[spelling and duplicate-numbered pages are reproduced in this transcript as they are seen in the manuscript]
THE RURAL SCHOOL CURRICULUM
Due to the rapid march of modern educational ideas, it is impossible to formulate a course for rural schools which shall remain permanent. As the Model Rural School is an experiment station, where adjustments are being workt out, and newer educational ideals adapted to the needs of country boys and girls, both the content of the courses and grouping of children are constantly undergoing modifications. The fundamental principles in the course are adapted to the needs and based upon the experience of rural children everywhere, tho the amount of elaboration would depend upon the number of teachers. It is possible for one teacher to manage such a course alone, but if the community is fortunate enough to have a consolidated school, or one divided into two or more rooms, the course may as easily be used in such surroundings.
Believing as we do that three great detriments to progress in rural education have been, first, the frequent change of teachers, second, lack of continuity of courses, and third, in the more advanced portions of the country, the introduction of city educational methods into country schools, we contend that the main structure of the curriculum must be sufficiently constant to enable pupils to lay foundations and build subsequent studies upon those which have preceded, and that the entire course should be pland to meet the social and economic needs of country children.
Main Plan of Course.–The Model Rural School in following a course in which the subjects are groupt around two related centers, or perhaps better, two concentric circles, of interest. The first is the consideration of the ideal country life, the farm home, its sanitation, beauty, and comfort, the feeding and clothing of the family, the farm itself, its products, and all of the business concernd therewith. Conditions of the child’s own surroundings form the starting point for three studies. The outer circle of subjects broadens the children’s horizons by deal-
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ing with the life of other peoples in our own and foreign countries and those of former times, considerd in their relations to our life and influence upon our mode of living.
In connection with the first group of interests such subjects as agriculture, nature study, hygiene and sanitation, cooking, sewing, manual arts and fine arts, home geography, reading, and mathematics make contributions.
Literature, history, government, and geography contribute more largely to the second circle of interests.
Thru all, the children learn to see the relation of all life, past and present, distant and near. Not only are their minds activ with these lessons, but their inventiv and constructiv genius is constantly called into play as they live vicariously the lives of other people or continue improvements in their own surroundings.
Initiativ and leadership are encouraged by these enterprises.
Tho we may separate school subjects for your convenience in this outline, a day in the schoolroom is so much more nearly living than a series of recitations, that the whole place throbs with vitality and children have an at-home feelings, helping one another, and moving about the bilding and grounds more or less freely to pursue their activities.
Reading is important as a means by which many lines of information may be acquired and is given a generous place in the course, often however, in connection with history, nature study, or other subjects, and is never considered an end in itself. The aim is in to get the younger children to the point of independence as rapidly as possible by means of phonics and word recognition drills. The beginners read along until they have gaind this ability to discover new words. The other children are divided into three groups for reading. Phonics is continued up to the place where word analysis is taken up, developing power to recognize,
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pronounce, and use words intelligently. In oral reading the pupils who take part feel that they are contributing to the enjoyment of the class. Literary appreciation is given more emphasis as the children advance toward the upper grades.
The Language taught is of a practical nature. Much of the work comes in connection with accounts which the children give of experiments which they are trying and their work in history or geography. They are helping one another to use better English upon the playground as well as in the recitation period. Thru discussing the reasons for changes in their ways of saying things, they get a foundation for the more formal grammar, which is not taken technically before the seventh year.
Spelling is used in connection with other subjects and made easier because of the background of phonics and word analysis.
Writing is practised by the younger children upon the board, then upon wide-ruled paper, narrower-ruled paper, and finally in connection with writing notes and invitations to invite parents and friends to school programs and parties the invitations are written upon unruled note paper. Form of letters is emphasized first, next muscular movements for speed, and always bodily position, which is much facilitated by the adjustable seats and desks.
History and Geography are closely interrelated thru the entire course. The scholars recite in three groups. The first cycle covers four terms, or a year and a third. The more mature children in the first three grades then pass on to take work in the middle group. The slower and less mature children repeat the wok, which is varied to give the same main points with different illustrativ material. Those who were weak in the old group now become leaders of the younger children, because they have had the work before. As soon as their power to understand and think has developt they can go on into the second group, and continue there until they have masterd that material and gaind power
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for the last group, where the work taxes their ability to a greater degree.
