Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1889-12-12
Observation Lessons With Simple Tx.
pcrlmcntS.

teacher. The remembrance of this
is of especial Importance in develop
ing ideas of numbers. Counting,
adding, multiplying and other opera
tions ought to be illustrated by OBJ
jccts, to give correct ideas, before
processes, definitions, or rules are
taught. Match sticks, lines, beans
or any simple objects that may be
convenient, will answer the purpose;
but objects of some kind must be
employed before presenting dcScrip-
tions or rules. This manner of in,
struction encourages the child to cX-
anime for himself to discriminate
for himself and express for himSclf;
while the teacher stands by to give
hints and suggestions, not to relieve
labor. A child not only learns to do
by doing, but learns to know by do
ing. lie should know by actual
counting of actual objects, why if
one pencil costs three cents, two zen
ellis would cost six cents. TO Illus
tratc numbers in their various forms
every primary teacher should have
always at hand string Of beads,
bundle OF tooth-pickS, or, better still,
a collection OF coorcl sticks. The
latter would suggest rs being pro
fcrablc for the reason that their
bright and varied colors are pleasing
and attractive to the children. The
numcra frame is an Indispensable
aid in teaching children to count,
giving them, in their first lessons,
correct ideas in adding, subtracting,
dividing, dc. The following are
simple illustrations worked with OBJ
jccts; then the same shown with
figures and signs OF course this
class is composed of the smallest
children. The teacher sees that all
are supplied with a handful Of sticks,
rs well as having pencil and slate:
Teacher have sixteen rabbits:
how many pairs have /?
Pupil: You have eight pairs.
Teacher: How did you find out:
Pupil: counted ont sixteen sticks,
then divided them into iwo> and
found there were eight tows in six
teen.
Teacher: Why did you group
them into twos
Pupil: Because you asked for pairs
and two Of anything is pair.
have five pencils, YOU have three
times as many, how many have you =?
why did you count ont FIVE sticks
three times? How many iivcs in
fit en-? What par, OF fifteen is
five? Some one may show on the
board with signs and figures, while
the class show with their sticks how
many boys | can divide eighteen ap-
pies between, cac., boy to receive
onc-siXth of the whole. Show me
the fourth of twelve, the half OF
nine, the third Of sixteen.
1t is important to impress upon
the chilaS mind that, however large
4 number is, that number is made
up of units or ones. 10 illustrate
this fact, let the child take one coun-
ter or stick IN his hand while Won
write lhc word oi,o, then the fy,ye
one on the board. Then let him
take another counter, holding the
two, while you write the word two,
then the figure t0o. Proceed in
this manner until he has ten coun-
ters in his hand. Bind these ten
ones together, taking care to i'm
press upon him that he has one L,m-
We and that bundle is composed of
the ten ones; hence he has ouc ieu.
10 represent the bundle, or one ten.
write the figure one and to the RIGHT
ot it place cipher, which shows
the absence OF the ones, while the
two figures, taken together, show
that You have one ten and nothing
more. This exercise can be extend
cd until the child readily under
stands the law Of writing numbers,
however large.
Besides being used for the pur-
pose Of teaching numerical proper
tons, the colorcd sticks afford for
busy work, with the smallest chil-
drcn, valuable occupation, such as
teaching the terms vertical, horizon
tai, obliquc, sc. 1t is best to have
these sticks in assorted lengths i'm
order that as great Il variety OF out :
lines as possible may be represented.
n large number OF gcomctrical forms
can be shown with these simrlc
sticks as well as a variety OF lanci-
full forms. The teacher holds before
the class such objects as a square, a
triangle, q pcntagon, &c, and ask