586 NATURE STUDY. 



Step III. Summary. Have children draw the soaked 

 seed and the seed beginning to develop. Some may write 

 on "How Our (or My) Morning Glory Seed Waked Up," 

 telling what the sunshine and rain did, and how the seed 

 baby began to grow. 



LESSON II. BEGINNINGS OF GROWTH. 



Preparatory observations. Observe for a week or more 

 the growth of the morning glories in the soil: how the stem 

 arches and backs out of the ground, how the leaves are 

 doubled and crumpled in the seed, and are partly wrapped 

 around a little mass of white starch ; how this white mass 

 becomes soft, turns to sugar, and disappears ; how the leaves 

 get larger and greener, straighten out, and slowly back out 

 of the seed coat ; how the arched stem straightens, and car- 

 ries up the leaves, and sometimes the seed coat on the tip 

 of one or both of the seed leaves. 



Step I. Literature. Read " The Seed," page 571 as a 

 preparation for the study of the " wonderful things hidden 

 away in the heart of a little brown seed." 



Step II. First stage of growth above ground. Have 

 pupils tell and show by bending their fingers exactly 

 how the arched stem backs out of the ground, and pulls 

 the seed-coat and seed leaves with it. Compare the way 

 in which the stem pushes up through the ground with the 

 way in which the bow of a boat cuts the water and with 

 the way in which people carry heavy loads on their shoul- 

 ders. 



Step III. The second stage of growth above ground. 

 Have children see how the stem has pulled the seed out of 

 the ground and is now straightening itself. "But the seed 

 baby's coat does not fit as well as it did before. It is all 

 split down the sides, What is it we see peeping out ? ;; 