Thus well developt children who think clearly can progress thru the school very rapidly while slower minds can continue with the work without feeling that they are kept back in all of their studies. The three groups include roughly the first three grades, grades four to six inclusiv, and grades seven and eight, respectively, tho some children in their fifth year in school are able to take work with the upper group.
This system is similar to those coming into use in our more progressiv cities where there are two rates at which children can be promoted and a possibility of changing children from the express train rate to that of the ordinary passenger and vice versa.
The history cycle in the upper group is five quarters long, as there the geography, history, and government of our own and adjacent countries are studied.
Grades 1 to 3.
First Term.
The child’s home.
Work on the farm.
Farm animals.
Home geography.
Homes of other children (showing variation of modes of living due to climatic control.
Second Term.
The people who used to live here (Indians). (With sand table, paper cutting and dramatics make this life real.)
Construction by clay work, basketry, paper construction, weaving, Indian dolls made and drest, headdresses made and worn by children.
Reading done by children:
Hiawatha Primer.
Starr’s American Indians.
Their homes.
Dress.
Utensils.
Life.
Hand craft.
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Third Term.
How the white men first came to this country.
Stories of Columbus and early explorers of our vicinity.
Stories of pioneer life.
Log house and its furniture.
Ways of procuring and cooking food.
Lighting (candles).
Occupations of people–spinning, weaving, soap making.
Children play at living in those days and make as many of the things which the pioneer used as possible.
Fourth Term.
Stories of Industries. Beginning with those in our neighborhood.
Stories concerning the sources of our food, clothing, and shelter, studies thru reading matter, pictures, samples, experiments, and narration by teacher and older children in the group.
Such stories as where our bread comes from. How I got my cotton dress. What had to be done before I could have a house to live in.
Middle Group, Grades 4 to 6.
First Term.
How the people lived before they had the tools and conveniences which we possess.
Great contributions made by early peoples to our comfort and well being
Tree men–discovered use of fire.
Cave man–invented early weapons.
Egyptians–associated with primitiv agriculture and domestication of plants and animals.
Hebrews–type of shepherd people–gave us idea of one God.
Greeks–contributed ideas of beauty.
Romans–ideas of law and order
Naturally the history of these people can not be taken in one term with children of these ages; The stories are kept simple, the earlier ones made real by dramatics and the construction
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by the children of primitiv weapons and ornaments.
Pictures and notebooks or scrapbooks help with the later stories of the term’s work. One main point is emphasized concerning each nation studied.
The geography of Mediterranean countries is made familiar. Extensiv map study begins with this group.
Second Term.
Life in Europe in the Middle Ages as it contributed to one civilization.
Courage and self-government given us by the Teutons.
Spread of Christianity laying foundations for modern nations.
Education fostered by monasteries.
Europeans learning to work together in Crusades.
Agriculture protected by the nobles in turbulent times becomes independent later under kings.
The aim here is to give enough of the progress of nation bilding for an understanding of modern conditions, and to emphasize the idea that common people tilling the land and finding better ways of doing their work were back of all of the progress of nations.
The children keep notebooks, draw maps and plans, read in different books and narrate incidents to the class.
The physical geography of Europe becomes familiar during the term, as mountains and rivers helpt in forming history.
Third Term.
Modern Europe is studies from two viewpoints, first, as its history influences discovery, settlements, and development of life in America; second, in its agricultural phases, and its trade relations with our nation. The countries are studied as follows:
Germany–the cradle of freedom in religious thought.
Italy–source of art and architectural inspiration.
Spain and France as they influenced settlements in America.
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Holland–type of thrifty farming people.
Denmark–in relation to agricultural education and progress.
General political geography of Europe studied–German possessions in Africa.
Fourth Term.
English history in as far as it laid foundations for our life and institutions.
Stories of the making of the English nation.
Stories of King Arthur and Alfred.
King John and the Charter.
The growth of power of Parliament.
Queen Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raleigh, as related to America.
(Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare read and some quotations from actual writings, as from Midsummer Nights’ Dream, read in this connection.)
English farming and what it contributed to the world–better breed of animals. Some valuable plants.
