Select a warm sunshiny day.

Give each child a large piece of drawing paper, pencil, and tablet back. Don wraps. Go outdoors, and sketch tree forms. Procure abandoned Christmas tree. Place outside window. Suspend food for winter birds, and study their habits. Observe tracks of animals in snow. Draw tracks on board, writing sight word by each. Let child "find the rabbit" by telling each word correctly. Vary by giving one child a pile of cards containing sight words. He runs across floor leaving tracks (cards). The hunter then follows him by picking up cards, naming each correctly.

On some very gray day, tell the children of the Aurora Bo

realis in Netka's northern home. Then give colored crayons and let them transform the board with the

"

Flashing Auroras that illumine the night."

Bribe some large boy to clean the boards afterward. For myself. Wear something pretty each day, be it flower or ribbon bow, which shall supply a cheerful note of color. Spend some part of the long evenings in my favorite study. Read some of the new books. Get out of doors every day. Partake of enough real amusement - even if I have to go in violent pursuit thereof to keep myself sane and wholesome, a fit companion for little children.

Some Suggestions for January

E

ESTELLA M. TARNEY

MERSON says, "Write it upon your heart that every day is the best day in the year," and I am sure that every teacher will feel this is a good attitude to hold toward her work. She is sure when she goes to her school for the first time in January that this is to be the most profitable month of the year up to this time in the real work the children are going to do.

I know we are all glad that January has no special days to be observed. However much we enjoyed our preparations for Christmas we must admit that they were attended with a degree of distraction from our regular school work. But we have faith enough, or at least we try to have faith enough to believe that the attention which we gave to Christmas was not lost time. The child's world is not bounded by our schoolroom walls. He has many vital interests outside, and we want him to feel that we recognize these and approve of them.

But we are glad that this is a good long month in which we can work without interruption. If we lost any time in December, here is a good time to make it up. We begin the very first morning with the determination that this month shall count for more than any preceding one, we resolve that during this month "the essentials" shall be emphasized as never before, and everything is conducive to the hardest work of the year. This month we are at liberty to select the general subject which we wish to teach. Heretofore these subjects have come naturally with the month and we are glad that January

gives us a chance to choose for ourselves. We may decide to teach the Eskimos, Hiawatha, Robinson Crusoe, or we wish to teach something about the things closer home, as our food, clothing or fel. No n atter which we present, the children will respond, and be thoroughly interested, and this is one of the things that n akes pria ary work so pleasant.

The above subjects suggest the kind of booklets that might be made. The Eskin.o one would naturally contain pictures of the Eskimos themselves, their snowhouses, their dogs and sleds, bears, seals etc. All teachers make use of these pictures in their stick-laying, sewing and cutting, and if we should arrange these in some permanent form they would appeal more strongly to the child, he would take more interest in doing the work well.

Should you teach Hiawatha I would again suggest booklets as one method of reinforcing or emphasizing the poem. With first graders the books could contain but little more than pasted hektographed pictures. With second or third grades they might contain more. With these grades the work is of more value to the child if he draws his own pictures. Anything the child does himself, however crude it may be, is of more profit to him than a better executed picture done by another. In primary grades we insist upon the child doing as much as he can himself, and we certainly do not want to teach dishonesty by doctoring up his work, and having him pass it as his own. I certainly do not mean we are not to show him and help him but after showing him we should let him do the best he can himself. So in second and third grades Hiawatha booklets might contain their own sketches, and quotations in their own writing. If they can write better upon

smooth, ruled paper, they might use it, then paste this slip beneath the picture. The first picture might be of Hiawatha, either as a child, or as a man, with his name below it. The next picture might be of the wigwam, with the trees and water, and the lines,

By the shining Big Sea Water

Stood the wigwam of Nokomis.

