h that they are anxious to read more
about the subject. In general it will consist of a recall of those
ideas, or a statement of those facts upon which the interpretation of
the new matter depends. Most of the unsuccessful study lessons are due
to insufficient care in the assignment. Often pupils are told to read so
many pages of the book, without any preliminary preparation and without
any idea of what facts they are to learn. Under such conditions, the
result is usually a very slight interest in the lesson, and consequently
an unsatisfactory grasp of it.

=Examples of Assignment.=--A few examples will serve to illustrate what
is meant by an adequate assignment. When a new reading lesson is to be
prepared, the assignment should include the pronunciation and meaning of
the different words, and a general understanding of the passage to be
read. For a new spelling lesson, the assignment should include the
pronunciation and meaning of the words, and any special difficulties
that may appear in them. In assigning a history lesson on, say, the
Capture of Quebec, the teacher should discuss with the class the
position of Quebec, the difficulties that would present themselves to a
besieging army, the character and personal appearance of Wolfe (making
him stand out as vividly as possible), and the position seized by the
British army, illustrating as far as possible by maps and diagrams.
Then the class will be in a mental attitude to read with interest the
dramatic story of the taking of the fortress. If the pupils were about
to study the geography of British Columbia, the teacher might, in the
assignment, ask them to note from the map of Canada the position of the
province and the direction of the mountain ranges; to infer the
character and direction of the rivers and their value for navigation; to
infer the nature of the climate, knowing the direction of the prevailing
winds; to infer the character of the chief industries, knowing the
physical features and climate. With these facts in mind the class will
be able to read intelligently what the text-book says about British
Columbia.

=The Seat Work.=--However good the assignment may be, there is always a
danger that there will be much waste of time in connection with the seat
work. The tendency to mind-wandering is always so great that the time
devoted to the preparation of lessons at seats may to a large extent be
lost, unless special precautions are taken in that regard. Unfort