102.7 
 H6 
 
 o 
 
Sample Projects 
 
 Second Series 
 
 Copyright 1921 by James Fleming Hosic 
 
 506 West 69th Street 
 Chicago 
 
Preface 
 
 The second series of sample projects is issued in pursuance of the 
 plan announced in the first number, published in September, 1! 
 Since many are using the material for study in courses in educatioij 
 a number of contributions have been included to provide the basis f( 
 discussion of various moot questions. For example, can projects 
 classified? If so, how? Is it useful to attempt it? Can the teacht 
 plan in advance or must she depend entirely upon chance to determii 
 her course? Do projects always involve correlations? Do they alwa^ 
 proceed to some objective result? 
 
 How can^ projects be most usefully described? What are th< 
 
 ; .*. adv$n.tscgpes; pnjd disadvantages of indicating certain definite steps or 
 
 "i "." stage* in JtKe' 'process? Should the writer take the point of view of the 
 
 . . , ,. teacjier? pf the*.pupils ? Or of both? Which feature of the account 
 
 /.*. !* I/is'-ol 'grfeaJteft'.vaKie to .other teachers? 
 
 This series is introduced with a criticism and analysis of a piece 
 of project work done in a class in English conducted as a demonstra- 
 tion class for students in the summer session of Teachers College, 
 by Miss Olive Ely Hart, head of the department of English in 
 the South Philadelphia High School for Girls. An account of this 
 work by Miss Hart herself will be found in the English Journal for 
 November, 1920, under the title, "Friends by Mail." It was thought 
 that this criticism would serve as an outline for similar studies. A 
 more formal outline, by the editor of the series, which appeared ; .n the 
 English Journal for November, 1918, has also been included 1 meet 
 urgent requests for it. 
 
 To those who have permitted the printing of their accqunts in 
 this pamphlet thanks are due. Many of them are numbered among 
 the original subscribers to the enterprise. Others have both contributed 
 and subscribed. The task of developing the ideal embodied more or 
 less clearly in these accounts will now be taken up by the newly organ- 
 ized National Conference on Educational Method and its monthly 
 journal. 
 
 JAMES FLEMING HOSTC. 
 
 Chicago, March, 1921. 
 
 A Composition Project in the Junior High School 
 
 Rose A. Carrigan, Assistant Director of Probationary Teaching, 
 
 Boston, Mass. 
 
 The work chosen for discussion in this paper was a project of cor- 
 responding with the Szecho-Slovak cripple children of Dr. Bakule's 
 school in Prague. 
 CRITERIA FOR JUDGING THE WORK 
 
 1. Was there whole-hearted purpose on the part of the children 
 or was the work imposed upon them ? 
 
 2. Did the work involve a true life experience, which made it a 
 worth-while undertaking ? 
 
 3. Were the pupils permitted to do genuine thinking? 
 
 , 
 
4. Were there resulting values from the standpoint of a school 
 curriculum built upon the needs of society and the abilities of the 
 children? 
 
 5. Was the role played by the teacher in keeping with the phil- 
 osophy underlying learning through projects? 
 
 6. Does the character of this project and the method of working 
 it out promise a "leading on" to further activity? 
 
 v EVIDENCE AND DISCUSSION 
 I 
 
 W r as there whole-hearted purpose on the part of the children or 
 was the work imposed upon them? 
 
 The approach to the work was made through a visit to the project 
 exhibit, better known as the project study room, an accessory to 
 Dr. Hosic's course in "Project Teaching Applied to Education." The 
 children went with a definite purpose in mind. They went to see what 
 a group of Czecho-Slovak children had sent to America by way of 
 introducing themselves and becoming acquainted with American chil- 
 dren. There they saw the pictures of these children and read letters 
 from them in which they told much about their own lives. Accom- 
 panying the pictures and letters were beautiful wood cuts which the 
 foreign children had made to illustrate one of Kipling's "Just So 
 Stories." These the Horace Mann Children examined witfy interest. 
 
 At a later lesson these young people showed unmistakable evi- 
 dence of deep seated interest in the Czcho-Slovak cripples and eager- 
 ness to know them better. They discussed their impressions in class 
 with naturalness and freedom. They commented upon the afflicted 
 children's perseverance in the face of great difficulty and endeavored 
 to work out a reason which might have occasioned such persistence. 
 They contrasted the conduct of these willing workers with the greater 
 indifference towards work of our American children, and tried to 
 decide the cause. In response to the teacher's question as to what they 
 might do about it, it was proposed by a member of the class that they 
 reply to the letters they had read. It was explained that the response 
 must be a group response and therefore all would need to participate 
 in the thing together. All agreed to the proposal and at once entered 
 into the planning with zest. Ted, the overgrown boy in the class, said 
 he had a picture of Niagara Falls, which he had taken himself and he 
 would send that. There was no doubt as to the purposeful activity 
 with which the individuals of this class responded to the situation and 
 decided to get into correspondence with the crippled children of 
 Czecho-Slovakia. The start had all the earmarks of work purposed 
 within and not imposed from without. 
 
 II 
 
 Did the work involve a true life experience which made it a worth- 
 while undertaking? Is corresponding with real human beings who 
 have impressed themselves upon our attention in some significant way 
 a true life experience? Is letting the heart go out in sympathy and 
 understanding to the oppressed and sorrowful of worth while value? 
 Is extending the hand of comradeship to the heavily burdened a 
 worthy undertaking? Is getting into sympathetic relationship with 
 
lives worked out in circumstances foreign to our own a characteristic 
 of worthy democratic living? If the answer to each of these questions 
 is "Yes," then it must be acknowledged that Miss Hart's children em- 
 barked on an enterprise which is a complete life experience, indeed, 
 exceedingly worth while. 
 
 Ill 
 
 Were the children permitted to do genuine thinking ? 
 
 When one is conscious of a need and seeks to satisfy that need by 
 testing out suggestions that come to mind, there is geinuine thinking. 
 As has already been stated, the children were tremendously impressed 
 by the persistency of the Slovak children in spite of their great handi- 
 caps. So impressed by this were they that they attempted to analyze 
 the situation to find out how it could happen that children so afflicted 
 should persevere in the face of great difficulty until accomplishment 
 crowned their efforts. One suggested that, unlike themselves, there 
 was nothing else that the cripples could do, so they might as well work, 
 but another wiser child suggested that their great need of earning a 
 living was the true source of their strength. This led to the threshing 
 out of the subject of ideals of conduct, and here there was indication 
 of much genuine thinking. 
 
 Later the pupils faced the need of working out a practical plan 
 of procedure in their enterprise of correspondence. A plan to have 
 their pictures taken to send was settled upon and carried out before the 
 next lesson. Little by little other details were settled. It did not 
 take them long to find out that since it was a group undertaking there 
 ought not to be duplication in the individual letters. Consideration of 
 a point of contact between their own lives and the lives of their corre- 
 spondents also featured in their final plans. At last it was definitely 
 decided what line of attack would be made by each writer and in 
 general of what her letter would treat. 
 
 A difficulty which they had to face and solve was the fact that 
 the Red Cross authorities, who were responsible for the coming of the 
 exhibit, would sanction correspondence of the Slovak children with a 
 school as a group only, and not with individuals. This was a little 
 disconcerting and disappointing as the fall would find the children 
 distributed in the different school buildings. They attacked this prob- 
 lem and suggested several tentative solutions. 
 
 These illustrations furnish, perhaps, sufficient evidence to prove 
 that the project was provocative of genuine thinking in real situations. 
 
 IV 
 
 Were there resulting values from the standpoint of a school curri- 
 culum built upon the needs of society and the abilities of the children ? 
 
 One of the great needs that exist in our world at the present time 
 is that of getting individuals of different nations to become acquainted 
 in personal ways, that they may thereby know and understand each 
 other better. If the children of the present generation cultivate such 
 acquaintance now, may we not hope that the effect will be a lessening 
 of the chances of having another great war in the future? We are 
 afraid of what we do not know ; we hate because we have not seen the 
 qualities which merit love. What social value can be greater than the 
 cultivation of the personal touch, the mutual understanding, which 
 
 3 
 
leads to the love of our neighbor whom we have begun to appreciate 
 and understand. A school curriculum which does not provide lavishly 
 for this development is not worthy of a place in our educational 
 scheme. This project takes account of this social need. 
 
 But the school curriculum must also provide for certain skills and 
 
 abilities of which society has need. A few of these in the field of 
 English composition are ability to think clearly and speak convincingly ; 
 to write a technically correct letter which holds the interest of the 
 correspondent, and provokes a response. It is the belief of the writer 
 that the project which is under discussion in this paper contributed in 
 full measure to the development of these skills and abilities. 
 
 At first the children, with the exception of Pauline, admitted that 
 they did not know how to begin their letters. An hour's discussion, 
 however, apparently clarified their thoughts and in oral preliminary 
 planning the way was prepared for the inclusion of much interesting 
 material. One would predict fine success in the final letters.* The urge 
 
 is so strong that the best of workmanship on the mechanics, too, will 
 undoubtedly be forthcoming to match that of the letters received. 
 
 The first responding letter ready was written and read by Pauline. 
 It was remarkably well done and indicated that the enterprise was 
 wholly within her power. She defended her omission of the informa- 
 tion that she was born in Russia on the ground that she had decided 
 to reserve that for a second letter after an introductory acquaintance 
 had been established. Note that she hoped for and expected a con- 
 tinuance of the correspondence. A wealth of social values was pro- 
 vided by this project. The work was within the ability of the children. 
 
