muddy at some times than at others. Tell of the islands some rivers have built at their mouths and of the results of streams overflowing their banks. The Nile, by overflowing, spreads fertile soil over the land in its valley and thus makes the farms very productive, because no rain falls there and this is the only means of bringing moisture to the soil. The Mississippi, however, washes away so many crops when overflowing that it is very destructive; hence dikes have been built to protect the land near its mouth. There is plenty of rain in the Mississippi valley, and the overflow of the river is not needed to water the crops.

Question the pupils as to why some streams are swifter than others. Which wear away the soil faster, the swift or the slow streams? Which are most valuable for furnishing water power? What, if any, mills or factories in the vicinity are run in this way? Bring out the fact that rivers and lakes furnish a cheap means of transportation; cite as examples the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes.

30. Third Week. Teach the pupils by observation the meaning of an island, gulf, bay, strait, lake, slope, divide, plains and hills. If one has a relief map, let the pupils study it until they understand what it means. On it let them find gulfs, bays, lakes, mountains, and other familiar forms. Let the class make models on the sand table. A map of the neighborhood may be drawn showing the land and water forms in it. Study the map of the state, noting these same features.

Have exercises to keep the directions well in mind.

31. Fourth Week. Begin a special study of the history of the locality. Tell of the Indians who originally inhabited the state, and of the tribes which lived in the county. Discuss any Indian relics in the neighborhood, and relate any reliable Indian stories connected with the locality.

Tell of the first white people to settle in the state; how they came, where they settled, what troubles they encountered, and what they accomplished.

MAY

32. First Week. Take up the study of the school district, or of the village or city in which the school is located. Tell the story of the first settler, if it is known, where the first house was built and how it was constructed. Describe the country at that time. What was the nearest town? How far away was it? What industries developed? Why? What helped them to prosper?

33. Second Week. Study the history of the first school in the neighborhood or the county. Where was it? By whom started? Who were the early teachers? How many pupils were there? Tell any interesting stories connected with the early history of the school. What schools were afterwards built?

What attracted people to this part of the country? Why did so many people finally settle here?

34. Third Week. Discuss the early products; how they were marketed, and the amounts received for them. How these do compare with conditions at present? What kind of roads were they in the early days? What kinds of conveyances and teams?

How were mails brought to the early settlers? How often did this arrive? When was the first railroad built? What changes did this occasion?

35. Fourth Week. Discuss with the class the need of towns. Why do people take products to town to sell instead of exchanging with neighbors? What do merchants do with the farm products they buy? To what large city are many of them sent? How is each one shipped? What are the products marketed from the surrounding country?

Begin a study of the state. With the map of the United States before them, let the class locate the state in which they live. Let them learn the states that bound it and name largest rivers; let them find where they rise and into what they empty. Locate any mountains, and note the general slope of the surface of the state.

JUNE

36. First Week. Discuss the industries of the state and the reasons for their being pursued. Study carefully the most important of them, provided they are not the same as the local ones previously studied.

37. Second Week. Let the pupils find on the map some of the most important cities of the state. Let them tell their location. See if the class can think from the situation of these towns what helped to make them as large as they are. Tell the pupils anything of special interest about these cities. Let them learn the name of the capital city.

CHAPTER TWO

HISTORY

1. First Lessons. Pupils in the second grade will be interested in short stories of heroes, provided they are well told, and they will remember some of the facts. These stories, therefore, make a good introduction to the history work of the next grade. The stories of Greek heroes and of American patriots are suitable for this work. Good subject matter may be found in Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans by Baldwin. See also the biographies of Daniel Boone, Benjamin Franklin and Robert Fulton at the end of this chapter.

The reading lessons will doubtless lead to the discussion of Indian life, and possibly the life of other primitive peoples. If so, such lessons should be given on these topics as will give the children a good idea of the people under discussion. Follow the plan of the illustrative lessons given below.

2. Modes of Travel. (a) PURPOSE OF LESSON. The aim of the lesson is to have the child see how our present means of traveling have developed from those most primitive; how our convenient transportation is the outgrowth of the observations and inventions of the savage, barbarian and other peoples, ages before us. (See illustrations on page 51.)

(b) METHOD. Let the child tell what he would do along the line of travel, under certain conditions. Show how necessity caused each improvement. As the story is told, write it on the blackboard and illustrate primitive means. Make yourself draw at the board. Have the children write on paper the stories of the different inventions.

(c) OBJECTS FOR STUDY. (1) Steam engine of todaystory of Robert Fulton; (2) steamboat; (3) bicycles; (4) horseless carriages or automobiles; (5) aeroplanes. Make a word picture of the future, mentioning possible inventions.

(d) HISTORY. Man first traveled on foot; he saw wood float on water; he wished to fish or cross streams and used (1) a log; (2) a raft of logs; (3) a raft with sides of logs; (4) the hollow trunk of a tree; (5) wood burned hollow for canoes, as he had done for cooking utensils; he learned that light boats were better than heavy ones and (6) used bark; then (7) bark and skins, making what we know as the canoe. He wished to go down the river and take his family a long distance, and so made a raft or boat with a straw top for shelter, shaping it like a roof, with screens of straw. He became tired after much rowing, and he also wished to go faster. Then he saw the effect of wind on the boat, on himself and on broad, flat surfaces, and invented the sailboat. After many improvements on the sailboat and hundreds of years of its use, the use of steam was discovered; then followed countless inventions and improvements on the steamboat.

On the desert the camel was used. The camel could do without water for a long time; the sand and heat would not unfit him for work, and it was good for traveling and carrying burdens.

In the mountainous countries the donkey was used, as he was sure-footed, slow and easily fed.

In the cold countries man used snowshoes, sledges and dogs, for these would help him to slide easily over the snow. In southern countries the palanquin and sedan-chair were used, as well as slaves and jinrikishas, as aids in traveling.

In many countries the wheelbarrow was used for transportation.

First there were wheels without spokes, made of solid wood, soon followed by inventions of spokes and tires; then came ox-carts, coaches and carriages. Ox-carts with rude, spokeless wheels are still used in some countries.