This will suggest the stories Nokomis told him, and the songs she sang to him. Next might be a picture of some birds, squirrels and rabbits, and the line,

Do not shoot us, Hiawatha.

cat can do. Tell me about a dog. What do you know about a horse? Tell me about your kitten and bird." Then farther down upon the paper was a list of home objects which were to serve as a basis for talks. In this group she had written, "What is the use of a table, chair, carriage, bed? Of what use are knives, forks, spoons, dishes?" Then in another group Miss Edmunds had jotted down the names of children's playthings; for here was written, “Tell me about your dolls, tops, marbles, carts, balls, tea-sets, drums, hoops, trumpets, and other playthings." This list was followed by another relating to the games the pupils play, for I saw, "What games do you play this month? What can

and so on through the poem. If the pupils commit passages from this poem, these books will be intensely interesting to them, for the pictures will suggest worlds to them as they look through them.

Robinson Crusoe is a facinating story to the children, and they enjoy anticipating the way in which he will solve his problems about food, clothing and shelter. A booklet with pictures which suggest the chief events in his life in the order in which they come in the story, is helpful, in language work; it serves the same purpose that notes or outlines do with older people.

This story nicely precedes any work you may wish to do with our own food, clothing or fuel or shelter. Take a booklet on foods. On one page might be a picture of a cow, and the line, "We get beef from the cow." On another page could be a calf, and the line, "We get veal from the calf," and so with the pig and sheep. Then, if you care to, speak of salt, pepper, sugar, oranges, bananas, lemons, raisins and cocoanuts. It will not be difficult to find pictures or incidents that will help fix some interesting facts for life.

Suppose you should desire to take some time upon the different kinds of clothing. If you wish to speak of woolen clothes, some pictures of sheep and the old nursery rhyme, "Baa, baa, black sheep," would be a good introduction. Pictures of the things the sheep gives the "master," the "dame" and the "little boy that lives in the lane," as coats, overshoes, sweaters, caps, hoods, shawls and blankets, might be cut from the advertising columns of the newspaper, and in this way the child would be obliged to do still more work in the making of his book.

So many subjects suggest themselves, but I have no doubt that many primary teachers will not take any time for general work this month. They will decide that every minute during this month is to count on reading, writing, and spelling, and who shall that this may not be a wise decision? After all, say these are the subjects the child must have, and we measure our satisfaction in our work by his efficiency in them.

Primary Language Lessons January

"T

work

ELLA M. POWERS

HREE distinct lines of work I pursue in my language lessons," said Miss Edmunds, the teacher of the first grade pupils. "I must always plan for the conversation or oral work, then comes the blackboard - to serve as a model then finally the written work by the children themselves, providing they have the ability." Miss Edmunds firmly believed in the good results that come when the first-grade teacher persistently strives every day to have her pupils express orally correct English. She gave them all plenty of writing to do to be sure, but never did she encourage long sentences which are too often incorrectly expressed. But she did insist upon correct oral work. "Lessons based upon what the child sees and does daily each month, at his home, in school and on the street, best serve my purpose," said Miss Edmunds. She passed me an outline. Upon the paper I read: "Tell me something your

snow? How do you make a snow man? How do you make a snow fort? Tell me about some pictures Jack Frost paints these days." Among the objects in the school-room, the children are led to speak of the teacher's desk, table, chair, chart, books, knife, bell, clock, what the teacher's pencil or crayon can do, and what the children's pencils can make upon paper.

These outlines, with an additional one relating to articles of clothing as fur cap, mittens, coat, dress, boots, were useful for sentence-building.

It is best to have the object under consideration before the pupils. Secure it if possible; for first grade work it is quite essential; a picture of the object may answer in second grade work. If any pupil of Miss Edmunds' made a mistake, she either gently corrected the error or permitted some other member of the class to correct it. The pupil was expected to repeat the sentence correctly.

Upon that particular afternoon, the children were talking about the clock - of the value of time, and Miss Edmunds had said, "What have I in my hand?”

"You have a clock in your hand," was the reply.
"Of what use is a clock?" she continued.
"A clock tells us the time," was a reply.

