn to take advan- 

 tage of the opportunity to look up the spelling of new words, 

 to think out a satisfactory outline, and to prepare in many 

 ways. The results are naturally better than when the efforts 

 are extemporaneous. This kind of preparation also tends 

 to cultivate a habit of self-examination concerning readiness 

 for a task, a habit of incalculable importance in the produc- 

 tion of satisfactory work and in the formation of character. 

 Still more ambitious papers may be written by giving the 

 pupils a week to prepare on either an assigned topic or on 

 one chosen by the writer. Reading from reference books 

 then becomes possible, and actual research in history is be- 

 ginning. The reading references should be suggested by 

 the teacher, so that too difficult tasks are not left to untrained 

 minds. Selection of material is one of the most involved 

 steps in the preparation of a paper. 



There are the usual accessories of maps, illustrations, 

 reference books. The maps are for fixing 



^ lass the larger features; the less important ones 



Accessories 



become known through repetition. The 



illustrations that are now used often have considerable 