 V 
 
 Were the roles played by the teacher in keeping with the phil- 
 osophy underlying learning through projects? 
 
 The role of the teacher, as the writer understands it, is in every 
 case to further in any way she can the purposeful activities of the 
 children throughout the stages of the development of a project, i. e., 
 from the launching to the final issue of success or defeat; also, she 
 must see to it that the social and other educational values already dis- 
 cussed are not missing. Later she will check the products. Was Miss 
 Hart true to these trusts? It seems to the writer that she was. She 
 began by so setting the stage that interest in these foreign children 
 would result; she placed her class under the magic influence of their 
 pictures and work. The following day she brought to her pupils' con- 
 sciousness anew the appreciation of these little sufferers when she 
 asked, "What was your impression? Did you get anything mightier 
 than the physical defects?" Next she played the role of leader when 
 she opened the way to decisive action by her question, "W T hat do you 
 think we ought to do about it?" She gave the needed help when she 
 threw into high light their tendency to duplicate what another had 
 said, and when, little by little, she stimulated them to realize that every 
 
 *The letters were up to expectation and were taken to Europe by Dr. Hosic 
 to be shown to educators and finally placed in the hands of the children in 
 Dr. Bakule's School. 
 
letter must contain the vital factor of a contact of interest between the 
 writer and the reader. Again, she co-operated when, in give and take 
 discussion, her offering set an ideal in taste, or suggested that the 
 writer use imagination and put herself in the reader's place. "Is he 
 likely to be interested in that?" "Why?" "Why not?" 
 
 VI 
 
 Does the character of this project and the method of working it 
 out give promise of "leading on" ? 
 
 Already Miss Hart's children have been at no small pains to cir- 
 cumvent the conditions laid down by the Red Cross, which provide that 
 correspondence shall be with a school group only. Each member of 
 the class wishes to continue to get news from Dr. Bakule's children 
 during the coming year. The class problem in this connection, as has 
 already been stated, is, "How can we manage this since, in the fall, 
 our class will be scattered in many schools?" They expect to find a 
 way. This indicates their desire to continue the enterprise started at 
 the summer session. 
 
 There can be little doubt other "carrying on" as well will result. 
 Improvement in the quality of their letters is bound to result from 
 their zeal to write as well and as interestingly as did the Czecho-Slovak 
 children. 
 
 CONCLUSIONS 
 
 It seems to the writer that no more impelling group project than 
 the one which is the subject of this paper could be desired in a school. 
 The outcomes from the standpoint of educational criteria and social 
 usefulness are bound to be highly satisfactory. The situation which 
 made this project possible happens to be unique, it is true, but the 
 ingenious teacher can find other and various means for engaging the 
 interest of the children in enterprises which will furnish real life expe- 
 riences as fraught with excellent results as was this composition 
 project. 
 
 r 
 
 The Project Method of Teaching 
 
 I. What the Project is: 
 
 A. Organization of school life in accordance with life in the 
 home and community a "project" is a single complete unit 
 of purposeful experience. 
 
 B. Not to be exactly identified with motivation, interest, self- 
 activity, socialization, correlation, recapitulation, develop- 
 mental method, incidental teaching, self-government, natural- 
 ism, though indebted more or less to all these concepts. 
 
 C. A principle of education, not a rule of procedure, a formal 
 "general" method, panacea or new discovery. 
 
 D. Makes no claim to embrace the whole of learning nor every 
 type of useful experience. 
 
 II. Why the name? 
 
 A. "Method of experience" is too broad and too vague. 
 
 B. "Problem" suggests a purely intellectual process. 
 
 C. "Project" emphasizes both thinking and doing. 
 
 5 
 
III. The need and value of the Project Method : 
 
 A. School studies tend to become exceedingly formal then 
 social origins and uses are too often lost sight of. 
 
 B. Hence they fail to provide children with real and fruitful 
 experiences leading to actual control of social values. 
 
 C. A true project provides a complete ''life unit"; the elements 
 are as follows: situation, problem, purpose (end in view), 
 plan, criticism of plan, execution, organization and judgment 
 of results, appreciation (of values). 
 
 D. It enables the learner to obtain for the control of experience 
 major parts of the social inheritance (solutions of life prob- 
 lems) which the school is supposed to hand on. 
 
 E. It utilizes the principles of modern educational psychology 
 and gives due emphasis to attitudes (interests and ideals) 
 both as conditioning the acquisition of skills and knowledges 
 and as sharing with them the place of honor among the re- 
 sults aimed at. 
 
 F. It is economical in that it provides for a wealth of related 
 and concomitant ideas centering about the core of experi- 
 ence which constitutes a given "lesson." 
 
 G. It adds to the units of organization now available for class 
 work or individual study, namely, the question, the topic, the 
 chapter, the lesson, etc., a new type of unit with large possi- 
 bilities. 
 
 IV. The Project Method in relation to present school practice : 
 
 A. Serious difficulties lie in the way of an attempt to introduce 
 in a thorough-going way the Project Method into our schools 
 as now organized and conducted. 
 
 1. A different tradition prevails. 
 
 2. More knowledge of learning processes, more technical 
 skill, and more scholarship are required than for the use 
 of "logical" or "formal" method the teacher must play 
 various roles. 
 
 3. It is difficult to organize a system of projects so as to 
 provide for the entire body of attitudes, skills, and knowl- 
 edges which we wish children to gain in school. 
 
 4. Time is easily wasted by over-emphasis on some phase of 
 the process even on "teaching children to think." 
 
 5. The course of study must be largely reorganized and re- 
 written. 
 
 6. School equipment must be adapted. 
 
 7. New measures of results must be applied. 
 
 Chickens and Some Other Things 
 
 Beth P. Barton, Everett School, Lincoln, Neb. 
 
 The following project was carried on in the fourth grade of the 
 Everett School, Lincoln, Neb. With the exception of one or two im- 
 provements this is a true report of the project. 
 
 6 
 
Project To try to find out how to raise poultry in town where 
 space is limited and yet make it profitable. 
 
 Our discussion in geography one day last spring brought us to 
 consider the different industries that were being followed by people 
 of our own city and its suburbs. Poultry raising was mentioned. One 
 little boy in the class had just been given *wo little chicks and he was 
 anxious to tell the class about them. He said that he was going to 
 buy a few more and start a little poultry farm in his own back yard. 
 
 The next morning he brought his two little chicks to school. The 
 other children in the class were very enthusiastic about his plan to buy 
 more chicks and raise them. The children asked him such questions 
 as : "Where will you buy the other chicks ?" "What will you have to 
 pay for them ?" Several of the boys and girls expressed the wish that 
 they could buy some, too. 
 
 I asked a few of the children why they wanted to raise chickens. 
 Some said, "To earn money." Others said, "To eat," and one little 
 girl said, "Because I think they are cute and would make nice pets." 
 Then I asked them if it would pay to raise chickens in town? From 
 the discussion that followed I found that most of them knew very little 
 about poultry raising. Finally one little boy said, "I think we had 
 better find out something about poultry raising before we buy our 
 chicks." The rest of the class thought that was a good idea and it was 
 decided to study poultry raising and find out if it would pay us to keep 
 a few chicks in our own back yards. 
 
 Our next step was to organize some plan for this study. I asked 
 the class to suggest ways of finding out the things we would need to 
 know. The following suggestions were given : "Send for poultry 
 magazines," "Visit the poultry farm at the State Farm," "Read library 
 books on poultry." 
 
 Two or three of the children who had chickens at home decided 
 to keep a record of the cost of chicken feed for one month and a rec- 
 ord of the number of eggs produced in one month. At the end of the 
 month they were to make a report for the class. The members of the 
 class divided into groups. One group got library books on poultry 
 raising. Some of these books were read during the reading period, 
 others were read by individuals, who gave a report during the geog- 
 raphy period. Another group collected pictures and illustrative maga- 
 zines showing equipment for poultry raising. From this collection they 
 selected what in their judgment seemed most helpful, and made a 
 large poster for use in the room. 
 
 I told the class that they could get interesting bulletins by sending 
 to the Department of Agriculture at Washington, D. C. This they 
 decided to do, and during the language period each member of the 
 class wrote a letter to Congressman Reavis, asking for these bulletins. 
 These letters were read during a following language period, criticized 
 by the members of the class and the one which the class thought best 
 was sent. 
 
 In answer to this letter we received six very interesting and help- 
 ful bulletins, giving valuable information on practically every phase of 
 poultry raising. As these bulletins were read in class or reported upon 
 by individuals, the class as a whole formulated a summary of the infor- 
 mation which they considered most valuable to them. 
 
One little girl suggested making booklets in which they could keep 
 this summary. The rest of the class agreed to this, so the booklets 
 were made and decorated during the art periods. Each individual 
 designed his own book cover. The writing in these booklets was done 
 during the penmanship lesson. Everyone took a pride in this booklet 
 because he realized that it was something of real worth to him. 
 
 This project carried over into the arithmetic work also. When 
 the three children brought in their reports on the cost of feed for 
 their chickens in one month and the number of eggs produced in one 
 month, then the class worked out the profit or loss as the case, might 
 be. They also worked out problems showing what they had gained by 
 not having to buy this supply of eggs at the store. 
 
