LB /i7/ 
 
u 
 
 The Course of Study 
 
 in terms of 
 
 Childrens Activities 
 
 FOR 
 
 The Kindei-j^arten and Primary Grades 
 
 ^[^[^ 
 
 SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
 1921 
 
m -4 1921 
 
 g)C!,A627086 
 

 "The Child is ah-eady intensely active and the question 
 of education is the question of taking hold of his activities, of 
 giving them direction. Through direction, through organized 
 use, they tend toward valuable results instead of scattering or 
 being left to merely impulsive expression". 
 
 John Dewey in "The School and Society", p. 54. 
 
A Foreword, 
 
 This course of study is intended to stimulate the thought 
 and broaden the practice of the teachers of httle children in the 
 Seattle schools. It will assist greatly those teachers who address 
 themselves studiously to the task of appreciating the needs of 
 developing children and of accommodating their treatment to 
 those needs. 
 
 Educational needs change with the hours and with moods. 
 There are not many lessons that can be harnessed to a routine in 
 the earlier stages of teaching, if enrichment is to result. 
 
 Teachers are requested to try out the suggestions in this 
 manual only according to their ability to make use of the sugges- 
 tions fortunately for the children. Whenever the way outlined here 
 does not appear to suit the teacher's individual power, her own 
 best way should be used. 
 
 — Frank B. Cooper. 
 
To Teachers and Principals : 
 
 To many of 3^011, this program of activities presents a natural 
 way of work, for your own teaching has long included the uti- 
 lization of all that is good in children's natural interests and ca- 
 pacities. Reports of your work have furnished the data for this 
 course of study. To another large group, the plan of work will 
 seem possible and desirable. You believe in its underlying 
 philosophy and have been trying out its implications. Your 
 questions and reactions, your solving of difficulties have con- 
 tributed also to this formulation. To a third group, this maj^ seem 
 not your way of working. Your reactions as given in the Report 
 on the Course of Study have also been a help and have lead to 
 the effort to outline more definitely the proposed plan. This 
 is not an iron clad way of procedure to be adopted by each in- 
 dividual whether or not he believes in it and finds it suited to 
 his powers. Each one of us must work in his own way. It is 
 better to travel surely along the well known road than fall by 
 the way on the unfamiliar path — but the new way may offer new 
 and keener delights and a higher type of results in the contact 
 between child mind and teacher mind if once we free ourselves 
 to look at each day's teaching as a fresh opportunity for leading 
 a group of little children to a clearer understanding of their sur- 
 roundings and a keener zest in doing worth while things. We 
 do not know what children are capable of doing for themselves 
 under wise guidance. You are urged not to see the newer way 
 as a "Closed Road'' until j^ou have secured from the office all 
 it can give in the way of conference, suggestions for study and 
 demonstration teaching. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 I. Introduction 
 
 II. Basis for Classification of Activities 
 
 III. Basis for Selection of Activities 
 
 IV. A List of Activities for the Kindergarten and First Grade. 
 
 V. Illustrative Descriptions of the Day's Work in Kinder- 
 gartens and First Grades 
 
 VI. A List of Activities for the Second Grade 
 
 VII. Illustrative Description of the Day's Work in a Second 
 Grade 
 
 VIII. A List of Activities for the Third Grade 
 
 IX. Illustrative Description of the Day's Work in a Third 
 Grade 
 
 X. The Day's Program 
 
 XI. The Free Period and Individual Projects 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Since the days of the caveman the natural method of learning 
 has been that of "sharing activities". In the good home and in 
 the good school conditions are so arranged that a child learns 
 through his own thinking, feeling and doing under the wise guid- 
 ance of those who see in their own needs as adults the end to be 
 attained in the learning. A child takes on the tastes, attitudes 
 and ideals of his little group. His valued ideas are the valued 
 ideas of his associates. He esteems worth while the skills they 
 attain. This suggested program of activities is based on many 
 studies of children's instinctive interests and their relation to 
 socially useful habits. Observations of the day's work and play 
 of the six-year-old or the eight year-old in the good home, reports 
 from many children as to how they spend their Saturdays and 
 Sundays all point to the universality of certain socially useful 
 activities among children of different ages. The purpose of 
 elementary education in the words of Dr. Meriam is "To help 
 boys and girls do better in all those wholesome activities in which 
 they normally engage." (l) 
 
 Points of Emphasis in this Course of Study 
 
 Today few courses of study for the elementary grades ignore 
 the instinctive interests and capacities for as Parker says, "Util- 
 izing children's interests is a business proposition, not a matter 
 of sentiment". (2) Butt he usual course of study states its program 
 in terms of the separate subjects and ignores the fact that knowl- 
 edge of facts useful in living must come through participation 
 in socially useful activities. The stress comes on achievement 
 in subject matter and not on the provision for opportunities for 
 growth in knowledge, skills and right attitudes. This course of 
 study represents an endeavor to present a program of activities 
 
 1 Meriam— Child Life and the Curriculum. Chap. VIII. 
 
 2 Parker — General Methods of Teaching in Elementary Schools. 
 
 p. 205. 
 
 5 
 
through which needed ideals, attitudes, skills and knowledge 
 may be attained. Demonstrations of the working possibilities 
 of this point of view are not lacking in many schools in the country 
 and in many school rooms of our own city. All activities suggested 
 have been tried out in our own schools. Reports of woi'k accom- 
 plished have provided the text given in this outline. 
 
 Attitude of Teachers Attempting This Type of Work 
 
 The question, "What portions, if any, of the present printed 
 course of study are you unable to teach through the utilization 
 of the children's activities?" was included in the supplementary 
 Report on the Course of Study for 1921. The majority of teachers 
 answered, "None". The following replies are of special interest. 
 
 "I will be able to teach the entire course of study through 
 the utilization of activities. However the children I have this 
 year are bright and I doubt if I could carry on as much of this 
 kind of work with slower pupils. But I think the slower ones need 
 it most." 
 
 "I do not feel competent to answer this question as I have 
 only covered three months of the work and have only attempted 
 a part of this through the activities of the children. I do think, 
 however, that more and more of the coui'se can be accomplished 
 in this way as teachers and pupils become adjusted to the new 
 methods." 
 
 "If I may call the struggle to attain a fair writing hand and 
 the learning to connect letters properly an activity, I am sure we 
 use the children's activities in each and every part of our work." 
 
 The Need Still Exists For the Outline Giving Diagnosis of 
 Difficulties and Discussing the Technique of Teaching 
 
 Parallel with our progress in a better understanding of the 
 need of the curriculum organized from the social point of view- 
 is the progress in the scientific analysis of the learning process. 
 The analysis of children's difficulties through the use of standard- 
 
ized tests and scientifically planned remedial work will help in 
 the economy of time, thus setting us free for bringing into the 
 Uves of children richer experiences. 
 
 Technical outlines including the diagnoses of common dif- 
 ficulties and the setting up of definite standards are needed and 
 will be provided as soon as possible. These will be similar in 
 character to the Bulletin on Spelling, the Outline for Hygiene, 
 and the Course of Study in Language. 
 
 Adaptation of Work to Special Conditions 
 
 Another point recognized is the need of adaptation of work 
 to particular situations. No list of activities will give just the ones 
 which your class needs. No one is expected to engage in all the 
 activities suggested. A choice should he made. One needs at fre- 
 quently recurring intervals to make with the children a survey of 
 their out-of -school lives. "What are these children needing to do, 
 wanting to do, trying to do? How can I use their lesson time to 
 help them do them better?" If their lives are bare and empty, 
 they need most the rich experiences,~the excursion, the story 
 the beautiful poem, the tale of a happy childhood, the social ex- 
 perience of giving a party, the chance to do something socially 
 useful. This will be the starting point for careful writing, hard 
 work in reading, self drill in spelling and arithmetic, earnest 
 effort for gaining better health habits. This outline stresses 
 the human side of our work. We need to put our purposes before 
 us in human every day, untechnical terms. We can then work 
 out definite standards of attainment in technique and know 
 what degree of skill to work for in drills when once we have this 
 social point of view. 
 
 These Activities, the Course of Study 
 
 These activities are not to be added to the course of study. 
 They are the course of studij, a course in thinking, planning, execut- 
 ing and judging with the warmth of personal desire the result of 
 
our efforts. Anj^ subject in any course of study was originally 
 found in the human needs of every day action. This subject 
 matter in many cases became isolated, unconnected, unrelated 
 and even when memorized did not prove of use when a real need 
 for its use came. We must learn slowly through continued 
 repetition of the actual kind of useful situation in which we shall 
 need to act in the future. The child who today is helped to do 
 as well as he may the good thing he desires to do, with the in- 
 spiration of the work of his companion toward a higher desire, 
 will continue to be a growingly useful child and become an in- 
 creasingly useful man. 
 
BASIS FOR CLASSIFICATION OF ACTIVITIES 
 
 In "The Elementary School Curriculum" Dr. Bonser suggests 
 as a basis for judging the worth of any activity its value in satis- 
 fying the great fundamental ends of conduct. His four big types 
 of human activity offer a working basis for the classification of 
 children's activities and their possible direction toward worthy 
 outcomes. 
 
 1. Activities for Maintaining Life and Health. 
 
 This involves with a child the chance to learn health habits 
 through actual practice of right bodily habits, opportunities 
 for establishing habits of joyous healthful exercise, practice in 
 choosing right foods in the cafeteria, helping in the Health Cam- 
 paign to strengthen his own ideals of good conduct. He needs 
 a chance for active investigation of the food provisioning, clothes 
 making and shelter building in his own neighborhood, as related 
 to the health needs of himself and his neighbors. He must see 
 his own responsibility for wearing his rubbers, cleaning his shoes, 
 using his handkerchief, and keeping the schoolroom clean. 
 
 II. Practical Activities and the Means of their Pursuit. 
 
 The street scene must be interpreted to the child. He must 
 know and appreciate what his mother's work means to him of 
 comfort and health; he must feel his responsibility for filling the 
 wood-box or keeping his shoes clean. His father's need for reading, 
 writing and arithmetic makes clear to him the necessity for his 
 work in conquering those tools of common communication. 
 The boats on the Sound must mean to him the carrying trade of 
 the Northwest. Each tool must come to mean the story of some 
 Tree-dweller of long ago hard at work getting his root dinner. 
 More and more we see the necessity for offering to a child to sat- 
 isfy his growing needs the opportvmity for experimental use 
 of the tools his social inheritance has provided. To the pen and 
 the pencil, have been added the scissors, the hammer and saw, 
 the typewriter, the printing press, the carriers in the shape of 
 
 9 
 
wheelbarrow and cart, -all symbols of progress and typical of life's 
 industry. The representation of the street in front of the school 
 house, in sandtable or poster, interprets the work of the neighbor- 
 hood. 
 
 III. Civic and Other Regulative Activities. 
 
 The children's share in the home work and play, the working 
 on committees to keep playground and hall clean, the parti- 
 cipation in assemblies, the uniting in the making of a class record 
 of local history stories, the care of materials in the room, the ex- 
 cursion around the school building to see all the workers, the trip 
 to the library to get library cards, the buying of stamps at the 
 post office, the tracing of the story of the breakfast orange from 
 its home in California, through the hands of all the workers till 
 it reaches us ; watching of the nearby house building, with a record- 
 ing of all the men who helped in its progress toward a home; 
 making scrap books on different subjects of child interest with 
 exchange of treasures; helping each other with wisdom in work 
 for individual or the group; making their own regulations under 
 guidance, in the effort to meet common needs of their school room 
 community; teaching each other games. All these lead to an 
 appreciation of the need for working together with needed rules 
 for guidance. 
 
 IV. Recreational Activities- The Use of Leisure. 
 
 The right use of leisure justifies our provision of opportun- 
 ities for engaging in right sources of pleasure. This has many 
 phases; hearing the Victrola, studying the color in the flowers, 
 trying to express its beauty; running, jumping, skippimg; joining 
 in activities which bring the delights of companionship, — parties, 
 plays, clubs, contests, visits to other children; dramatic play in 
 reading, literature or history; investigating special interests; 
 making collections of pictures, stamps, books; leisure occupations — 
 making gardens, making toj'S. 
 
 10 
 
These ends of life conduct are not to be separated by anj^ 
 sharp hne. An activity maj^ often fall under all of the four heads. 
 The activity socially useful in the highest degree will contribute 
 in many ways. The analysis of one activity, a trip around the 
 school building and grounds to be taken by first or second grade 
 children illustrates the many sidedness of any worth while activity. 
 
 Analysis of a Project Suited to the First or Second Grade. 
 
 Not all these lessons would be carried out with any one group. 
 The work might extend over several weeks. Other projects 
 might be under way at the same time. It would probably not 
 be possible to include all the necessary work in all subjects under 
 any one project, but much of it can be thus organized. 
 
 P/^OJ^Cr— A SERIES OF TRIPS TO BECOME ACQUAINT- 
 ED WITH "OUR SCHOOL" 
 SCHOOL LESSONS WHICH MAY RESULT FROM THESE 
 
 TRIPS 
 
 American Ideals and Citizenship — A dawning consciousness 
 of the school as a community of workers. The principal, the 
 teachers, the nvu'se, the janitor, the children of all ages. An idea 
 of all the resources of the school, the office, the bookroom, the shop, 
 the cooking room, the engine room, the play I'ooms, the class 
 rooms, the bulletin board, the cafeteria. 
 
 An inceptive idea of all the relationships involved, — the city, 
 the meaning of the flag, the cost of all that is provided, — the re- 
 sponsibility for care of the equipment by all the children. 
 
 The provision for right attitudes on the part of the little 
 children to their big brothers and sisters of the school. 
 
 Language — Discussion of the trip before taking it. Questions 
 asked and answered on the trip. 
 
 Free conversation during the trip. 
 
 Composing a story of the trip for mother. 
 
 Dramatic play representing activities of all the workers ob- 
 served. 
 
 Physical Education and Hygiene — The responsibility of the 
 
 11 
 
children for the care of cloak rooms, wash basins, toilets,- — all 
 the means provided for keeping clean. 
 
 Marching, running, skipping; suggested ways of movement 
 appropriate at different times. 
 
 Representation of School activities in rhythmic games. 
 
 Instruction in choice of food in the lunch rooms, the value 
 of milk, etc. 
 
 Reading — Associating experience with story written on 
 blackboard by teacher. Mimeographed copy to take home to 
 mother. 
 
 Chart showing large cutting of school with flag. Charts 
 showing rooms with names printed underneath. Charts showing 
 workers with names printed underneath. 
 
 Reading puzzles impressing words. 
 
 Looking for stories of children going to school. These should 
 be read by the teacher to beginners. 
 
 Handwork — Free illustration of "our walk", revealing what 
 impressed children most. 
 
 Freehand cutting of "our school" for the chart. Building 
 school house with blocks. 
 
 Making booklet "our school", — or cardboard construction 
 in the sandtable. 
 
 Charts showing "What children do at school". 
 
 Chart showing "Who built our school". 
 
 "In using as the chief and leading activities of the school 
 curriculum these life projects, whose value the children at once 
 appreciate, and in which they engage with enthusiasm, the need 
 for the various means or tools used in carrying on these interests is 
 literally/orce(/Mpor?J/iew?.,not by the teachers, but by the situa- 
 tions." The Elementary School Curriculum — F. G. Bonser. 
 Chapter III. 
 
 12 
 
BASIS FOR SELECTION OF ACTIVITIES 
 FROM THE LIST SUGGESTED FOR EACH GRADE 
 
 I. Select the activity which appeals most directly to the interests 
 
 and capacities of the group, provided it leads on to other 
 activities socially valuable for children of that age; e. g., 
 the building of a representation of "our neighborhood" with 
 blocks would lead to a greater variety of useful activities 
 than the continued bouncing of a ball. The development of 
 the child physically and mentally determines the value to 
 him of the ball boimcing. 
 
