MAIN PROBLEM. Does a Vermont boy or girl who invests his savings in government savings stamps and bonds show good business judgment as well as a keen sense of patriotic duty? (A) As a Patriotic Duty Minor Problems 1. What is America fighting for? 2. How are our government's war needs supplied? 3. Our personal responsibility and opportunity. (B) As an Investment Minor Problems 1. What opportunities has one with a limited income in our community to make investments? 2. How may we determine the value of an investment? 3. How does the purchase of government savings stamps and bonds compare with other available investments? (A) As a Patriotic Duty Minor Problem number 1. What is America fighting for? 1. Reasons assigned by Congress when war was declared. 2. Our war aims: (a) As stated by President Wilson in the following papers: Messages to Congress, Reply to the Pope's Peace Proposal, Message to Russia, Flag Day Address, June 14, 1917. (b) As stated by members of the President's cabinet and members of Congress, notably Sec. Baker, Sec. Lansing, and Sec. Lane. 3. War aims of the Central Powers. 4. What failure to win the war would mean to Vermont boys and girls. 5. Conclusions. Minor Problem number 2. How are our government's war needs supplied? 1. Soldiers and sailors. 2. Munitions and army supplies. 3. Hospitals, surgeons, nurses, supplies. 4. Ships. 5. Food for ourselves and our allies. 6. Fuel for ourselves and our allies. 7. Money. (a) Amount needed. (b) Raised by (1) taxation and (2) borrowing (Bonds, Loans). 8. How England, France, and Germany have supplied these needs. 9. Conclusions. Minor Problem number 3. Our personal responsibility and opportunity. 1. Why and how our government came into existence. (a) What it does for us. (b) Our obligation in return. 2. Need for united effort in order to preserve our national ideals-our government. 3. Our responsibility as compared with that of older citizens. 4. Aggregate importance of small loans and con tributions. 5. Our opportunities to render patriotic services. 6. Conclusions. Generai conclusion as to the desirability of our making the investment as a patriotic duty. (B) As an Investment. Minor Problem number 1. What opportunities has one with a limited income to make investments in our community? 1. Savings Banks, Postal Savings. 3. Borrowing from bank for investment. (b) Security. (c) Interest. 4. Types of life insurance. 5. Stock in stock companies, corporations. Bro ker, brokerage. 6. Corporation, municipal, state bonds. 7. Government bonds and savings stamps. 8. Conclusions. Minor Problem number 2. How may we determine the value (a) Brokerage, Commissions, Fees, Bonus. 5. Ease of making the investment and collecting the income. Kinds of bonds, coupon, registered, etc. 6. Daily market value as quoted in daily papers. Conditions which cause the value to fluctuate. Conclusions. 7. 8. Minor Problem number 3. How does the purchase of government savings stamps and bonds compare with other available investments? Conclusions from minor problems one and two. 2. Comparisons. 3. How may they be purchased. General conclusions. Note to teachers: The general conclusions should involve definite plans of action as well as desirability of investment. and its SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHERS. The fundamental purpose of this curriculum is to give pupils an understanding of bonds and related subjects and to create an intelligent interest in the purchase of government savings stamps. The subordinate purposes are: (1) to teach pupils how to inThe Plan vestigate and organize a subject of study; (2) to bring about a proper correlation in several school Purposes. subjects dealing with different phases of the same subject; (3) to show the proper place of numerical problem solving in the treatment of such a topic in the arithmetic class; (4) and in short to furnish a teaching plan worthy of imitation in the various subjects of study. The The subject is to be approached and the material organized around an appealing problem-one that appeals to the pupils as their problem and one which they desire to study. An interest in the problem is usually aroused in a preliminary discussion where the subject is introduced and the pupils are free to express their opinions. The following principles should be observed: (1) The subject matter must deal with present day interests of the pupils. It must be intimately related with what they may hear, see and talk about outside of the school room. (2) The pupils must be dominant partners in the business of selecting the problem to be studied. (3) The How to get the Problem. careful wording of the problem is most essential both for clearness of understanding of what they are trying to do and because upon the wording frequently depends the kind and amount of interest aroused. The judgment of the pupils themselves can be relied upon in this selection. (4) The minor problems showing upon what knowledge the solution of the main problem depends should be determined by the pupils under the direction of the teacher. The pupils are entitled to see the subject from end to end in order that they may know why they are required to get certain information. (5) In this type of work so many interesting "side issues" will arise that the teacher and pupils must con SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHERS 85 stantly guard against being led away from the point under consideration. It is valuable training for pupils to select those things which are vitally related to the topic of study and to reject all else. Interesting problems suggested for future study should be recorded. (6) Pupils must come to definite conclusions and they should go on record by stating them clearly and concisely. Much otherwise good teaching is ineffective because teachers and pupils assemble facts but they arrive at no new conclusions. The children fail to see what it is all about. Teachers should bear in mind that it is just as important to finish a subject well as to start it well. The conclusion is really the most important part of the study. The foregoing curriculum is given for illustrative purposes. Pupils will be much more interested in one they prepare in their own class. If teachers follow this one they should How to use study it with the pupils in its entirety before making the Curriculum. a detailed study leading to the solution of the problems. A pupil will do much more systematic and effective work if he sees the entire field and knows the relation of each day's work to the general subject under consideration. Our main problem, "Does a Vermont boy or girl who invests his savings in government savings stamps and bonds show good business judgment as well as a keen sense of patriotic duty?" was selected by the seventh and eighth grade General Expupils in the Montpelier schools. It is divided into planation two main parts: (1) the purchase of bonds as a of the Teaching Plan. patriotic duty, and (2) the purchase of bonds as an investment. The first part of the subject should be dealt with in the civics or current history class while the other is being taught in the arithmetic class. The minor problems which must be solved before it is possible to solve the main problem are: (A) Patriotic Duty, 1. What is America fighting for? 2. How are our government's war needs supplied? 3. Our personal responsibility and opportunity. |