SAMPLE SCHOOL LESSONS FROM 1910

ACTIVITY # 26 ARITHMETIC

Math was a fundamental part of education in the early 1900s. It was necessary that the students be able to add and subtract so they could deal with simple arithmetic problems in everyday life.

The teacher wrote problems on a small slate if there was no blackboard. Peas, beans, or corn were used as devices for counting, adding, or subtracting. Story problems and mental arithmetic were stressed. Multiplication tables were practiced aloud in a "singsong" fashion. Addition and multiplication of numbers with more than one figure began in the fourth grade.

Your class may practice "singing" multiplication tables or even have their own ciphering match. Practice doing mental arithmetic, working problems without the aid of paper.

ORAL EXERCISES – 4th Grade Level

1. I bought candy for 10 cents and a knife for 25 cents. What was the cost of both?

2. On my way into the country I passed 7 wagons and on my way home I passed 11. How many wagons did I pass in all?

3. My father has 7 Jersey cows and 9 Holstein cows. How many cows has he in all?

4. My age is 14 years. My brother is only 5. How many years am I older then he?

5. I used 10 sheets of paper in school last week and only 4 this week. How many more did I use last week than this?

6. Ralph told his papa that he had 20 cents and wanted to buy a tablet for 7 cents. How many cents will he have left? 7. What do I pay for 2 pair of shoes at $4 a pair?

8. I eat 3 times a day. How many times to I eat in a week? in 2 weeks? in 3 weeks?

9. How many ears have 8 cats?

10. I have 5 nickels and buy a book for 25 cents. How much change should I get back?

11. A farmer bought 9 sheep for $54. What was the cost of each?

12. George earns 9 cents every day selling papers. How long will it take him to earn 72 cents?

13. My chum and I saw 3 cords of wood each week after school hours. How long will it take us to saw 18 cords?

WRITTEN EXERCISES – 4th Grade Level

Here are samples from Ray's New Practical Arithmetic to be figured on slates.

1. January has 31 days; February, 28; March, 31; April, 30 and May 31. How many days are there in these five months?

2. I bought 4 pieces of muslin: the first contained 50 yards, the second 65 yards, the third 42, the fourth 89. How many yards in all?

3. General Washington was born in the year 1732 and lived 67 years. In what year did he die?

4. A carriage cost $137, and a horse $65. How much more than the horse did the carriage cost?

5. A tree 75 feet high was broken; the part that fell was 37 feet long. How high was the stump?

6. America was discovered by Columbus in 1492. How many years had elapsed in 1837? 7. What will 15 apples cost at 8 cents each?

8. How much will 5 pounds of coffee cost at 34 cents a pound?

9. A farmer bought 6 horses at $75 each. How much did he pay for his horses?

WRITTEN EXERCISES – 3rd Grade Level

1. How many books are in the Bible if the old testament has 39 books and the new testament has 27 books? 66 Books

2. Abe gets paid 2 pennies for delivering each newspaper around town. He delivers 9 newspapers on his route each day. How much money does Abe make in one day? 18 Cents

3. On Wednesday Winnie saw 12 cows in the pasture. Down the road she saw 7 more cows in another pasture. How many cows did Winnie see all together? 19 Total Cows

4. In class today there were only 18 of the 26 scholars at school. How many scholars were absent? 8 Scholars

5. Alvin has 14 blue marbles, 21 green marbles, 31 yellow marbles and 9 red marbles. How many marbles does Alvin have? 75 Marbles

LANGUAGE

Reading was very important to rural Oklahomans in 1910. Most could not afford many books or periodicals. Nearly every home had a Bible and a copy of Pilgrim's Progress, some had McGuffey's Reader. Books and magazines were treasured items passed from family member to family member and shared with neighbors. Families would anxiously await the coming of a new Montgomery Wards or Sears and Roebuck Catalogue. The contents of each catalogue were avidly read and reread until they were almost known by heart. Here were the latest fashions, and the newest farm and household equipment.

