SELECTION AND SEQUENCE OF MATERIAL. 321 



it, and better obtain the needed material. Almost any 

 teacher, no matter how well prepared, will get better 

 results when she concentrates the attention of herself 

 and her pupils on one or two lines of nature work at a 

 time. 



The selection and arrangement of material, and the 

 course in nature study, must be greatly affected by con- 

 ditions peculiar to each school, the time which is de- 

 voted to the work, the amount of previous work of this 

 kind which pupils have done, the number of years they 

 remain in school, and the apparatus available for work. 



Where but little time, one or two periods a week, is 

 given to nature study, it will be wise in beginning 

 work in the four lowest grades to give most attention 

 to plants, with very little animal work, during the fall, 

 spring, and summer months ; and to physical phenomena 

 or introductory work in physics water, air, heat 

 during the late fall and winter months. The plant-work 

 will best bring out the higher side of the nature study, 

 and the work in physics and minerals will be most use- 

 ful in preparing for geography. In the last or upper 

 four or five grades plants can best be studied in the 

 spring, with a little bird study , animals in the fall ; and 

 physics and chemistry, with perhaps a little work in 

 minerals, during the winter. The plant and animal 

 study will bring out the higher side of the work, and 

 correlate with literature and geography. The work in 

 physics, chemistry, and minerals will serve as a good 

 preparation for practical life. 



