Mentor Graham's Schoolhouse at New Salem

A BLAB SCHOOL ACTIVITY

Click Here for the Moderator Script

A Demonstration of a School Similar to one that Abraham Lincoln attended (with a few modern sets)

In this dramatic demonstration you will need to select a student (boy or girl) that will make a good teacher.  This student should be able to organize and show authority to an actual group of children of a variety of ages.

I would suggest that you have a classroom of nine very active children from 1st grade through 4th or 5th grade, depending upon how high a grade your school goes through.

We are going to use this combination in this description:  1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade and 4th grade.  The teacher will be a 4th grade girl. 

Here are the main parts of this demonstration:

1.  Lincoln's favorite books:  Aesop's Fables, Biography of George Washington (Wheems), Benjamin Franklin Autobiography, The Bible, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, and a non-book printed item called the Declaration of Independence.  In this part of the demonstration you can have selected 3rd or upper grade students dress up similar to the book subject and do a presentation about the book.  The teacher of the school will introduce each participant and announce that the school is having a pageant to describe Lincoln's favorite books.  Scripts are provided on this website.

2.  Ciphering to the Rule of Three:  mathematical lessons will be taught, by the teacher, to the children.  1st graders will do simple addition problems, 2nd and upper grades will do ciphering to the rule of three (ratios and proportions) problems.  Small slates or lap white-boards will be used by the students to work the problems.  A portable white or black board will be used by the teacher to write the problems for the students.

3.  ABCs:  After math, the teacher will make ABC puzzles on the big white/black board and then call on the students to give answers. 

4.  Book Reading:  small books will be available.

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