 One little girl had suggested that we visit the poultry department 
 at the State Farm. One afternoon was taken, for this trip. Here the 
 children saw the model types of poultry buildings, self-feeders and 
 so on. After this visit the children wanted to build a poultry farm on 
 a table in the room. Plans were made for this. Each member of the 
 class chose what part he wanted to make. They decided to use card- 
 board for the buildings. 
 
 This building of the farm also led into the arithmetic. They 
 learned how to find the perimeter in finding how much fence they 
 needed to make. They also had many occasions to use measurements. 
 
 When our project was nearing completion, the class summed up 
 orally what they had learned about poultry raising and reached the 
 conclusion that it would pay them to have a back yard poultry farm. 
 COMMENT 
 
 The working out of this project developed in the children the 
 qualities of responsibility, judgment, initiative, better power to organ- 
 ize material. It also developed the library habit and gave them better 
 ideas of thrift. Some of the children were planning to join the poultry 
 club, which is managed in much the same way as the school garden 
 club. 
 
 Hawaii in the Fourth Grade 
 
 Louise N. Borchers, State Normal School, Bridgewater, Mass. 
 
 A lesson in music appreciation had been given on classical pieces 
 such as "Humoresque," "The iSlarcissis" and the like. One day two 
 Hawaiian pieces had been chosen for discussion and study. They 
 then were played. The children noted the peculiarity in rhymth and 
 tones, also the many repetitions of the same theme. The student 
 teacher in charge had brought a ukelele, that being one of the instru- 
 ments used in both pieces. She played and sang a familiar Hawaiian 
 tune. The children became very much interested. They marveled at 
 the simplicity of the instrument. They wanted to know how to play 
 it and all about its mechanism. One boy said he had one and would 
 learn how to play it. Noticing a peculiarity in this instrument and a 
 peculiarity in the music, as compared with previous pieces, the children 
 began to feel there must be a difference in the life of these people, as 
 compared to other people already studied. "I should like to know 
 more about these people," said one boy. "I should like to know if they 
 
 8 
 
only had this one kind of instrument to play on or whether they have 
 as many different kinds as we Americans have ?" The class needed no 
 further urging. The project was launched. 
 
 Both desk geographies came to the tops of their desks. Each of 
 the fine reference books on music ("Books on Music and Musicians") 
 were taken from the library shelf in the corner of the room. When 
 the question, "What are you going to look for?" was asked by the 
 teacher, most of the children wished to continue on the thought of 
 music; they wanted to find out what the Hawaiians did during their 
 spare moments, their vacations, and what kind of amusements they 
 had. The teacher felt she needed to suggest other lines of study as 
 well, if they wished to know more about the life of other people. The 
 children suggested topics. These the leader of the class placed on the 
 board and while the group on music were busying themselves, the rest 
 of the class formed itself into groups, each selecting a topic most inter- 
 esting to himself, then going to that section of the room where that 
 group would meet. The leader appointed two assistants to help form 
 these groups, as well as help distribute reference books on topics 
 chosen. Information was sought at home, magazines were read and 
 maps consulted. It took many recitations to cover the discussion on 
 these various topics, but at the end of the study the children had a 
 valuable amount of information about Hawaiian industries, climate, 
 rainfall, agriculture, amusements, history and government. 
 
 With this knowledge as a basis they were now ready to take an 
 imaginary trip to Hawaii. This trip was suggested by the teacher, 
 whose purpose was to make it a review. To the children it did not 
 seem a review, as new problems continually presented themselves. 
 They had to find out and decide upon a suitable season in which to 
 go to Hawaii, the length season in which to go to Hawaii, the length of 
 time one might care to stay (why not a short time or why not a long 
 time), the kind and amount of clothing needed for their stay, the 
 amount of money needed for fare, board, room and sight-seeing trips, 
 and the various routes one might travel. Arrangements to be made for 
 accommodations also needed consideration This led to a very detailed 
 newspaper study of weekly sailing bulletins, of time tables and hotel 
 catalogues. In discussing time tables, careful study was made of the 
 various letters, numerals, and symbols. In the midst of this problems 
 originated from the children. They were eager to calculate the dis- 
 tance from New York to Hawaii. This led to calculating distances 
 between various other places on the time tables. Drill in estimating 
 the time it took for trains to make connection between two places was 
 needed. This required a study of the clock. Learning to tell time in 
 the primary grades now proved to be of value. 
 
 Deciding upon the best route and the best time, we started on our 
 journey. After checking our trunks and seating ourselves we noted 
 various buildings, cities, towns, and rivers on the way. We noticed 
 the scene at the wharf upon arrival at Honolulu, the mode of traveling, 
 the buildings. The life in general was pictured more vividly this time. 
 The early history, as well as the present day history was brought out 
 in the stories read to the class by the group who studied the topic, 
 "History." We went to private and public gardens, compared the trees, 
 flowers and birds found there with ours in America. We watched 
 
children play games and adopted some for our own use at recess 
 periods. - The sand table was used in portraying the life of the Ha- 
 waiians in miniature form. Children made pamphlets in which they 
 kept stories written on ''Hawaiian Life," pictures, maps, and drawings. 
 Thus this was a project that involved music, geography, history, 
 arithmetic, spelling, penmanship, drawing and manual arts. Nature 
 study was also touched upon. Both oral and written language were 
 involved. This project brought the pupils into a more direct contact 
 with things, processes, activities, facts, interests, modes of procedure 
 and ideals that are significant in modern life. It led to further study 
 of more difficult problems. 
 
 Clean Teeth 
 
 Ellen C. Wilhelm, Overlea, Md. 
 AIM OF THE TEACHER 
 
 Better health habits in the children to be sought through the 
 organization of a Clean Teeth Brigade. 
 
 CHILDREN'S AIM 
 
 To find out all we can about how to make our teeth last longer. 
 
 SITUATION 
 
 The teacher noticed many children had bad breaths and unclean 
 teeth. 
 
 She .began talking about care of the teeth at one of the morning 
 exercises. She brought out the great importance of keeping what teeth 
 you have, in this way: "Did you ever knock off a finger nail? Ever 
 have a horse tramp on your toe and cause nail to come off? Ever hit 
 the wrong "nail" when using a hammer? What about the nail that 
 came off? Another grew on? 
 
 How about teeth ? If you have one knocked out, or it decays, does 
 another grow in? 
 
 Children : "No, except with little youngsters. They have some 
 teeth that are called milk teeth, but even their molars come only once. 
 If you happen to lose a tooth you have to go through life until you 
 die without one there. You can get false ones, but they are very 
 unsatisfactory as compared to natural ones." 
 
 PURPOSE DEFINED BY CHILDREN 
 
 "Well, how can we make our teeth last longer? What makes 
 decay? Let us find out." 
 
 GATHERING INFORMATION 
 
 A committee of five was chosen to go to the dentist and ask him 
 to tell them. The dentist was glad to see them, as it promised trade 
 for him through larger acquaintance. The children looked in maga- 
 zines and papers for pictures and advertisements about teeth, bringing 
 in all they could find. 
 PRACTICE 
 
 They brought their brushes to school and had a brush drill. They 
 learned to brush down instead of across and to brush inside of teeth 
 as well as outside. All did not have tooth brushes, I am sorry to .say, 
 
 10 
 
when this campaign started but when the day arrived that the boys had 
 chosen for their drill every child owned one. 
 ASSOCIATED ACTIVITIES 
 
 The children made up songs, as, for example : 
 This is the way we brush our teeth 
 
 So early every morning. 
 
 Tune Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush.) 
 and 
 
 Johnnie get your brush 
 ti 
 
 tt {t (( 
 
 (Tune Johnnie Get Your Gun.) 
 JUDGMENT, SELF-DIRECTION, ASSUMING RESPONSIBILITY 
 
 They made up a little drill and play called "Passing of the Film." 
 They charged five cents admission for this. They were told they might 
 decide as to the best expenditure of the money earned. They held an 
 open forum and finally decided to buy pleasure books. Some of the 
 children in other classes outside the game thought "Passing of the 
 Film" had something to do with movies and curiosity was aroused. 
 
 OUTCOMES FOR THE CHILDREN 
 
 1. They learned that soap and water with brush is an excellent 
 way to clean teeth. 
 
 2. That Ivory soap is cheap and hard to beat. 
 
 3. That soap and tooth brush should be kept as clean and sani- 
 tary as possible, 
 
 4. That bicarbonate of soda is good for a sour mouth. 
 
 5. That acid in mouth eats away enamel. 
 
 6. One child of his own accord brought litmus paper and showed 
 that acid turns it pink. 
 
 7. That many tooth pastes and powders do more harm than good 
 and why. 
 
 8. That a dentist should be asked to recommend a tooth powder, 
 and that this is as important as to ask your physician to recommend 
 a stomach powder. 
 
 9. They had a keen pleasure in this research work. They became 
 interested and advised their classmates to take care of their teeth. 
 They did good neighborhood work, I feel sure, in many homes by 
 spreading valuable information and good vigorous examples. 
 
 10. They gained skill in group activity and in handling and ex- 
 pending money. 
 
 The School Paper 
 
 Anna E. Butler, Principal of Demonstration School, Pittston, N. J. 
 
