n6 Education through Nature 



drawing, (3) making, (4) writing. Writing must be 

 learned chiefly by imitation. Hence the teacher is 

 more necessary here than in the upper grades. 



The work here must be combined with reading 

 and writing, and used as a basis for teaching these 

 arts. Indeed we may say that nature study in this 

 primary class is 'to be used chiefly with a view to 

 teaching reading, writing, and numbers. This use of 

 nature study was formerly called object-lessons. 



The method here is as follows: (i) Lead each child 

 to make a statement about the object. If possible 

 try to have him use both a subject and a predicate, 

 as "The rose is red " not a phrase, as a red rose, or 

 merely a word rose hence a complete sentence. It 

 is well not to be too particular about this at the begin- 

 ning, for it is natural for children, like many savage 

 tribes, to talk in phrases instead of complete sentences; 

 as, when the child says "water," meaning: I want 

 water; or give me water. (2) Write the statement on 

 the board (neatly of course); (3) then let the pupil 

 read the sentence from the board; (4) when a number 

 of sentences have thus been placed on the board, 

 let the class copy the sentences with a pencil on paper; 

 (5) at the beginning of the next lesson have the pupils 

 read what they have copied and then proceed as before. 

 Number work should be introduced here (i) by count- 

 ing objects, and the teacher placing the corresponding 

 figure on the board as, I have three (3) flowers; (2) 

 counting the parts of objects as the petals of flowers 

 or the lobes of leaves. Then, too, number the sen- 

 tences on the board and let the pupil copy as before. 



This copying what has been placed on the board 

 in this way may be done as busy seat- work or occupa- 

 tion, without the attention of the teacher. 



The lesson itself, therefore, need occupy only from 

 ten to fifteen minutes, but should be repeated at least 

 four times a day. 



