The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 200 The Educational Screen School Department Conducted by DR. F. DEAN McCLUSKY Director, Scarborough School, Scarborough-on-Hudion, N. Y. The Use of Visual Aids in Teachins History and Geography: An Illustration Jk CHILD entering upon the study of a new unit ' * in history or geography usually finds himself in strange territory. To expect him to orient him- self in his new surroundings through reading and verbal instruction alone would be like building a house on sand. His knowledge would be abstract, colored by his individual conceptions of word meanings, and his background for learning as shifting and uncertain a foundation as sand. The need for some means of giving him a concrete con- ception and definite understanding of the subject is obvious. Visual aids of various sorts fairly wave a red flag of invitation in attaining this end. Pic- tures and illustrations have been longest known. Stereographs, lantern slides, pictorial maps and dia- grams, moving picture films, graphs of various kinds, illustrated time-lines in history, museums, the school journey, may all be utilized to advantage Bass.... Cine Headquarters Model 25 VICTOR Animatophone 16 mm. Sound-on-film. Projector Full sized, full-fledged, improved mechanism, utmost simplicity in handling, complete with 500 watt-Mazda, for use on 110 Volt A. C, or D. C. current. Revolutionary! Larger bulbs available. Price $350.00 Complete Order from this ad. MONEY BACK GUARANTEE Bass 16mm. Sound-on-Fiim Library, one of the largest in the country. Send for new catalog. Also catalog of silent films. Rentals within 1000 miles of Chicago. Largest line of 16mm. equipment in the country. (Jet Bass's quotation before you buy. Bass Camera Company 179 W. Madison Street Chicago, III. in this field. In introducing a fifth grade to the study of an- cient Greece, the teacher felt that to arouse interest and understanding in a subject remote from the child's experiences, the first need was for the child to see what the country looked like, how the people dressed, and how they spent their daily lives. Geographical pictures of dift'erent parts of Greece were studied and discussed with the idea of under- standing how the topography of the country in- fluenced the life and history of its people. The con- clusions drawn were verified and augmented by references to relief maps, geography texts and en- cyclopedias. The children became interested in making a large relief map. The stereopticon was used to throw the outline on beaverboard (4'x 8') and the map traced and built. It was not made to an exact scale but served to show roughly the physical characteristics of the land and to put Greece in its geographical position in reference to the Mediterranean and the countries of the ancient world. The map was kept in the classroom during the whole course; cities and places met with in reading were placed on this map. As the group read "Theras and His Town" by Snaedeker. Theras' journeys were located. Odj'sseus' wanderings were followed in connection with the reading of Padraic Colum's arrangement of the Iliad and Odyssey. Pictures of Athens in the time of Pericles led to a desire on the part of the children to build the Acropolis. Someone suggested showing the Pan Athenaic festival. Figures were drawn and cut from cardboard, which, when arranged on the Acropolis, made an effective representation of the procession to the Parthenon, The study of the temples led to an interest in the religious beliefs of the Greeks. Informal and often impromptu dramatizations of myths and legends were eagerly carried on. As the culmination of the course the group pre- sented a play, "Iphigenia in Aulis". From a study of Euripides' text they arranged a version in their own words. Poems to be chanted by the chorus were written by the children and dances planned which grew very largely from the study of illus- trations of Greek art. Cards from the Metropolitan and Field Museums showing friezes and statues and a visit to the local museum were useful. The {Continued on (>a(ic 202)