 THE SITUATION 
 
 My seventh grade was considering the good and weak points in 
 their written composition work when one of the girls remarked that 
 
 11 
 
she thought Alice's story was told well enough to be put in the news- 
 paper. Immediately a boy remarked, "Couldn't we issue a school 
 paper?" The class was keenly interested in this idea and several 
 offered reasons why they thought it was worth doing. The class was 
 soon one hundred per cent in favor of adopting the project. Thus a 
 Type I project was launched. 
 
 PURPOSING AND PLANNING 
 
 Purposing and planning went on as the class proceeded to get 
 the paper ready within two weeks' time. A title was selected after 
 several suggested ones had been considered. An editorial staff was 
 appointed. Committees were formed to perform various special duties. 
 Everyone was held responsible for some part in the work. 
 EXECUTION 
 
 Material was organized and arranged in a paper. Five readers, 
 who had been selected by the class, read the paper aloud, Friday after- 
 noon before the group. 
 JUDGING THE RESULTS 
 
 As soon as the paper was read the children began to offer com- 
 ments favorable and unfavorable about their paper. They wanted to 
 issue another, but asked if one month might be allowed to get it 
 ready in. They issued four papers before the school year ended and 
 they gave evidence that they enjoyed the time taken up with the read- 
 ing of the ''Signal," as they called it. 
 EDUCATIONAL COMMENT 
 
 The project made composition work much more worth-while to 
 the children. All school subjects were introduced in the project. 
 Spelling was especially improved from such activity. Children were 
 whole-heartedly interested in the project, for the specific purpose had 
 come from the class. All the way through the children were purposing 
 planning, executing, and judging. It was a co-operative unit worked 
 out in whole hearted purposeful activity in a social situation. I ob- 
 served that the children were much more interested in reading period- 
 icals, magazines and the daily papers. Three members submitted 
 material during the year to the daily newspaper of a nearby city for 
 publication. Thus I am convinced that the project led on to other 
 fruitful activity. 
 
 An Unselfish Christmas 
 
 Myrma McGeehon, Youngstoivn, Ohio 
 
 The Christmas spirit was in the air. All the children in second 
 grade were chatting about what they were to get and give. One day 
 in conversation period, Billy told us that he had been talking to a little 
 boy who never had any Christmas presents, but possibly an orange or 
 a stick of candy. This led to a discussion of the many, many poor 
 children around us and our little group were anxious to share their 
 joys with those less fortunate. So, it was decided to have a Christmas 
 party for the children of a settlement house. 
 
 In the first place the invitations were sent, written by the chil- 
 dren. Then preparations were begun for the festivities. Of course, 
 
 12 
 
we must have little gifts for our guests, so we determined on stocking 
 dolls, which we would make and dress for the girls, and scrap books 
 which could be made for the boys. Then, we wanted to make candy 
 and pop-corn for all the children. We knew it would not be a real 
 Christmas party without a tree, and we were puzzled for a while about 
 where we might get one. Finally we remembered that there was 
 always a tree in kindergarten, so we wrote and explained our plans to 
 the kindergartner and asked if we might include their tree in our party, 
 inasmuch as it was not to be at the same time as theirs. After receiv- 
 ing a reply to this request, we set about to make trimmings of colored 
 papers for the tree. We selected games which we thought our little 
 friends would enjoy playing while they were with us. Finally the long 
 and eagerly awaited day arrived and the finishing touches were placed 
 in the morning for the afternoon's merry-making. The tree was 
 trimmed and the gifts wrapped and placed around it. The candy and 
 pop corn were made and carefully deposited in little individual pack- 
 ages. Then the children suggested that we did not know just exactly 
 how to receive our expected guests so we sat down to talk about 
 manners. 
 
 In this project there were unlimited developments of educational 
 value. The formation of the project with its unselfish motive was of 
 vital importance, for they came to know the meaning of real happiness 
 through giving happiness. Composing and writing the invitations and 
 the request for the tree brought in language and spelling training. 
 Making the dolls and dressing them involved hand-work, skill and a 
 use of judgment. Selecting the material for the scrap books called 
 for discriminating reading and a wise choice of pictures, also some 
 number training in the measuring and the spacing of the pictures. 
 Hand-work and ingenuity found place in the designing and creating 
 of the ornaments for the tree. Into the candy and pop corn making 
 came an invitation into business and some arithmetic, for we bought 
 the materials and computed the cost. The interest manifested by the 
 children in the making of these, denoted a sure indication of "carry- 
 ing on" into future activity. The trimming of the tree and wrap- 
 ping and arranging the gifts called forth artistic ability. To conclude 
 the real happiness and joy which the culmination of the project 
 brought to the children was a vital factor. 
 
 A Review Lesson on the Vikings 
 
 Sixth Grade, Woodlaivn School* Baltimore County, Md. 
 In their study of the Barbarian Conquerors in Europe, the Sixth 
 Grade were interested to find that one of these groups of invaders was 
 the Vikings, a people they had studied while in Fourth Grade. The 
 facts they had learned in this earlier grade served to stimulate an 
 interest in the additional information they found in their history text, 
 'Our Ancestors in Europe," and in books in the school library. The 
 class thought that, since the present Fourth Grade in the school had 
 studied about the Vikings early in the year they might enjoy hearing 
 the Sixth Grade review the topic. They therefore decided to conduct 
 an oral review and to invite the Fourth Grade to hear the lesson. 
 * A three-room school. 
 
 13 
 
In preparation for this lesson, their main problem was to select 
 such material as would prove most interesting to the Fourth Grade. 
 Accordingly, they first made an outline of topics which would best tell 
 a unified story of the Vikings a story which the Fourth Grade could 
 understand. A list of topics he thought suitable, was prepared by 
 each member of the Sixth Grade, and a history period was devoted 
 to discussing these lists, and deciding upon the final outline to be 
 used. This final outline follows : 
 
 1. Location of the countries where the Vikings lived. (Several 
 
 maps were used to show these countries.) 
 
 2. A description of the Viking Countries. (Climate and surface 
 
 features.) 
 
 3. How the Vikings lived. 
 
 4. How the Vikings dressed. 
 
 5. The appearance of the Vikings. 
 
 6. How the Vikings traveled. 
 
 7. Going A-Viking. 
 
 8. Explorations. 
 
 9. Raids and warfare. 
 10. Viking Heroes. 
 
 Each child selected from the list a topic upon which to prepare 
 a short report. Thus each member of the class felt responsible for 
 telling a part of the story. Several history periods were spent in giv- 
 ing each child an opportunity to make an oral report, the other pupils 
 offering suggestions. The willingness of each one to help his class- 
 mates and to act upon the suggestions offered showed a spirit of real 
 co-operation. 
 
 Invitations to hear the history lesson were sent to the Fourth 
 Grade and to the supervisors. These letters were written during 
 composition periods. A poster announcing the lesson was placed in 
 the hall and another sent to the Fourth Grade. The Sixth Grade also 
 drew and cut out pictures of Viking ships which they used to illustrate 
 some phases of the lesson. 
 
 In preparing the reports, physical maps were studied in order that 
 the class might become familiar with the surface features of the Viking 
 countries. Each child used an outline map upon which he indicated 
 the surface features. A study was also made of these countries, par- 
 ticularly as to climate and location, including latitude and longitude. 
 During the lesson, especially good use was made of the physical wall 
 map in indicating the home of the Vikings, the routes traveled in 
 seeking new homes, and the islands and the part of North America 
 touched in their voyage. 
 
 When the lesson was given, a girl acted as teacher, standing beside 
 ifte blackboard upon which the topics were written, and calling upon 
 pupils to give reports. The confident way in which the reports were 
 given proved the ability of children to assume responsibility when the 
 opportunity is given. The reports had not been memorized but were 
 given in a conversational way. After the lesson the reports were 
 written. Several of these reports follow. 
 
 14 
 
WHERE THE VIKINGS LIVED 
 
 The early home of the Vikings was a land in the far north, on 
 the shores of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. It was a land of 
 peninsulas and islands. The country was very mountainous in parts, 
 and spurs of these mountains ran far out into the sea. Great cliffs, 
 some of them hundreds of feet high, rose out of the ocean. These 
 cliffs were ragged and rough as if torn apart by giants' fingers. The 
 Vikings believed that Thor, the God of War, had broken the rocks by 
 hurling his hammer at the mountains. In many places the sea came 
 up into the land, and made a fiord. At the head of each fiord, there 
 was usually a valley where the soil was fertile and a little grass would 
 grow. But on the cliffs and mountains only trees could live, as far 
 as you could see the deep forest stretched, mile after mile, along the 
 mountains. 
 
 HELEN CLARKE. 
 
 How THE VIKINGS DRESSED 
 
 The Vikings made their clothing from the skins of wild animals 
 which lived in the forests. They wanted ornaments to wear, but as 
 their rocks gave them little gold or silver, they sailed to other lands, 
 and brought back gold and silver ornaments, and other things which 
 they wanted. 
 
 The Viking men were great warriors. Each warrior wore a 
 shining coat of mail, over which was thrown a richly colored mantle 
 fastened at the shoulder with a pin of gold or silver set with stones. 
 Strapped at his side was his broad, short sword, while in his hand 
 was a long lance. His helmet, ornamented with a dragon head, glist- 
 ened in the sunlight as it rested on the warrior's mane of hair. His 
 round shield was wonderfully ornamented. 
 