 II. That activity should be chosen which will continue to meet 
 needs as the child develops. The writing of letters will 
 always be a socially useful activit}*. 
 
 III. Choose the activity which under your conditions offers 
 greatest opportunity for the teaching of needed tastes, at- 
 titudes, habits, skills and knowledge. The discriminating 
 teacher-leader will keep a wise balance between different 
 types of activities. One week's work may offer large oppor- 
 tunities in the direction of speech 'training,another give the 
 chance to show up weaknesses and strength in arithmetic 
 and expose the need for necessary drill in subtraction on 
 the part of some children. One day's work may be largely 
 in groups, the next may give time to individual effort to 
 make up deficiencies. A trip to the grocery store may give 
 the experience needed for a month's work in all the different 
 lines. The keeping of a diary through the year may furnish 
 the main line of effort in third grade written composition. 
 Making a history of Seattle may furnish the substance of 
 a term's work in the "Third B" in History, Geography, Oral 
 and Written Language, Hygiene (the development of the 
 sanitary regulations of city life), determine largely the Spelling 
 and give some problems in Arithmetic. Too many activities 
 should not be attempted A few carefully chosen projects followed 
 up persistently with care as to execution and the attempt to get 
 
 13 
 
all the possible values in the way of growth in ideals of work, 
 worth while tastes, skill in technique and the acquisition of 
 useful facts must he our constant objective. There is fnuch dan- 
 ger of scattered effort and groivth of lax habits of thinking 
 and working unless we check up our progress constantly with 
 the standards of attainment set up in our outlines of subject 
 matter. One big project at a time, with attention to minor ones 
 which arise from unexpected yet valuable aroused interests, 
 is probably the best plan of work. 
 
 IV. The activities must be progressive from day to day and from 
 grade to grade. The child stringing beads at the end of the 
 kindergarten year, the first grade child still cutting out 
 hectographed outlines in June, the second grade child unable 
 to read the new material with ease, the third grade child 
 unable to keep himself well occupied, is not progressing. 
 The time for free choice of work is the test of our leadership. 
 The self chosen work should increasingly make demands on 
 all the powers a child possesses. 
 
 14 
 
THE KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE 
 
 CURRICULUM IN TERMS OF CHILDREN'S 
 
 ACTIVITIES 
 
 The Kindergarten Curriculum, published as Bulletin 1919 
 No 16 of the Bureau of Education, presents most clearly the point 
 of view stated in the Introduction. The outline there given is 
 well based in its psychological point of view, and the material 
 there presented is not included in this Manual, for the Bulletin 
 is supplied to all Kindergarten and First Grade Teachers. 
 
 For both the Kindergarten and the First grade the immedi- 
 ate surroundings, the experiences which we may make sure every 
 child has had, furnish the situation in which the activities naturally 
 arise. As the child matures from kindergarten into first grade 
 desires and necessities, he demands books, desires to learn to read 
 and naturally feels more and more the value of the tool subjects. 
 The kindergarten and first grade may well develop the possible 
 richness of the immediate environment. We are apt to try to 
 push children into experiences for which they have no need. 
 The periods for free Work and Play in the Kindergarten offer 
 opportunity for study of children's interests, the wealth or barren- 
 ness of their experiences, and suggest our lines of effort in arranging 
 profitable stimulus in the way of equipment and suggested ac- 
 tivities. Always the teacher, as the mother in the home, is the 
 one who saves the activity from remaining on a low plane and 
 helps to lead desires into new and useful channels. 
 
 In schools having the kindergarten, a report of the year's 
 activities is filed with the principal at the end of each year. This 
 is to be used by the first grade teacher. The first grade work 
 builds on that of the kindergarten. Activities stressed in the 
 kindergarten should not be repeated in the first grade unless 
 there is evident the possibility of new richness in the situation 
 because of the children's growing maturity. 
 
 I. Activities which tend to ivard the Maintenance of Life and Health. 
 
 15 
 
Health inspection each day by the children with the teacher. 
 Those showing improvement may be added to the group 
 of inspectors. 
 
 Being weighed by the nurse. Trying to gain or lose in weight 
 by following the nurse's directions as to eating and sleep- 
 ing. 
 
 Practice in personal habits of cleanliness of living, — use of 
 pencils, washing hands after going to the toilet or before 
 lunch. 
 
 Out-of-door play, — free play, organized games, rhythmic 
 games. 
 
 Dressing to suit the weather with a sense of personal re- 
 sponsibility for wearing rubbers. 
 
 Helping to keep room and grounds clean. 
 
 Making simple Community Health Charts as the important 
 health habits are brought out by the teacher. 
 
 Formulating their own health Rules. These may be given 
 them to take home. 
 
 Making a Class Room Health Book with pictures. The 
 children give titles for each picture and the name is 
 written or printed underneath in large form by the 
 teacher. 
 
 First grade children may print their own titles on Health 
 Charts,— the teacher writing the difficult words on the 
 board or on the paper. 
 
 Making booklets which show clothing for different seasons. 
 The teacher in the kindergarten or child in first grade 
 supply titles. 
 
 The first grade may make a Health A. B.C. Book or give 
 a Health Parade with banners, showing health chores. 
 
 Dressing their dolls to suit the season. 
 
 Finding pictures showing "Good Posture" of little children 
 
 for posters. 
 Participation in assemblies dealing with health habits. 
 Playing cafeteria, making cardboard trays with proper picture 
 
 lunches mounted upon them. 
 
 16 
 
In Home Play, placing great stress on the hj^gienic conditions 
 
 of the kitchen and bathroom. 
 Dramatizing home situations involving attention to hygiene, — 
 
 getting ready for bed, getting up in the morning, getting 
 
 ready for dinner. 
 Learning Health rhymes. 
 In first grade making and reading records of Health Program; 
 
 II. Activities which tend to practical efficiency in everyday matters. 
 
 Caring for one's own belongings, — hanging wraps on labelled 
 hooks, taking care of rubbers, taking care of his own 
 pencils, books, paper. 
 
 Sharing in the care of the room, helping clean up, helping 
 arrange materials. 
 
 Attempts at suppljang one's own needs, — painting a box for 
 his blocks, making sheets and pillow cases for the doll- 
 bed, making doll pillows from Christmas tree needles, 
 making May baskets and Easter baskets, clay dishes 
 for the playhouse, making and dressing paper dolls. 
 
 Collecting and bringing material from home for school use. 
 
 Sharing in real .-home experiences, — making jelty, butter, 
 flour by grinding grain. 
 
 Home Play — In the Kindergarten — perhaps more of direct 
 dramatization. In the first grade the children enjoy 
 the representative play, making the doll house, doll 
 theatre play. All these activities tend toward interest 
 in the practical affairs of life. The Jo-Boy story or 
 Bobby and Bett}'^ book may serve as the outline. A 
 nearby house in building should give the chance for 
 first hand observation. The first grade children vciox 
 do more for themselves. The desire to make everything 
 just as it is in the real home will lead to much of close 
 observation. Play material maj' well be used in the 
 kindergarten to supplement what the children make. 
 In the first grade house play, the articles, if possible, 
 should be made by the children. 
 
 17 
 
Activities leading to control of the tools of life. 
 
 Making records of trips, important events in kindergarten 
 or first grade bj^ the use of pictures and stories composed 
 with the teacher. 
 
 Telling stories of experiences using pictures or objects so that 
 others will understand and enjoy them. 
 
 Directing others in games. 
 
 Keeping records in first grade of books read, poems loved, 
 songs sung. 
 
 Printing labels and signs for desks, sandtables or dramatic 
 play. 
 
 Drilling as individuals or groups in first grade on hard sounds, 
 difficult words and phrases to increase speed in reading. 
 
 Drilling each other in first grade on quick silent reading 
 and quick response to questions on the interests of chil- 
 dren of this group, — the members of their family, what 
 the carpenter does for us, why we like the postman? 
 
 Taking vocabulary tests, speed tests and comprehension tests 
 in reading and trying to improve one's record. 
 
 Drawing plans for doll house. 
 
 Keeping records in the first grade of the progress in individual 
 reading in pleasure readers. 
 
 Making word and phrase books. 
 
 Making plans for the day's work so that they can keep them- 
 selves busy. 
 
 Keeping an All-the-year-Round Book for their mothers, 
 with the material dated to show progress. 
 
 In the first grade, composing, reading, sometimes printing 
 and illustrating the "Daily" or "Weekly News", giving 
 the important items of Kfe in the first grade. This may 
 be written on the blackboard, printed on a chart, hecto- 
 graphed, mimeographed or printed. 
 
 Making, in the first grade, their own reading book composed 
 of stories of their experiences, printed by older boys and 
 illustrated by the children. 
 
 18 
 
III. Activities which tend toward cooperation and regulative 
 
 measures needed in every day hfe. 
 
 Taking walks around the building to see the principal's office, 
 the book room, the janitor at work for the good of the 
 children, the furnace room, the shop with the boys at 
 work on "our blocks" or "our wheelbarrow". 
 
 Forming Housekeeper's Club to care for the room. 
 
 Cooperating in entertaining other rooms with the planning 
 in the hands of the children, lead by the teacher, — concerts, 
 giving a play, a reading party, the recitation of favorite 
 poems, playing games, a Hallowe'en party, an 
 Easter Egg Hunt, a Christmas party for the baby 
 brothers and sisters, a spring party for the next year 
 kindergarten children, apple and cookie parties, 
 birthday parties. 
 
 Participating in all-school assemblies devoted to any subject 
 
 they are capable of understandng, — patriotic occasions, 
 
 Clean-up Week, Safety Week. 
 Participating in Primary assemblies of two or more rooms 
 
 once a week with the program coming out of the every 
 
 day work. 
 
 Cooperative building with blocks in small groups of any 
 objects of interest, suggested by their surroundings, — 
 the school-house, homes, ships, bridges, automobiles, 
 library, stores, garages, whole towns. 
 
 Cooperative play projects, — keeping house, playing store, 
 giving a party, going visiting, going away for a trip, 
 with the preparation of material needed for the play. 
 
 Making things for each other, for the principal, for the nurse, 
 for classmates who are ill, clay candlesticks, or a tiny 
 flower pot for mother 
 
 Participation in very simple festivities once or twice a year, com- 
 posed of favorite songs, rhythms and dramatizations, — 
 a Christmas festival or a Spring festival. Little children 
 should not be forced into show performances nor try 
 to celebrate all the hoHdays. The simplest homefesti- 
 
 19 
 
vals suggest the type of festivals to be developed in 
 the kindergarten and first grade. Every child doing 
 something he can do happily in the effort to make others 
 happy is the ideal to be kept in mind. 
 
 Discussing ethical questions regarding conduct in the school- 
 room, on the playground, in the streets and at home, 
 with emphasis on the responsibility for practical use 
 of decisions. 
 
 Making cooperative })ictures on any subject of interest, — 
 "Keeping Our School-yard Beautiful". "Feeding the 
 Birds", "Our Home", "Our Family", a water picture. 
 These may be done in pictures cut from magazines, 
 free hand cutting or drawing. 
 
 Building and furnishing a house, reading from books like 
 "Bobby and Betty at Home", "Little Kingdom Reader", 
 or "Work-a-Day Doings" after having had similar ex- 
 perience in cooperation themselves. 
 
 Participation in first grade club meetings in which the school 
 room is discussed and plans made. 
 
 IV. Activitief! which tend toward the wise use of leisure. 
 
 a. Spontaneous physical activities. 
 
 Periods for free play. 
 
 Stimulating running, skipping, jumping b,y music. 
 
 Simple rhythmic games and dances. 
 
 The very simplest of folk dancing. 
 
 b. Activities which cultivate sense enjoyment in wise ways. 
 Sense games suited to the age of the child. 
 
 Collecting leaves, flowers, stones to enjoy their color, 
 
 smoothness, beautiful form. 
 Visiting flower collections at the greenhouse whenever 
 
 one is hear, going to see Mary's mother's rose garden, 
 
 Elaine's cherry tree in bloom, father's dahlias. 
 Keeping a Record Book of "Our Tree" with its picture 
 
 and histoi'y at different seasons. 
 Flying kites, playing with i^inwheels, walking on the 
 
 20 
 
hill top on a windy day, recalling wind poems and 
 
 stories. 
 Bird and Flower Clubs. 
 Making a story music book, of pictures to illustrate 
 
 favorite songs and musical selections played on 
 
 the piano or heard on the victrola. 
 Giving a Hallowe'en Party. 
 Making in clay representations of articles of interest 
 
 to the children. 
 Taking part in the kindergarten band. 
 Taking part in chorus singing. 
 Changing with the change of seasons the seasonal picture 
 
 on the blackboard, incorporating into this picture 
 
 the beauty side of the immediate surroundings. 
 Taking a walk to enjoy the sunshine after many daj^s of 
 
 rain. 
 Taking walks to smell the Balm o'Gilead, sweet clover, 
 
 June pinks, carnations. 
 Listening for calls of birds. 
 
 c. Social Activities- 
 Parties with another room. Mother's and Father's Christ- 
 mas Party, a once a month party of cookies 
 and apples, a Thanksgiving party with nuts and 
 apples, an Easter egg hunt, birthday parties for which 
 mothers sometimes provide refreshments, a soap- 
 bubble party out of doors, a Next Year's Kindergarten 
 party for the next j^ear's kindergarten children, visit- 
 ing on invitation, and singing for a grandmother who 
 could not come to school. Visiting children who 
 are confined at home for a long time (great care 
 must be exercised to avoid contagious diseases). 
 One group made a dooryard visit, leaving a little 
 gift on the doorstep and playing a game outside 
 the window of the sick child. An End-of -the- Year 
 Picnic with children helping to plan the entertain- 
 ment. A doll party for dolls made in the school. 
 
 21 
 
Activities which tend to habits of intellectual enjoyment 
 of history or drama. 
 
 Reading by the teacher to the children books which 
 give vivid pictures of child life. 
 
 Dramatizing of simple situations,- — meeting my teacher, 
 saying good-bye to mother, bringing father his 
 paper, presenting a little friend with a rose, hav- 
 ing good news to tell. 
 
 Dramatizing favorite stories, poems and songs. 
 
 Giving simple puppet shows. 
 
 Making and use of simple properties for use in dramat- 
 ic play. 
 
 Making toy theatre presentation of favorite tale, — 
 "The Shoemaker and the Elves". 
 
 Making sandtable representations of farailar situations, 
 favorite stories or poems, a Christmas sandta})le, 
 Santa Claus land, the Jo-Boy story changing from 
 day to day, Bobby and Betty's home, the Three 
 Bear house, the adventures of Peter Rabbit, a 
 Lolly -pop tree, in Brownie Land. 
 
 A simple Spring Festival based on songs, rhythms, 
 dances, stories, giving form to the children's joy, 
 in I'etuj'H of flowers, birds and bees. 
 
 Activities which tend toward investigation of special 
 subjects of interest. 
 
 Planning Bird and Flower Festivals. 
 
 Listening to bird talks with pictures. 
 
 Feeding birds in winter, feeding the pigeons near the 
 school. 
 