Then followed questions: "Have you a clock at home? Can you tell the time by looking at your clock? What do you do at eight o'clock? At nine o'clock? At what time do we have our recess? What lesson do we have at eleven o'clock? What happens at twelve o'clock? What are we doing at two o'clock at three? What does the clock say when you go to bed?" After the children had given their little sentences and, by the way, Miss Edmunds insisted that each sentence be correct, and complete a clock face was drawn upon the blackboard. It was quite a pleasing addition to the usual blackboard work. Miss Edmunds wrote, "I get up at seven o'clock." Then a particular child was chosen to make the hands upon the clock-face and have the hands tell the hour of seven.

Then slowly-O so slowly-Miss Edmunds wrote, "I eat at eight o'clock." Then, with the same painstaking care she wrote, "I go to school at nine o'clock."

Why did Miss Edmunds write so slowly? Because the little ones before her, like all others of that age, are imitators. Too many first and second grade teachers write too fast when showing the pupils how they wish an exercise to be written.

At such times the class are watching every action, every motion. If the teacher writes rapidly, then the children will try to do the same. And with what lamentable results we all know. If the teacher writes quickly, and almost illegibly, what can she expect of her little imitators? "Sometimes," said Miss Edmunds, "I take time to write a model of the language lesson. I secure a large piece of heavy manila paper twenty by twenty-four inches and I write every sentence with the utmost care. I talk about the best place to begin writing my first sentence, about the capital letter that 'leads the procession,' and how each letter is formed and how it must stand up straight and keep in even step with all the others, just as soldiers walk evenly in line in a procession, how to put a space between each word so that one word will not crowd too closely upon another, just as we see men march in procession; then I speak of the nice neat period at the end; and," she added with a smile, "I make that period as if it were the very first period I ever made in my life. Then we all look at the little exercise to see if it is all right; it must be all right and so we read it all over and talk about how very important it is to write our little exercises correctly. After such an example of care, the little ones will show greater care and the extra time devoted to the model is well spent."

But to-day "the model" was being written upon the blackboard yet with the same laborious and painstaking care. Ere long there were sentences that looked like this:

"I get up at seven o'clock."

"I eat at eight o'clock."

"I am at school at nine o'clock."

"We read at ten."

"We play at eleven."
"We go home at twelve."

"We play at one o'clock."

I have a new sled. I run in the snow.

I play in the snow. See my big snowball.

свемо play ball We make snowballs.

We throw snowballs.

"We are at school at two."
"We go home at three."
"We play at four o'clock."
"Papa comes home at five."
"We eat at six o'clock."

"I go to bed at seven o'clock."

Not every member of the class will be able to copy these sentences, nor will they be able to consider all of the stories at any one period, but eventually, after drills and drills, the connected story will and can be written. But whatever is done, let the oral work, the written model, and the pupils' written work be considered as an equally distinct but important phase of the lesson. Slight not one of these drills.

During the first few weeks of the school year, it may be, and doubtless will be necessary for the teacher to speak the correct sentence herself, but she will, of course, require the child to repeat it after her. In a few weeks, the child will learn what is expected and by January will be able to form very creditable little sentences.

Again, during the first weeks of the year's work, the teacher will see that a simple question - always very simple, you know - will be expected and required in order to draw forth the simplest possible statement from the little diffident ones before her; but after four or five months, they will have gained such confidence that they will often volunteer two or three statements in answer to one question; even more. This is encouragement and improvement and the teacher should feel greatly encouraged with such a result. At this time, see how many statements each child will give you when you ask any one of the following questions:

Tell me what your dog can do.

What can your kitty do?

Where have you been with your Teddy Bear?

Have you ever seen any rabbits?

What can you do with your cart?

What pictures can you draw upon the blackboard?

What can you cut with a pair of scissors?

Last September it was a great effort for the little ones to express even one statement possibly, but to-day they will express many. See that each statement is correctly expressed. Do not encourage the writing of such until they are orally

correct.