 FRANCES CHANEY. 
 THE VIKING SHIPS 
 
 The true home of the Vikings was the sea. The same forests 
 that gave the logs for their houses on land, gave also the timbers of 
 their sturdy ships. The front of the ship was high, and had a 
 fierce-looking head upon it, often a dragon's head. The stern of the 
 ship, too, was high and was built in the shape of a dragon's tail. The 
 head and tail were covered with gold, and the gold shone in the sun- 
 light like fire. Their square sails were painted with gay colors and 
 round the sides were hung the colored shields of their crew of 
 warriors. 
 
 KARL REICHERT. 
 
 GOING A-VIKING 
 
 The Vikings liked to sail far out upon the sea. They loved the 
 reat ocean ; for it was like themselves, big and strong and boisterous. 
 Other European people had never dared to sail out very far from 
 their own shores. They believed the earth was a flat disk; and so 
 they were afraid that they might sail out over the edge. 
 
 But the hardy Norsemen were afraid of nothing. The sea was to 
 them a joy, a plaything and a friend. 
 
 When a Viking said, "Let us go A-Viking" they meant sailing 
 
 15 
 
on the sea in search of new lands ; robbing and plundering the lands 
 which they found, and rinding joy in their wild out-of-door-life. 
 
 MARGARET LEHMANN. 
 
 EXPLORATION 
 
 The Vikings wanted many things which their barren lands could 
 not give them, and they were always ready to make new ventures in 
 the hope of finding what they needed. The sea was an open path 
 to them. 
 
 The most distant shores were visited by these daring sailors. 
 They made new homes for themselves in Iceland, and on the cold 
 shores of Greenland. Farther still they sailed, and found a coast slop- 
 ing to the south. This they followed for many miles, till they came to 
 an island at the mouth of a river. Here they landed and found a rich 
 country where grapes grew in plenty; the woods were full of game, 
 and the rivers of salmon. The Vikings named this new land "Vine- 
 land." It was five hundred years before any ships from Europe came 
 to that shore again; for the Vineland was our "America" which 
 Columbus again discovered long afterwards. 
 
 The Northmen also poured into England and won a foothold 
 there. Into Germany and France and Italy they came. 
 
 THELMA LINE. 
 
 VIKING HEROES 
 
 One of the bravest and strongest of the Norsemen in Iceland 
 was Eric the Red. One day he said to his comrades, "Let us sail 
 away to find strange lands." So they sailed away. After sailing for a 
 long while they came to the shores of a new land all covered with 
 ice and snow. Going a little farther they saw many green things. 
 "We will call this Greenland," they said. And so they did. 
 
 During the study of the Vikings the children became much inter- 
 ested in Viking songs. They even attempted some original songs and 
 some of these were read during the lesson by the children who wrote 
 them. A few of these are included in their original form. 
 A VIKING SONG 
 
 I'm a daring Viking bold ; 
 Many, many tales I've told, 
 
 Of long sea trips 
 
 And Ocean dips. 
 
 I just love to search for treasure, 
 Searching is my greatest pleasure. 
 
 At the dragon's head I stand 
 Always looking out for land 
 And all the many towns I plunder 
 Came to me as quick as thunder. 
 
 Home I went 
 
 Old and bent 
 Never more to plunder. 
 
 HELEN CLARKE. 
 
 16 
 
Face to face to sea am I 
 
 Going with pleasure 
 
 With an empty ship. 
 
 Going so gay with dangers threatened 
 
 Just to get a boat of treasure- 
 
 And come back laughing P 
 
 EDWARD WEBER. 
 
 I am a Viking strong! 
 
 To the sea; To the sea! 
 
 I have often gone. 
 
 In many battles I have fought 
 
 In other lands across the sea, 
 
 My dragon-ship has taken me. 
 
 AGNES WILSON. 
 
 I am a Viking from the North 
 Where the fiery north-lights glow, 
 Where the north wind hard doth blow ; 
 Many treasures I have stold 
 Many stories of me they've told! 
 
 FRANCES CHANEY. 
 
 "Out of this icy North 
 
 Dragon-ship, sail forth ; 
 Flee, flee this world of snow 
 Where the fiery north-lights glow, 
 
 Haste, thee, brave keel, away ; 
 
 1 seek a fairer day." 
 
 "I am the God Thor! 
 I am the god of war ! 
 Here in my fortress, 
 Reign I forever ! 
 My eyes are the lightning! 
 The blows of my hammer 
 Ring in the thunder!" 
 
 MAURICE DITMAN. 
 
 explorers 
 
 warrior 
 
 daring 
 
 voyager 
 
 expeditions 
 
 skalds 
 
 sagas 
 
 ornaments 
 
 descendents 
 
 LIST OF SPELLING WORDS NEEDED 
 
 
 ventured 
 
 Denmark 
 
 islands 
 
 fiords 
 
 plundered 
 
 Scandinavian 
 
 heroes 
 
 shields 
 
 mountainous 
 
 helmets 
 
 Norway 
 
 peninsula 
 
 Sweden 
 
 armor 
 
 raids 
 
 giant? 
 
 dragon 
 
 
 17 
 
 
REFERENCES USED BY CLASS 
 
 BOOK 
 Our Ancestors in Europe 
 
 (Text for Grade) 
 Barbarian and Noble 
 
 Viking Tales 
 
 Builders of Our Country 
 
 History Stories of Other 
 
 Lands 
 
 Book III, The Beginning 
 Book IV, Lord and Vassal 
 America's Story for Ameri- 
 ca's Children 
 Trading and Exploring 
 
 AUTHOR PUBLISHER 
 
 Jennie Hall Silver Burdett 
 
 & Co. 
 Lansing Ginn & Co. 
 
 Jennie Hall Rand, McNally 
 Southworth Appleton & Co. 
 
 PAGES 
 157-160 
 
 115-122 
 
 137-150 
 
 15-199 
 
 1-9 
 
 Terry 
 Terry 
 
 Pratt 
 Luther 
 
 Row, Peterson Co. 177-181 
 Row, Peterson Co. 14-22 
 
 D. C. Heath 
 American Book Co. 
 
 1-22 
 -147 
 
 DRAMATIZATION OF A SCENE FROM ALICE IN WONDERLAND 
 FOURTH GRADE 
 
 When the invitation to attend the review lesson on the Vikings 
 was received by the Fourth Grade, they thought they should like to 
 do something for the Sixth Grade to show their appreciation of the 
 invitation. Since they were studying "Alice in Wonderland/' they 
 decided that they might dramatize an incident from this story. They 
 thought the Sixth Grade might enjoy the Mad Tea Party, in Chapter 
 VII, of "Alice in Wonderland." During the reading period, the parts 
 of the play were read by different members of the class. The class 
 decided on four children whom they thought could best take the 
 parts. The dramatization was given immediately after the close of 
 the Sixth Grade lesson and was managed entirely by members of the 
 Fourth Grade. 
 
 A School Bank 
 
 Avice Wright, State Normal School, Emporia, Kan. 
 
 The following class problem arose as an outgrowth of the school 
 bank. The pupils wanted to know more about banking than their 
 school banking work gave them. The best way to learn more about 
 banking seemed to be to do what bankers do. But the bank can't 
 run without the community. So the problem arose, how to establish 
 a play bank and a play community. 
 
 The play bank was an important part of the arithmetic work in 
 the 7-6 Grade the first semester of this year. 
 
 To establish a play bank and a play community. 
 
 I. To find out as much as possible about banks in general. Each 
 pupil contributed here through advertisements, etc. 
 
 II. Such questions as follows developed into small problems from 
 a group recitation to discuss I. 
 
 1. How much money is necessary for a group to have in 
 
 order to establish a bank? 
 
 18 
 
2. What is meant by capital? Resources? Liabilities? 
 Directors? Stockholders? etc. 
 
 3. Are all banks of the same kind? (This brought out 
 State, National and Federal Reserve.) 
 
 The above questions necessitated a library hour in which the 
 banking laws of Kansas were considered. 
 
 After the library hour, the officers, president, vice-president, 
 receiving teller and paying teller were elected. The president presided 
 and conducted a parliamentary meeting considering the following 
 questions. For example: 
 
 1. What kind of a bank shall we have? 
 
 2. What shall be our capital? 
 
 3. How many stockholders? How shall our directors be chosen? 
 
 4. What sort of bookkeeping is necessary? (This involves a dis- 
 tinct knowledge of debit and credit.) 
 
 5. How shall our bank books be balanced? 
 
 6. What is the correct way to write a check? A deposit slip? 
 
 7. How do we keep the stub of the check book balanced? 
 
 8. What kind of business shall I have? (This involves also study 
 of partnerships.) 
 
 9. What can I use to represent things to sell? 
 
 10. Where will we get our stock? (Herein enters the wholesale 
 house and its study.) 
 
 11. How can I make my goods so attractive that every one will 
 buy? (Out of this grows the poster problems attractive posters are 
 made by the class to use as show windows.) 
 
 12. How shall I mark my goods? (This calls for a marking word 
 similar to one which merchants use.) 
 
 After the play community has been in progress for some time and 
 profits are realized the problem of investment arises and various types 
 of investments as savings accounts, real estate, endowment, stocks and 
 bonds follow. In connection with real estate the problem of tax is 
 met. 
 
 AVICE WRIGHT, 
 Supervisor of Mathematics. 
 