 Excursion.s to see pigeons, birds, ducks, chickens, guinea 
 pigs, pet dogs and cats, rabbits, a cow. Jack's pony, 
 to get tadpoles, to see the lilac bush in summer 
 and in winter, to gather flowers for the May baskets, 
 visiting flower gardens at planting and blossom time, 
 trips around the block at different seasons of the 
 
 22 
 
year to note the seasonal changes. 
 Making a sandtable farm after a visit to the farm. 
 Making individual representations of "Our Yard and 
 
 Garden". 
 Making books on subjects of special interest, — A Baby 
 
 Book, a Home Book, a Boy and Girl Book, A Dog 
 
 or Cat Book, A Flower Book, A Mother Goose 
 
 Book. 
 Hunting through readers in first grade for dog stories, 
 
 cat stories, poems about the out-of-doors. 
 Going to the library to get books for the room. 
 Kindergarten children make books to carry with them 
 
 to the fii'st grade where they will be utilized in 
 
 connection with beginning reading. 
 
 Art Activities — Creation of beauty or attempts to express 
 appreciation of beauty. 
 
 Learning to know the pictures in the building which five 
 and six year olds can understand. 
 
 Collecting pictures presenting beautiful phases of fa- 
 miliar things, — home-life, familiar animals, beautiful 
 common objects. 
 
 Collecting and arranging pictures which will illustrate 
 favorite stories, songs or poems. 
 
 Making collections of penny prints of favorite pictures. 
 
 Arranging flowers brought to school by teacher and 
 children with attention to beauty of hne and color 
 presented by example and simple words. 
 
 Helping in simple decorative schemes for special oc- 
 casions and going to see beautiful decorations in 
 store windows. 
 
 Walks to the hill top to see the beautiful picture of the 
 valley below, the sound with its boats, the lake, 
 the bridges, the blossoming orchards, the mountains. 
 
 Making color books showing colors and the flowers or 
 fruits in which we find them. 
 
 23 
 
A DAY'S SESSION IN A KINDERGARTEN 
 REPORT NO. 1. 
 
 The following description of "A Day's Work" in a kinder- 
 garten is valuable because it suggests the utilization in such a 
 meaningful way of the children's activities. It is an ideal which 
 few days would bring forth but it helps us see how a child-made 
 program may be a profitable possibility. This kind of a morning 
 would come hut seldom. Generally in this kindergarten directed 
 work alternates with chosen occupation. 
 
 "The chairs were not set in a circle for two reasons. First, 
 the room is small and the open space was needed for the children's 
 different activities, and secondly, the teacher wished to leave the 
 children free from any suggestion of formality until later in the 
 morning. 
 
 As the children came in they gave some form of greeting. 
 Several little girls came in at the same time. After saying good 
 morning one little girl said, "I am going to do some work." A 
 second child said, "Why, we work all day!" Then they went to 
 their cupboard space and took out the things they needed, — 
 scissors, crayon, and what paper had been left from the day before. 
 Two little girls began to finish sewing the books they had started 
 to sew the day before, and spent some time drawing in them. 
 One little girl drew a chair to the cupboard, helped herself to some 
 pieces of paper and supplied herself with paints. A little boy 
 joined her and they worked for two hours. At the end of that time 
 the little girl had a complete house made in a circular form, a door 
 and barred windows. Inside were two rugs, a chair, a table with 
 a pink cover, a victrola with two red seal records, and a paper 
 doll with a tissue paper hat with a feather. The boy had made 
 a playground containing a flower garden, a sand box with a stand- 
 ing screen, and a slide with a paper doll sliding down. 
 
 Another child asked for some of the "best" paper, and said 
 she would make a "beautifulest" paper doll to put in the cup- 
 board. She made a doll with hair beautifully dressed, earrings, 
 a bunch of flowers in one hand, and a fan in the other, and five 
 different dresses and hats. 
 
 24 
 
One. boy kept bringing to the teacher pieces of fancy cutting. 
 She was reading to a group from a bird book brought as the out- 
 come of a talk the day before. The teacher at last said in a joking 
 way, "Now I am covered warmly with this lovely spread and I'll 
 have this for a hat!" The child ran off laughing and in time 
 brought back a hat that was truly delightful, even to a feather 
 on the side. The construction was a combination of two articles 
 previously made. He needed a little help because he had cut 
 the head piece too large. Another boy imitated this hat. 
 
 One boy built an aeroplane and took some children to ride. 
 He oiled it with sand. The teacher pointed out the fact that 
 the sand would be in the other people's way. She gave them 
 plasticene to make oil cans. (The sand was swept up). Two 
 little girls played dolls with a doll carriage and a set of paper 
 bakery pictures. They did a wash and carried out a complete 
 cycle of activities during an hour and a half. The boy who built 
 the aeroplane listened to a story the teacher told to a small group 
 and then washed a blackboard. 
 
 A group at the sand table played a long time with a blue 
 bottle for a cannon and a tin can for the light in the lighthouse, 
 some stones and a little boat. This same group played in the 
 water box for awhile and then took the clay. A group of boys 
 in the hall took the blocks, two large dry goods boxes and carried 
 on a game. One box was an aeroplane and they nailed a small 
 set of wagon wheels on the edge of the box for steamer wheels. 
 They put on coats, hats, and borrowed the gauntlet gloves of 
 some other boys and apparently had thrilling adventures. The 
 other group of boys built a dock, used a Christmas tree stand and 
 a wheel on a stick for a lighthouse. They put a little broom through 
 the knot-hole in the box for a rudder. The skipping rope with 
 wooden handles was used for a telephone, the corn popper for 
 catching fish. One boy played outside and put a block in the 
 popper for a fish. One girl played in this group. 
 
 Eighteen of the children worked continuously at the thing 
 they first chose. The others changed several times, but kept 
 themselves busy and happy. 
 
 This particular morning there was no conflict to be settled, 
 
 25 
 
therefore the teacher read to two different groups, went from 
 group to group to play and talk, rode in the aeroplane, talked 
 through the telephone, and visited the doll house. When the 
 children were called by the piano one little girl said, "Why, do we 
 have to go so soon!" 
 
 REPORT NO. 2. 
 
 The second report of one day's session comes from a school 
 made up largely of foreign children. It is suggestive in itse mphasis 
 on the possibihties of the kindergarten as an Americanization 
 agency Here the school provides the experience of a lunch for 
 these little children in the effort to establish certain desirable 
 attitudes and habits. Morning talks on behavior would fall 
 far short of establishing the habits for which the participation in 
 the actual activity provides. 
 
 'Tattering feet in the hall, — "Oh Miss, the sewer bust!" 
 and I looked down into the snapping black eyes of a half dozen 
 small Italians, — and the afternoon session had opened at . 
 
 Coats hung up, shoes changed amid much discussion of the 
 digging in front of the school, and for nearly an hour the sewer 
 was dug in sand, was laid (rows of blocks), breathlessly covered, 
 dug up, relaid in a new way and so on. 
 
 As each child enters he greets the teacher, hangs up hat, 
 coat and changes his shoes, putting on tennis shoes or sandals 
 he has previously brought and keeps in his own locker. This 
 locker has his name on it and contains his paints, crayons, shoes, 
 work to be finished, and holds also many childish treasures which 
 small children are forever bringing to school. When shoes are 
 changed he goes at once to his work, or he may play about the room. 
 Jack, who for two weeks has been weaving a red hammock, is now 
 making a hammock stand, and today is painting it red. After 
 being shown how to hold and clean his brush he is left alone. 
 
 Two children made doilies for lunch, cutting circles and 
 painting them. Four little girls started playing "squares" with 
 an 8" rubber ball. Two soon stopped and went to weaving; 
 
 26 
 
the other two played until called to their work by teacher. Six 
 children got clay boards, went to the jar and helped themselves, 
 then found chairs and went to work. Two went to work as soon as 
 they came in; the others walked around and visited before getting 
 to work. One child made a clay frog; all the others made bird's 
 nests, one adding robins. One boy, after working twenty min- 
 utes on the "sewer gang"got out material to stain his bird house. 
 One boy with the help of another made an inch and a half hole 
 in the front of his bird house for a door. Three children played 
 in the doll house, one spending most of her time playing on the 
 to}^ piano and singing from the Peter Rabbit book. 
 
 In the forty five minutes of Free Work and Play, the teacher 
 had to speak to two children about getting to work, and to settle 
 one near-fight (both boys being under-fed, neurotic and temper- 
 amental) . 
 
 A chord from the piano set everj^ child to cleaning up the 
 room. Everything was put away, the dust mop, and dust cloths 
 brought out and used. Another chord brought the children to 
 a circle where they began a brisk march, ended in a run and then 
 gathered around the piano to sing songs. 
 
 Then seated on the floor, the}' had fifteen or twent}^ minutes 
 of rhythmic work, the main object of which was to teach them to 
 listen to good music and to interpret what they heard. 
 
 Someone opened the doors and got out the paper towels. 
 "Girls first" washed their hands for lunch. A "good citizen" 
 passed the doilies, the milk and graham crackers. The milk is 
 brought to the tables in sherbet cups by the domestic science 
 girls. The first principles of order, good habits, table manners, 
 politeness and manj^ invaluable courtesies are socially learned. At 
 this time we talk of what we saw coming to school, social happen- 
 ings, home life, hj^giene, and cleanliness. After lunch each child 
 rests with his head on his arms. 
 
 After rest comes dramatic work. With these foreign children 
 this is based on social situations, short nursery rhymes, or a dearly 
 beloved story such as "The Three Bears". After a talk of work 
 accomplished or some definite subject I wish to bring up, the 
 
 27 
 
session ends with a stoiy. Today it was "The Baby Robin that 
 Fell out of its Nest". 
 
 Shoes are changed, the room straightened for "those morning 
 class children" (as they are called), we sing a good-bj^e song, give 
 a handshake and personal good-bye to each one, and with a hand- 
 wave to the last pair of black eyes around the corner, the day 
 closes". 
 
 REPORT NO. 3. 
 
 The third program suggests the value of careful provision 
 for different forms of activity with stress on the activities working 
 towards cooperation, the watchfully stimulating attitude of the 
 leader and the utilization of the child interest in May baskets 
 leading to the excursion for flowers and their study. 
 
 The children come into the kindergarten, the boj's removing 
 hats at the door, and hang up their wraps. I always try to be 
 near the door to greet each child with a word or smile as he comes 
 in, and they know they are free to get anything in the room with 
 which they want to work or play They remain at their free choice 
 work until 9:30. Various things are done during this period. 
 Some are building houses, boats, trains, or city buildings on the 
 floor. Others are making Woodland Park in the sandtable, 
 using tiny animals, little flags, flowers and little trees, and a lid 
 filled with water for the lake. Two boys are drawing at the table, 
 making pictures of home and its surroundings. The trees were 
 in blossom, the flowers blooming, dadd}- had his garage, and 
 there was an aeroplane in the sky. 
 
 The girls are nearly all making paper doll clothes today. 
 They have each brought a box from home which is to be dollie's 
 trunk and they are cutting their own dresses and hats and coats 
 and trimming them elaborately. They choose whatever paper 
 they wish, but I have asked them to be careful dressmakers, 
 telling them the harm of wastefulness. 
 
 Usually the girls would not be all doing the same thing, 
 but the doll clothes idea is a new one just now and very popular. 
 
 The free period comes to a close with a piano chord. Some 
 children put their work away quickly and quietly, while some 
 
 28 
 
are slow, and others noisy, ilie boys try to sweep the sand from 
 the floor, and in all it takes about ten minutes to get everything 
 in its right place. Everybody must help and during the 
 clean-up I do much suggesting. We usually sit quietly and 
 listen for ten minutes to a Victrola selection after this. One 
 which I like and the children enjoj- is the "Nightingale." 
 
 After the victrola music, we came to the circle for our singing . 
 We had Spring songs today, "Bluebird," "Robin Redbreast," 
 "Woodpecker", and "Black Crow,". We gathered around the 
 piano and listened to a new "Robin" song, and talked about the 
 robin, and then all flew to our places and played a little bird game. 
 
 After the bird game, we had a little hand plaj?^, North, South, 
 East and West. The children can nearly all now point correcth^ 
 in the different directions, and can all distinguish between their 
 right and left hands. 
 
 Next we had our story, "Fleet Wing and Sweet Voice", by 
 Maud Lindsay. We sat in a little group on the floor and all 
 were quiet during the story. After the story we all went to the 
 basement, then came back for a five minute rest period. During 
 the rest period we again had quiet victrola music. 
 
 We then all made May Baskets and tomorrow we will go 
 out to gather flowers for our baskets. The children who fin- 
 ished their baskets first, put their things away, and came to the 
 circle for a game. We played "Skip-tag," and "Little Dog," 
 and each child joined in the games as soon as his May Basket 
 was finished. We were at our games until time to go home when 
 all put on their wraps and we had our good-bye song at the door." 
 
 29 
 
REPORT NO. 4. 
 
 The fourth program is an excellent illustration of the way 
 in which a child may easily be directly introduced to a big world 
 of workers which helps to provide for his wants and necessities. 
 
 "One morning during conversation, making furniture was 
 mentioned. A boy said he could make some chairs and tables 
 if he had the material and tools. We had only one hammer. 
 The next day several children brought hammers or saws. One 
 brought an arm full of thin boards. There were no nails so I 
 suggested we go to a nearby hardware store and buy some. The 
 whole twenty -eight trooped off to make the purchase. No one 
 tarried on the way back for time was too precious. 
 
 I borrowed a few tools from the manual training department. 
 Nearly all the boys worked at carpentry. A few watched and 
 one had the wheelban-ow to deliver the products. The girls played 
 with the dolls or took their crayons and paper. Some cut 
 fancy covers for the tallies, to-be. 
 
 After much sawing and hammering, and a few arguments, 
 several passable chairs and tables were made, upon which the 
 girls pounced with joy. One boj' made a very good wagon, using 
 the wheels which had come off the hobby horses. He took the 
 dolls to ride. 
 
 At 10:30 we were interrupted by a party, the birthday of a 
 little girl. Her mother sent a beautiful basket of ginger cookies, 
 and wee baskets filled with candy, one for each child. These were 
 hidden about the room and all had a grand hunt. 
 
 We finished the morning with a game." 
 
 30 
 
ATTAINMENTS OF A CHILD PROMOTED 
 TO THE FIRST GRADE FROM THE 
 KINDERGARTEN 
 
 1. Growth in ideals of health and health habits as practiced 
 at home and at kindergarten. In manj^ cases the kindergarten 
 has to set up ideals unfamiliar to the child. The end of the first 
 year should see firmly established the habit of coming to school 
 in cleanly condition as to person and clothing. They should have 
 acquired standards as to what is meant by a "tidy kindergarten 
 room" and have learned hygienic ways of cleaning up. 
 
 2. Growth in knowledge of worth-while experiences of the im- 
 mediate environment. Each group should know as a little child 
 may the delights of his own neighborhood in the different seasons 
 of the year. The same neighborhood will never furnish two 
 years in succession just the same possibilities. Unexpected hap- 
 penings will often furnish a kindergartener with her largest op- 
 portunity. Little walks to the nearby homes will help children 
 to see more in their own door yards. 
 
 3. Growth in power to get on with teachers and playmates. 
 Often the little child has been the center of the home life and has 
 had to make no adjustments. Others have adjusted themselves 
 to him. The kindergarten gives him a chance to see that he is 
 not the only one to be considered, that he must help carry blocks 
 as well as build the tower, that he must take his turn at the favorite 
 toy, must share the favorite picture book. He finds no yielding 
 to his whim yet sympathetic understanding. 
 
 4. Growth in the power to apply himself to the following out of 
 his purposes. He is let alone when he is trying to do something, 
 helped when he comes to the end of his own power to think or do. 
 He has learned to persevere in the carrying out of his own 
 
 31 
 
desires. With some children too much repressed, there must be 
 roused the desire to make plans. Spoiled children must have 
 learned to accept guidance. 
 
