| Like most schools, the one-room schoolhouse had rules that students were expected to adhere to. Some rules in the classroom may have been...
1. Sit up straight in desk with feet firmly on the floor. 2. Stand up next to desk when answering a question. 3. Raise one finger to answer a question. 4. Raise two fingers to use the bathroom. |
Here is a picture of Johnson County's replica 1876 one-room classroom . |
Although music was not a formal section of the curriculum, a myriad of teachers would have the class sing tunes like "My Country Tis of Thee", " Yankee Doodle", and "Oh Susannah" during the school day . |
Morning activities in the classroom typically included attendance, singing, and Bible reading. For attendance, students would stand next to their desk and yell "present" when their names were called. |
Reading was a large portion of the curriculum. This subject was considered important because it was necessary for students to be able to read and study the bible at home and school. The McGuffey textbooks were used in the Coralville schoolhouse. The textbook contained prose on subjects like ethics and morals, God, death, history, animals, and education.
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"The White Little Kitten" is an example of a poem students might have had to memorize and verbally present. My little white kitten's asleep on my knee;
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Elocution, the art of public speaking, was stressed in the curriculum. Speech delivery and gestures were emphasized in elocution lessons. Memorizing a short poem and delivering it would be an example of an elocution lesson. |
Orthography, or spelling, was also an important part of the curriculum. Students often participated in class "spelling bees". These spelling bees and spelling lessons would help students effectively learn how to spell and read words. Penmanship was also regularly practiced in the one-room schoolhouse. Students, in developing their cursive script, would repeatedly copy maxims like "lost time is never found" or "He is most powerful who governs himself". The students typically used the Spencer Platt Spencerian Book to practice cursive script in. |
Procedures for Class Spelling Bee 1. The word is pronounced and used in a sentence by the teacher. 2. The word is then repeated by the student. 3. The student spells the word, and finishes by repeating the word. 4. Students who misspell the word must sit down at their desk. |
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Geography was also part of the 19th century curriculum. Students were expected to memorize state and territory capitals. Arithmetic was also taught in the schoolhouse. Students memorized mathematic concepts like times tables. |
| Lunch and recess provided students with a short respite from academics. Students usually brought lunch in a basket, bucket, or tin. Hard boiled eggs, potatoes, cheese, bread spread with Molasses or Jam, and fruits were common lunch items brought. Fruits and veggies brought by students were usually grown at home or in the area. It was unusual for students to have citrus fruits like tangerines because they were expensive and not homegrown. Once in awhile, students brought cooked chicken leg or bacon that was left over from a previous meal at home. | Click here to take a look at the 1940's school curriculum! |
Courtesy of the Johnson County Historical Society