In the second grade it may not be so important to have the real clock, the woolly lamb, the china dog or the object itself, but by all means have at least a picture of the object considered. These play an important part in the language work of the second grade, and again, the brief oral drill, followed by the written model, should precede the written. exercise by the pupils. Let these little ones see as little of

wrong forms as is possible. Do not feel that because a certain subject has been considered it can be dropped. "Over and over" is the watchword. Review the clock lesson, too, and very soon. Supplement it by some stories relating to the value of time. Cinderella, Hickory-Dickory-Dock, How People Used to Tell Time, The Discontented Pendulum, Longfellow's poems, "The Old Clock on the Stairs" and "Paul Revere's Ride" all furnish stanzas suitable and interesting to the children. Let the pupils make a clock face of stiff paper with the correct numerals properly placed, and the hands made of stiff paper, put on with paper fasteners. Let the children turn the pointers to the hour indicated in the poem and write a few short sentences regarding the story illustrating their sentences with clock faces.

was so poor and seemed satisfied with the little log cabin and so few of the comforts of life.

Then there was Lincoln's mother, the brave, refined, industrious woman, who did so much for her family, and kept her humble home so neat; her early death and its influence on Abraham.

When she introduced little Abe, she pictured him as he was when he wore homespun clothes, a queer cap of coonskin and bear-skin moccasins without any stockings.

What fun it would be, they thought, if each one could bring some nice round sticks for logs and build a house like the one in which Lincoln was born: Certainly they might do this, so that night fathers, grandfathers, and big brothers were requested by fifty little people who would not take "No," for an answer, to whittle out a few six-inch logs for a Lincoln house.

The result was that, although no child got many, there were

E

PEARL L. HAWLEY

VER since the first Tuesday in October, birthdays had meant a great deal in Toby's school. On that memorable morning Haans had brought a popgun and a bag of candy to school. As he handed them to his teacher, he said, "These are my birthday presents. I want the boys and girls to see my new gun and have some of this candy. I couldn't have a party at home, but we can all have a good time here.". It was true Haans could not have had a party at home, for his mother was having quite a serious time providing for the four little ones left in her care. And Haans could never have had the gun and candy if a kind-hearted store-keeper had not slipped them into the little bundle of groceries the Saturday night before.

How his teacher found time that busy morning for Haans and his playmates to try the new gun and for him to pass the candy, Haans never tried to understand. But he was sure that it was the best birthday party he had ever had. How thrilling it was to be the boy who could treat fifty boys and girls and receive a polite "Thank you" from each and the look of love which had not come to him as often as it seemed to come to the others. Surely the best day in the year was the one which brought a boy's birthday.

Succeeding happenings in this line only increased the popularity of birthdays. So it was not at all strange that when the month of February drew near their teacher turned to account their love for birthday celebrations, and directed all their energy toward honoring the memory of Abraham Lincoln, and keeping his birthday.

All birthday observances so far had been participated in by everyone. There had been no special doings for a few. All had shared the responsibility and all had reaped the benefit. Why should the birthday of Lincoln not be as real a happening and celebrated with as little confusion as the birthday of a playmate?

With this thought in mind, Toby's teacher planned her Lincoln Day celebrations.

First of all, they would want to know just when Lincoln's birthday would be, so they could enjoy the anticipation of the coming event. They could all help in figuring this out, for they knew the month and they had all noticed a little flag on the calendar in the space where the number twelve should be, so it did not take them long to guess that February 12 was the day.

No one ever heard of giving a party to a stranger, so it was perfectly clear that they would need to improve the time before his birthday, getting acquainted with Abraham Lincoln so they could fully enjoy celebrating his birthday.

The cultivation of this acquaintance began when their teacher told them about Lincoln's parents, and their wilderness home. The father was portrayed as a kind-hearted man who was very strong and brave. The teacher told them how he sometimes took little Abe on his knee and told him strange, true stories of the great forest and of the Indians and fierce beasts that roamed among the woods and hills. The father knew all this, for he had always lived in the wilderness, and he would rather hunt deer and other game in the forest than do anything else. Perhaps this was why he

left over. There was trouble, though, when they tried to build the house. They found that the logs must be notched at the ends or they would not stay in place. At recess a big boy was invited in to help them over the difficulty. When all the logs were notched they built their house. All was lovely they even had a piece of skin with hair on it, for a door. When all was finished, James said, "Wasn't it pretty cold inside with those big cracks between the logs?" Their teacher told them that although they did their best to keep the cracks plastered up, the rain often did beat in.

