NOVA SCOTIA NATURE STUDY COURSE. 60 



" In schools with pupils of several grades under one teacher (as in 

 most rural schools), many of these lessons may profitably engage the 

 whole school. In nearly all, either the whole senior or whole junior 

 divisions of the school can take part. A skilful teacher can thus give 

 profitable object lessons to several grades of scholars at once ; at one 

 time giving a Grade V lesson, at another time a Grade VI or Grade VII 

 or Grade VIII lesson, which will also contain enough for the observation 

 and interest of Grade I, Grade II, Grade III and Grade IV pupils. An 

 object lesson given to the highest class can thus, to a certain extent, be 

 made a good object lesson for all the lower classes. The older pupils 

 will see more and think more. 



"It must be remembered that the memorizing of notes and facts 

 merely stated to pupils is strictly forbidden under this head. Such 

 memorizing is pure cram, and is injurious instead of being useful. The 

 teacher may not have time to take up in class every object indicated in 

 the Nature lessons of the course. In such cases the pupils should be 

 given two or three objects nearly related to the typical specimen 

 examined in school, with directions to search for and examine them at 

 home, as illustrated in the specimen class lesson. Without much 

 expenditure of time the teacher can note that this work has been 

 honestly attempted to be done by each pupil. The lessons must be 

 direct from Nature itself, but under the guidance of the teacher, who 

 can save time in bringing the pupils to the point desired by his more 

 matured experience. They are intended to train the observing and 

 inductive faculties, to show the true way of discovering something of 

 the nature of the world which immediately surrounds us and which is 

 and will continue to be re-acting upon us in one manner or another. 

 This knowledge is so much power over Nature, from which we have to 

 win our material existence. It is also essential as an element in any 

 true and useful system of philosophy. 



" More stress has been laid here on the natural history of each section 

 than on elementary physics and chemistry. Not because physical 

 phenomena are less important ; but because the elements of these 

 sciences are the same all the world over, and there is no end to the 

 cheap and well illustrated guides to practical work in them which will 

 well suit a section in Nova Scotia as well as one in England or in the 

 United States. But there are no such simple guides in the biology of 

 each section, nor in many others of its scientific characters. The 

 teacher, then, must become a student and master himself ; for such 

 exercises have special power in developing the habit of accurate 