Geography of British Isles and English possessions in India, South Africa, and Australia.
Third Group, Including Roughly 7th and 8th grades.
First Term.
Story of biding our continent leading up to physical geography which furnishes reasons for many of the events of our political history and for phases of our development.
Early discoveries and explorations, especially the work of Spanish, French, English, Dutch explorers compared.
Second Term.
Life of Europeans in America leading to the founding of the U.S.
Early settlements of various nature as to purpose and consequent success or failure.
English settlements compared as to occupations and life of people.
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Causes and results of French and Indian War.
Cause of Revolutionary War–a struggle for principles long before this time held by the mass of English people.
Mass plans of campaign. One or two battles in detail.
Third Term.
Birth and Expansion of the nation.
Study of the Constitution and organization of government.
Acquisition of new territory and development of institutions.
Conditions leading up to Civil War.
Map study and geography work continues with these history phases. Reading often taken from writers of the period–Longfellow, Whittier, Lowell, and others.
Fourth Term.
Saving of the Union and its subsequent industrial development.
Main plans of Civil War. Results of the struggle.
Agricultural and commercial development of U.S. Studied by sections.
Northeastern states–mainly manufacturing–reasons.
Southeastern–agricultural–cotton, rice, and tobacco.–reasons.
South Central–agricultural–cotton and cattle.
North Central–agricultural, grains–how the prairies affected agricultural development.
Western–agricultural and mining–fruits, cattle, grain, ore.
Fifth Term.
Later History of U.S., its possessions and neighbors, also Govt. of Missouri.
Alaska
Hawaii
Philippines
Panama
How we got them and what we are doing with them.
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Canada
Mexico
South America
Japan
China
Main geographical facts studied and occupations of people emphasized.
Missouri State Government.
Local governments of county and district.
What we need to know to be good citizens.
This outline overs many points, but it is desirable that only the big related and vital facts be considered–those which will contribute toward citizenship.
Some may contend that the American children should have United States history all thru the grades.
This is provided for to some extent in the school celebrations of national holidays, such as Thanksgiving Day with the story of the Pilgrims, Lincoln’s and Washington’s Birthdays with stories of their lives, Memorial Day with its tribute to those who have defended our nation. The entire school shares in such events. We believe that by getting the background of broader history the children will be more intelligent citizens and farmers and should they leave school before the completion of the course they will carry intelligence and reasoning power to meet their life problems in a more vigorous way than they could have they been dulled by droning over and over the same stories of our national life thru all of their school years.
Agriculture and Nature Study. These come in connection with reading and home geography lessons in the lower grades and with home projects with the older children. The latter is some continuous line of investigation concerning a farm animal, a flock of chicken, a garden plot, or a household science problem carried on at home and reported at school. It is frequently used as a basis for language and arithmetic work. Reading is done along the line of the chosen project and better
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methods striven for. The children are also encouraged to make nature collections of prest leaves and flowers or seeds. Bird lists are encouraged and the relation of birds to agriculture emphasized. The school garden, altho it should be an attractiv spot to look upon, is devoted in part to experiments in ways of planting and cultivation.
The bug pests as well as plants furnish nature study material.
Above all, the nature study work aims to cultivate a love and appreciation of his natural environment in the child’s heart. Secondly, these subjects are arranged to lead the children to become better farmers and wiser citizens.
The work comes in connection with the opening exercises, the garden hour, reading, geography, and history studies, with an occasional period for special work from a simple textbook on agriculture.
Mathematics. Altho there is of necessity a considerable amount of drill work in the lower grades (given largely in the form of games) and of process work with those in the upper grades, the children are given concrete and practical problems to solve from the first year on (the younger ones counting, measuring, and keeping score in games, the older ones estimating farm crops, profit and loss on home projects, and contents of the corn crib or wagon body at home.)
The younger children like arithmetic because there is so much of the game element in it and the older ones because it has a practical connection with their interests in home and school. Good reasoning is emphasized above the ability to conjure figures and “get answers.”
