MR. I. W. McCLYMONDS, 



City Supt. Schools, Oaklatid, Cal. 



I herewith submit to you an account of work done in the Oakland 

 schools in what is termed Nature Study, which came under my direc- 

 tion, during January to May, 1897: 



First, it is proper to make a brief explanation of my connection with 

 this work. What has been variously known as Nature Study, Element- 

 ary Science or Observation Lessons has for sometime received in many 

 of the Oakland schools, considerable attention, and in some of the 

 schools work in these lines has been carried out very successfully. 



Those teachers who were thus successful, together with a number of 

 others who felt that such work would be of great value in the schools, 

 and who wished some aid in its introduction, had from time to time 

 proposed plans for receiving this aid and strengthening their work in 

 this direction. In January, 1897 a plan was completed by which a large 

 number of the teachers of the Grammar and Primary Grades agreed to 

 do work in their schools in Nature Study under my direction. This 

 movement was a voluntary one on the part of the teachers connected 

 with it. They organized for the work, appointed an executive commit- 

 tee to arrange the details of business involved in the work, and volun- 

 tarily taxed themselves to pay a fair salary to a special teacher whose 

 duties were to devote full time to the details of the work among the 

 schools. 



It is proper at this point to pay tribute to the enterprise, enthusiasm 

 and intelligent devotion to the work of the schools, which this move- 

 ment evinced on the part of the teachers. The City of Oakland is to 

 be congratulated that the schools are in the hands of those who are so 

 thoroughly and intelligently alive to the interests of the children. One 

 hundred and twenty-five teachers enrolled themselves in this class. 



Miss E. B. McFadden was chosen as the special teacher in the work, 

 and to her energy and efficiency was due in a very large measure, .what- 

 ever of success attended the work. 



It goes without saying that all connected with the work appreciate the 

 enthusiasm, and wise and practical aid on every hand rendered by you 

 without which the work could not have proceeded. 



Conditions Governing the Work. 



In this experiment it should be remembered that on account of the 

 conditions at the time definite work could not be arranged for each 

 school. Some of those conditions were as follows: 



Among the teachers of the class all grades were represented. In some 

 of the schools much work in this line had already been done, in others, 



