The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-02-09
NATURE STUDY OUTLINE

Snow crystals are selected as a .
suitable topic for the second grade. .
If you nave lever given the matter /
attention you will be surprised at the !
wondrous beatty of the snow crystals.
The nature of the subject suggests.
Of course, that you pick out an appro-
PIRATE day and time. that is a time
when the snow is falling in soft single
fakes, preferably upon something
black as black cloth You will be
more successful of course If b cloth
is cold. Examine each single fake
closely and note how beautiful it is.
What is the prevailing pattern of the
snow flake? Are they typically
round, square, triangular. or what
shape have they? Is the six sided
snow fake more abundant than any
other? Possibly by sketching very
rapidly you can preserve the shapes
of some OF the simpler ones and in
that way secure a collection illuStrat-
ing the variety Of forms. A magnify
ing glass will be of great aid.
Drop a card TO b weather bureau,
Washington, d. c., and ask them for
their chart showing the various shapes
of crystals. 1t will be a beauti-
full ornament for your school room,
and very instructive in connection
with this study.
For the fourth grade we would
suggest that you trace the course of
some neighboring stream from source
to mouth and make a map of this
stream showing all of it's curves You
| must of course select a small stream
that does not carry you too far, then
, follow it closely until it joins some
larger stream, noting all Of u tribu-
| taries that flow into it, tracing each
tributary also to it's source. Carry
your pencil and paper with you, a
ing a map as you go, having the direc-
| ton and distances as nearly accurate
as possible. The distance can be esti-
| houses and roads should be drawn
| wherever they are lying near enough
| to the stream to become q part OF
| your may. Represent a house as a
| square black dot about lie Of an inch
across and the roads as parallel lines
1-16 of an inch apart; the railroads
by a single line with many cross
lines; swampy and forest grounds
should be marked by the sign usually
used to represent these formation in
geography. Small lakes and ponds
mated quite we'll by pacing. The
may also be represented by the usual
way.
For the sixth grade we suggest a
second may of your school region.
Bring in on this map the branches,
the hills and the valleys n streams,
showing elevation as much as you can
by using contour lines. You will
probably find it practicable to use a
contour line for every ten feet differ
ence in elevation. If you live in a
very level country let your contour
; lines represent a difference of five feet
in elevation. If you have a steep
pointed hill in the region you are
mapping the contour lines may run
around that hill, making smaller and
smaller circles as you approach the
top of the hill. You should write to
the Geological Survey, Washington,
D. c.. and ask them to send you a
list of the five cent maps of different
portions of North Carolina which they
have for sale. If you can get a map
referring to your own county, 1t Wal
be best. If you cannot do that, gel
the nearest n you can. Get also
map from the level eastern portion OF
the state and another from the YES
t tern mountainous portion. These
maps are very excellent and cost yot
= nearly nothing, and they will give yot
a very clear idea o fthe use of contour
: lines, and be of great assistance In tn
e preparation of the map suggested
4 above.
x There is to be a total eclipse of tn
= moon On the evening of February {
= You should notify your pupils of th1
q several days in advance, and explain
to them what the eclipse is, SHOWING
them the relative positions of tn
earth, sun and noon so that they ma
o understand what they are looking al
when the time of the eclipse arrives
It would be we'll to AVE your pup
n make reports following the ecllps
a upon what they observed. and at Jus
d what time the phases Of the ecllps
l. occurred. Have each pupil secure tn
best almanac possible and read a
that they have to say about tn
- eclipse. The Singer Almanac fe
j. 1905 has a very excellent account
G, it with a diagram showing path of tt
% moon as it passes through the earth
shadow. You can doubtless secul
II this by applying in advance for 1t.
l, A. & NJ. College, West Raleigh, n. {
A. F. STEVENS,
ar PROPOSED ELECTRICT ROAD