3 1 1 schools then and now (social studies)

H O UG H T O N MIF F L IN


by Stephanie Cohen

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Going to School in the 1800s
Imagine what school was like for
children in the 1800s. School was just

one room. There was only one teacher.
Children of all ages learned together.
Your school probably has many
classrooms and teachers. All of the
children in your class are probably about
the same age. And you certainly don’t
have to walk more than three miles to
get to school today. But pioneer children
often did.

The one-room
schoolhouse was
often also used
as a church and
a place for town
meetings.

2


Welcome to the Schoolhouse
American pioneers began to move
west during the 1800s. The first schools
were built out of blocks of grass stacked
like bricks. Some schools were built
from logs. Some were built into the
side of a hill, like a dugout.
Children shared benches and desks.
Usually, there was a large chalkboard
at the front of the room. The teacher

wrote out the lessons.
Teachers
were often
teenagers.

3


Where’s the Bathroom?
In the winter, a stove heated the
schoolhouse. When temperatures
soared, there was no air conditioner.
The schoolhouse had no water fountains
or bathrooms. There was just one bucket
of water for drinking and another for
washing. The outhouse, or bathroom,
was in a little hut outside the school.

In the 1800s,
children had
to get wood
for the stove.

4


The Road to School
Many pioneer children walked to and
from school, even if they lived miles
away and even when the weather was

bad. Some lucky children rode a horse
to school.
If you live more than a mile from
your school, you probably take a car or
a bus. If you live closer, maybe you’ve
strolled to school a few times. But only
if it’s a nice day!
Children rode horses and traveled
in buggies to get to school.

5


Meet the Teacher
Pioneer teachers worked very hard,
even before they announced the start of
school each morning. They filled the
stove with coal, cleaned the chimney,
and filled the water buckets.
Students ranged from
4 to 18 years old. Many fine
teachers were just teenagers
themselves. If you finished
eighth grade and behaved
properly, you could become
a pioneer teacher.

Some teachers rang a bell in
a bell tower to begin the day.
Others rang a hand bell.

6


Children often read aloud from the same story.

Time to Learn
Pioneer children went to school to
learn the three R’s: reading, ‘riting, and
‘rithmetic. Students practiced spelling
and math problems using slates and
chalk. They didn’t use paper, pencils, or
computers, like you do.
7


Students spent a lot of their time
reading a book called McGuffey’s
Reader. It was usually one of the only
books a student had. There was no
library in a one-room schoolhouse.
McGuffeys’s was filled with facts,
speeches, poems, and essays. Students
were proud to learn pages from
McGuffey’s and recite them to the class.

Students didn’t
move up to a
new grade every
year. When

they were ready,
children just
moved up to the
next McGuffey’s
Reader.

8


Time to Play
Pioneer children had one thing in
common with you. They had recess.
They played games like marbles, hide
and seek, hopscotch, and jump rope. In
winter, they built snowmen and threw
snowballs, just like some of you do.
Children enjoyed recess
more than 150 years ago.

9


One-room schoolhouses are often called
little red schoolhouses.

Times Have Changed
A one-room schoolhouse was very
different from your school. Can you
imagine school with no computers? No
cafeteria? No school bus? Well, at least

no one worried about missing the bus.
There wasn’t even a principal.
Students just had their teacher, one
room, and a bunch of desks. But they
learned something new every day.
10


Responding
Word Builder
Make a word web around the word “fine.’’
Which words mean the same thing as fine?
Copy this word web and add more words.
TARGET VOCABULARY

good
fine

Write About It
Text to Self Write a short paragraph about
something that’s fine about your school.
Tell why you feel this way. Use some of the
words from the web in your writing.

11


TARGET VOCABULARY

announced

fine
proud
strolled

certainly
principal
soared
worried

Summarize Tell the
important parts of the text in your own words.
TARGET STRATEGY

I sound like something a knight uses in
a fight.

12


Level: N
DRA: 30
Social Studies
Strategy:
Summarize
Word Count: 622

3.1.1 Build Vocabulary

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Online Leveled Books

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