EXERCISES FOE SOUTHERN RURAL SCHOOLS. 3 



Correlations. — Correlate the work with language lessons by having 

 the pupils tell orally short stories of their experiences in the garden 

 planting seed, collecting specimens, and observing germinating seed. 

 These short stories should be reduced to writing by pupils of the 

 second grade and the work given a place in the class notebook. (See 

 PL II.) 



Outlines of leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, and fruits of plants studied 

 should constitute the work in drawing. 



Review. — Ascertain what the pupils of these grades know about 

 birds and animals. Continue learning the names of animals and 

 birds. 



Assigned wor&.— Specialize in bird studies. List the names of 

 birds that may be seen this month. 



Study a few particular birds, such as the blue jay, the humming 

 bird, the mocking bird, the bluebird, and the swallow. Do they 

 reside permanently in your State ? Do they migrate south ? What 

 do they eat? Where do they build their nests? Is there a reason 

 for the nest being located as it is? What- is the color of the head, 

 the breast, the wings, the back, the tail? Do they hop or run, or 

 both ? Do they sing — character of note ? Imitate. 



Practical exercises. — Encourage birds to frequent school and home 

 yards by putting at particular places lunch remnants, meat scraps, 

 and broken grain. Make them "gentle" by feeding and kind treat- 

 ment. Make trips to the school grounds, fields, and woods to observe 

 the habits of the birds being studied. Make records of observations 

 in the class notebook. The following is an example record: 



The Bluebird. 



1. Most bluebirds go south in winter. Some remain. 



2. They collect most of their food from the ground — insects and weed seeds. 



3. They build their nests in hollow stumps, posts, and rails, in gardens, fields, 



and orchards. 



4. There are two special reasons for the location of their nests — to protect their 



young, and to be convenient to source of food. 



5. Color: Head, blue; breast, brown; wings, blue; back, blue; tail, blue. 

 v>. Bluebirds both hop and run. 



7. Bluebirds sing. 



Correlations. Ample material abounds for correlation work. 

 listing birds seen this month, making records of observations, 

 relating stories, oral and written, of experiences on observation 

 (rips furnish language lesson exercises. The best written work 



should have a place in (he class notebook. 



Make drawings of particular feathers and tracks of each kind of 

 bird studied. The best drawings should he mounted in the class 

 notebook. 