This little incident suggested material for the next opening exercises the story of Lincoln's experience with his first borrowed book.

The next morning Ted came in looking very important, and took from his book bag some three-legged stools, and a little table for the Lincoln house. When wise Toby came in, he had a small ax and a hatchet that the older brothers had carved for him from a stick of kindling.

Angus brought three wooden shovels. These suggested the way Lincoln managed to work his arithmetic. The ax brought to mind his work as a rail splitter and the name it finally won for him. When this story was told, John said, "We ought to use those left over logs for a fence." The very thing. They went to work at once and built a nice high fence around the Lincoln home, affording protection to its inmates from the dangers of the forest.

By the end of the week, their school-room began to have a very Lincoln-like aspect with the log-house, and its furniture on the sand-table, appropriate blackboard decorations and pictures of Lincoln which the teacher and children had

collected.

Friday morning they talked about the flag, and Lincoln's love for his country. They were sure he was patriotic, for he had been obedient at home and had always done his duty. Their teacher had taught them that true patriotism must be born and bred at home. She had told them that every boy who does good honest deeds in his daily life is a patriot because he is a benefit to his country.

In the afternoon, they saluted the flag on the side wall and had a little march. The following Monday, the story of the tea was told, illustrating Lincoln's honesty. In the writing class that morning they had, "I will speak the truth" for their copy.

Later in the week they were told the story about the pig which Lincoln rescued from the mud. For busy work that day they cut pigs from a pattern.

During this busy work period, a very unusual commotion arose among the workers. Upon investigation, their teacher found that Irvin had cut a pig out of blotting paper, and succeeded in making it stand alone. She laughed with the rest when she saw how elated Irvin was over his triumph and was glad to see walking pigs, in a short time, on every little one's desk, where the owner was fortunate enough to possess some stiff paper.

The other opening exercises and language periods were used for learning quotations and dramatizing stories. A favorite story for dramatization was the story of the borrowed book. During one of the language periods May had asked to tell a story that her grandmother had told her about Lincoln. When it came time to listen to her story it

proved to be the one about Lincoln's kindness to birds. For their next busy work they drew pictures of birds.

One of the blackboards had been kept for the Lincoln reading lessons. Little by little these had been revised and enlarged upon as they learned about their hero, until the finished lesson looked like this:

"This is a picture of Abraham Lincoln."
"Once he was a little boy."
"He lived on a farm."
"He had a good mamma."
"Lincoln liked to run and play."
"He worked on his papa's farm."
"He grew strong and very tall."
"He was a good boy."

"A good boy makes a good man."

NOTE I find this little lesson pasted in my scrap-book. I do not know where I first found it.)

When school closed on the afternoon of February 11, the teacher felt that all had gone along beautifully. The Lincoln stories had all been new to the beginners, so she had had no difficulty in arousing their interest. At dismissal that night she felt quite safe in saying, "To-morrow will be Lincoln's birthday, and you may all expect a happy time at the party in the afternoon."

Before going home that night she brought out the month's busy work, and arranged a pretty display of it. There were free-hand cuttings of cardboard shovels, hatchets, and axes; mounted paper cuttings in many colors, and sewing cards of the same designs. Every little while, she came across a shovel with a few scrawly figures-expressions of impressions made by the story of Lincoln's arithmetic work. Groups of five-pointed stars brought forth the best results in color work, and the most attractive paper cutting for which they had used patterns was shown in the dear little soldiers of tailor's paper, cut from the drawings by Amelia Barr in PRIMARY EDUCATION, February, 1907.

As soon as the little ones got a peep at their room Friday afternoon, they knew they were not going to be disappointed. It was certainly in gala attire. From an old hook in the ceiling near the centre of the room, streamers of red, white, and blue bunting had been started and draped to the corners and sides of the room. The abundance of decorative material gave proof that the merchants who had little ones in school had responded very generously to the teacher's request for flags and bunting.