 5. Growth in power to interpret directions through following 
 them with the group and later as individuals. Many little chil- 
 dren have had no experience in conformity of any type. They 
 learn to move as a group, to break up into smaller groups and work 
 under direction. They become accustomed to a world a bit 
 larger than that of the home, regulated by laws needed for best 
 working. 
 
 6. Growth in power to express meanings or desires in words, 
 in plastic material, in song and dramatic play. The kinder- 
 garten teacher sets before the child every available type of plastic 
 material, leads him to experiment with these mediums of ex- 
 pression and as need arises helps him in his efforts. She intro- 
 duces to him through story, picture or song, the art form of his 
 own everyday experience and so helps him to beauty of telling. 
 
 7. Growth in enjoyment of beauty. The crystal bowl of gold 
 fish, the basket of huckleberry branches, the orderly arrangement 
 of material ready for work, the teacher's deliglit in the pretty 
 stone brought by the child, the little stand for the bouquet of 
 violets, the lovely color in the clouds, — all the attention given to 
 these manifestations of beauty have given the kindergarten 
 child a chance to grow in enjoyment of everydaj^ things. 
 
 The reports of the Day's Work in the first grades show the 
 maturing of children's interests and serve to make clear the uti- 
 lization of these in the acquisition of Reading and Language and 
 other subjects of the primary curriculum as usually organized. 
 
 A DAY'S WORK IN THE FIRST GRADE. 
 REPORT NO. 1. 
 
 This report of "A Day's Work in the First Grade" is that of 
 a class ranked below the average in maturity. It was written 
 early in the fall. 
 
 32 
 
1. Things brought from home. 
 
 Beatrice brought some cloth to make her doll a dress during 
 the Free Work Period this afternoon. Lloyal said he had a large 
 box to bring for a cupboard but had forgotten it. I brought a 
 small pasteboard box for the Mother Bear's chair. Ehzabeth 
 brought some roses and Nora Jean some asters. They filled the 
 vases with water and arranged the flowers for the room. An- 
 other Elizabeth said she could make paper mats for the vases. 
 I suggested that she might make some this afternoon at the Fi'ee 
 Woi"k Period. 
 
 2. Hygiene. 
 
 Every one except Martha, slept with his windows open last 
 night and all went to bed at eight o'clock. 
 
 The children found something new on the bulletin board. 
 There was a picture of a little boy who had stayed up too late 
 and had fallen asleep. Underneath it were two printed sentences 
 which had been given to me and written on the blackboard yes- 
 terday. They were: 
 
 We go to bed at eight o'clock. 
 
 We sleep with our windows open. 
 
 3. Our Project. 
 
 We had a new chart to read this morning. It was all about 
 our trip to the market yesterday. We had written this story 
 on the blackl)oard when we returned antl now we had it in printed 
 form : 
 
 We went to the market. 
 
 We saw vegetables. 
 
 We saw fruit. 
 
 The man gave us a box. 
 
 We are going to have a market. 
 
 This chart was not so attractive as our other chart had been. 
 It had no pictures. I suggested they might cut and color some 
 
 33 
 
of the things they saw. 
 
 We studied shapes of vegetables on our bkie print chart 
 and also vegetables cut from catalog pages yesterday. 
 
 At the end of the period beets, potatoes and carrots were ready 
 for the chart. These children found their names in our board 
 lesson : 
 
 Magnus made a beet. 
 Edna made a potato. 
 Raymond made a carrot. 
 
 At this time Lloyal painted the Mother Bear's chair and 
 Virginia painted the Father Bear's bed. 
 
 4. Play Time. 
 
 Ten o'clock is our play time. We played we were a great 
 forest of tall trees with our roots buried deep in the earth. The 
 strong north wind bent us in rhythmic motion while I hummed 
 "See-Saw". Then the east wind bent us rhythmically. Next 
 we made wide spreading trees that gave shade and the wind 
 twisted our branches and trunks every way. Our leaves fell 
 rhythmically while I sang "Autumn Leaves". One bo}- sug- 
 gested that nuts fell too and we could tap. So to the same music 
 the nuts fell. Then we were children again. We went to the 
 tool shed to get the rake. We raked the leaves to the right and 
 to the left in long, sweeping rhythmic motions while I hummed 
 "My Ball". 
 
 We sat down while one boy bounced and caught a large 
 ball. We counted. He bounced it eleven times, another child 
 four times and another eleven times without missing. 
 
 We then had about two minutes of quiet rest , each child rest-, 
 ing in the way he felt most comfortable. 
 
 5. Word Study and Study Period. 
 
 When we went to the market we noticed the man had baskets 
 and boxes for his fruits and vegetables. We have learned we 
 need practice in cutting on a line if we are to make receptacles 
 for our produce. So the children cut ruled paper into strips 
 during their study period. 
 
 34 
 
For word study we used a familiar chart : 
 
 We eat fruit for breakfast. 
 
 We eat mush for breakfast. 
 
 We eat toast for breakfast. 
 
 We eat eggs. 
 
 We eat hotcakes. 
 
 We eat bacon. 
 I also had these sentences printed separately on strips. Out 
 of these strips they built up a chart in our rack to match the 
 original chart. 
 
 6. Literature. 
 
 I retold the story of "The Gingerbread Boy" writing this 
 
 list of characters on the board: 
 A little old woman 
 A Uttle old man 
 A horse 
 A cow 
 
 A pig 
 
 A barnful of threshers 
 A field full of mowers 
 The children chimed in when the repetition of these names 
 came in the story. 
 
 When I had finished I asked if one would like to say or do 
 something that was in the story. Shy little Edna came up to me 
 and said, "I'd hke to chew up the Gingerbread Boy". So she 
 snapped at me four times while I was the Gingerbread Boy. 
 After the ice had been broken Otto wanted to be the fox. So 
 Lloyal volunteered to be the Gingerbread Boy. 
 
 The dialogue was as follows : 
 The fox snapped 
 
 Gingerbread Boy:-Oh I'm one quarter gone. 
 The fox snapped 
 
 Gingerbread Boy:-Oh I'm two quarters gone. 
 The fox snapped 
 Gingerbread Boy:-I'm three quarters gone. 
 
 35 
 
The fox snapped 
 Gingerbread Boy:-Well, I'm gone. 
 I was interested in noting Lloyal said "two quarters" when 
 I had always said "half gone". He also gave an original in- 
 tonation to his "I'm gone". 
 
 7. Music. 
 
 At one o'clock the children took their "singing seats". We 
 "tuned up" and learned a new one line song. We have a good 
 choir to lead us. 
 
 8. Drawing. 
 
 We painted a flat yellow wash today. We are trying hard 
 to make all our paintings good colors for we are going to make 
 a color book with reading in it soon. We are also learning that 
 we must be careful in handling our chipboard for two paint cups 
 were spilled today. We are learning too that a good clear color 
 demands a clean paint box and a clean brush. 
 
 9. Reading. 
 
 I read the story of "Little Black Sambo". The children 
 were fascinated with the tale. Jo and Roy, two disinterested 
 babies, stood by me and became interested. The children at the 
 back of the room came to the front and sat in the chairs about me. 
 I read slowly. We stopped to laugh and exclaim and to look at 
 the pictures. This book was much in demand during the Free 
 Work Period later. 
 
 10. Play Time. 
 
 Just before recess we went out on the playground and played 
 "Squirrel in the Trees". 
 
 1 1 . Free Work Period. 
 
 This was a busy period. The socializing influence of such 
 a period is already very marked. None shoved or pushed but 
 each waited his turn for materials. Only one had to have the 
 privilege of the Free Period taken away from him. The black- 
 boaid is a new discovery and is being very popular these days. 
 Naturally it is crowded and Robert began to fight with his fists 
 
 36 
 
for more room. I noted that the children do not have any 
 variety of ideas about what to make on the board. I shall have 
 some simple forms on the board to-morrow for suggestions— a 
 little wagon, balls, rabbits, cats, haystacks, railroad tracks, 
 crosses, etc. 
 
 A number of the girls are sewing. Ruth asked if I had any 
 buttons. When I said I did not she said she would have to re- 
 member to bring some to-morrow as her dress was almost ready 
 for the buttons. 
 
 Elizabeth started the paper mat for our vase and put it into 
 her school bag to take home to finish. 
 
 Raymond made a paper boat by pasting the ends. 
 
 Martha started a wee booklet. Her pictures are squares of 
 color. 
 
 The twelve picture books which the library has loaned us were 
 very popular. They love to look at "Little Black Sambo". 
 
 We ended the period today with neat shelves. It had not 
 been so two days ago, so we had had to lose some of our free 
 period the next day cleaning house. The experience seems to be 
 bearing fruit. 
 
 A DAY'S WORK IN THE FIRST GRADE. 
 REPORT NO. 2. 
 
 This report is that of a day's work in March with a group 
 of advanced first grade children. 
 
 9:00- 9:05 As soon as the children are in their places, we 
 sing 'good morning' to each other; and then after 
 reciting our health verse, a few minutes are given 
 to talking of proper health habits. Each child 
 tells what he has done that morning toward clean- 
 liness. 
 
 9:05-10:05 The next hour is used for Free Work, Group Read- 
 ing and Study. We touch briefly on any picture 
 or article brought to school that morning; any 
 object of special interest seen at home or on the 
 way to school; or any recent experience, which 
 
 37 
 
may be worked out during this free work period. 
 Then the children choose a book to study. Those 
 who have studied at home are helpers and tell the 
 words, which some child is having trouble in sound- 
 ing out. As a child finishes studying, he comes 
 up to read; or, if there is no chair vacant, finds the 
 work he wants to do until there is room for him. 
 The books read during this period are rather simple 
 so that the child may study independently as far 
 as possible. After reading a page or two and 
 commenting on the subject matter, he goes back 
 to his table and chooses his work. This work 
 comprises all sorts and kinds of activities and it 
 is surprising and gratifying to note the growth of 
 independence, initiative, originality and harmony 
 among the children. All are bus}^ and all happy, 
 whether sewing, cutting, painting, writing, reading, 
 printing, modeling, designing, making booklets, 
 matching words, building blocks, playing store, or 
 making a sand table story. After all the mate- 
 rial is put away and the tables cleaned off, the 
 best work, or a new piece of work, or something 
 which may lead to further activity and develop- 
 ment, is shown and commented upon and criti- 
 cized. There is very little unkind or unjust 
 criticism, no matter how crude the work may be. 
 
 10:05-10:15 For the next ten minutes we exercise a bit to 
 stretch cramped muscles and work out some 
 story play for Physical Education. 
 
 10:15-10:30 Then follows the Music. We sing the songs for 
 that month, and any others the children may 
 choose. 
 
 10:30-10:40 During the Penmanship work, half of the children 
 go to the board at a time, while the other half 
 
 38 
 
watch and criticise. It is no unusual thing fo 
 have a child at his seat run up to show some one 
 at the board where he is making the letter incorrect- 
 ly, or to ask that some one's work be left on the 
 board because it is so good. 
 
 10:40-11 :05 Recess and free play period. 
 
 11:05-11:30 The rest of the morning we spend in word-study 
 and drill. The children pick out the words they 
 do not know and cannot sound for themselves. 
 We have a rapid drill on these words, which in- 
 volves counting the number of times they appear, 
 on what pages, whether color words, or time words, 
 their relation to the subject matter. All this 
 helps to fix the words and brings in sense-training. 
 
 11:30-1:00 The lunch hour. A majority of the children buy 
 their milk or something hot from the Cafeteria 
 to supplement their lunches. Since Chew-Chew's 
 visit, many more buy milk. 
 
 1:00- 1:10 The first thing in the afternoon .we have a rapid 
 drill in Phonics. 
 
 1:10- 1:55 Then comes class reading. We use a dramatic 
 reader for this work and play the story and make 
 it a socialized lesson. The children at the tables 
 have seat-work in connection with the reading 
 lesson. 
 
 1:55- 2:00 Five minutes for recess and 
 
 2:00- 2:10 ten minutes for supervised play. If it is rainy, 
 
 we put back the tables and chairs and play in 
 
 the room. 
 
 39 
 
2:10- 2:30 Following the play comes Drawing or Industrial 
 Arts, at the close of which period a few minutes is 
 given to friendly criticism and helpful suggestions 
 by the various children. 
 
 2 :30- 2 :40 The last ten minutes of our day we spend in playing 
 Language Games, or Folk Dancing, or perhaps 
 some one asks for a story. Then we say good- 
 night to each other and go home. 
 
 40 
 
ATTAINMENTS OF A CHILD PROMOTED 
 FROM THE FIRST GRADE 
 
 1. Growth in health and growth in right habits of phj'sical 
 living and appreciation of the work of the mother in keeping 
 the home clean and of that of the nurse and doctor in the home. 
 This includes the work outlined in the Course of Study in Hygiene 
 and other phases of Physical Education. 
 
 2. Growth in knowledge of worth gained through rich expe- 
 riences with others in supplying needs, through growing conscious- 
 ness of his place in his home and his relations and responsibilities. 
 These experiences have been interpreted to him by the teacher in 
 conversation, story or song. This knowledge includes that out- 
 lined under geography, history, nature study and literature. 
 The "talking over" of the situation, the making of plans, the 
 statement of difficulties necessitates the real use of language. 
 
 3. Growth in ideals of his responsibility for doing his share in 
 small home and school duties. The child develops a sense of 
 what the privileges of citizenship mean by exercising all the re- 
 sponsibilities which a six-year old can pi-ofitably carry. 
 
 4. Growth in the power of cooperation with playfellows, the 
 ability to lead in activities in a small or large group according to 
 his capacity. First grade children may read in small groups 
 helping each other. They may help each other in handwork if 
 taught not to do work for each other. A small group may 
 dramatize a story for the large group. Individuals may lead in 
 games. 
 
 5. Growth in the power to keep himself busy at work assigned 
 or self chosen projects. He has the power to help plan his own 
 day— to find a new task when one piece of work is completed. 
 He does not have to be "kept busy." He keeps himself busy 
 because he has learned to do many useful things. He keeps 
 himself busy ]:)ecause of th^ increase in number and quality of 
 his desires. This growth should show in his out-of-school activities. 
 His day is too short for his undertakings. 
 
 ■11 
 
6. Growth in language power. He has learned to listen eagerly 
 to stories, to comprehend what he hears, to ask questions if he 
 does not understand. He has had the delight of telling the other 
 children of his week-end at the beach. He has known the little 
 boy of long ago as he found him in Stevenson's "When I was 
 Down Beside the Sea." He has drawn the picture to illustrate 
 his tale. With his companions he has made the bay in the 
 sandtable. He has brought from home pictures of a boy just like 
 himself wading on the beach. In the reading book he found the 
 story of another beach party. In rhythmic games he has ex- 
 pressed his memory of the wave which almost overtook him. 
 He has made a "Book of the Sea" with labeled pictures for the 
 room library. Listening, talking, telling, writing, acting, build- 
 ing, drawing, reading, — all have been avenues of communication. 
 His language lessons have been needed ones. 
 
 7. Art of Reading. Surrounded by books, hearing stories read 
 by older children and the teacher, he has learned to read. 
 Beginning with labeled objects and pictures, blackboard and chart 
 lessons, making his own chart, composing the "Daily News," 
 he has passed on to the good story book he finds in his primer, the 
 account of other children in books of the "Bobby and Betty" 
 type, finding word drills and phonic lessons needed helps toward 
 satisfying his desire to read. The normal child will be able to 
 read any of the first grade material supplied and to read in the 
 pleasure readers keeping a record of his own progress. He 
 will be able to find out for himself his assigned duties for the day 
 as found on the work chart; he will be eager to see what news the 
 teacher or some child has supplied for the bulletin board. Many 
 children will read easily second grade material. Children suffer- 
 ing the handicap of not knowing the language or lack of right 
 home conditions may not be ready for reading from a book till 
 after Christmas. Experiences must first be arranged for and the 
 words to express the ideas gained from these experiences must be 
 heard and used. Remedial work in reading is given in the new 
 outline. 
 
