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schools. Your plan for teaching English, which is indicated 
briefly in the course of study, and to which you call attention in 
your letter, is sound in principle and has proved successful in the 
foreign districts in our large cities." 
He then refers to courses of study in larger cities where the 
school authorities have been confronted with the problem of how 
best to deal with non-English speaking children. 
Chas. F. Wheelock, Asst. Comm. Education, Inspection Div., 
N. Y. State Ed. Dept. : ''It would seem to me that the main pur- 
pose of your instruction should be to make this polyglot aggrega- 
tion of children fairly intelligent regarding ordinary things of 
life and to give them the ability to express what they know in 
intelligent English. The Course of Study that you have submit- 
ted seems to be, in the main, a most excellent one. In minor 
details I should suggest changing it, but possibly your experience 
may prove that I am wrong. . . . 
"The Nature Work. The work seems to be most excellently 
arranged. Nature Study looks a little heavy in the advanced 
grades. Experience would be needed to determine whether it 
could be done or not. 
'T find it frequently true that children have powers beyond what 
they are ordinarily credited with, and that many of the limitations 
that we have been accustomed to put on courses of study, be- 
cause we believe the children incapable, were really unnecessary." 
He criticizes somewhat the industrial work if it be intended 
that boys and girls are required to do the same work — thinks 
there should be a division. Also in number work of the 3rd grade 
he criticizes the limitations of numbers to 1000 and the multipliers 
and divisors to two figures. He considers the limitations unwise, 
as he says "in the third grade the children should begin to do a 
little generalizing and be able to imagine some things they have 
never seen. 
'T fear that I have not given you anything of very great value, 
but I wish to assure you that I have gained something myself 
from your letter and from the course of study which you sent me." 
(Note.) Whether the nature study be considered too heavy in 
the advanced grades depends much upon the manner of presenta- 
tion. The work was not intended to be treated from a scientific 
standpoint, but simple experiments and observation of various 
processes in nature and the arts — a knowledge of common things 
about us. The more advanced grades are found mostly in the 
centers of population near the various industries and such chil- 
dren are brought more or less into contact with pulleys, machinery, 
sugar mills, wharves, etc. As I said before, whether this part of 
the nature study be heavy or the reverse depends altogether upon 
the method of presentation of the subjects. 
In regard to limiting the number work in the third grade in the 
making of bills, for instance, to articles the kind, measure and 
prices of which are known, the idea was to warn teachers against 
the use of words without thought — particularly necessary on ac- 
