River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-06-15
Home Geography.

What to Teach and Hon. to Teach it
fThe following essay was read at the teach
er's Association, held in Prescott last winter
by Miss Mate l.. Tabor. We recommend (
careful study Of it to those who are Just be
ginning to teach this subject. Ed.
If my class was one Of beginners in the
STUDY of geography, the first things | would
teach are position and direction, followed by
as definite an idea OF distance as the pupils
could comprehend.
Then | would teach the name OF the town
or township in which they lived, the name
OF the boundary townships, the name of the
unity and the state and the names OF the
other townships in the county. and the di-
visions OF the townships
Next, the name and number of cities and
villages, and why they We're located where
they are, the names of the largest and most
i'm portant streams, and through what part
OF the county they flow.
When they begin to learn OF cities and
streams, would teach what is meant by a
civ. a village, "a river and such other streams
as are found in the county. After this, the
chief productions, occupations, size, and pop
ulation.
This geography OF the county | would fol-
low in like manner with the state.
For pupils who have finished the study of the
United States in books and are about to take
mn the study of home geography. would
!
the state, and their own particular home,
and of a limited number OF the leading cities
in the state with the climate, surface, chief
manufactures, the r. K. facilities and wa
ter advantages.
The manner of teaching find more diff
cult than the forming of plan to teach |
usually proceed in about the following man.
ner:
First, position, then that the sun is first to
be seen in the east and last in the west that
facing the east, south viii be at the right and
north opposite, after this northeast, south
east, northwest, southwest requiring them
to point to objects in the room in the differ
ent directions, to take a given number of
steps first in one direction then the others
until they become familiar with them. At
ter this the direction they come and 60 to
and from school then OF other pupils who
live in different directions, and while teach
ing direction | would take up distance, find
out how far they come to school, compare
the distance with the distance of those who
live nearer to and farther from the school
Continue this till they have an idea If quar-
ter. a halt and whole mile; then the dis
lance to some neighboring town or village
they all know about.
would follow this with the name of and
number OF miles in the town or township in
which they live and teach them how to di-
vide the townships into sections and that a
section and square mile are the same, how
many acres there are i'll section, half Sec
ton a quarter section. This to be shown by
a square drawn on the board aud dividing
and explaining to them at the same time un-
til they are able to do the same themselves.
Calling their attention to fields containing
different numbers OF acres if it can be done
will aid in making the matter clear to them.
| After this commencing with the northern
tier of townships would require the class to
repeat the names after me while pointed to
! them on an outline map After they had
said them over till they afe somewhat TAMIL
| lar with the names and position, would
write the same names on the board requiring
them to copy and commit to memory and be
able to reproduce In class at the next recta-
| ton upon the heard; the proper spelling and
| capitals being made an especial point oil, al
| ter which they are to learn TO find them on
| the outline map. When they are all learned
| they are to learn To draw the map o! the Co
and divide into townships putting in their
| names and the names OF the cities, towns and
| streams Follow this with productions oc-
/ equations and population They have al
| ready learned about the number OF square
| miles in their own township, from that they
| can see if they do not really understand how
| we find the number OF miles in all the town
| ships or the whole Co. | would teach thu
| geography OF the state in the same way
| Older pupils with the use Of globe anf
| tIlier knowledge learned from books OF the
/ equator and ineridians, can easily be laugh
/ to find the longitude and latitude of places il
| their own state and county. Such class
| would also teach that the towns are number
/ ed north from the southern boundary OF this
| state and that the ranges are numbered east
| and west from the fourth principal meridian
| alter teaching where that meridian IS.