 42 
 
8. Power of appreciation. The child should be made conscious 
 of the beauty to be seen from every window. "Looking for the 
 mountain" should be as frequent a performance as inspecting 
 the children's hands. Attempts to express beauty though the 
 expression be crude makes the consciousness of its existence more 
 keen. Every child should "own a robin's song" so personal 
 should the attitude be toward the every day opportunity for 
 right enjoyment. 
 
 43 
 
ACTIVITIES OF THE SECOND GRADE 
 
 The activities of the second grade naturally introduce the 
 child to a wider range of experiences; his interests stretch out to 
 his neighborhood; his wonder grows as to the loads of produce 
 from the market gai'dens or the farm, the load of flower pots from 
 the pottery, the lumber from the sawmill. A study of the 
 activities of his own immediate community outside his home 
 opens his mind to the relationships involved, — a survey of all 
 the men in our block and where they work, inquiry as to the loads 
 carried by the trucks passing along our street, the looking back 
 into Indian and Pilgrim days and the communitj^ life of that time, 
 stories of the Tree-dwellers all prepare him for the study of 
 Seattle and the World Journeys of grade three. 
 
 The first part of the first semester of the second grade may 
 well be given over to bringing to consciousness in the seven 
 year-old his larger surroundings, — the workers in the street, 
 a study of his neighborhood with especial attention to all the 
 typical human activities going on in every community, the build- 
 ings representative of institutional life, the street traffic and its 
 regulations, the representatives of city government with whom 
 he comes in contact, (the policeman, the traffic officer and the 
 fireman), the sharers in providing the supplies of food, clothing 
 and shelter in the little neighborhood, the beautiful gardens in 
 the neighborhood, the stars overhead, the beach at the end of 
 the road, the suriounding mountain ranges. His reading gives 
 him stories of other children like himself in other typical commu- 
 nities. He learns to read more and more for himself, to find in 
 books the answers to questions he cannot answer for himself. 
 He becomes curious as to how things used to be and is interested 
 in stories of Indian days (the days of Hiawatha), and finds keen 
 
 44 
 
delight in the stories of primitive ways in the Tree-dwellers. 
 The study of primitive life compared to that of modern conditions 
 should make up the work of 2A, leaving the study of Local History 
 and World Journeying to the third grade. He has a growing 
 interest in the arithmetical side of life for his own experience in 
 that direction is broadening. He prides himself on his ability 
 to spell and delights in making things to present to others his 
 deas. He grows more critical of his technique in "doing what he 
 wants to do" and is glad of help in improving his execution. 
 
 4;") 
 
ACTIVITIES SUITED TO THE SECOND GRADE 
 
 I. Activities which tend toward the Maintenance of Life 
 
 and Health, 
 
 Health inspection by Good Health Club. 
 
 Practicing health chores at home and at school. 
 
 Keeping weight and height records, and tr}''ing to improve 
 
 their condition. 
 Giving demonstrations of "How to Clean Your Teeth," 
 
 "How to Brush Your Hair," "How to Wash Your 
 
 Hands." 
 Outdoor play involving large muscles. 
 Formulating rules for health habits and safety. 
 Making a scrapbook, a poster or chart showing "Good 
 
 Posture." 
 Making a community health book with collections of pictures, 
 
 rhymes, stories, rules and drawings. 
 Learning to make sanitary drinking cups for all trips. 
 Making a set of cards to be used in Arithmetic showing 
 
 pictures of good combinations for lunch. 
 Dramatizing the work of the fireman, traffic officer, police 
 
 man, doctor, nurse, mother and father in preventing 
 
 injury and maintaining health. 
 Making "Safety First" and "Good Health" plays. 
 Making health charts for the bathroom or child's own home 
 
 room. 
 
 II. Activities which tend to Practical Efficiency in the Common 
 
 Needs of Life. 
 
 Caring for his own belongings and for school materials and 
 
 property. 
 Taking his part in "The Housekeepers' Club." 
 Supplying his own needs whenever possible by making crude 
 wooden articles, — scissor racks, a box for books, models 
 to illustrate talks, or by bringing articles from home. 
 
 46 
 
Having at least once a year the actual experience involved 
 in a lemonade sale, a peanut sale, a puppet show care- 
 fully planned to develop the practical ability of the 
 children. 
 Book dated to show progress in his work. 
 
 Excursions as a class, in groups or as individuals, for the pur- 
 pose of studying the occupations of the neighborhood, 
 to watch the paving being laid, to see the new addition 
 being built, to visit the postoffice, the fire-station, the 
 fire-box. 
 
 The learning of the location and names of streets; drawing a 
 rough map of directions traveled. 
 
 Carrying on a plaj^ cafeteria with the same prices as the real 
 one, with careful attention to accuracy in Arithmetic, the 
 chance for reading, the choice of food, the chance for 
 good speech habits and courtesy. 
 
 Activities tending toward gaining control of the tools of 
 communication. 
 
 Writing invitations for the P. T. A. meetings, concerts and 
 festivals. 
 
 Making a class spelling chart. 
 
 Working to increase rate in reading and degree of compre- 
 hension, greater accuracy in sounding words so that he 
 can enjoy reading his library books himself. 
 
 Drilling himself by hunting known words in old readers as 
 a test of his independence. 
 
 Keeping "My Own Arithmetic Book" through the year. 
 This may be illustrated. The problems should be read 
 to classmates. 
 
 Making his own drill cards for the "Hard Combinations," 
 arithmetic games to be used for self drilling at home, or 
 group work on difficulties. 
 
 Playing valentine sale, a five-and-ten store or sand store 
 provides good drill work. Collecting number rhymes 
 
 47 
 
increases children's interest in the quantitative side. 
 Keeping a record of the time required to conquer the 
 "Easy Combinations," the ''Hard Ones," the "Most 
 Difficult Combinations" tends to definite effort. Par- 
 ticipation in arithmetic contests and games in groups 
 and with other rooms. 
 
 Keeping a "Monday Story Book" in which on each Monday 
 the story of the week-end experience is written. Illus- 
 trations will add to the interest in these journals. 
 
 Following up as home projects the "Things to Do" suggested 
 in The Tree-dwellers. 
 
 III. Activities ivhich tend toward Cooperation and Regulative 
 Measures needed in Every Day Life. 
 
 Participation in patriotic assemblies. 
 
 Belonging to a Kwan Lomah (Good Friend) Club. 
 
 Working in committees to care for the needs of the play- 
 ground and school room. 
 
 Cooperative building of a representation of "Our Neighbor- 
 hood," being pushed by the leader to include all the in- 
 stitutional elements necessary for living in a cooperative 
 community, the children seeing these agencies from the 
 standpoint of how they help them. 
 
 Giving a Labor Day Parade illustrative of the occupations of 
 the communtiy. Collecting a set of labeled pictures to 
 illustrate "Our Fathers at Work." Collecting pictures 
 to make charts illustrating different stores in the 
 community. 
 
 Making a patriotic play on "What Our City Gives to Us," 
 introducing the characters of the fireman, the park man, 
 the school master. 
 
 Keeping a room record of "Our Year's Work." Each time 
 a big piece of work is done the children compose a class 
 report of it. This is written in the book. Add speci- 
 mens of the work when practicable. 
 
 Arranging an Indian exhibit to which another room is invited, 
 the children to give talks on the articles brought. 
 
 48 
 
Making home gardens, filling window box, making ladders for 
 the window plants, performing soil experiments, planting 
 bulbs, providing flowers for the school and as gifts for 
 sick children. 
 
 IV. Activities which tend toward the Wise Use of Leisure. 
 
 a. Social Activities. 
 
 Giving a Hallowe'en party for the first grade. 
 
 Giving an Indian play for assembly. 
 
 Giving a series of Indian talks illustrated by charts pre- 
 pared by the children. 
 
 A Once-A-Week story hour. 
 
 A partiotic concert for Washington's Birthday. 
 Carol singing at Christmas. 
 Participation in the May Festival 
 
 Making rh janes for valentines, gift cards, or just for fun. 
 Running in a movie theatre "The Adventures of Robinson 
 
 Crusoe." 
 
 b. Activities which tend to habits of intellectual enjoyment 
 of History or Drama. 
 
 Impromptu pageants, — "In Indian Days," "In Tree- 
 dwellers' Land," "Workers" (from the Tree-dwellers, 
 Indians, Grandfathers down to men and boys of 
 to-day) 
 
 Making a puppet theatre in which Hiawatha is presented 
 as the story grows in the mind of the children. 
 
 Making "A Betsy Ross" house, a "Night Before Christ- 
 mas" room. 
 
 Building an Indian village on the playground (in a 
 small school) and giving an Indian story hour. 
 
 Having special periods for library reading. 
 
 Giving special programs of favorite poems or stories, or 
 from favorite writers for children, — Christina 
 Rosetti. 
 
 Keeping a record of "Books we Have Read." 
 
 Writing rhymes in imitation of favorite poems. 
 
 49 
 
Collecting or making illustrations for favorite stories or 
 poems. 
 
 Making poetry books with the help of the printing done 
 
 by older boys and girls. 
 Activities which tend toward investigation of special 
 
 subjects of interest. 
 
 Walks to study the neighborhood and a representation 
 of it made in the sand table. Making a village like 
 the early one of the school's neighborhood, — 
 "Gatewood Community," "The Village of Ballard," 
 "Fremont and the Bridges." 
 
 Making a "Raggedy Andy" village. 
 
 Making a Pilgrim village, a Holland town, or an Indian 
 camp and Grandfather's farm. 
 
 Making Indian, Tree-dweller, Pilgrim and Dutch dolls 
 out of clothespins, corn husks, or stockinet for 
 themselves, for sandtable use, or for younger 
 brothers and sisters. 
 
 Going to see at a Chinese shop the collection of ivory and 
 wood carvings of "People at Work." 
 
 Keeping Bird and Flower Calendars in each room, — a 
 picture of each bird observed or flower brought in, 
 the date and name of child ol)serving it. 
 
 Making a book showing on opposite pages comparisons 
 of the life of an Indian child and a white child in the 
 matter of food, clothing, shelter, travel, games and 
 school. Each page should be labeled. 
 
 Making books on subjects of special interest suggested 
 by the year's work, — birds, wild animals, the stars 
 the weather, games, Indians, Robinson Crusoe. 
 
 Making lists of good Indian stories, Indian songs and 
 poems found in library books or readers. 
 
 Making a sandtable "Zoo." 
 
 Collecting pictures of paths, roads, tunnels, modern 
 means of transportation. 
 
 Art Activities, — Creation of beauty or attempts to 
 
 express appreciation of beauty. 
 
 50 
 
Trips to see the pictures in the building which relate to 
 children's interests. 
 
 Making a room collection of famous pictures showing workers 
 of all kinds,— "The Blacksmith", "Woman at a Churn," 
 "Feeding the Chickens," "The Angelus," "The Hay- 
 makers." 
 
 Keeping a "Shrine of Beauty" in the room where something 
 lovely is placed each day. Committees may be appoint- 
 ed to provide the "something beautiful" with the advice 
 of the teacher. 
 
 Children and teacher may make a collection of beautiful 
 stories of workers,— "The Japanese Stonecutter," "The 
 Story of Vulcan.", "Minerva the Spinner." 
 
 A Spring Festival may express in a creative way the beauty 
 of movement, song and color with the setting of the out- 
 of-doors. 
 
 A DAY'S WORK IN THE SECOND GRADE 
 
 "At 8:00 a. m. the teacher was met by several boys anxious 
 to be allowed to go to the work bench. Consent being given, 
 they continued the activities in progress. Children came in as 
 they reached school and after disposal of wraps, found some- 
 thing to do, either at the blackboard or at their seats. Some 
 worked in groups of three or more, others singly. One wanted 
 to help the teacher by getting paper from the cupboard for the 
 day's work. Nearly all were in the room by nine and were asked 
 to come to their seats for morning exercises— the common 
 meeting ground, the very family altar of the school — where each 
 one brings the fruits of his observations and studies, or the music 
 or verse that particularly appeals to him. Here the child makes a 
 real effort at self-expression, and making himself understood by 
 others clarifies his thought and gains skill. He says something 
 we wish to hear and this habit of meeting an audience gives 
 self-possession and confidence not gained in any other way. 
 
 This morning we had many interesting reports on bird 
 observations and stories of the habits of those we had been study- 
 
 51 
 
ing. Some had a verse or a song about a wren or a robin and 
 Cornelia had made at home a poster of wild geese flying, which 
 she was proud to show her companions. At 9:40 the teacher 
 called one class to the Reading Circle in the front of the room 
 and the others were asked to do some number work on paper or 
 at the blackboard. 
 
 In the reading lesson much criticism is allowed and the class 
 decides when a pupil should be excused and allowed to pass to any 
 part of the room to work at something worth ivhile, while the others 
 finish the lesson. 
 
 Those who had been at number work in turn came to the 
 chairs with their readers, which left places at the blackboard 
 for the others to proceed with their arithmetic. At 10:15 a first 
 grade, on invitation, came to see a Bird Festival we had been 
 rehearsing for several weeks. Many little acts of courtesy had to 
 be called for — room mad(^ for visitors, boys seeing that girls 
 had first choice, and finding a nice place for the visiting teacher. 
 Children managed the play themselves, one boy playing the 
 victrola at the suitable time for liird entrances. One rather 
 officious child had to be rel)uked quietly by the teacher for 
 meddling, but except for that, all went smoothly. The visitors 
 were apparently much entertained and requested more, so a 
 little "Bird Dialogue" was given by five little tots. The visitors 
 were thanked for being such good listeners and passed to their 
 room. 
 
 A Free Period followed at 11:00 o'clock and most of the 
 children went immediately to some chosen work. At first when 
 this work was undertaken many difficulties arose. Some swarmed 
 to one corner, some pushed, but a set of rules have been evolved 
 and when broken, a punishment is meted out. Now the over 
 impulsive child has learned to conti-ol his impulses, the backward 
 one has gained confidence and the rules seldom have to be referred 
 to. At the close of the period the teacher spent some time in 
 discussing the problems attempted and the ends gained. A 
 few had wasted time and had nothing to show. At 11 :15 a silent 
 reading lesson was given to each class as follows: 
 
 52 
 
On the blackboard was written: "There was an old woman 
 who lived" etc. Draw a large shoe. Color it black. Make a 
 small window. Make six children. Make three looking out of 
 the window. Make two looking over the shoe. Make one peep- 
 ing around the toe." The lesson for the other group was simpler: 
 "Up in the tree a little bird sings. Under the tree a little girl 
 swings. Make a picture." This lesson completed the morning's 
 work. 
 
 At 1 :00 the children came in informally, removed their 
 wraps and conversed freely with each other or the teacher. The 
 latter requested them to take seats. A drawing lesson followed. 
 Samples of gingham and plaid for aprons or dresses had been 
 brought from home, and after discussion as to coloring and design, 
 a simple pink check was selected and the children painted on 
 paper. As they finished each one placed his on the blackboard 
 and passed to the library for a book. When all had completed 
 his design, children were called to seats for writing. 
 