Mechanical Drawing and Shop Work. The older boys and girls alike learn the essentials of mechanical drawing, because, as home makers, the girls should be able to plan and draw articles needed in the house. Boys are bristling with projects which they wish to carry out for use in home or school. Habits of accuracy and definitness are encouraged by the requirement that every article made in the shop by preceded by a careful drawing showing dimensions and construction. Leadership
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is encouraged by giving reliable boys charge of certain features of the work (as the mixing of the stains or giving out lumber). Boys in the four upper grades have regular shop work. Younger boys may use the shop under direction of a reliable older boy. Noon hours are often spent by eager workers in carrying forward some cherisht project. Boys can be trained to estimate lumber used and pay for it in money or by making some simple articles for sale, thus developing value sense, mathematical ability, and self respect.
Home Economics. This includes sewing, cooking, nursing, and hygiene. Boys and girls in the fiver upper grades have a class in household and personal hygiene. The school provides facilities for shower baths which are much appreciated by the children and and for the washing of hands and faces. That all may regularly avail themselves of the latter privilege two inspectors from among the children keep account of the matter of clean hands (the boys and girls running a contest on this matter) and thereby saving much possible soiling of school books.
Water from the home wells is tested and the necessity of pure water on the farm and means of getting it discust. Some work in home nursing and caring for young children is illustrated to the younger girls by the care of the school doll and to the older girls by a trip in the neighborhood to watch a nurse bathe and dress a young baby.
The school bed affords opportunity for lessons in bed making and some phases of home nursing.
The sewing lessons have been related to the art by means of the use of embroidery designs made in art classes and applied by the girls to pincushions and work bags which they made. It was related to the courses in hygiene thru the making of an ideal baby outfit for the school doll and finds another relation in costume making for dramatic and literary productions.
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General Housework. This training comes in various ways. Each child has a duty about the schoolhouse or grounds and the workers sometimes change tasks. The tasks are such as these–regulation of furnace, keeping schoolroom at an even temperature, attending to the ventilation, dusting blackboard ledges, sweeping front steps, etc.
A laundry affords opportunity for some practical lessons of use in all farm homes and the washing of the doll’s outfit is attended to, turn about, by the girls.
Fine Arts. As has been indicated art work and appreciation of beautiful things comes in connection with a number of school subjects. This course aims to help the children to appreciate fine pictures, understand and love the beauty in nature about them, and devise ways for improving their surroundings.
One lesson a week is given to the whole school, the younger pupils often work on a simpler phase of the subject which is given to the older ones.
First term.
Some basic art principles.
Rhythm.
Repetition.
Proportion.
Used in borders on spelling book covers, covers for written papers, embroidery on articles made in sewing class and wood work constructions made in shop, woven baskets made in connection with Indian studies.
Second Term.
Representation.
Sketching of cylindrical and spherical objects, still life studies in suggestiv outline. Object–clear seeing and a certain amount of graphic power (using principles learnd last term for placing and spacing.)
Third Term.
Study of dark and light.
In borders, decorativ panels, and landscape.
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Application made to beauty in the country due to dark and light in natural surroundings and to possibilities for this kind of loveliness in farm bildings.
Fourth Term.
Color.
Suitable color combination studied and applied to landscape illustrations for geography papers; to end sheets for booklets made in school; to the planning of a beautiful room for a farm house; to color combination in dress design.
Fifth Term.
Picture Study.
Stories of famous artists.–Raphael, Millet, Corot.
Sculptors.–Michaelangelo, Thorwaldsen.
Pictures in our schoolroom studied.
These subjects form basis for reading and language work, for making a booklet of lovely pictures. Object, to lead children to enjoy worth-while things.
At other places in the curriculum art appreciation comes in incidentally, as for instance, in connection with stories of Greek and Italian People in middle ground history work, and in American history and geography with the upper group studying the Boston and Congressional libraries and their decorations.
The five term art cycle is repeated, thus bringing the work of any given kind at a different season of the year when it is repeated, allowing opportunity for varying nature material used. At each repetition new problems are used to develop the principles to be taught.
Much illustrativ drawing continues at all times for the younger children, enabling them to express their ideas concerning stories read and activities connected with their home and school life. This, however, might better be clast as literary rather than art expression, as the thought exprest is emphasized rather than form and technique.
