a. Upon agriculture.
(See geographies quoted above; also the Cosmopolitan, 37:718-722; the World’s Work, Dec., 1907.)
b. Upon secondary industries
c. Upon population in the areas irrigated.
(King, Adv. Geog., pp. 152-154; also other geographies quoted above; the World’s Work, Dec., 1907.)
Would it pay a man to buy a forty-acre tract in the irrigated region? What crops could he produce? Value of crops? (Estimated.) Where there are prosperous farming communities, what other industries are possible? Are they found in the irrigated districts? With agriculture, fruit growing, and other industries made possible and profitable, what effect is produced upon immigration to the Western states? What problems did we set out to solve in these lessons on irrigation? What is the answer to each?
Further topics for class study:—
1. Value of forests to systems of irrigation.
2. Our relations to the irrigated regions.
3. Advisability of introducing irrigation in the Eastern states.
4. Irrigation in Egypt.
5. Irrigation in India.
Individual assignments:—
1. Economy of water in irrigation.
2. Fruit growing on irrigated land.
3. Advantages and disadvantages of farming in the East and in the West.
4. Relative value to a state of gold mining and of farming.
5. Relation of irrigation in the West to the people of Europe.
6. To the people of the Eastern states.
The plan given above for the topic “irrigation” is typical of many plans which the teacher should make. It indicates the development of the whole topic, which will need the time of several recitations for its complete development. The topics given at the end of the plan for class study and for individual assignment show that the teacher had thought over the problems which might arise as the subject was taught, and that she was ready to make such assignments as the situation demanded from day to day. If such a list of possible assignments has been prepared before the topic is taught, the chances are that the ground will be much more thoroughly covered than would be the case if the teacher trusted to her ability to select an interesting problem at the end of each day’s work. Lesson plans should, as a rule, cover a complete unit of work or topic. One plan will commonly include inductive development work in the derivation of principles, drill work to fix these generalizations or to give skill in their application, and at times deductive work in the use of the principles derived to explain new situations. A complete plan for teaching percentage in arithmetic would include all of the elements mentioned. A lesson for appreciation or a recitation lesson may often be followed by drill work. When the topic lesson plan has been prepared, the teacher will need to consider from day to day the best method of proceeding with the subject. She may wish to vary somewhat the approach or order of development.
A PLAN FOR A DRILL LESSON
The work indicated here can be done in one period. The plan is given as an illustration of the principles involved in good drill work. It is especially necessary, in planning for lessons of this type, to be ready to vary the exercises in order to maintain the interest and attention of the class. Repetition with attention is what counts for habit formation. The children have been playing a game in which the score secured by throwing a bean bag in squares, numbered from one to ten, has been multiplied by two and later by three. The class has been divided into sides, and the competition has been keen. They want to make larger scores, and, therefore, have a compelling motive for studying the next table.