STUDYING NATURE IN THE GRADES 25 



She must plan this out more or less fully. Beginners had 

 better write out such descriptions, or the steps of a classifica- 

 tion, or whatever the matter of the lesson is to be. This 

 matter must be logically arranged and not thrown together 

 without any connection. More proficient teachers may be 

 satisfied with simply thinking out the matter and jotting 

 down an outline memorandum of it. 



It is well also to put into this lesson plan or guide such 

 points on the method of presenting the matter as will seem 

 useful, special forms of questions, hints on the best explana- 

 tions, and reference to the use of the illustrative material. 



The subject-matter should be neither too trivial nor too 

 abstruse for the class. The previous knowledge that the chil- 

 dren may have of the thing to be studied should also be taken 

 into account in making out the plan of the lesson. Again, 

 the amount of matter or the number of points to be brought 

 out should be proportioned to the length of the period for 

 the lesson. If there is too Httle matter, time will be wasted 

 in useless repetition, and if there is too much matter the whole 

 of it cannot be completed, or all or parts of it must be slighted, 

 and the lesson is not well fixed. Another point should be 

 remembered in teaching nature-study: Do not think you 

 are teaching nature-study when the lesson is simply about 

 scientific definitions, such as veins, midrib, petiole, dentate, 

 crenate, etc. That is simply word-study, not nature-study. 

 Teach facts, not words. 



A very necessary part of the teacher's preparation is the 

 selection and getting together of the illustrative material for 

 the lesson, such as the object itself, or parts of it, pictures, ex- 

 periments, and stories. They should be chosen with reference 

 to their fitness to illustrate the lesson. The matter should be 



