an important international fact as the value to Germany of the Berlin-to-Bagdad railroad.

Each large topic treated intensively as a project. — In the study of each large topic it is approached from many points of view. For example, in studying lumbering the following activities are carried on: (1) discussions of values of forests; (2) maps of national forests examined; (3) letters written to National Bureau of Forestry for maps and booklets, the best letters chosen to be sent by a committee; (4) enemies of the forests, such as forest fires, studied; (5) great forest regions colored with crayon on outline maps; (6) specimens of wood collected and characteristics noted; (7) magazine articles and pictures brought by children; (8) logging and lumber camps of the North contrasted with those of the South through pictures; (9) important shipping centers for lumber indicated on wall map and marked on individual outline maps; (10) "Lumber Books" made with cover designs and illustrations drawn, such as A Logging Camp in the North, A Flume; (11) compositions written on "The National Forests," "A Forest Ranger," "Logging in the South," etc.

Thus each large topic becomes for the class a large project in investigation, discussion, description, and illustration. It becomes a center for a number of varied activities, all directed toward a common end. In this respect it resembles the centers of activity which constitute many of the projects of social life; for example, such as are found in building a house, furnishing a home, equipping a store, writing a book, editing a newspaper, illustrating a story, producing a play, passing a new law, combating an epidemic disease, solving a scientific problem, in general, in organizing industrial, commercial, and civic enterprises. Thus the term "project" is useful in designating such large topics for study, because it suggests the organization of large undertakings similar to the projects of social life.

History illustrates change to vivid comprehension of large issues. The teaching of history illustrates the same change from encyclopedic, unrelated detail to the thorough study of a few large central issues. Thus Columbus and the European situation which sent him forth may be treated thoroughly, while many of the minor explorers are omitted;

EQUIPMENT FOR KINDERGARTEN PROJECTS

From The University of Chicago Elementary School. Notice the large screen playhouse in the left background. It can be easily moved to any part of the room. Compare the picture on the opposite page

certain important problems in American history, such as the slavery problem, may be traced from beginning to end, but separate study of many of the presidential administrations omitted. The study of Roman history in the fourth grade presents one of the most striking examples. If ever there was an encyclopedic hodgepodge, it existed in much of the teaching of Roman history in American high schools. Obviously such a study could not be carried on with fourthgrade children. Instead, a few typical scenes and events are selected and made real to the children. For example, many days may be spent on "Horatius at the Bridge,"

until the children live in imagination the Roman scenes and perhaps dramatize them. Similarly, many days may be spent on Cæsar and his exploits, to get a vivid impression of another important period in Roman life. See the frontispiece and the pictures on pages 8, 132, 134, 136, 138, 230, and 232, for illustrations of historical projects.

EQUIPMENT FOR KINDERGARTEN PROJECT

From the Bradwell Public School, Chicago. Screen playhouse set for Christmas Eve. Notice the fireplace and stockings. This screen is of less expensive construction than the one shown on the opposite page. See discussion on page 126

Supplementary books provide material for intensive study. -It often happens that the fundamental texts in both geography and history lack sufficient detail to give reality to the larger topics or projects that the teacher desires to emphasize. Fortunately a wealth of supplementary reading material is now available in the form of geographical readers, industrial geographies, stories of Ab and Jiji and other pseudo-historical children, stories of the Greeks, Romans, vikings, and other peoples, biographies of great men of all nations, etc. In many school systems such supplementary books are provided from the superintendent's office or public

libraries in large quantities. In all cases teachers should secure from the large textbook companies catalogues of their supplementary books and should examine their exhibits at teachers' institutes or wherever they are found, in order to become familiar with the most suitable books for the intensive study of each large topic.

A few kindergarten projects replace encyclopedia of trades. As a final example of the change in organizing subject matter from the encyclopedic tendency to the use of large central topics or projects, we may note the change which is taking place in the kindergarten subject matter. In endeavoring to carry out Froebel's idea that the kindergarten should introduce children to community life, the oldfashioned kindergarten included in its program a list of all the trades practiced in the community, such as the woodchopper, the carpenter, the charcoal burner, the coal dealer, the blacksmith, the baker, the shoemaker, the postman, the fireman, etc. These were taken up in order, each for a few days, and as a consequence children finished the year with a confused jumble of ideas derived from a hurried Cook's tour through human industries. After observing such a

Story of the picture on opposite page. - The construction of a community project is represented in this kindergarten picture; namely, a street with its various dwellings and other features. Notice the children working singly and in pairs. Into their cooperative work has entered a variety of problems; for example, making the paper bases to support the street lamps and the trees, the symmetrical arrangement of the street lamps, the locating of the trees, etc. Incidentally, the picture shows an attractive kindergarten room, with lockers and a bench around the wall, the top of the lockers forming a shelf for the plants, etc. On the wall are large pictures especially suited to kindergarten children; pictures in bright colors, with prominent figures; pictures that tell a story, such as Little Red Riding Hood with her basket meeting the wolf in the woods.