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E.—lc

Geography. —As a class-subject, and as at present. History. —Abolish in this standard. Object Lessons and Dra/wing. —Subject to previous remarks. Standaed IV. Bead, Spell, and Dictation. —As at present. Grammar and Composition. —Distinguishing of subject, predicate, object, and adjuncts thereto in an easy, simple sentence. Distinguishing of all parts of speech in similar sentences (with reasons); inflexions of commonly-used nouns, of personal pronouns, and of adjectives. Class-Subjects. Geography. —Knowledge of the countries and capitals of the world, of the chief seas, gulfs, mountains, rivers, lakes, and islands of the world. Chief coast features of Australia and New Zealand, with knowledge of a few of the leading towns in each colony. Shape and two chief motions of the earth; year, day, seasons. Outline of climatic condition of chief land masses of the globe. Map-drawing. —Bough maps of New Zealand with one set of features. Standaed IV. History. —As at present, but as a class-subject. Arithmetic. —As at present. Standaed V. Arithmetic. —As at present, with addition of decimals. All other subjects, except geography, as at present, but both geography and history should be made class-subjects. Geography should include latitude, longitude, and time, as well as matter now prescribed. The purely physical geography should be given a local bearing, and should be taught, as far as possible, by reference to the everyday phenomena of the pupils' own experience. Standaed VI. Subjects as at present. Instead of attaching so large an amount of importance to parsing and mere quibbling on words and terms as at present, it would be well to prescribe a moderately difficult piece of English for the study of the Sixth Standard. Some of the shortest editions of Shakespere's plays, published by Nelson and Son, are very suitable. If mere word-parsing could be dropped, paraphrasing and etymology might well take its place. Geography and history should be made class-subjects, and lessons in drawing be given by a professional instructor where such a course is possible. N.B. —It would be a very welcome and beneficial change if a certain amount of geometry and algebra could be introduced into Standards V. and VI., but the Act appears to preclude such a course. Geography in Standard VI. ought to principally mean a knowledge of geography of Australasian Colonies and Pacific Islands.

Authority: Geobgb Didsbuby, Government Printer, Wellington.—lBBs.