Suggestions for A Graded Course in Bird Study 



Anna Botsford Comstock 



It is difficult to make a hard and fast scheme for grading bird 

 study, so much depends upon the environment of the school and of 

 the homes of the pupils and upon the amount of interest shown by 

 the teachers in the work. However, the one chief thing to make 

 the work successful is to plan for plenty of school room work that 

 will stimulate field work and personal observation on the part of 

 the pupils. This I have found to be best accomplished in all 

 grades even up to University students by coloring the outlines of 

 birds, using for copy some standard work like the Book of Birds 

 published by the National Geographic Magazine or the plates in 

 the portfolio of The Birds of New York to be obtained from the 

 New York State Museum at Albany, or the Bird Guides by Reed 

 or any other book or chart showing birds in their true or approxi- 

 mate colors. 



As soon as the picture of the bird is finished there should be 

 given an account of the bird's habits which the pupils should 

 learn. The pictures and the subject matter should be reviewed 

 frequently. Coloring these outlines is very attractive work for 

 most pupils and by doing it they get acquainted with the bird's 

 appearance in detail and thus are able to recognize it at once when 

 they see it out of doors, and this adds greatly to the interest and 

 profit to be gained by field trips or by individual field observation. 



These outlines when colored either with crayon or water-color 

 may be used in many ways that will make the work of perennial 

 interest. 



In the suggestions which follow for grading bird study there is 

 nothing hard and fast. Almost any part of the work given may be 

 satisfactorily transferred to an adjacent grade. The teacher 

 should use any and every device to accomplish the end in view and 

 that is to get the greatest number of pupils interested in bird life 

 and preservation. 



KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE 



The little child, at least, must while learning develop along the 

 line of his natural interests. What are these? Eating, playing, 

 sleeping, clothing, his home and family. He is interested in what 

 other children do and have in these particulars and he is also inter- 

 ested in animals and birds, in so far as their experiences touch his 



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