 An invitation to the third grade to visit us and see our "Play" 
 was worded from the children's suggestions and written on the 
 blackboard by the teacher. The children copied this on paper. 
 1 :20 An arithmetic lesson followed. 
 A guessing contest. 
 
 A bean bag game, children adding their score. 
 Writing of bill of fare for lunch and computing its 
 cost. 
 
 At 2:00 o'clock all passed to the basement and on returning 
 asked to take Music Books and seats for the lesson. Some 
 exercises were sung individually and in concert. Much class 
 criticism of tone, quality and expression in song singing followed. 
 Five minutes passed in a sense training exercise. Birds cut from 
 cardboard were handed to one blind-folded who had to guess 
 "Robin, wren or woodpecker." 
 
 The last fifteen minutes were devoted to a written language 
 lesson. As many as possible went to the blackboard, others were 
 given paper. After discussion regarding a club which has just 
 
 53 
 
been organized, they were asked to write about it. Sentences 
 like this were evolved: 
 
 Did you know we had a club? 
 Would you like to know its name? 
 It is "The Philadelphians." 
 
 54 
 
ATTAINMENTS OF A CHILD PROMOTED FROM THE 
 SECOND GRADE 
 
 1. Growth in ideals of health, health habits and a sense of 
 his responsibility for contributing to the health and safety of 
 others. He comes to understand more clearly the reasons for the 
 habits of right living earlier inculcated. He listens with a better 
 degree of comprehension to the talks of the school nurse, is 
 interested in the safety rules demonstrated by the older children. 
 He is more intelligent in his practice of hygienic law and self 
 preservative measures. 
 
 2. Growth in knowledge of the life of his neighborhood. 
 A child's neighborhood, its work and its workers, the street 
 traffic, the stores, the church, school house and library is the world 
 in miniature to the seven-year-old. It must be interpreted to him. 
 He must become conscious of all that is going on, of all that has 
 been done to make life for him in that neighborhood safe, comfor- 
 table and possessed of many opportunities. He must have this 
 so clearly in his mind that from it his imagination will carry him 
 to other neighborhoods in his own city and across the sea. He 
 draws a diagram of his neighborhood walk and so comes to under- 
 stand another type of symbol — the roughly drawn map. This 
 intimate knowledge of the environment is the stuff with which he 
 sees the world. It includes the beginnings of Nature Study, 
 Geography and History. From this as a basis he reasons back 
 to the primitive stage when "none of these things were," and 
 understands dimly how far we have come from the age of the 
 Tree-dwellers. 
 
 3. Growth in power to work with others. The second grade 
 child belongs to a club which under guidance provides for the 
 morning exercise, frames the rules for the use of materials, dis- 
 cusses and finds solutions for problems of disorderly and careless 
 actions. They form committees for taking care of "Our Library," 
 
 55 
 
for keeping the cloak room in order, for preparing a chart, for 
 sandtable construction. The}' learn to help each other more 
 effectively. They show more pride in class records. They are 
 less individualistic. 
 
 4. Growth in the power to express ideas and power to com- 
 prehend the expression of ideas by others. In the constant effort 
 to widen the range of his observation, to make him more familiar 
 with the people, animals, trees and flowers of his neighborhood, 
 he rapidly acquires a larger vocabulary enriched by clearer mean- 
 ings. His eyes perceive his surroundings and every tool, every 
 truck load, every institution, every individual has a story which 
 he reads for himself. Common situations are full of meaning. 
 A fruit stand on the corner sends his mind on travels to California 
 orange groves or Yakima orchards or camels bearing their burden 
 of dates across the desert. He dreams back to the day when 
 there was no fire station, no corner store, no street cars, no auto- 
 mobiles, but still fathers and mothers and boys and girls. In- 
 terest in the long ago and the faraway begins to grow in him 
 through what he hears and what he tells. The power of effective 
 speech grows as he needs it in his listening and telling. His 
 manner of speech he tries out by the customs of his little world 
 and begins to struggle to conform in the use of accepted forms of 
 speech. He finds the need of corrective work in language and 
 likes to live up to the teacher's ideal of "Correct speech." He 
 takes his part in telling of the bird he has seen so that others may 
 identify it. He remembers long stories that he has read. He 
 likes to dramatize these stories. Efforts to imitate rhymes gives 
 a peculiai' pleasure as he gives more heed to form. He likes to 
 keep his own book of "hard words," his own illustrated diary. 
 
 5. Growth in the power to read for his own enjoyment and 
 and a growing sense of the value of the reading art in getting in- 
 formation. The second grade child reads many easy books with 
 pleasure. He learns to read questions to himself and without 
 vocalization frames the answer which he gives aloud. He has 
 less and less difficulty with word pronunciation. He is interested 
 in tests of his reading vocalmlary and tries to break his own record. 
 
 56 
 
He should be encouraged to find in all accessible books, stories or 
 information in regard to experiences similar to his own. He 
 should be led to test his power to read by the use of written direc- 
 tions, the continuation of the bulletin board, and the writing 
 of notes when occasion offers. Remedial methods should 
 test a child's ability, set up standards of achievement, provide 
 material for the word and phonic drills needed and keep a 
 record of the child's progress toward this goal. Reading in 
 connection with books like "The Journey in Numberland" is 
 valuable because of their practical use of the skill in the reading 
 art. Children in the second grade ma,y well begin picture collec- 
 tions, take library books and the parents be encovu'aged to begin 
 the accumulation of a home library. 
 
 6. Growth in power to appreciate and use the facts of the 
 quantitative side of life. He begins formal Arithmetic. It 
 comes naturally out of his supply of money for buying his lunch, 
 out of his going on errands at home and the provision of an 
 allowance by the wise parent. Play stores with pictures or real 
 articles, valentine sales, games, books of Arithmetic experiences 
 furnish some of the needed projects. The second grade child 
 gets a good working knowledge of the addition and subtraction 
 combinations. Differing as children do some will require much 
 more drill than others to fix these facts in the mind so that they 
 may be readily used. The new outline in Arithmetic for Primary 
 Grades seeks to analyze difficulties, and suggests methods of 
 fixing the desired degree of skill. From time to time simple 
 tests will provide for each child's receiving a definite measure of 
 his ability. Here time limits and records of progress will help to 
 make keen the desire to achieve. 
 
 7. Growth in the power to appreciate and enjoy a bit of 
 poetry which expresses his own experience, a picture which recalls 
 his mother and the baby, the beautiful tree in his own yard, the 
 sheer delight in the abandon of the folk dance. The Teacher 
 from her own store offers the children new sources of pleasure. 
 She places the bunch of daisies in the tall green jar and the child 
 sees the beauty in his gift which he had never seen before. 
 
 57 
 
ACTIVITIES OF THE THIRD GRADE 
 
 The nine-year-old is a person of considerable responsibility. 
 He travels about by himself, goes on long trips with his father and 
 mother, is able to apply himself industriously to the carrying out 
 of his plans, and is ready to go as far afield as his city and the 
 stories of other lands gleaned from people and from books may 
 carry him. He adds to his knowledge of common flowers, birds 
 and trees, turns up the stones on the beach to watch the little 
 crabs, — the stars call and the sea. He delights in scouting trips 
 in search of historic spots, goes to Suquamish to visit Chief 
 Sealth's grave, haunts the library for books on local history, 
 knows all the strange folks that may be seen in our ports, persuades 
 his father to take him aboard the liner loading lumber for India, 
 has his treasures that Uncle brought from Alaska, has perhaps 
 lived in Hawaii himself. He is ready to travel with the children 
 of other lands. He begins to delight in heroes of other lands, 
 joys in the achievements of the cavemen and their progress in 
 learning new arts. He has a keen interest in working toward 
 standards of attainment in penmanship, spelling and arithmetic, 
 and hkes to know that he has "broken his own score in reading." 
 He has more things to do than the day offers hours, and only 
 needs wise stimulation in building up weak points and doing 
 things better. 
 
 1 . A ctivities which tend toward the Maintenance of Life a nd Health . 
 
 Health inspection by Health Committees. 
 
 Holding one's self responsible for keeping health rules already 
 
 known. 
 Keeping weight and height records for each child and trying 
 
 to improve his condition. 
 Holding Good Health Club meetings. 
 Participation in vigorous outdoor play. 
 Giving health talks, working out health plays, making Good 
 
 Health posters. 
 
 58 
 
Making "A Good Health Program" or "A Child's Day" 
 illustrating and describing desirable habits. 
 
 Playing Chew-Chew, the Health Clown, for kindergarten and 
 first grade children; making sanitary drinking cups for 
 them; giving demonstrations to them of safety rules, and 
 watching them on the grounds in rainy weather to see 
 that they are properly protected. 
 
 Making charts showing "A Good Dinner," "A Good Break- 
 fast," "A Good Picnic Lunch." 
 
 Writing health jingles for the Health Magazine. 
 
 Activities which tend to Practical Efficiency in the Common 
 Needs of Life. 
 
 Participating in clubs, — A Self Improvement Club, The 
 Merry Workers Club, a sewing club, a thrift club, a 
 pohteness club and aspiring to "The Self Control Club" 
 (an honor club). 
 
 Caring for room and school grounds and school materials. 
 
 Supplying their own needs. — getting material for Indian 
 baskets, poles for Indian sandtable, sand to fill the table, 
 dirt for eggshell gardens, moss for sandtable, sticks for 
 house building, their own Christmas tree. 
 
 Going on one out-door cooking trip, digging clams and cook- 
 ing in the Indian method, following up the suggested 
 "Things to Do" in the Cavemen as individual projects. 
 
 Helping to prepare and arrange an exhibit of school work. 
 
 Keeping a dated "All-the-Year-Round Book" of their work 
 to show their progress. 
 
 Studying the out-doors in the light of its favorable influence 
 on those trying to find a means of living in our region, 
 learning the names and characteristics of plants useful or 
 injurious to man and animals. 
 
 Making a sandtable map of Seattle showing Harbor Bay, the 
 principal streets and sections of today and historic 
 spots. 
 
 Making collections of pictures of food making tools, — the 
 churn; food getting tools, — the bow and arrow, traps; 
 
 59 
 
looms ; t ransporation vehicles of olden times ; workers of 
 primitive times, Indian days and to-day. 
 
 Tracing materials used for food, shelter and clothing to their 
 sources, — "Who helped build your home?" Trips to 
 near-by sources not too complex for children of this age 
 to understand, — the rattan factory, a basket factory, a 
 sawmill, a table factory, to lumber and coal yards. 
 
 Taking vocabulary tests, tests in rate and comprehension in 
 reading, and trying to improve one's work. 
 
 Taking Arithmetic tests and working up toward a desirable 
 score, or being released for other work if score is high. 
 
 Making with the teacher a graph showing the spelling lesson 
 record for the class for a week. Trying to improve the 
 record of individuals and of the class. 
 
 Make scales of penmanship papers by placing the best at 
 one end of the row, the poorest at the other, the others 
 arranged between. Each individual tries to get nearer 
 the good end. Similar scales may be made in arith- 
 metic, in drawing. 
 
 Working in groups to help each other attain desired skill in 
 multiphcation tables, in spelling, in reading. 
 
 Making "My Own Spelling Book" for home study. 
 
 Making a "Historical Directory" of Seattle. 
 
 Making a game of important questions and answers on 
 "Around the World with the Children." 
 
 Giving once a year a sale or entertainment which will involve 
 making change with real money, — a peanut sale or a 
 flower sale. 
 
 Keeping a play grocery store. 
 
 Arithmetic contests with other rooms. 
 
 Making Arithmetic Charts showing advertisements of sales 
 of children's clothing, books and toys. 
 
 Activities which tend toward Cooperation and Regulative 
 Measures needed in Every Day Life. 
 
 Primary flag assemblies. Junior Civic Club, a miniature city 
 
 60 
 
(organized to take care of school i-oom duties), a Good 
 Health Club. 
 
 Planning a "Keep Clean Parade" around the grounds to 
 remind every-body of our duties in helping the Janitors. 
 
 Planning ways of helping the young children, taking them 
 across dangerous streets, making toys for them. 
 
 Helping take care of the school shrubbery, collecting cater- 
 pillar bands, keeping off the boulevard. 
 
 Discussing emergencies, making rules to be followed in the 
 halls, on the play grounds, on excursions, for the right 
 use of the period for free work with stress on the re- 
 sponsibility for following self-made rules. 
 
 Activities which tend toward the Wise Use of Leisure. 
 
 a. Spontaneous ph^'sical activities. 
 
 Play fetes, playing in the snow, leaves or sand. 
 Spontaneous pantomime to music. 
 
 b. Activities which cultivate sense enjoyment in wise ways. 
 Listening to records of songs, poems and stories already 
 
 known and enjoyed, records of Indian music, the 
 stately Pilgrim hymns, records illustrating tones of 
 different musical instruments, different emotions, 
 Chinese music, bird songs. 
 
 Field trips to look for beautiful colors in bird, leaf, 
 grasses, blossoms, pine cones, dead branches and 
 rocks. Collecting these objects to enjoy their 
 color and form. 
 
 Bird and flower clubs to enjoy the beautj^ of growing 
 flowers and moving creatures. 
 
 c. Social Activities. 
 
 Festival of the Pioneers. 
 
 An Early Day party, a George Washington party, a 
 Washington Tea for the mothers, the Cavemen's 
 Thanksgiving, Christmas on the May flower. 
 
 A Raggedy Ann party for Raggedy Ann and her friends. 
 
 A Round the World Pageant, or a World's Fair showing 
 exhibits from all lands, Christmas in all lands. 
 
 61 
 
A Happy Hour Club which provides for a special hour 
 
 each week. 
 Gift making at Christmas, at Easter or for St. Valentine's 
 
 Day. 
 Much time given to reading in groups, sometimes 
 
 dramatizing for the others the stories read. 
 
 Activities which tend to habits of intellectual enjoyment 
 
 of history or drama. 
 
 Participation in the Pilgrim Tercentenary program, in 
 "The Pioneer Festival," in "Thanksgiving Day 
 with the Pilgrims," "Early School Days in Seattle," 
 a "Festival of Christmas in All Lands." 
 
 Arranging puppet shows of Indian and pioneer life, 
 lives of the cavemen. 
 
 Reading books of history plays, and making history 
 playlets, planning historical charades. 
 
 Making in boxes a series of puppet shows which shall 
 show the story of Columbus. 
 
 Building "An Indian Village," "Indian Life on Puget 
 Sound," "Seattle as Vancouver Found It," "The 
 First Settlement at Alki," "Alki Point in 1851 and 
 in 1921," "Puget Sound Before the White Man 
 Came," "Seattle in Indian Days," "A Prairie with 
 Pioneers going West in Prairie Schooners." These 
 representations are most valuable when they grow 
 from day to-day with the children's desire to express 
 the story. 
 
 Making crude representations of implements used by 
 earl}^ cavemen, Indians, our grandfathers, vehicles 
 of other days and to-day. 
 
 Making a large toy theatre for playing history stories. 
 
 Making their own Totem Poles and telling their stories. 
 
 Making a Christmas story sandtable for the kinder- 
 garten. 
 
 Keeping a "Pioneer's Journal" or "The Log of a Prairie 
 Schooner" while studying pioneer history. 
 
 62 
 
e. 
 
 Planning, composing and reading "The Pioneer Weekly" 
 or "The Early Days Annual." 
 
 Making a story book "Tales of the Pioneers," stories told 
 to the children by grandfathers and grandmothers. 
 
 Making a class book on "The Story of Seattle, — In 
 Indian Days, In Pioneer Days and To-day." One 
 of these made each year and left in the room would 
 make a helpful reference library for grade three. 
 