 A Circus 
 
 PROJECT 
 
 A circus in the schoolroom produced by the children of the Second 
 Grade. 
 
 SITUATION 
 
 A circus had recently been to the town ; all the children attended. 
 APPROACH OR LAUNCHING THE PROJECT 
 
 "Let me see the hands of all the children who went to the circus. 
 Good, I am glad so many of you went ! Mary, tell me something that 
 you saw at the circus that you liked very much." Then will follow a 
 general discussion of the things seen at the circus. x 
 
 "How would you like to have a circus here in our room?" 
 
 "All right, what parts of the circus could we produce?" As each 
 
 19 
 
suggestion came up we would discuss it and if practical would write 
 it on the board. We probably would decide on : 
 
 1. Elephant walking the bottles and other "stunts" by the different 
 animals. 
 
 2. The clown. 
 
 3. The band. 
 
 4. The ring-master. 
 
 5. Make posters. 
 
 Children decide who is to take each part. 
 
 CORRELATION 
 
 1 . Language : 
 
 (a) Each animal described named, where lives and other 
 things of interest we can find out. . 
 
 (b) Word drill on names of animals. 
 
 (c) Name and describe with imitations instruments in the 
 band. 
 
 (d) Writing the posters. 
 
 2. Hand work : 
 
 (a) Making posters. 
 
 (b) Making simple costume accessories such as paper hat 
 and neck ruff for clown. All costuming would be very simple 
 a mere suggestion, the children's imagination and imitation 
 would suffice. 
 
 3. Physical exercise : 
 
 (a) Imitating the animals by different motions that are 
 characteristic. 
 
 4. Geography locating and talking about places where the 
 animals live. 
 
 5. Arithmetic : 
 
 (a) Simple measures required in hand work. 
 
 (b) Selling tickets. 
 
 We would use the entire room as a stage or circus ring with the 
 simplest equipment. The entire procedure would be as informal and as 
 much in the hands of the children as possible to maintain at the same 
 time some semblance of decency and order and aiming at worth while 
 activity. 
 
 An Unusual Project 
 
 THE SITUATION 
 
 1. A class of 36 boys and girls in the Seventh Grade, and between 
 the ages of 16 and 17. One boy was 18, and had been through the 
 first two years of high school in the State of Washington, but was 
 retarded because he hadn't memorized the particular lists of facts, 
 most of them useless, which were required for entrance to high school 
 in that system. The others were retarded for similar reasons, and, 
 of course, hated the "baby" work which they were sometimes required 
 to do, such as making small wooden toys in the manual training 
 course. 
 
 2. The manual training building was in a corner of a large 
 grounds. 
 
 20 
 
3. There was a kind of summer resort nearby where this par- 
 ticular product could be used, and a friend of the school was ready 
 to buy this product just as soon as it was completed, or partly com- 
 pleted at the cost price, or a little more than cost. 
 
 4. Construction work "was decreasing because the war had broken 
 out, and lumber was plentiful and could be had for this purpose on 
 credit. 
 
 THE MAIN PROBLEM 
 
 1. To construct a summer cottage that could be moved to the 
 beach nearby, if not built on the beach. 
 
 THE AIMS (as I now see them). 
 
 1. To create whole-hearted purposeful activity, (a) in geometri- 
 cal drawing, which I had to teach, and in manual trainng for the 
 boys, and (b) in design for the girls, which I also had to teach. 
 
 2. To give the boys in the same way practical training in house- 
 planning, furnishing, decoration, and practice in woodwork that the 
 average man may put to use in doing odd bits of repairs, etc. 
 
 3. In the same way to teach the girls design, color harmony, 
 planning for health, economy, convenience and house decorating and 
 furnishing. Also to teach the following: 
 
 4. Principles of arithmetic such as lumbering, carpeting, paint- 
 ing, papering, percentages, square and cubic measure. 
 
 5. Business forms, including letter writing and bookkeeping. 
 
 6. Some study of textiles, etc., in regard to the relation between 
 durability, supply, cost of manufacture and price. 
 
 7. Habits of clear thinking, correct speech, and. other habits in 
 regard to English could be developed in class discussions, letter 
 writing, etc. 
 
 8. If circumstances would permit the historical and comparative 
 study of design and architecture could be touched upon. 
 
 9. Also geography in the location of sources of raw materials, 
 places of manufacture, transportation and geographical controls in- 
 volved in each. 
 
 METHOD 
 
 In general the method is suggested by the above outline, but the 
 following should perhaps be added : 
 
 1. In regard to plans the general type would be decided by the 
 pupils, in this case in harmony with the wishes of the purchaser, but 
 the difficult details would be prepared by others representing the 
 architect. In this case the manual instructor could have had the 
 assistance of another teacher and myself who had some experience 
 in building. 
 
 2. The various minor projects and problems would be worked 
 out by committees to save time, but would be later discussed in class. 
 Much of the work, however, such as arithmetic, bookkeeping, etc.. 
 would be done by all pupils. In such things as letter-writing the best 
 would be selected, or a combination made of the good points from all. 
 
 3. Throughout stress would be placed on division of labor, co- 
 
 21 
 
operation, interdependence, majority rule, committee methods, parlia- 
 mentary procedure, etc., thus emphasizing certain qualities of good 
 citizenship. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS 
 
 1. The project here would perhaps not be of the pupils' proposing, 
 but I think it would soon become their real purpose, and the activity 
 would be quite as whole hearted. 
 
 2. This would be a real project because difficult problems would 
 be met and overcome in order to accomplish the main purpose. 
 
 3. This kind of project, of course, could only be taken up in this 
 form under special conditions such as outlined above. 
 
 4. The co-operation of at least the class teacher, the manual train- 
 ing instructor and the art supervisor would be very necessary, and, of 
 course, of the authorities such as the superintendent. 
 
 Plan for a Project in How to Study Spelling: 
 
 THE SITUATION 
 
 The children of the Fourth Grade in question are an average 
 group of boys and girls who have been given a definite period for 
 preparing an assignment of five new words a day and a review at 
 the week-end. They have been left to their own resources as to method 
 of preparation, and the record kept of the results shown in the written 
 lessons is discouraging except for two or three instances of children 
 who do perfect work quite regularly. 
 THE TEACHER'S PROBLEM 
 
 The teacher is very anxious that the children shall find a more 
 effective way of studying their spelling. 
 
 METHOD OF PROCEDURE 
 
 The teacher may present the results of a few weeks' work by 
 the children by scores and also by placing on the blackboard some 
 list of words which the children generally spell correctly, and also 
 lists of words very often incorrectly spelled. 
 
 This should serve to launch the problem when the teacher sug- 
 gests, "I wonder if we cannot find out what is the matter and make 
 considerable improvement. Surely the trouble is not that we do not 
 try." 
 
 The children's response will bring out their feeling that the poorly 
 spelled list is composed of more difficult words. This gives the oppor- 
 tunity to study them and learn why these words are more difficult. 
 Such facts as the unphonetic spelling of whole words or of parts will 
 come out. 
 
 Since difficulty should be a challenge rather than a discourage- 
 ment, the immediate problem is to discover the best way ot studying 
 such words. It may be suggested that John and Mary succeed in 
 spite of the difficulties. Why is this? Possibly the children will ask 
 these two for help. John or Mary may be able to tell from intro- 
 spection how they tackle the difficult words. If not the teacher will 
 have to take a more leading part and perhaps question whether we 
 all study our spelling by just mentally repeating the letters of a word 
 until they sink into our minds and stay. Applying this question to a 
 
 22 
 
single well chosen word should bring out the suggestion, probably 
 from John or Mary, that we need pay little attention to the parts of 
 words which are spelled phoneticaly out should pay special attention 
 to the unusual parts and note their peculiarities. Finally the group 
 might be led to try the scheme individually on other difficult words 
 from the list, and then to suggest a means for testing the success of 
 the new method. This would lead to the practice of the discovered 
 plan and its application to future lessons, with the teacher continuing 
 the record keeping for comparison of new results with old at some 
 future date. 
 
 This project should be only one step in the big problem of im- 
 proving results. Other possible helps may be made the bases of 
 similar problems. 
 
 Rip Van Winkle 
 
 Project, to present a dramatic version of a portion of Irving's 
 Rip Van Winkle to an audience of children and teachers in the Sum- 
 mer School of Teachers College, Columbia University in August, 1917* 
 
 SITUATION 
 
 The class had completed six lessons in "Readings from Litera- 
 ture," by Halleck and Barbour. The opening question of the course 
 was, "What have you read for fun which you could recommend to 
 the rest of us ?" Zenobia's Infidelity was read for fun and the fun was 
 made to include ultimately discussion of the principal interests, the 
 character of the Doctor, and so on. There followed a similar study 
 applying the same points of view to "Wee Willie Winkie," by 
 Kipling. 
 
 DEVELOPMENT OF THE PURPOSE 
 
 Then the instructor announced that the class had been invited 
 to compete with other classes for the privilege of giving a play in the 
 auditorium. Should we undertake to do it ? The class were enthusias- 
 tic. Then followed. the question, "What shall we dramatize?" The 
 children themselves ultimately decided to take Rip Van Winkle, and 
 because of the shortness of the time, to give only the last two scenes. 
 