ACTIVITY #27 LETTER WRITING

Letter writing was done in a very formal style. Letters written to family and friends might have begun like this: I seat myself to write you a few lines to let you know we are well and hope you are the same," or "I take pen in hand to write you a few lines."

Have students write a letter to a cousin, grandparent or other relative in the style used in 1910. Write about things that have actually happened. Have the students read the letters in front of the class.

ACTIVITY #28

Another aspect of language that continually changes is the difference in names selected for children. In order to have the children begin to notice this, have them compile a listing of all the first names of the students in the class. Make a list of boy's names and girl's names. Next compile a listing of all their parent's names. Finally, if the children are interested, they could go back one more generation by visiting a cemetery and listing the first names of persons born between 1900 and 1920.

Are certain names common to one generation but not another? Do the oldest generation's names sound "old fashioned?" Are there any that are used in every generation? Have some names changed from boy's names to girl's names or girl's names to boy's names? ACTIVITY #29 PHRASEOLOGY

Some of the everyday terms from 1910 are no longer familiar to us. Write some of the words on the chalkboard as you discuss the meanings. Then have the students make up a story using all of the words or phrases.

"a man's work" - outside chores the women helped with, gardening, taking care of the chickens and milking the cows

"beau" - boyfriend

"books" - school lessons

"butter and egg money" - money received for selling butter and eggs

"ciphering" - arithmetic

"dinner bucket" - lard pail used as lunch box

"don't let the grass grow under your feet" - make haste, hurry

"dukes mixture" - several kinds

"front room" - parlor or living room

"eager and nipping air" - cold weather

"hired hand" - paid farm help

"holding down a claim" - living on a farm

"ice cold" - bed

"known by ear" - memorize

"mind your P's and Q's" - behave "money crops" - cotton, wheat

"old maid" - unmarried lady

"outing" - flannel material, used in clothing

"play party" - a social evening of parlor games enjoyed by the young people

"poor as Job's turkey" - poverty stricken

"prairie coal" - buffalo or cow chips (dried) used for fuel when other sources of fuel were depleted

"root cellar" - storage place for quantities of potatoes, turnips, beets, cabbage, pumpkins and sweet potatoes, for winter use run "smack dab" into him - meet someone face to face

"ripe age" - thirteen

"singings" - all day singing social either at the school house or at a neighbor's home

"skinflint" - thrifty person

"skedaddle" - move quickly out of the way

"slap dab out" - completely out of a certain item

"sow-belly" - salt pork

"Sunday best" - clothing saved to wear on a special occasion

"took a paper" - subscribe to a publication

"visiting" - Sunday visit by an entire family with a neighboring family

"Western fever" - desire to move to the west

"Conundrums" - a riddle, the answer being a play on words. Example: When is a door a door? Answer: When it is not ajar. What is the longest word in the English language? Answer: Smiles (There is a mile between the first and last letters.) What are the three fastest modes of communication? Answer: Telegraph, telephone and tell-a-woman. When is a mattress like a watch? Answer: When it is ticking.

Dale, E. E., Frontier Ways. Wallace, Allie B., Frontier Life in Oklahoma.

Discuss some of the phrases used today that might sound strange to the student's grandchildren.

ACTIVITY #30

People frequently kept journals with notations about the weather, people met, day's activities and any unusual occurrences. Have the students keep a journal for a specific period - a day or a week.

ACTIVITY #31 LITERATURE

The literature read to children in the schoolhouses of the late 1900s was considerably different than the children's literature of today. It was read for the moral or lesson and little discussion of the material was encouraged. Stories from the Bible were often read in class. Classical literature was read to the entire family in some homes. Children listened to "adult" books, newspapers and periodicals if the family had access to them.

Reading material varied at each school based on what was available. Often students did not have the same book. Reading was done out loud, standing in front of the class.

The following are a few examples of Aesop's Fables popular at that time.

