Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-08-18

Z correlation, 7 venture 20 suggest that
/ the science work OF school. especially
| IN the more elementary classes can ba
used as the basis 90 instruction 100 every
/ other subject When a child is le4mIr.
/ to read the process Is great, is,iutltcl
Il hc is given matter for reldin iu
which bis i1tcres; has been awakened
by previous examination through sense
perception. am stating no new prn
Ciplo here; u Is one which bias been
more OF less consistently used by the
best primary teachers since Che methods
OF the new education were brought %
light When some of cas- were children
we were, 40 stated Intervals, called TO
the teachers char and with primers in
hand were taught to Say boo sIug-aung
tones. ut is an OK" "Can I 10 upl
lie can 70 up too" And when q page
OF such inspiring literature had been
gone through. we were sent back to our
seats with the pleasant Injunction.
italicised by few passes Of the icmlc.
TO Vt perfectly still and make M noise.
Today. as fsr ag educational cmancI.
patton has been reached. the little chHi
possibly empiy.handed but with Joyful
anticipation. goes TO meet Ibis teacher for
the reading lesson. Aud no wonder
the pupils interest is kindlcd Tor hut
Of all the teacher puts in the hand OF
each Of her little ones some attractive
object, perhaps a bright purple grape.
Then appears the evidences u genuine
art, for by skilliul questioning she
draws from her class Just the state.
ments that she wants to use. and BOO the
exact order best adapted to her puf.
pose. As the children from their own
discoveries develop thoughts about the
"a MHH DO o.
are quickly written upon the board iu
this way, In irccst conversation aud
real, delightful earnest study, eight, ten.
twelve minutes 20 by. when l0 on the
board before them stands the reading
lesson vitalizcd In every word by the
thought which the children had put
into q. No longer any question about
its adaptation to the class. Tor % Is their
own. No ground for criticism that the
lesson Is unrelated TO the other lessons
Of the day; for the development from
hfst 10 last Is an ideal exercise IN oral
language and In u Is involved the study
Of number, form, size and color. But
this II not all After the reading OF the
sentences singly, and as collection.
the board Is cleaned and the children
return to their seats, each with new
grape about which nov, after the study
In class, they are going to write an they
can tor the written language lesson
which comes by and by.
This IS al excellent and serves my
purpose well M showing that the facts
O science can be learned 10 connection
with the regular studies OF the school.
with no waste Of time and with manifest
increase Of effectiveness.
hut the plan just indicated is merely
one aspect Of an intelligent, elective
method OF teaching, reading and ui
couelatug Il with language and other
/ studies. To this, however, science
teaching Is only Incidental, the impor-
lance OF science In itself Is not taken
into account aud the ends Of science
are but impefiectly subscfycd. This
Is about ~ Tar as we have gone
/ What Is needed, however b. that
carefully arranged Course IN
! some general department OF scientific
/ observation and study be provided aud
/ taught and that from II much material
/ be drawn for lessons ia reading. IN
number, Ia language, IA drawing, IN
| color.
Were sufficient time at my disposal
! would Ike to show how from tie day
4 that the peas and beans and wheat and
corn are planted by the children IN their
miniature gardens, through al the sue
CgsiIvc steps Of termination aud growth
until the new seeds are found in their
| appointed places in the plant. richest
materials are always az hand into nat
urll correlation with which would TAN
most of the instruction. that 81 is the
duly OF the schools 10 give, Already
have shown how naturally and easily
this plan OF work hamuuizus itself with
nj
aud language
AZ almost at every step also in the
study OF any natural science numerical
relations appear Though 1 would not
wish TO be understood as urging that
any one department Of knowledge be-
drawn upon exclusively for material to
use IN inslrucuUn,yvt Il the teacher were
DESTROYS Of employing no other, she
could md in the study OF common
plants alone data sufficient Tor the con.
slructiun OF all the concrete problems
that her class could use. Wnlt more
delightful occupation, as practical
exercise 10 primary arithmetic, than the
study Of the numerical relations OF sim.
pie aud compound leaves their number
aud arrangement on the stem. the plan
OF the flower iu ihrcgs iouB aud ivcs
the fractional division OF fruits in their
dchiscencc,
There can be no charge made then
that the time spent in school lu the
study OF plant llr has been dishonesty
appropriated to the injury Of those
studies 10 which custom has given the
leading place. language has no value
except as the vehicle OF thought; form
study and drawing must find their ap.
| propnnte exercise DO their application 20
things, number boz the abstract cannot
De graspcd by tle child mind. but must
be embodied 100 concrete reality; there.
fore whatever gives birth 10 thought
and furnishes stimulus Tor iB expression
whether IN composition, iu drawing or
in numerical operation Is directly PRO.
motive Of the interests of those sub
iectS.
So with geography We desire our
children 40 know something about the
earth ou which they live. We are not
ambitious that they shall learn the
name of every sQulucrs camp 10 thr
/ D1kuils or every stream of water u
the ,nNH., lut Wc would .lyu them ace
quHulyI Wl,u those conditions which
render tuls region d. that region 90 Tor
/ the dwelling place ui man. So the study
which properly Introduces the teach,
/ ms 1l geography Is science study The
child must know something OF the
I inorganic constituents of lht earth he
must make observations ON gravity
light beat, moisture, evaporation Tie
must learn certain facts about the
growth aud development of plant lite.
is Ie luU1s Co sun and soil and water.
| He must have some knowledge too, OF