 Dramatizing scenes from "Ai-ound the World With The 
 Children," writing a second "Travels of Captain 
 Cook," keeping a diary on a trip around the world 
 learning folk dances of different nations, listening to 
 records of Chinese music, giving ti-avelogues illus- 
 trated by large drawings or charts prepared by 
 children after studying Underwood slides showing 
 life in far-off lands. 
 
 Making in the sandtable a map of Seattle, showing 
 points of historical interest. 
 
 Preparing models or a series of charts showing a favorite 
 story. 
 
 Arranghig programs on special subjects, — "Winter," 
 "The Sea," from songs, poems and stories. 
 
 Participation in a school festival connected with the 
 name of the school if it offers historical or dramatic 
 possibilities,— "The Longfellow Pageant," "In the 
 Days of Chief Leschi," "Under the Madrona Tree." 
 
 Making simple properties to be used in dramatic work, — 
 a crown for the King, cape and ruff for the noble, 
 the Indian suit, the head band of the Caveman. 
 
 Activities which tend toward investigation of special 
 subjects of interest. 
 
 Excusions to study evergreens, to watch for growing 
 buds, a maple tree in early fall, a Hawthorne tree, 
 to a blossoming orchard, to study sea life, to gather 
 seeds, collect leaves, to gather dry weeds and grasses 
 for drawing, to study methods of seed dispersion, to 
 learn names and ways of growth of shrubs on the 
 
 63 
 
school grounds, to learn how to plant trees, to study 
 leaf colorings, for cat-tails, for sun-flowers, to 
 observe the winter sky, snow on the evergreens, frost 
 crystals, to see a birds' nest, to see bird houses, to 
 study frogs or frogs' eggs, to choose individual 
 subjects for all the year nature study and repoi'ts. — 
 "My Petunia Bed and its Visitor the Luna Moth," 
 "Our Climbing Honeysuckle and the Humming 
 Bird", "Our Rose Garden and Its Enemies," "The 
 Robins in Our Tree." 
 
 Keeping a bird feeding shelf outside the school room 
 window. Trying the same experiment at home. 
 
 Gathering material for Indian baskets or poles for 
 Indian village. Taking trips to study caterpillars 
 and bees, to the pond to study water creatures. 
 
 Visits to the hill-top to study geographical forms, to the 
 sound or lake for the same purpose, to the play- 
 grounds after a rain to see miniature geograpliical 
 forms. 
 
 Measuring the length of the block to get a correct idea 
 of the length of the Old Man House. 
 
 Having special periods for library reading. If near a 
 library regular reading hours at the library. 
 
 Making a scrap book of pictures illustrating geographical 
 features. 
 
 Arranging sandtables representing "Modes of Travel," 
 "Ai'ound the World with the Children," "A Japanese 
 Garden," "A Scene in Sweden," "An African 
 Village," "Countries of the Torrid Zone," "A 
 Desert Scene," "A Cotton Plantation," A Sheep 
 Ranch," "Ali, the Boy Camel Driver," "Peggy and 
 Jimmy's Home," "Transportation in Our Section 
 of the City." 
 
 Holding a World's Fair after reading "Around the World 
 With the Children," the study of each country 
 beginning with each child's effort to discover all he 
 can for himself through conversation with travelers, 
 
 64 
 
observation of objects brought from the country 
 under consideration, pictures, stereoscopic views, 
 movies, geographic magazines and books. 
 
 Arranging an exhibit of Home Work for friends and 
 parents. 
 
 Making Booklets "Around the World," "In the Days of 
 the Caveman," "Homes in All Lands," "The Book 
 of the Ocean," "The Book of Holland," "In the Land 
 of Cherry Blossoms," "My Winter Clothes," 
 "Cousins," "Neighbors," "My Own Geography 
 Book," "My Book of Maps" (maps of well-known 
 spots, — our yard at home, our school yard, our 
 kitchen, our street, our neighborhood). 
 
 Exchanging lists of places in Seattle where objects of 
 interest may be studied, — the store of the Hudson 
 Bay Company, Chinese shops, the Forestry Build- 
 ing at the University. 
 
 Keeping a calendar of "Blossoming Trees," "A Wild 
 Flower" calendar in the spring and fall, a "Bird" 
 calendar, a "Book of Nature Notes." 
 
 Making reading lists on subjects of special interest. 
 
 Collecting pictures, labeling them; pasting reading 
 material on back of mount, filing them to form a 
 room collection on prehistoric animals, wild food 
 materials, Indian days in Northwest, pioneers, wild 
 animals, children of all lands, boats of every age 
 land transportation, beautiful places in Seattle, 
 geographical features, historic spots. 
 
 Keeping a room book of "Beautiful Spots in Seattle." 
 Children write descriptions, draw pictiues and 
 collect postcards. 
 
 Using clay to express ideas of form and proportion. 
 
 Making blue prints of leaves, grasses and flowers for 
 
 booklet covers, borders for their rooms. 
 Visiting stores to see beautiful articles made by skilled 
 
 65 
 
workmen, — rii^s, vases, carvings, Indian baskets, 
 mats, pottery and rugs. 
 
 f . Art Activities. Creation of beauty or attempts to express 
 
 appreciation of Ijeauty. 
 Studying all the pictures in the building suited to the 
 
 comprehension of the children. 
 Visiting an exhil)it of ''Curtis" Indian pictures and an 
 
 exhibit of Indian pottery. 
 Making a collection of penny pi'ints of their favorite 
 
 pictures. 
 Visiting flower collections in green-houses, parks and 
 
 children's gardens. 
 Collecting and decorating of simple flower receptacles, 
 
 learning to arrange flowers, green branches and 
 
 grasses. 
 Taking care of a miniature Japanese garden. 
 Making a collection of Indian designs. 
 Collecting pictures to illustrate "Great Wide, Beautiful, 
 
 Wonderful World." 
 Enjoying beautiful illustrations of favorite poems, stories 
 
 or songs furnished by the library or l^orrowed from 
 
 home. 
 Children who are taking lessons play for opening exercises 
 
 or the primary assembly. 
 Helping plan and carry out simple decorations for parties, 
 
 festivals, etc. 
 Reviving beautiful customs, — May baskets, the May- 
 pole dance and carol singing. 
 Collecting copies of pictures ])y artists which present the 
 
 beauty side of all subjects of interest to the child — 
 
 Indians, pioneers, the sea, the sea-gulls, the moun- 
 tains and the forest. 
 Keeping a "Diary of Pleasant Days." 
 
 66 
 
A DAY'S WORK IN A THIRD GRADE ROOM 
 
 "Experience has proved to me that I cannot have what I 
 consider a successful free period with forty pupils. Yet I feel 
 that my pupils need such a period without losing time from any 
 of their other work. My program is so arranged that it allows 
 groups of children to work from 8:50 until 9:00 o'clock with as 
 much of my supervision as they may demand. They are admitted 
 by passes, so that the number is limited to about twelve or fifteen. 
 
 On the day of which this is a record, fifteen children came into 
 the room about 8:80. There were eight boys and seven girls. 
 Each knew exactly why he came, because he must explain what 
 he wishes to do before he is permitted to take a pass. Two boys 
 came up to work on an elevator which they were making from an 
 "Elector set." One boy was cutting out pictures of Robinson 
 Crusoe. He had found these colored pictures in a magazine, mounted 
 them upon cardboard the night before, and was now ready to cut 
 them out to use in the sand table. He had gotten a boy and a girl 
 to help him, so that there were three children in his group. We 
 have just finished reading the story of Robinson Crusoe in the 
 Beacon Third Reader. Another group of children had pictured 
 this story in the sand table the day before but these children 
 hoped to greatly improve upon the first representation. One 
 boy and one girl came in to finish very elaborate drawings of 
 interiors which they were making in connection with their 
 drawing work. They had undertaken something quite diffiicult 
 in which they needed my help. A girl was making a booklet of 
 Seattle-made products. Three children were working on Health 
 Books, which most of the class have finished. These children 
 felt that they were behind in this work. Two children were 
 working on geography booklets which we are making in connection 
 with the reading of "Around the World with The Children." 
 One boy and a girl had come up to practice on a speUing test that 
 we were to have. They were hearing each other spell. Although 
 I assisted several of these children when asked, I did a number of 
 other things around the room, and even went out of the room for 
 
 67 
 
some time without the sHghtest fear of disorder while I was away, 
 because each child was intent upon finishing his self-appointed 
 task. 
 
 At nine o'clock the rest of the pupils came in. They were 
 loaded with pictures cut from magazines, pictures drawn at home, 
 and lessons written out at home, all of which they wished to place 
 on my desk. The first part of our morning exercises is always the 
 same : morning song, poem and another song. A child led in these 
 exercises. On this morning one boy read a story to the 
 school. He had gotten the book from the library and wanted to 
 'share a story about a chipmunk with the others. We had just 
 finished reading "In the Animal World" in his class and the picture 
 of the chipmunk was still on the board. 
 
 At 9:15 we began work. One class studied their reading while 
 the other read with me "Jim and Peggy of Meadow-Brook Farm." 
 We are making little notebooks in connection with these books, 
 which contain, first, a list of the animals mentioned in the book, 
 with their names; and second, a list of new terms or words used 
 on farms, which we seldom hear in the city. At the beginning of 
 the lesson several lists were read, the other children either 
 revising their list or criticizing the one which was read. We 
 stopped in time to read aloud the two chapters assigned for the 
 day's lesson. 
 
 After this came a written spelling test and then physical 
 training. The exercises were conducted by a boy. Of course 
 I conduct them most of the time, but every child feels that he 
 may be called on to lead in them at any time. 
 
 After the physical training came a language lesson. It was 
 what we call a "catch lesson," and consisted of dictated sentences, 
 of which the following is an example: 
 
 "I can hear John better when I sit here.'" 
 
 The children corrected their own papers and enjoyed it as 
 much as any game. At 10:25 the children were dismissed for 
 recess. 
 
 In the back part of our room is a long table upon which are 
 books, magazines for cutting, games, paste, colored paper, crayons 
 and many odd trinkets which the children are constantly bringing 
 
 68 
 
in. As soon as a child has finished his worlc, at any time during 
 the day, he is free to go back to this table or to the blackboard 
 and do anything that he wants to do. So, during a study period 
 in reading, the child who finds reading very easy, or who has taken 
 his book home and studied his reading the night before may 
 spend the major portion of his time at the table. At this time 
 many projects are begun which are afterwards finished at 8.50. 
 
 After recess the first class recited the i-eading lesson which 
 they had studied earlier in the day, while the other class prepared 
 their reading for Monday. This recitation was mostly good 
 hard work on the part of both pupils and teacher, as reading 
 seems to be very hard for these children. From 11 :00 until noon 
 we usually have arithmetic, sometimes working all together and 
 often in groups. But this day, being Friday, we had sewing. 
 We were learning the chain stitch. I showed them all the stitch, 
 explaining it as best I could. Then they began to work and as 
 soon as a child showed me a satisfactory sample, he went to 
 help another child who was having trouble. In the hour we all 
 learned the stitch and got the lines drawn on our samplers. It 
 was not as much as I had planned to do, but the room is large and 
 some pupils very slow. 
 
 At 12:50 several children came up to the room, l)ut only those 
 were given passes who could work without any help from me as I 
 was busy. At one o'clock, during literature time, I read to them. 
 This is the first long book I have read to them this year. But 
 we have learned poems and stories and pictures and nature until I 
 felt they were ready for a little pure childish pleasure. This 
 was followed by writing and music. 
 
 Play time had to be indoors. We played "hide-the-thimble," 
 a little girl acting as captain. After recess we had a geography 
 lesson, which was a very tame and tedious affair. It consisted 
 of reading silently one paragraph in "Around the Woild with the 
 Children" and telling the most important fact. Our arithmetic 
 had been omitted in the morning so we all worked a lesson. I 
 read to them ten long division examples to be divided by 6. They 
 copied all ten before any were worked and at a given signal all 
 began to work. At the end of a certain time, I read the answers 
 
 69 
 
and they corrected their own papers. Then we changed hbrary 
 books for the week, sang our evening song, and the end of a long 
 day had come. I have not stopped to tell how poorly they did 
 on the arithmetic lesson, nor how one boy was late, and how I 
 know there are some who will probably never learn to spell. All 
 these problems were in the day's work." 
 
 70 
 
ATTAINMENTS OF A CHILD PROMOTED TO THE 
 FOURTH GRADE 
 
 1. Growth in the perfection of his own health attainments 
 and in the sense of responsibihty for the prevention of disease. 
 He begins to understand the home and school regulations and 
 learns to hold himself more strictly to account. He understands 
 city regulations in regard to garbage cans and dumping grounds. 
 He is interested in the health measures provided by the pioneers 
 in the early days of the city. 
 
 2. Growth in knowledge of his own city, its early history, 
 its development, its marvelous resources, and all the types of 
 industry in it gained through excursions, conversations, pictures 
 and reading. On the big ship from the Orient he has seen 
 packages of silk and huge hampers of china. His father has 
 journeyed to Alaska or to China and brought back tales of those 
 countries. His next door neighbor is the Danish Consul. 
 Books are beinning to yield to him information as well as pleasure . 
 
 3. Growth in the power to join capably in room enterprises, 
 to play games with less of the personal feeling than the younger 
 children, to set up for himself ideals of dependability, to be 
 willing to let some one else have the desired tool, to realize he 
 must give others a chance in conversation, that he must share his 
 favorite book. He begins to make plans for himself for work 
 with others and comes to the teacher with schemes which he desires 
 to carry out. 
 
 4. Growth in the power to work toward a more distant 
 objective, the ability to judge his own work. He sets up in a 
 small way his own objectives, feels himself responsible for seeing 
 that certain duties receive attention. He gains power through 
 keeping records of his progress in acquiring speed in reading, in 
 improving his comprehension score, in improving his spelling 
 record, in gaining a higher degree of accuracy in Arithmetic. 
 
 5. Growth in power in telling others of his experiences and 
 the ideas gained through them. Children begin to be critical, 
 interested in technique, anxious to improve their way of work, 
 
 71 
 
glad to be shown "how to do it," interested in specimens of 
 
 beautiful technique on the part of others, eager to correct their 
 
 errors in speech, interested in writing scales and vocabulary 
 tests. 
 
 6. Growth in interest in and control over the mathe- 
 matical side of life. The boy begins to earn and spend his own 
 money, the girl to buy Christmas gifts. Both of them may have 
 allowances. They have the compelling force of actual experience 
 to show them the need of conquering the more difficult com- 
 binations and the multiplication tables. The book of Arithmetic 
 experiences, the real peanut sale, the dramatized store show the 
 need for drill in large or small amount in order that the knowledge 
 of number facts may be accurate and readily usable. 
 
 7. Growth in the art of using books. The Third Grade 
 child has practically conquered the art of reading. He has 
 acquired a zest for different kinds of books, — the good story, the 
 tale of other children, the book of animals, early day stories 
 and tales of life in other lands. He has gained steadily in power 
 to grasp quickly simple statements in regard to subject matter 
 with which he is familiar. He has accjuired the habit of looking 
 to books to answer for him questions which his own experiences 
 do not answer. Remedial work when needed should have freed 
 him from slow, wasteful methods in his use of books. The 
 provision of material of all types, much reading aloud l)y the 
 teacher, and a large amount of easy reading should have aroused 
 in him anticipations of the new avenues opened in the Geography 
 and history work of the Fourth Grade. Reading books on 
 primitive life, local history and good geographical readers have 
 prepared him for the study of books. 
 
