COURSE OF STUDY FOR NORMAL INSTITUTES OF 1880. To County Superintendents: The committee having charge this year of the preparation of a course of study, consisting of Supt. D. W.,Lewis, of Washington, Supt. W. W. Speer, of Marshall county, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, have thought best to give county superintendents the opportunity to choose their own course of study, with such suggestions to them as are herein made. We recommend the course of study in didactics prepared for the normal institutes of 1877, which will be found in the biennial report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for 1876-77, a copy of which will be sent you. A general outline in history has been prepared by Mr. Lewis of the committee, from which you may choose such portion as is most adapted to your county. Supt. Speer has prepared a pretty full outline of physical geography, which might be used profitably in place of the ordinary course in geography. His brief outlines in geology and astronomy are intended to furnish teachers with the elements of these sciences, if they are sufficiently advanced to make good use of such preparation in the school-room. Some elementary text-books on these subjects should be used in connection with these outlines. 2 It is advisable that you print such parts of the course of study as you wish to use in your institutes, and place a copy in the hands of each teacher. The former outlines have been used at too great an extent as a skeleton merely, and too little work has been done to bring out the facts which really constitute the body of the subjects under consideration. Our advice, therefore, is to take but a limited portion of the outline on any subject, and insist upon full details and proper methods of instruction. General suggestions with regard to programme, course of study, and other matters of interest, are found in the course of study for 1877. No State Normal Institute will be held this summer, as it is consolidated with the State Teachers' Association which will meet next December. DES MOINES, May 15, 1880. UNITED STATES HISTORY. I. THE ABORIGINES. A. The Mound Builders. B. The Indians: 1, their government; 2, religion; 3, civilization; 4, character; 5, present condition. II. PERIOD OF DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION. A. The Spanish. B. The French. D. The English. Who, what, where, when, and why, for each. III. THE COLONIAL PERIOD. A. St. Augustine. B. Port Royal. C. Quebec. D. Thirteen English colonies. Who, where, when, and why, regarding the settlement of each, with a brief history of subsequent events. IV. THE KINDS OF GOVERNMENT. A. Charter. B. Proprietary. V. THE COLONIAL. A. Clayborne's Rebellion. B. Pequod War. C. Maryland Civil War. F. King William's War. I. King George's War. J. French and Indian Wars. Causes, events, results, and a few dates of each. VII. CONSTITUTIONAL PERIOD. A. Weakness of the Confederation. B. Convention to amend Articles of Confederation. privileges; (g), quorum; (h), vacancies, and how filled; (2), officers of each house; (j), powers of each house; (k), powers of congress; (7), prohibitions on congress; (m), prohibitions on the states; 2, executive department: a, the president; (a), qualifications; (b), how chosen; (c), term; (d), compensation; (e), duties and powers; (f), impeachment and trial; (g), vacancy; b, the vice-president: (a), qualifications, etc., as for president; c, the cabinet: (a), how constituted, etc., as for president, with names of present incumbents; 3, judicial department: a, courts: (a), district; (b), circuit; (c), supreme; (d), how each is constituted; (e), jurisdiction of each; b, judges: (a), how appointed; (b), number; (c), term; (d), compensation; (e), present judges of the supreme court. E. Amendments to the Constitution: 1, how proposed; 2, how ratified. F. Administrations, in order: 1, political principles and parties; 2, candidates and the election; 3, important events, domestic and international: a, military; b, political; c, industrial; d, commercial; e, social; 4, leading statesmen; 5, principal dates. G. National progress: 1, territory; 2, population; 3, resources 4, wealth; 5, education; 6, inventions; 7, social condition; 8, international influence. ; PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. A. Shape: 1, deviation from a perfect sphere: a, produced how; D. Temperature: 1, evidence of internal heat: a, thermal springs: A. As an element: 1, its composition and elasticity; 2, its weight and pressure; 3, its density and height. B. Circulation of the air: 1, winds: a, definition; b, classes; 2, E. Distribution of clouds and rain: 1, laws: a, of annual aver- III. THE WATERS. B. A. As an element: 1, its relations to organic life; 2, composition D. Sea water: 1, composition; 2, temperature; 3, marine life: a, GEOLOGY. I. INTRODUCTION. II. DIFFERENT KINDS OF STONE. III. WHAT STONES HAVE TO TELL US. IV. SEDIMENTARY ROCKS. A. What sediment is. B. How gravel, sand, and mud are made. C. How gravel, sand, and mud become sedimentary rocks. E. A quarry and its lessons. V. ORGANIC ROCKS, OR ROCKS FORMED OF THE REMAINS OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS. A. Rocks formed mainly of the remains of plants. B. Rocks formed mainly of the remains of animals. VI. IGNEOUS ROCKS. A. What igneous rocks are. B. Where igneous rocks come from. VII. THE CRUST OF THE EARTH. A. Proofs that parts of the crust have been pushed up. B. Proofs that parts of the crust have sunk down. C. Proofs that the rocks of the earth's crust have been tilted, crumpled, and broken. D. Origin of mountains. E. How the rocks of the crust tell the history of the earth. VIII. CONCLUSIONS. ASTRONOMY. I. THE EARTH AND ITS MOTIONS. II. THE MOON AND ITS MOTIONS. III. THE OTHER PLANETS. IV. THE SUN. V. THE STARS AND NEBULE. VI. CELESTIAL MEASUREMENTS. |