Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-08-06

SC1enU11C, aDSUfaCU study or NUMBERS
and processes.
9TH lesson
Analysis Of practical problems in Add
ition, Subtraction, Multiplication and
Division.
The pupils analyzed these problems
in a simple, natural way; no attempt
was made to teach them a stereotyped
form of analysis but they were allow
ed to tell why in their own words.
The Primary work has been very in
teresting. Few institute instructors
in their illustration work dare to use
a class which has not had previous in
struction in school, and in undertake
ing this Miss Blaisdel has both shown
her ability to teach primary pupils
and has more fully than usual illus
trated the method of winning the
confidence of children and starting
them in reading.
Mr.. Murdock's lessons on Geogra-
ply have opened up new fields for
observation and new methods of
teaching that subject. Emphasis has
been laid especially upon local obser-
vation as a means Of learning the
| forms of land and water, and upon
illustrating lessons on different coun-
tries by pictures, showing natural
scenery, the life of the people, and
other points of interest.
Geography was defined as the de-
scription of the earth's surface, and
as the knowledge of the earth as the
home of man. Elementary Geogra-
ply is the knowledge of geograph-
ical facts; Scientific Geography, the
study of causes, relations and class
| ification of facts, During the first
years pupils should learn the forms
of water-vapor, cloud, rain, snow,
book, river, lake, ETC., of land, hill,
mountain, valley, plain; of air,-winds
temperature etc, and of life-plants,
animals and man.-An natural phe
nomena should be taught as far as
possible by actual observation, in out
door lessons, supplemented by sand
board, pictures and reading.
Fifty or more teachers availed them
selves of Mr.. Murdock's out door les
son on Monday. First the shore of
Chrystal Lake was visited, and three
different kinds of coast line were dis
covered, namely, rocky, low sandy,
and sloping Their formation and
usefulness in Interpretation of maps
of other coasts were carefully explain
ed. A class of children would be made
to draw the profile of these coast lines.
representing the descent to the; wat
erline, and below it. ,,
Turning from the edge of the lake,
the party ascended a small knoll on
which water partings Or divides were
found, and it was shown how to have
the children represent hills by draw
ing lines to show the course of the
water on all sides; a rough, rocky knoll
was found to have been formed by the
gradual washing away Of the soil from
the surface, exposing the ledge under
meath. Children should be taught first
from these small knobs, then from
larger ones, until the map symbols
for hills, valleys, water-courses, ETC.,
Having ideas of natural objects clear
ly in mind, as we'll as the symbols for
them, the conditions for intelligent |
map reading are fulfilled.
In studying the earth as a whole,
great stress was laid on globes and
world views showing clearly the re-
lief features. An ordinary map gives
to pupils little idea of the earth's
shape and the contour Of it's surface.
In this connection, Frye's Primary
Geography may be mentioned as pre-
senting these features in an excellent
manner. It also contains many i'll
ustrations, among which are pictures
of children in different countries,
which will be of especial interest to
our pupils.
After the geographical forms have
been taught, and an idea Of the earth
as whole has been gained, the pupil
is ready to learn the divisions of land
and water, and, first, continents, then
countries, are studied more closely,
after their general relation to each
other is known. In teaching
about the cities, mountains, rivers or
peoples of the globe it must be re-
membered that all knowledge comes
primarily through the senses, partic-
ulary that of sight, and no pupil can
have any definite idea of any of these
things unless they are presented in
tangible forms. To show a child
dot or line on the map, and tell him
that it is city or river is useless, un-