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Music. Sight reading is taught to the entire school and many rote songs are learnd. These are often connected with the season, a holiday, some history epoch being studies, or a dramatic entertainment given by the children in connection with other school work.
At times the school is divided into two groups for singing, that the older ones may have more difficult exercises than the beginners and songs appealing to older or younger children taught to small groups. In the music teaching the aims are to develop power to read the printed score and to appreciate choice music, also to furnish the child with another means for expressing his emotions.
Physical Well-being. The children have their eyes tested and any who are found to need a physician’s or oculist’s help are reported to their parents and steps taken to give a right physical basis to as many of the pupils as possible. Free play and team games are encouraged at recess and noon. The country children need as much natural social contact as can be provided for them. On rain days directed play is sometimes conducted in the school bilding, because these children need to learn to play together. There is much physical activity in the school thru the entire day, as this is natural to childhood and textbooks alone can not educate.
Vocational Guidance is everywhere discust in these days. There is room for it in the country school as well. Thru lessons in nursing given in connection with school work, one girl has already found her sphere and we believe that there is much more to be accomplisht by vocational direction. It may come partly in connection with other studies such as industrial geography, agriculture, and shop work/
Books. In many of these fields, where we are trying to adapt educational material to the needs of the rural school, no suitable textbooks are now in existence. Some helpful material is coming out from year to year and even from month to month. For the help of those who desire to experiment along these larger lines for the country boys and
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girls the following named books are suggested.
Books
On Rural Elementary Education.
Foght–American Rural School.
Kern–Among Country School.
Carney–Country Life and Country Schools.
Field–The Corn Lady.
Chubberly–The Improvement of Rural Schools.
Betts–New Ideals in Rural Schools.
Phonics and Word Study Books.
Gordon–A Manual for Teachers of Primary Reading
Cavin–Orthography
History and Geography
Andrews–Seven Little Sisters.
Starr–The American Indians.
Chamberlain–How We Are Clothed.
Chamberlain–How We Are Sheltered.
Chamberlain–How We Are Fed.
Dopp–The Tree Dwellers.
Dopp–The Early Cave Men.
Dopp–The Later Cave Men.
Kemp–A History for Graded and Rural Schools.
Harding–The Story of the Middle Ages.
Nida–Dawn of American History.
Gordy–American Beginnings.
Atkinson–European Beginnings of American History.
Bourne and Benton–Introductory American History.
Harding–The Story of Europe.
Shaler–The Story of Our Continent.
Carpenter–Geographical Readers.
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Agriculture and Nature Books.
Hodge–Nature Study and Life.
Burkett, Stevens and Hill–Agriculture for Beginners.
Wright and Cones–Citizen Bird
Comstock–Insect Life.
Stack–Wild Flowers Every Child Should Know.
Household Science.
Williams and Fiser–Elements of Theory and Practice of Cookery
Bladerston and Limerick–Laundry Manual.
Music.
Saith–The Common School Book of Vocal Music.
or
Melodia Book I and some song collection.
Physical Education and Sanitation.
Johnson–Education by Plays and Games.
Ritchie and Cadwell–The Primer of Hygiene.
Ritchie–The Primer of Sanitation.
Jewett–Emergencies.
Jewett–Good Health.
Arithmetic and Language.
Minimum Essentials papers.
These books used in connection with any good sets of readers, arithmetics, geographies, United States histories, and grammars, will enable the rural teacher to find most of the material necessary for teaching this course.
There is no book as yet which covers the art work, tho Sargent’s Fine and Industrial Arts in Elementary Schools (Ginn) is suggestiv along this line. It is expected that any wideawake rural teacher will collect clippings, railroad guides, government bulletins, and many other kinds of free or inexpensiv material for use in Various lines of teaching.
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The course outlined above is not an impossible one for use in other country schools when we come up to the standard set in some countries and pay good salaries for prepared teachers and provide suitable equipment for use in country schools. Meanwhile it is hoped that this outline may prove suggestiv to other teachers and that, as the Model Rural School bilding has been copied in part in many places where it could not be reproduced in full, there will be features in our course which may be workt out in many parts of the country. We will welcome accounts of any such undertakings. There is so much to be done for the cause of rural education that there can not be too many people intelligently working together to raise our standards and practice in the United States.