THE EXPRESSIVE WORK OF THE SCHOOL. 253 



and develops in a certain way. This is description. 

 We may lead our pupils to tell about " our buds," or, 

 better, " my bud ; " to tell what "we," or, better, "I," 

 did and saw and thought, make it more personal. This 

 is, or is closely akin to, narration, which includes more 

 or less description. Or we may have the child person- 

 ify the bud, either tell about it as a living thing with 

 feelings like himself, or have the bud tell its own story, 

 or imagine himself to be the bud. 



In the first case, the bud is a somewhat abstract or 

 generalized thing far removed from the child. In the 

 second case, each child is telling about the concrete bud 

 in his hands or before his eyes. In the third case, the 

 bud is, for the time being, the child himself, not some- 

 thing outside of himself. 



These three forms of language expression are illus- 

 trated in the " blackboard stories " given in Part II, in 

 connection with the study of the mallow in the first grade. 



Very much depends on the kind of language expres- 

 sion used. It is not necessary to ask any primary teacher 

 who is in sympathy with little children which of the 

 three is most expressive for the little folks, which is 

 most natural, simple, and attractive. The little child 

 naturally idealizes or personifies or endows with life 

 much about him. 



The more what is studied is brought near the pupils, 

 the more the personal element is introduced in the ex- 

 pressive work, as well as in observation, the more free, 

 natural, and individual are the results. It is almost 

 always better to have the pupils in all grades tell in 