 PLAN 
 
 Committees were appointed, largely on the suggestion of the 
 members of the class, the cast was determined by tryout, the "book" 
 prepared by committees and submitted for criticism. Properties were 
 collected by committees. One or two rehearsals were held outside of 
 class time. An art student made a sign for the inn. 
 
 EXECUTION 
 
 On the appointed day the pupils arranged the stage to represent 
 a street by means of screens and a large play house from the kinder- 
 garten department. They dressed up to represent Revolutionary cos- 
 tumes, and went through with the two acts, with prompting only from 
 the stage manager, who also took part in the action. 
 JUDGING THE RESULTS 
 
 After the play was over, the members of the class talked freely 
 
 23 
 
among themselves as to how well they had succeeded. They regretted 
 that they had left out some of the best parts, but were glad that other 
 parts went pretty well. They were particularly proud of Rip Van 
 Winkle, who was heartily congratulated on his success kissed, in fact, 
 by one enthusiast. 
 
 A Project in Geography 
 
 Fourth or Fifth Grade, Anne Bingham 
 AIM 
 
 To teach sources of food and various industries of 'the world. 
 SITUATION 
 
 During summer school such vegetables were planted in the school 
 garden as could be harvested at the beginning of the fall term turnips, 
 parsnips, carrots, etc. 
 
 LAUNCHING OF PROJECT (Beginning from where children are) 
 
 First an excursion is made to the garden for inspection to see 
 
 what changes have taken place since summer school. (Here bring out 
 
 simple principles of sciences and nature, viz. effect of heat, light, 
 
 moisture, time, soil, etc.) The vegetables are found to be large enough 
 
 to be harvested. 
 
 Question: What shall we do with the vegetables? Probable 
 
 proposals: (1) Have party; (2) Take some home; (3) Take to 
 
 market at the grocery store and sell. 
 
 QUESTION OR PROBLEM 
 
 How to harvest vegetables or the best way to harvest them; how 
 prepare them for market? Others? At which store to market them? 
 Which grocer is paying the best prices? (Comparison of prices will 
 develop problems in arithmetic. 
 
 Trip to grocery decided upon. Let children experience the selling 
 of the vegetables by transacting the business. While at store, notice 
 other vegetables, such as potatoes, onions, etc., that the farmers from 
 the country round about have brought in to market. Notice other 
 things in the store. Here are oranges, bananas, grapefruit, etc. 
 Were they raised here? Why not? Where were they raised? This 
 will lead to the study of California (West), Florida (South), and 
 other states where the fruits are grown. 
 
 Other things the children will notice are coffee, which will touch 
 on Brazil, canned fish, will lead to the fishing industry on Pacific and 
 Atlantic coasts, tea from Japan, canning industry, milling industry, 
 packing house industry, as in Chicago and Kansas City, industry of 
 drying fruit, grape and raisin industry, sugar, etc. Other projects 
 which may be developed are: 
 
 (a) Transportation How the orange, tea, etc., get to our gro- 
 cery store and how the wheat in our section is made into flour ana 
 sent to other parts of the country? Here we will develop the idea of 
 interdependence. 
 
 (b) Physical geography. Why certain fruits are grown in cer- 
 tain places, etc. 
 
 (c) Reading In order to find out where the various products 
 
 24 
 
come from the childrn will have to be able to read and will get much 
 practice along this line. 
 
 (d) Keeping a record of what they found out will involve 
 writing. 
 
 An Individual Project 
 
 Jennie M. Gordon 
 Oakland, California. 
 SITUATION 
 
 A screen porch of a ranch house. 
 
 Six gallons of heavy rich cream in a large barrel churn which i* 
 revolved by a crank turned by hand. 
 
 A boy who did not like to churn. 
 
 Cream ready for him to churn. 
 
 PROBLEM 
 
 How to get awav from turning ihat crank. 
 
 PURPOSE 
 
 To find an easier way. 
 
 PLAN 
 
 1. The boy took a solid chair, adjusted the churn and sat down. 
 He tilted his chair back against the wall started the churn, and kept 
 it revolving by foot power instead of hand power. 
 
 2. He thought of his mother's spinning wheel, which was driven 
 by foot power, whereupon he proceeded to make a treadle in order 
 to make the work easier. He constructed a crude treadle of wood and 
 fastened it. to the churn after the manner of a spinning wheel. 
 
 3. While testing this method and re-adjusting the bands he 
 thought of the small motor outside which was used on the pumping 
 plant. He changed the band and attached a belt connected to the motor 
 on to the crank. The motor did the work. 
 
 EXECUTION 
 
 Butter came. Work completed on time. (Mother's judgment.) 
 
 VALUE 
 
 The boy has now an electric plant, and all cranks are turned by 
 electricity. 
 
 "Our Library" 
 
 Minnie E. Walsh 
 
 The question of home-reading in the 6th, 7th and 8th grades has 
 developed into quite a problem the past year. In the light of what I 
 have learned about the problem-project method, or principle, I feel 
 that it can be brought to bear upon the solution of our difficulties. 
 The plan sounds crude as here stated but, as I understand the prin- 
 ciple, it grows step by step and in an imaginary situation it is hard 
 to determine what the different steps might be. 
 
 Our course of study furnishs a list of books for home-reading, 
 and requires the pupils of the three upper grades to hand in, during 
 the year, a written report or review of ten of these books which they 
 
 25 
 
have read. Difficulty in obtaining books and the written requirements 
 have tended to defeat the aim of home reading, viz., to foster and 
 encourage a desire to read good books. 
 
 The Public Library is at some distance from the school and 
 hence it is inconvenient for pupils to go there. The library has 
 endeavored to meet the situation by sending to outlying schools travel- 
 ing libraries, a case of 40 or 50 books for a grade containing about 
 4 or 5, possibly 6 of the required books. Many of the books served 
 but one purpose, that of filling the case. Last year the Library Com- 
 mittee criticised the condition of books returned after the long usage by 
 many children of foreign parentage. Pupils as well as- teachers and 
 superintendent felt that the criticism was unjust. 
 
 The pupils suggested starting a Library of their own. I was 
 perfectly willing to co-operate and asked how they proposed to do it. 
 They decided upon a series of entertainmnts to be given every other 
 Friday afternoon in the School Auditorium, charging 25c admis- 
 sion. They realized how the people in their district (foreign born), 
 respond to such things. "Shall it be just a 6th, 7th and 8th grade 
 Library?" "No, we want it to be 'Our School Library/ so we want 
 all the teachers and pupils to help!" 
 
 As far as possible the school subjects were to be so planned as 
 to work in with the idea, making use of Oral English, Dramatization, 
 Music, Physical Exercises, etc. 
 
 The entertainments were given and the results were all that could 
 be desired. We are now ready to purchase books. The project carries 
 over and furnishes purposeful activity for the home-reading and for 
 oral and written English. 
 
 Pupils of the three upper grades are furnished with list of required 
 books; they may use any book by the required author. Making use 
 of the Public Libraries, each pupil is to be held responsible for the 
 reading of one book a month, so read that he or she can come before 
 the class and give an interesting review of the book, also hand to 
 the committee a written report on the book. After listening to the 
 oral reviews, the class is to decide which books they would like for 
 "Our School Library." Pupils will be led to feel their responsibility 
 in selecting the best books for their reading and making the best 
 kind of review, if they wish the class to select their book for the 
 Library. 
 
 The written reviews are to be passed upon by a committee of six, 
 a boy and a girl from each of the three upper grades, elected by their 
 respective class. This committee will act with the teacher who has 
 charge of the home-reading as she has to mark and send in the written 
 reports at the end of the year. If a written report does not "measure 
 up," the committee returns it to the writer with suggestions for im- 
 provement, before the book can be purchased for "Our Library." 
 
 Another committee to purchase the books is elected by the pupils, 
 possibly 3 or 4 members from each of the upper grades. (The Civic 
 Class takes care of these elections using the Preferential Ballot.) This 
 committee looks up publishers, price lists, etc. After consultation with 
 
 26 
 
the principal, they have power to make all arrangements for pur- 
 chase of books, when classes have read and received enough, books 
 to make it worth while to order. By the end of the year "Our School 
 Library" will be well started, and I feel that the home-reading will 
 be given a stimulus by the mere fact that the books are the pupils' 
 own. 
 
 A Mock Trial by Eighth Grade Pupils 
 
 G. Sidney Leach 
 PROBLEM 
 
 How does a jury (and incidentally a court), work? 
 
 THE APPROACH 
 
 T. Did you notice in the paper last night the item about the 
 burglars who were caught robbing Smith's house on Maple Avenue? 
 (Business of receiving miscellaneous strands of information from 
 some of the pupils who live near by.) 
 
 T. I wonder what will be done to them? Pupils. They'll go 
 to jail. 
 
 T. Where are they now, then ? One boy says they are now in 
 the lock-up, but the Recorder will send them to the County Jail and 
 maybe they'll be tried there. The teacher asks why they are not tried 
 in our town and finds that the Recorder can not really try anybody 
 except petty offenders like automobile speeders, and that he has to send 
 the bigger cases to the County Court to be tried. (This is real 
 information to the teacher, usually.) 
 
 T. That is very interesting. How many of you ever saw a 
 regular trial in a real court? One or two raised their hands. 
 
 T. How many would like to go with me to Hackensack some 
 afternoon and see a trial? We'll go there instead of coming to school. 
 Everybody wants to go except a few of the girls. A few afternoons 
 later they go and see a trial. 
 
