34 NATURE-STUDY 



usefulness and purpose of the illustrations. They are the 

 starting point, the basis of the lesson. 



The teacher should, therefore, make every effort to secure 

 ample and suitable objects and experiments to bring out the 

 facts of the lesson. Small insects, minerals, plants, etc., 

 should be collected in quantity, so as to provide each pupil 

 vjrith a specimen, that he may be able to examine it carefully. 

 I recall one teacher who gave a lesson on the fish. She had 

 some small boys go out the day before and catch a lot of min- 

 nows. These she put into a number of fruit jars which she 

 placed on the pupils' desks, so that they could easily see the 

 structure of the fish, the breathing, the use of fins and tail, etc. 

 The lesson was vastly more successful than if she had had 

 only a single fish in a jar in front of the class, or had passed 

 it around among the pupils. A single small specimen held 

 up before a class cannot be accurately seen, and it takes ex- 

 tra time and repetition of directions to pass it around. This, 

 however, must be done if only a limited number of specimens 

 can be obtained. If the illustration is large enough it may 

 be placed in front of the class, but in an elevated position and 

 in good light. The other senses besides that of sight should 

 be employed by the pupils in making their observations, 

 where anything is to be gained thereby. 



Sometimes the teacher forgets to use her illustrations, 

 though she has prepared them and has them in class, because 

 she gets so interested in the subject-matter of the lesson. 

 Sometimes the illustrations are used only in a perfunctory 

 and superficial way. The object might just as well be absent, 

 as far as its being the basis of the lesson is concerned. The 

 teacher should not forget that the lesson is to be developed 

 by means of the illustrations. 