 8. Growth in the desire for expression in some form of art, — 
 Music, Drawing, Handwork, Writing of verse or dramatic 
 expression. The lessons in handwork, the attempts at verse 
 writing, playing charades, trying to write a play, acting the play 
 written by older children, the expression of experiences through 
 
 72 
 
rhythmic work — all help to meet this developing desire. There 
 should be continual growth in all these means of expression. Too 
 often children stop on the plane of spontaneous expression in 
 drawing or dramatic game. They should show progress through 
 being led to self criticism. 
 
 A DAY'S PROGRAM 
 
 The day's program shall mean a day's work, for it is the spirt 
 of sincere, effective work in which one can "joy in labor" that is our 
 largest objective. The teacher works not as one who "tells" 
 what is to be done, but as one who so arranges conditions that 
 children are stimulated through their own natural interests and 
 capacities to purposeful activity. Taking hold of "the good things 
 children naturally desire to do" she helps them do them in a better 
 waj'^ and leads the way to higher levels of desire. Educating as 
 we must through the environment we surround them with 
 materials, — bloclvs, clay, paper, cardboard and wood, with 
 crayons and other tools which will lead to creative effort. We 
 supply as generoush' as possible the best texts, library books, 
 pictures and stereoscopes which will help widen their experiences. 
 We use these materials not as doses to be administered, but as 
 opportunities to help out their own experiences. We keep these 
 materials not shut away from them and doled out but free for 
 their use, believing that training in the right use comes only 
 through use. We plan to do away with drills for which children 
 see no purpose, to fill our day with worth while doing, so planning 
 it that repeated natural situations will produce the occasions for 
 giving the needed repetition, that the desire to carry out his own 
 plans will help a child to have a purpose for needed self drill. 
 The plans for a day's work must be like those of the good worker 
 in any situation. To-day may not stress the same work as yester- 
 day, but the week must see progress accomplished. 
 
 Each day should include four types of work. The length of 
 these periods may vary from day to day as occasion demands. 
 As suggested by Dr. Bonser, these are: 
 
 A Conference Period in which the work of the day before is 
 
 73 
 
recalled, reports received, judgments made as to work needed by 
 the group or individuals. 
 
 A Period for Work on Projects. This may be group work or 
 individual work. It may include study from books, hearing of 
 talks or stories, use of pictures or construction work, dramatiz- 
 ation, nature study, any creative ivork. 
 
 A Period for Drill Work, need for which has been developed. 
 This again may be with individuals or with groups, and will include 
 penmanship, spelling, number facts, mechanics of reading, 
 language and music. 
 
 A Recreation Period for the enjoyment of folk games, songs, 
 physical play or story. 
 
 Bonser — "The Elementary School Curriculum," Chap. VII 
 
 THE PERIOD FOR FREE WORK 
 
 or 
 
 Individual and Small Group Projects in 
 
 Kindergarten and Primary Grades 
 
 AN OPPORTUNTIY 
 
 To the Child 
 
 1. To realize the joy in a situation which peimits the exercise 
 of the creative impulse. 
 
 2. To see the necessity for care of materials, the need of order, 
 the sharing in the use of tools, the values in cooperation 
 
 3. To grow in resourcefulness in collecting and making use of 
 material to serve his purposes. 
 
 4. A chance to practice the exercise of wise choices. 
 
 To the Teacher 
 
 1. To discover unusual ability. 
 
 2. To discover tendencies which need to be ehminated or di- 
 rected into other channels. 
 
 3. To test the results of class teaching and find out what children 
 need to be taught. 
 
 74 
 
4. To raise the standard of achievement which yields satis- 
 faction to the worker. 
 
 5. To study the language power and needs of her group. 
 
 1. What time in the day shall be used for the P'ree Work 
 Period? 
 
 The first period in the session is preferred by many, the 
 children going to their work on entering the room. Other 
 teachers prefer the last period in either session so that 
 material may be put away in order for the next day. The 
 children should be responsible for the house-keeping. 
 
 2. How long a time shall be allowed for Free Work? 
 
 Ten or fifteen minute periods in choice of woi-k in read- 
 ing or arithmetic are valuable. Half hour periods under 
 wise guidance with thoughtful discussion of results has 
 proven profitable. A few teachers have found a longer 
 period pi'oductive of unusual growth. 
 
 3. Shall the period be supervised by the teacher or should this 
 choice of work be given in one of the regular between 
 recitation periods? 
 
 Both plans should be used. The teacher needs to be 
 with the children to study their needs, guard against waste 
 of time and to see that the children hold themselves to stand- 
 ard of work she desires to establish. The child needs to 
 work without direct supervision to test his growth in self 
 control, and self criticism of method of work and results. 
 
 4. Shall children be allowed to "do just as they please in this 
 
 period?" 
 
 If what they please is worth while and the wo.rk grows In 
 value and quality of achievement from day to day. Childten 
 can be interested in keeping records of their "free choice 
 work. 
 
 5. Is not the initiative of children sufficiently taxed in their play 
 periods outside of school? 
 
 75 
 
Outside of school they are often subjected to "bossing" 
 by other children, unwisely given assistance by their elders, 
 laughter at their mistakes and lack of materials or tools 
 which they are free to use. 
 
 6. Should Aot children as well as adults have the chance to gain 
 by the experience of others who have worked out the same 
 problems. 
 
 They most assuredly should have this opportunity. 
 They will profit by it to the greatest extent when they have 
 run up against the stone wall of their own difficulties and 
 the need for help. 
 
 7. If a teacher wishes to follow a line of study for the day 
 would it be in keeping with the purposes of the Free Period 
 to plan for or suggest projects to the children? 
 
 Making a program of work with the children, the teacher 
 suggesting needs, will solve this problem. The danger lies 
 in the teacher doing all the planning. 
 
 8. Is it ever advisable for the teacher to put before the children 
 finished products as suggestions? 
 
 This is the teacher's province after the children have 
 attempted to solve their own problems. 
 
 9. How may we avoid waste of time in choosing work and 
 putting it away? 
 
 By putting emphasis upon the virtue of the quickly 
 made wise decision, by having children announce their plans, 
 by keeping a list of possibilities upon the blackboard, by 
 planning with them occupational projects requiring several 
 days for their completion, by providing labeled boxes or 
 cupboard space for materials and arranging work centers 
 (a library corner, a print-shop, a woodworking . corner, a 
 poster table, and arithmetic shelf) in different parts of the 
 room. 
 
 10. If a child loses interest in a piece of work and dislikes to 
 finish it, what should be done? 
 
 76 
 
He may need only a little help to tide him over his 
 discouragement. He should not be allowed to acquire the 
 habit of beginning and not completing work. 
 
 11. With how many children can a Free Work period be success- 
 fully managed? 
 
 This depends upon the executive ability of the teacher, 
 the degree of self reliance habitual on the part of the children 
 and the available equipment. 
 
 12. How can materials be obtained for this work? 
 
 The following sources are available: 
 Regular supplies 
 
 Purchases made from building funds 
 Books from the pul^lic library 
 
 Collections of materials made by children of upper grades 
 The use of odds and ends from the stock room 
 Collections and loans made by the children and gifts from 
 
 the P. T. A. 
 
 13. What shall be omitted to give time for this period? 
 
 This period provides an opportunity for work in all 
 subjects and may be substituted for any subject at any time 
 when the teacher is convinced that such substitution will be 
 of greater profit to her class or any section of it. 
 
 REFERENCES 
 Alice Krackowizer — 
 
 Social Enterprises of Little Children 
 
 The Free Work Period — Kindergarten and First Grade 
 Magazine 
 
 November 1919 P-346 
 December 1919 P-393 
 
 Viola Hall— 
 
 A First Grade Experiment — 
 Elementary School Journal 
 November 1919 P-217 
 
 77 
 
Teachers' College Record 
 
 Horace Mann Studies in Primary Eduction 
 I March 1919 
 II May 1919 
 III Sept. 1920 
 National Council of Primary Education 
 Bulletin 1918 No. 26 
 Bulletin 1919 No. 69 
 
 INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS 
 
 That life is richest through all its years which sees continually 
 ahead of it, desirable "things to do;" desirable because the doing 
 satisfies the worker and helps his neighbors. We may judge the 
 worth of any activity by the degree to which it stimulates the 
 worker to go on to more valuable forms of activity. This 
 "leading on" quality, as Kilpatrick puts it, is the test of the 
 educative value of any work, whether it be self initiated or 
 suggested and directed by the teacher. What children do when 
 left to themselves is the test of our teaching. The following 
 individual projects show strongly the extent to which the teacher's 
 leadership directs a child's leisure activities. 
 
 A. Activities which supply school room needs. 
 
 Making scissors racks, flag stands, paste bottle holders, a 
 ladder for the climbing plant, book rests of wood, 
 paper flowers for decoration, a shadow screen for 
 dramatization, wooden paste-sticks, a cloth doily for 
 desk, a bookshelf, costumes for a festival, properties for 
 Indian play, rag rugs for the Reading Corner, a flag 
 pole for the room. 
 
 Bringing flowers and learning to arrange them. 
 
 Making, filling and planting window boxes. 
 
 Making picture collections. 
 
 Making cards for Arithmetic or other drill work. 
 
 Cutting, arranging and mounting pictures. 
 
 Taking on certain responsibihties for room care. 
 
 78 
 
Inventing devices for making models of houses, animals and 
 people stand in desired positions in boxes or on the 
 sandtable. 
 
 Making banks for self sacrifice offerings out of tin cans. 
 
 Making individual sand tables or box models to illustrate 
 week-end experiences. 
 
 Individual Christmas Trees. 
 
 "Go and Stop" signs for room traffic. 
 
 B. Activities stimulated by story work. 
 
 Making objects described in stories, — a black horse of wood, 
 "Black Beauty," a large tin covered shield for "The 
 Knight of the Silver Shield," articles to illustrate stories 
 from "Around the World with the Children," a silo 
 according to directions in "Jim and Peggy." 
 
 Extensive reading at home and in leisure time at school. 
 Recoicls kept by many children. 
 
 Helping arrange and care for "A Library Corner." 
 
 Using toy typewriters or rubber type to write "The Daily 
 News." 
 
 C. Activities which are suggested by the study of Man and 
 Nature and stimulate to further activity. 
 
 Making representations of the homes and activities of people 
 and animals under differing conditions, — a grass house 
 described in the Geography, Japanese shoes, the 
 Cavemen with their hammers, the Eskimo in his kayak, 
 the Tree-dweller hahy in his cradle, playhouses and 
 stores out of boxes, Woodland Park in a big platter, 
 city streets in big pasteboard boxes, a model of River- 
 side drawbridge, the waterfront. 
 
 Arranging a curio table to which all contribute. 
 
 Making a collection of flags of all nations. 
 
 Making blackboard borders illustrating Geography and 
 Histor3\ 
 
 The children draw the background with colored crayon. 
 Houses, people, animals and vehicles are painted, cut 
 
 79 
 
out and pasted upon this background. The picture 
 
 grows with the study. 
 Making picture collections of all kinds. 
 Home garden making. 
 Making booklets, posters and charts on a great variety of 
 
 subjects connected with their experiences. Illustrating 
 
 these is a favored form of occupation. 
 Doll making from paper, potatoes, stockinet, cork, clothes- 
 pins to illustrate all types of interests, and making 
 
 articles for doll play, blankets for Raggedy Ann's bed, 
 
 doll's comforter, a scarf, shoes, furniture, house, bags 
 
 and trunks. 
 Boat play, — making sailboats, steamboats, war-ships from 
 
 paper, wood, big suit boxes, — from every kind of 
 
 material. 
 Making articles for dramatic play outside of school. 
 Making articles for personal enjoyment, — necklaces of paper 
 
 beads, colored beans, colored dough, macaroni and 
 
 berries. 
 Making toys from cigar lioxes, camera spools, thread spools, 
 
 apple boxes, any odds and ends. 
 Making toy theatres out of any kind of a box for home play. 
 A toy drum made from an oatmeal carton brought forth other 
 
 instruments and led to the organization of a small 
 
 band. 
 
 80 
 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 
 
 Batchelder, M. I. 
 Bigelow, G. 
 
 Bobbit, F. 
 Bonser, F. G. 
 Brannon, M. E. 
 Burke, A. and 
 
 Meadowcroft, F. 
 
 Charters, W. H. 
 
 Cook, Caldwell 
 Cooke, F. J. and Others 
 
 Courtis, S. A. 
 
 Detraz, M. J. 
 
 Materials and Activities in the Second 
 Grade — Teachers' College Record, 
 May 1919. 
 
 First Grade Course of Study and 
 Program — Teachers' College Re- 
 cord, Sept. 1920. 
 
 The Curriculum. 
 
 The Elementary School Curriculum. 
 
 The Project Method in Education. 
 
 First Grade Materials and Activities, 
 Teachers' College Record, March 
 1919. 
 
 Educational Aims, Ideals and Ac- 
 tivities — Journal of Educational 
 Research, May 1921. 
 
 The Play Way. 
 
 Francis M. Parker Year Book 
 
 Vol. I Social Motive in Sc'iool 
 
 Work. 
 Vol. II. Morning Exercise as a 
 
 Socializing Influence. 
 Vol. III. Expression as a Means of 
 
 Training Motive. 
 Vol. IV Education Through Con- 
 crete Experience. 
 Vol. V. The Course in Science. 
 Vol. VI. Adapting the Curriculum 
 to the Individual. 
 
 Teaching Through the Use of Projects 
 or Purposeful Acts. 
 
 How Provide for the Development of 
 Fundamental Skills — Teachers' 
 College Record, Mar. 1920 
 
 Materials and Activities in the Third 
 
 81 
 
Dewey, John 
 Dobbs, Ella V. 
 Dynes, S. 
 Kilpatrick 
 
 Krackowizer, A. 
 Krackowizer 
 
 McMurry, F. M. 
 Meniam, J. L. 
 Moore, A. E. 
 
 Morgan, A. 
 
 National Society for 
 the Study of Edu- 
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 Palmer, L. A. 
 
 Parker, S. C. 
 
 Reynolds, C. P. 
 
 Quick, H. 
 Scott, C. A. 
 Smith, M. 
 
 Temple, A. 
 
 Grade — Teachers' College Record, 
 May 1919. 
 
 Schools of To-morrow. 
 
 Primary Handwork. 
 
 Socializing the Child. 
 
 The Project Method— Teachers' 
 College Bulletin, 
 
 Primary Projects. 
 
 Social Enterprises of Little Children — 
 Kindergarten First Grade Maga- 
 zine, Oct., Nov., Dec. 1919. 
 
 Elementary School Standards. 
 
 Child Life and The Curriculum. 
 
 What Constitutes an Acceptable Day's 
 Work in Primary Grades — Bulletin 
 of National Council of Primary 
 Education, Vol. IV, No. 5. 
 
 Education : The Mastery of the Arts of 
 Life — Atlantic Monthly, March 
 1918, published as Atlantic Read- 
 ings No. 7. 
 
 The Twentieth Year Book, Part L 
 
 Play life in the First Eight Years. 
 
 General Methods of Teaching in 
 Elementary Schools. 
 
 Elementary Industrial Arts, Seattle, 
 Wash. 
 
 The Brown Mouse. 
 
 Social Education. 
 
 An Experiment in Education in the 
 School of Childhood, "U" of Pitts- 
 burg — Kindergarten and First 
 Grade Magazine, Sept. 1916. 
 
 The Kindergarten Primary Unit — 
 
 82 
 
Elementary School Journal, March 
 and April 1920. 
 
 Thorndike, E. L. Education for Initiative and Original- 
 
 ity. Teachers' College Record 17: 
 1916. 
 
 Wilson and Wilson Motivation of School Work. 
 
 Yoemans, Edward Shackled Youth. 
 
 83 
 
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