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COPYRIGHT BY

JOHN TRAINER.

1883.

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PREFATORY AND EXPLANATORY.

THE Plan of this little book sets forth the following essential points in active school-room work:

1. A Blackboard Analysis of each and every topic in United States History.

2. Directions for Studying each immediate topic. (In this point the author believes that this help is necessary in almost every preparation of a lesson.)

3. "Queer Queries" are introduced immediately after the reference work, in order to stimulate more reference reading. The author finds that his pupils not only find the answers to the Queries, but in doing so, they invariably fix some other important fact, thus not only doing a definite work, but becoming familiar with authors which they would not otherwise read.

4. The Daily Reviews are absolutely necessary to an entire success in the study of this branch. Without definite reviews the pupil will not retain the mass of facts ever accumulating in the study of History. The teacher who fails to keep up constant daily reviews fails to impress these facts permanently upon the memory of the pupil.

5. By the use of the Blackboard Analysis, Directions for Studying, Queer Queries, Daily Reviews and other numerous helps contained in the book, the teacher is enabled to adopt the topical recitation and thus make a multiplicity of texts not only desirable but actually beneficial and helpful. "The greater number of authors in the school the better," so say a number of teachers now using the plans as copied from Institute Work,

6. The constant reference to the Constitution will give the pupil a fair knowledge of the principles of our Government by the time he completes his course in United States History. The teacher should introduce other questions as needed, from time to time.

7. The somewhat extended list of "Queer Queries" on United States History enables the teacher and pupil to have a ready reference always at hand for the purpose of investigation.

8. Finally, it is believed that the average pupil will gain a thorough knowledge of the subject in one half the time usually allotted to this study. That instead of spending years on the text-book "question and answer " method, he will gain this knowledge in one or two terms.

When you have tried the plans as eliminated in this little book and are convinced of their success or failure, then, and not till then, condemn or commend the school-room product of

DECATUR, ILL., July, 1883.

YE PEDAGOGUE.

Thomas Carlyle's Advice.

"I can assure you on very good experience, it is far less important to a man that he read many books than that he read a few well, and with his whole mind awake to them. This is indisputably certain. A very small lot of books will serve to nourish a man's mind if he handle them well; and I have known innumerable people whose minds have all gone to ruin by reading carelessly too many books. As to subjects for reading, I recommend in general all kinds of books that will give you real information about men, their works and ways, past and present. History is evidently the grand subject a student will take to. Never read any such book without a map beside you; endeavor to seek out every place the author names, and get a clear idea of the ground you are on; without this you can never understand him, much less remember him. Mark the dates of the chief events and epochs; write them; get them fixed into your memory-chronology and geography are the two lamps of history."

(Written in 1852, to his nephew, Dr. Carlyle, of Toronto, Canada, who was then qualifying himself for a teacher).

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