24 NATURE-STUDY 



As a general rule pupils need not be told beforehand 

 what a certain nature lesson is to be about, for it is gener- 

 ally studied in class and not before. The recitation is 

 really a study period, and all the children should partake 

 in the work. All should get the facts brought out. This 

 will require more or less drill and summarizing, as in other 

 lessons. Occasionally pupils may be asked to make certain 

 preliminary observations which are to be utilized in the suc- 

 ceeding development lesson. 



Nature-study requires no text-book for the pupils except 

 the great book of nature herself. The lessons in school 

 may, however, be supplemented with outside reading. 



The Development Lesson 



The preparation of the teacher for the lesson. It 

 is not well to rely entirely on the inspiration of the moment in 

 teaching nature lessons, any more than in any other subject, 

 such as geography and arithmetic. Of course the teacher 

 should possess adaptability and be able to change her plan of 

 recitation quickly and easily if the occasion so requires. But 

 a nature lesson requires preparation, just as the above-men- 

 tioned subjects. One chief reason for the failure of so BftUch 

 nature-study is the lack of thorough preparation by the 

 teacher. 



We will assume that the subject of the lesson is well chosen, 

 that it is not some trivial matter, but is adapted to the 

 grade for which it is intended, and that there is some definite 

 purpose in presenting it. The subject being decided upon, 

 the teacher must then think of what she wishes to teach about 

 it — whether it is to be merely a description of the qualities 

 of the object, its classification, or a discussion of its uses, etc. 



