River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-04-02

FREDERICKSBURG, "Pull for the
Shore" Reading of a selection fro m
Swett's Methods, by Prof McCleary
Quotations by the members from
Longfellow, mostly from 1.-The Lad
der ofSt. Augustine
The first topic of regular work TAX
en- was Geography. Several of the
members were called upon for their
opinions as to where, and with what,
the study of Geography should begin.
All agreed in the general plan of the
work, i. e.. proceed from the known
to the unknown. Pupils, after a
few preliminary lessons on distance,
direction, scale and maps, should be
required to construct maps of the
school-house and grounds, not by
guess, but by first measuring the
house and grounds and then construct
ing scales. After this work is done
they should add to their maps the
adjoining farms, then draw their own
town, then the county, state, etc.
From the geography of their own
state they should proceed to the group
to which their state belongs, then to
the United States as whole, then to
the rest of the world. Globe work
should go hand in hand with this
work. Special attention should be
given to the development of the idea
Cf direction and distance. Some mod
el work was done in the latter by
members guessing at the length and
width of books, marking distances on
the floor. etc, and then determining
bv actual measurement how accu-
rately they had guessed.
Most of the work in Geography dur
ing the first stages of the pupils ad-
vancement should be illustrated by
objects. Definitions should be formu-
lated and then committed TIC memory
rer6atinl.
The means to be employed in object
lessons in Geography, in the order OF
their values, are:
l. The thing itself.
2. Model.
3. Picture.
4. Description.
Never use any one of the above
when the preceding ones can be used.
Prof. McCleary recommended the
teachers to make collections of geo.
graphical pictures, and suggested sew
eral devices for preserving them and
having them available at any time.
Home Geography should furnish types
of all the pupil will find outside of
Home Geography, such as rivers, hills,
valleys, etc. Elements of Geology
and Mineralogy should be taught in
connection with, and as part of &C.
ography.
Recess.
Teachers Libraries recommended.
Wisconsin Journal of Education espe-
cialIy recommended to the teachers.
The exercises in History were con
Quoted by Mr.. L. J. McAndrew. The
work taken by him was "Steps in
Slavery"
l. Introduction, $4,000.
2. Ordinance of 1887, organizing
the Northwest Territory.
8. Constitutional restrictions upon
the slave trade, l789-1808.
4. Invention of the Cotton Gin,
1898.
5. Purchase of Louisiana, 1903.
The above steps were defined sub
stantially as in our common school
histories, and their effect upon the
slave traffic discussed by the members
of the institute. The discussions were
very interesting and served to bring
out many new thoughts and views up
on the question of slavery.
Mensuration of Surfaces was intro
duced after the history exercises, by
Prof. McCleary. This work was linn
tied to-day to describing the various
ouadrilaterals, viz: TrapeZium, Trap
azoid, Parallelogram, and forming
definitions for the same. These fig
ures were all illustrated by the Pro-
fessor by means of pieces of paper cut
in shapes to represent these figures.
The work was very interesting.
The first subject in the afternoon
was Bookkeeping. Attention was
called to the examples given out on
Monday for debiting and creGiting.
The rule of debts and credits was
further illustrated by means of many
practical examples.
Principle: "Books are kept with
the business, and the business, not the
proprietor, is debited and credited"
Recess.
In Arithmetic the work done was in
the four fundamental rules. In addi-
ton. as well as in subtraction, it was
shown that the numbers are written
in the order they are, and that we al
ways begin at the right hand merely
for convenience. The same is true of
multiplication aud division, though |
there was no time to demonstrate it,
all the time having been consumed on
the two preceding rules.
The afternoon session closed by |
very interesting lecture on Language |
by President Parker. Though gram
mar aims to teach the correct use of |
language. language does not come |
through grammar. Correct language
is attained purely by imitation. Illus
trations were taken from work in the |
institute.
n r pprwrp