Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-11-29

minerals, occupations and commerce. Thes.
topics are to apply to your own neighborhood
to what the children can grasp In mind, home
geography II you wish to call it that. Facl
lesson must be illustrated by the object If posi-
BILE. When you teach soil, bring lie speci
mems. Ge pictures OF the animals
minerals, mountaiEs. or whatever yor
present to them. Don't be afraid that the little
folks know all about it. Mould every form ir
sand. The pupils must do the same. Draw the
forms ana require the pupils to do the same.
These are the sense products; the elementary
facts which must be well drilled into the minds
of the pupils before the next step is taken
That step is the teaching OF the earth as O
whole.
Present the subject in general way with a
globe in a few brief vivid lessons, using vivid
illustrations. Then get a cheap globe and
mould the continents in putty on the globe
Teach thoroughly the names OF the continents
and oceans.
The next step is a more minute study of each
continent by itself. The idea of a continent, as
| well as the earth as q whole, must be built into
the mind OF the child by means OF
the imagination. You must represent the con-
tinent in miniature to the chlld's mind. You
must make him picture unseen continent from
the seen forms which you mold and draw for
him.
| For this purpose mould 8. A. on the moulding
board before them. Describe 1t carefully-its
mountains. Draw a map or S. A. using some
| good diagr The children should be taught
the diagram carefully ind how to place the out
/ lineof the continen upon the diagram. They
must be practiced upon the diagram and out
| line until they can readily pllce IL upon the
| board. They wil mould the form In sand beau
| tifully and love the work; moreover you can
| teach them from this sand the slopes, noun
| tain coast lines river basins, the rivers, the
soil, drainage, and o. her physical facts OF s. A.
Productions can be taught and commerce as far
| as you think necessary.
In teaching the productions OF a country have
each pupil bring one of the staple productions,
as little sugar, rice, cOf1ee, cotton, tobacco,
tapioca, etc. Put little on the sand map where
each is raised. In this way teach where In
South America each production is gotten. Form
also collection OF the productions and put It
by itself.
The animals OF S. A. as a so 0f the other con-
tinents can be learned by drawing from pic
lures or by naming them from pictures Little
stories about the animals wiz help fix them on
the mind nf the child
Every teacher should have a large collection
OF pictures OF historical scenes, OF noted men,
OF things described IN geography, OF cities, OF
mines, OF animals, OF vegetable productions, and
at the right time present them to the class. BY
watching the magazines and papers these pic
lures can be rapidly collected. These are espe-
cially useful in the primary classes but have
their effect also In higher classes
Races may be located on the maps by means
OF colored crayon, putting the places the same
color on the maps as the Inhabitants Build
upon the continents the local divisions and To-
cate the cities. Teach as much only, as In your
Judgment, your pupils understand.
Prof. NJ. G. l}rumbaugh, Superntend-
ent of huntingdon county, spoke on
Reading" The limited vocabulary of
children was discussed, as was the ar
bitrsry methed of developing a vocabu
larry. The perccptive lnethhd, by using
objects, was presented. imaginative
and constructive methods wereillustrated.
The child must master the words,
must know how to use item in all their
different meanings, before he knows
them. Never help child to read while
he is reading. A number of questions
were asked at the close of the talk.
After music by the institute, Dr. White
continued his instruction on Language.
All speech is synthetic. Most of our lam
guage work is analytic. We need syn
thetc exercises. The true way to pursue
language culture is to put the pupils to
write and to speaking. Before the child
can write he must be furnished the
knowledge to be expressed, or rather the
knowledge must be developed. DR..
White showed the methods in use in the
Cincinnati schools. The language work
all come under five heads observation,
stories, pictures, letters and dictation
exercises.
The Institute then, after recess of ten
minutes and music, listened to DR.. z. X.
Snyder, who continued the subject on
which he talked yesterday. He began bv
reviewing the instructions then given.
Expression is means of melting men
tai state in others. Clear thinking is an
unconscious synthesis-that is thinking
in wholes. Distinct thinking unconscious
analysis-thlnking of the parts Technical
grammar has its place, but it is not among
little children. To lead children to think
abstractly they must have clear precepts
and concepts from which to 60 to the alb
strsct ideas. In teaching number the no.
tion of number must be built up with OBJ
icctS Teach the number and then the
facts in the number. DIR. SnYder's talk of
primary numbers was very practical. He
showed the difference between number
and figures. Pupils should have distinct
notions of the different numbers.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON.
Institute convened at half-past one
o'clock. After music Professor Brum-
baugh gave talk to the directors, of
whom there were large number present.
The directors are the guardians of the
States interests, in that they have charge