 The jury had been partly chosen in the morning. Two jurors 
 remained to be chosen. This was done and the trial was held. The 
 evidence was very clear and there were only two witnesses. The 
 case was finished, the judge charged the jury and it retired to delib- 
 erate. After half an hour it brought in a verdict of "Guilty" and the 
 prisoner was sentenced to six months in jail. 
 
 Next day the class met for civics and were full of discussion 
 concerning the case. The teacher asked if they would like to have a 
 trial of their own in a real court of their own. They would, very 
 much. Before they got far it developed that no one had seen the be- 
 ginning of the trial in the court house. One boy volunteered to find 
 out from his father and have the information ready for the class 
 next day. Then the children voted for judge and lawyers, and agreed 
 that the rest of the class should be a panel from which the jury should 
 be chosen to try the case. 
 
 It now developed that they had no prisoner and no charge to try 
 him for. One boy volunteered to be prisoner and a committee was 
 elected to draw up an indictment against him. The trial was to be 
 held later and it was decided that in-as-much as the trial itself would 
 
 27 
 
take in nearly the entire room, they should get permission to hold it 
 in the auditorium and invite the other grammar grades to attend. 
 
 COMMENT 
 
 The above applies to a criminal case. It could be varied to apply 
 equally well to a civil trial. The details could be elaborated and made 
 as true to life as possible or they could be made more informal, if it 
 seemed best. 
 
 As a result of it the children mighlp learn: 
 
 1. The way a real court is carried on. (Dramatizing it after 
 seeing the County Court would fix it still more firmly in mind.) 
 
 2. Something of written composition (on the part of those who 
 drew up the accusation). 
 
 3. Ability to speak correct English (on the part of the lawyers, 
 judge, and witnesses). 
 
 4. Power to judge the worth of statements the jury. 
 
 5. (Incidentally, they would understand very clearly the workings 
 of a jury and a court of justice.) 
 
 I have but roughly indicated a general outline and have no doubt 
 that if I started to work it out with a class, it would have to be 
 modified at places. 
 
 A Problem in History Fourth Grade 
 
 Edith Veggcbcrg, Chicago Public Schools 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Discussion of the life of Sir Walter Raleigh took place in class. 
 It was found that he was a favorite of the Queen, and received a charter 
 for land in the New World. But before sending out a colony, Raleigh 
 sent an expedition to report the existing conditions. After these 
 precautions were taken he sent out the colony, but his efforts were a 
 failure. 
 
 PROBLEM RAISED 
 
 Why did the colony fail? 
 COLLECTION OF MATERIAL 
 
 1. During the discussion of how this problem can be solved, the 
 pupils find that they must know : 
 
 a. Size of colony. 
 
 b. Character of colony. 
 
 c. Purpose of colony. 
 
 d. Difficulties of colony. 
 
 2. The pupils are then given time to look up the necessary mate- 
 rial. For this their textbooks and reference books are used. 
 
 3. Reports and discussion of the material take place, and an out- 
 line is worked out on the board. 
 
 a. Size of colony. 
 
 (1) 108 men, but no women. 
 
 (2) Richard Grenville, Commander. 
 
 (3) Ralph Lane, Governor. 
 
 28 
 
b. Character of colony. 
 Men adventurers. 
 
 c. Purpose of colony. 
 
 Plant a settlement to find gold. 
 
 d. Difficulties of colony. 
 
 (1) Men were cruel to Indians. 
 
 (2) Food became scarce. 
 
 4. At this point a subordinate problem arises : Why did the food 
 become scarce? Through reading, skillful questioning on the part of 
 the teacher, good thinking on the part of the pupils, it was found that : 
 
 a. Colonists took only enough food for the voyage to 
 America. 
 
 b. Land had to be cleared before any crops could be planted. 
 
 c. Time was required to mature any crops that might have 
 been planted. 
 
 d. Indians refused to give colonists food because of cruelty 
 shown them. 
 
 e. Colonists wasted time looking for gold. 
 
 5. The only way the colonists could solve the food problem was 
 to send to England for supplies. Grenville went but while he was 
 gone the colonists searched for gold, and found only hardships. In 
 the midst of their despair, Sir Francis Drake arrived, and agreed to 
 leave food for the colonists. But a storm arose, and the colonists 
 lost heart, and returned with Drake to England. 
 
 PROBLEM SOLVED 
 
 Sir Walter Raleigh's colony failed because : 
 
 1. The men were adventurers, and not home builders. 
 
 2. The men were not far-sighted enough to make provisions for 
 home and food. 
 
 3. Colonists were unfriendly to the Indians. 
 
 4. Failure to find gold. 
 
 5. Lack of persistency. 
 
 Ulysses in the Sixth Grade 
 
 By Bessie Morris,, Chicago Public Schools 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 a. In story form and as dramatically as possible the teacher told 
 the story of the blind poet. Homer, who traveled throughout Greece 
 from village to village, singing the songs of each. These songs were 
 collected by a Roman tyrant, who had them put into two volumes. 
 Sympathy for this blind musician was aroused and the children wanted 
 to hear the rest of the story. 
 
 b. This story was written many years ago when the people believed 
 in many gods. One child said that in the stories of the Norse Heroes 
 they had read about the gods. The class made a list of the gods and 
 what they stood for. This was a good point at which to bring in some 
 of the important Greek gods. 
 
 c. Of the Iliad only those portions which involved Ulysses were 
 
 29 
 
selected. The class was tense with interest during the telling of 
 '[Helen's Capture," and "Ulysses Plowing the Seashore." 
 KMEDIATE PROBLEMS 
 
 The children at the conclusion of the story (Iliad) were eager to 
 know : 
 
 a. What became of Ulysses, his friends, his family. 
 
 b. How he got home. 
 
 c. What relation the gods had to Ulysses. 
 SOURCE OF MATERIAL 
 
 To answer these we consulted Church's "Story of the Odyssey." 
 The children brought a number of books from home, among which 
 frere: mythologies, stories by Hawthorne and Baldwin, Round the 
 5Tear in Myth and Song, Palmer's Odyssey. The children elected their 
 librarian, who gave out the books and examined them after each 
 person used them. 
 CARRYING OUT THE PROJECT. 
 
 a. In the course of the story problems came up, and the children 
 during recitation made a list of those facts which were not clear to 
 them. These were used as our topics. In assigning them the children 
 were asked to volunteer for the topic in which they were most 
 interested. 
 
 1. Individual Topics. 
 
 a. The gods appeared like mortals but just how did they differ? 
 
 (1) Gods had power to change their appearance and become 
 invisible. 
 
 (2) They determined fate of mortals. 
 
 (3) Food was nectar and ambrosia, etc. 
 
 The child who made this report gave illustrations from the 
 Odyssey to explain his statements. 
 
 b. Basis of fact for this story. 
 
 c. Children liked to look up myths connected with characters men- 
 tioned in the story. In this way the fascinating story of the underworld 
 .was evolved, and the children eagerly searched for available material 
 
 on Pluto and his queer kingdom. 
 
 (1) Pupils brought pictures of Cerberous, etc. 
 
 (2) One artistic person read a few verses of poetry about 
 Charon, the ferryman who ferries souls over the river of 
 darkness to await judgment. 
 
 2. Group Topics. 
 
 a. Geographic setting of story. 
 
 ( 1 ) Children worked in small groups. Each group studied 
 
 about a different portion of land mentioned in the story. 
 
 To bring out their subject the children used many legends 
 
 peculiar to the country. 
 
(2) A second group selected their material from the recital 
 tions of first group and took up the geographic f actor , 
 directly affecting lives of the characters and ho\v. 
 1). I low the Odyssey in general makeup differed from othe 
 stories the class had read. 
 
 c. Sports. The boys volunteered for this and one made a discu: 
 of cardboard ; another brought a toy spear ; another made a tim 
 chariot. After their explanations they demonstrated the use of them.l 
 
 CONCLUSION AND APPLICATION 
 
 a. The children were too immature to take notes in any systematic 
 manner so they wrote compositions on the reports given in class. 
 
 b. The reports during the discussion period were critisized by the 
 children from the standpoint of good English. 
 
 c. The story was studied according to incident rather than chap- 
 ter. Each child after class discussion of the incident wrote a one 
 sentence summary of the incident. On the next day these were written 
 on the board and discussed. The children decided which summary was 
 best. These were kept in their note books with pictures (when pos- 
 sible to obtain them), of the characters mentioned. Those who had 
 gone on an excursion to the Art Institute wrote in their note books 
 descriptions of the statues of these people. 
 
 d. Dramatizing an incident. 
 
 The chi 1 ren decided which incident they wished to dramatize. 
 They chose T 1vsses at the Palace of Alcinous." 
 
 ( hild wio a modernized version of the incident 
 
 ... j) 7 form. 0*1 e recitation period was used in ex- 
 plaining this form. 
 
 (2) The children elected a committee and they with the 
 teacher went over the manuscripts submitted. 
 
 (3) Class voted on the one preferred. 
 
 (4) From previous exercises in oral reading the children 
 easily selected the characters and arranged for rehearsal 
 outside of school. 
 
 (5) Owing to peculiar conditions the time for art could not be 
 utilized in designing the costumes. To accomplish this. 
 the children organized a "Greel^.Club" outside of school 
 and prepared their costumes. 
 
 
 31 
 
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