use them, and then, without any instruction in the use of the tools,
expecting them to turn out good work, without loss of time.

Little children are unfamiliar with books,--with the paragraphs,
outlines, divisions, and subdivisions of a subject. They hardly know
how to "gather thought" from a printed page, and yet we expect them to
"get their lesson" without being shown how to go at it. Much time is
lost in this way, and many children are discouraged in their work and
caused to dislike going to school.

The Germans far excel us in this feature of their school work. No
class of German children are ever sent to their seats with the simple
direction to take so many pages in advance. Teacher and class together
go over the next lesson, the teacher calling the attention of the
class to the points of the lesson, asking them to hunt out
subdivisions, etc., and instructing them how to prepare the lesson.
And the class, having this necessary help, are able to prepare their
lesson better and recite it better than the American children of the
same age.


3. _The teacher's preparation for assignment_

There are three chief reasons why teachers do not give more attention
to the assignment of the lesson: (1) Lack of time, (2) failure
themselves to prepare the lesson in advance so as to be able to assign
it, and (3) lack of understanding of proper methods of study.

Lack of time is not an adequate excuse for failure properly to assign
the lesson. If there is but fifteen minutes for the recitation, all