THE FOX AND THE STORK At one time the Fox and the Stork were on visiting terms and seemed very good friends. So the Fox invited the Stork to dinner, and for a joke put nothing before her but some soup in a very shallow dish. This the Fox could easily lap up, but the Stork could only wet the end of her long bill in it, and left the meal as hungry as when she began. "I am sorry," said the Fox, "the soup is not to your liking." "Pray do not apologize," said the Stork. "I hope you will return this visit, and come and dine with me soon." So a day was appointed when the Fox should visit the Stork, but when they were seated at the table all there was for their dinner was contained in a very long- necked jar with a narrow mouth, in which the Fox could not insert his snout. So all he could manage to do was to lick the outside of the jar. "I will not apologize for the dinner," said the Stork. "One bad turn deserves another."

THE LION AND THE MOUSE

Once when a Lion was asleep a little Mouse began rubbing up and down upon him. This soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon the little Mouse, and opened his big jaws to swallow him. "Pardon, O King," cried the little Mouse, "let me go this time and I shall never forget it. Who know but what I may be able to do you a good turn some of these days?" The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go. Some time later the Lion was caught in a trap. The hunters, who desired to carry him alive to the King, tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on. Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by and, seeing the sad plight in which he was in, went up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of Beasts. "Was I not right?" said the little Mouse. Little friends may prove to be great friends.

THE CROW AND THE PITCHER

A crow, half-dead with thirst, came upon a pitcher which had once been full of water; but when the crow put his beak into the mouth of the pitcher he found that only very little water was left in it, and that he could not reach far enough down to get at it. He tried and he tried, but at last had to give up in despair. Then a thought came to him, and he took a pebble and dropped it into the pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped it into the pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the pitcher. At last, he saw the water mount up near him and after casting in a few more pebbles, he was able to quench his thirst and save his life. Little by little does the trick.

THE DOG AND HIS SHADOW

A Dog took a bone from the butcher, and ran off with it. On the way home, he came to a river. He looked in the water, and there he saw another dog with another bone, bigger than his. When he stopped, the other dog stopped. When he ran on, the other dog ran on. "This will not do," thought the Dog. "I will take his bone away from him." So he opened his mouth to take the dog's bone, and he dropped his bone into the river. He sprang at the other dog, and fell into the water. So he got no bone at all, and had to go home, wet and hungry.

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

Once an ant and a grasshopper lived in the same garden. The ant was busy laying up food for the winter. "Why do you work so hard?" asked the grasshopper. "Just look at me. I don't work. I dance and sing and have a good time." "Yes, I see that you do," said the ant. "But if I played all summer, what should I do for food in the winter?" The grasshopper laughed. "Oh, winter is a long way off," he said. "I never think about that." Then he danced away. After a time the summer was gone. The ground was white with snow. The ant was warm and happy in her little house. And it was full of food. But the poor grasshopper had no home. He had no food. He was shaking with cold, and oh, so hungry! "Dear me," he said. "What shall I do? I am very cold, and I can find no grass to eat. Maybe the ant will help me. I will go and ask her." So he looked all about for the ant's house. When he found it, he called her. "Please, dear ant, may I come in? I am very cold and hungry." "Poor grasshopper!" said the ant. "Come in and have some food. But you laughed at me for working. You danced and played all summer long. If you had worked then, you would not be asking for food now." "That is so," said the grasshopper, "and I am sorry. Thank you for the food. Good-bye." He went into the cold. And the ant never saw him again. ACTIVITY #32 SPELLING BEE

The concluding activity at Rose Hill will be a spelling bee. The following list is suggested for the spelling bee. However, feel free to use any words which you feel would be appropriate for your students. The schoolmarm will use additional period words for the spelling lesson. This list is compiled of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade spelling words. barn family jar shout rain paint dirt colt blue bread sap soil land clean letter house desk sing lock drink teacher thankful laugh grade children fence taught church morning flower swimming basket nation candle tools question churn shoveling bridle blackberries mumps watermelon cellar handkerchief squirm lemonade school fodder braided fruit gopher pasture gooseberries husking pitcher dipper spoonful pickles hoeing naughty cupboard buttermilk lantern

Spelling Bee Procedures:

1. The word is pronounced by the teacher and used in a sentence.

2. The word is then repeated by the student.

3. The student spells the word.

4. The student then repeats the word.

5. The student who misspells a word must sit down.