She had not been at all sparing of the flags. They were in every conceivable place about the room-even the unsteady chimney on the log cabin could boast of

Abraham Lincoln

one.

When everyone was settled and the gasps of admiration were hushed, they began their exercises by singing a pretty flag song. Then while Maxine stood on a chair in the front of the room, clad in a pretty white dress, and holding a beautiful silk flag, they gave the flag salute very firmly and reverently. Then they read the Lincoln reading lesson in concert and sang another song. At its close everyone recited the quotations that had been learned, and then sat very still while Giles told the story of Lincoln's experience with the pig.

When he had finished, twentyfour little people left the room for a moment. When they returned, twelve of them entered from each of the two side doors carrying flags. They formed in two lines at the front of the room, marched towards the pupils a short distance, then formed two small circles. When the leaders came

to the back of the room the next time, one stepped in front of the other and they led their followers in single file twice around a large circle. Then they changed back into two small circles, and when the leaders were again at the back of the stage, they crossed their flags and came forward, leading their soldiers in couples. When they got to the front of the space in which they were marching they went into two small circles again, coming forward again in couples, but holding the crossed flags high enough for the others to pass under them, when going back to the small circles. When the leaders were again at the head of their lines they led the children to the back of the room, and from there they went to their seats.

(This little march required no exhausting drill. They had used everyone of the changes during the year when they all marched. The circles and lines in which they were to march were all drawn with chalk on the floor.)

When the march was finished, they had two recitations. These had been learned by the little girls at home, and were entirely new to the other boys and girls.

They closed their exercises by singing one more flag song. Now they were ready for the birthday treat that always came at their parties. They were wondering what they would have, when two large girls entered, each carrying a tray loaded with bright red apples bedecked with tiny flags and piles of animal cookies. They never guessed that the apples had nearly all been supplied by themselves, and that the cookies had only cost their teacher ten cents. As each little one took his apple and cooky he looked as if he wanted to say, "Mr. Lincoln, we have all had a lovely time at your birthday party, and we shall always remember and honor

you."

Lincoln-Day Helps

M. A. S.

February offers such a wealth of birthdays that it is usually difficult to choose which ones to celebrate in the primary schools; as this year marks the centenary of Lincoln's birth would it not be well to let the Twelfth of February overshadow the other days? No elaborate program need be prepared, but by decorations, songs, and stories the celebration should be made as patriotic as possible. Our schools have such an immense problem in making good American citizens out of the children of every nation under the sun, that no opportunity should be lost to inculcate reverence and love for the flag, and the country it represents. Bunting, flags, and paper chains may be used in profusion, and if a bust or large picture of Lincoln can be procured for the center of the decorations, so much the better.

A collection of Lincoln pictures may be made from magazines, papers, and other sources, and prominently displayed in some part of the room. PRIMARY EDUCATION published an excellent picture of the "Boyhood of Lincoln," in January, 1900. Lincoln's story is of absorbing interest to the smallest child, especially when portrayed by pictures. In the February, 1905, PRIMARY EDUCATION, Miss Allen suggested a little play about Lincoln. Many such may be arranged by any teacher with very little trouble if she can refer to Thayer's "Pioneer Home to the White House." This book is written in a conversational style which makes adaptation easy.

What shall be done with the little Lincoln pictures? To begin with, candidly, what is the legitimate use of a picture? It may be an illustration for written or printed matter, or it may be framed to hang upon the wall. If the child has written a little composition about Lincoln a picture of that hero may be pasted upon the sheet; or if the picture is to be used by itself as a souvenir of the occasion it may be framed by a simple paper-folding, a sewing card, or a pasteboard foundation wound with raffia. Let us take a hint of what not to do from the editor of "The School Arts Book," who says in regard to the Washington celebration: "Let us resolve never again to have the children make paper hatchets or cherries which open and reveal the father of our country lurking within like a flaw in the metal or a worm in the fruit."