School Days: The Study of One-Room School Houses
Larry Blumenstock, Carrie Small, Joanne Alexander
Prairie Central School District
Summer 2005
Children arrive at one room school house.
Grundy County, Iowa. (1915)
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs
Division, FSA-OWI Collection,
Reproduction number, LC-USF34-028416-D DLC
The lessons in this unit will teach students about one-room schoolhouses in America. Students
will gain an appreciation of one-room schoolhouses through the use of primary resources like
photographs and old documents. Children will get a feel of what it was like to attend a one-room
schoolhouse in America in the past and what it is like to attend a one-room school today. They
will also have the opportunity to compare one-room school houses to their own school.
Overview/State Standards/Resources/Procedures/Evaluation
Overview
Objectives
Recommended time frame
Grade level
Curriculum fit
Resources
Back to Navigation Bar
Students will:
 Compare a one-room schoolhouse of today with a one-room
schoolhouse of the past and their present day school.
 Understand what it would be like to be a teacher or student
in a one-room schoolhouse.
 Be able to describe the characteristics of a typical one-room
schoolhouse.
5 lessons
3rd
Language Arts, Fine Arts, Social Studies, Technology
 Image table
 One-Room Schoolhouse of the Past Questions
 One-Room Schoolhouse of Today Questions
 Our School Questions
 Compare/Contrast Worksheets (worksheet 1, worksheet 2,
worksheet 3)
 Web site:
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/guides/social/partII1.pdf
“Reading, ‘Riting, ‘Rithmetic” is a guide for a re-enactment
program for a one-room schoolhouse, including creating
horn books)
An Adventure of the American Mind
Illinois State University
School Days: The Study of One-Room School Houses



2
Book:
Avi. The Secret School. United States: Harcourt, 2001.
Hardcopy of letter describing what school was like long ago.
http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/wpa:@field(DOCID+@lit(wpa3320702
07))
Other resources:
 Chart Paper (minimum of three sheets)
 Chalk board/White board and markers
 Paper/drawing supplies for class book or Kid Pix
program on multiple computers
 Supplies to recreate a one-room school in the
classroom
Illinois Learning Standards
Back to Navigation Bar
Language Arts:
GOAL 1: Read with understanding and fluency.
1B. Apply reading strategies to improve understanding and
fluency.
 1.B.1a Establish purposes for reading, make predictions,
connect important ideas, and link text to previous
experiences and knowledge.
1C. Comprehend a broad range of reading materials.
 1.C.1a Use information to form questions and verify
predictions.
 1.C.1b Identify important themes and topics.
 1.C.1c Make comparisons across reading selections.
 1.C.1d Summarize content of reading material using text
organization (e.g., story, sequence).
 1.C.1f Use information presented in simple tables, maps and
charts to form an interpretation.
GOAL 2: Read and understand literature representative of
various societies, eras and ideas.
2B. Read and interpret a variety of literary works.
 2.B.1a Respond to literacy materials by connecting them to
their own experience and communicate those responses to
others.
GOAL 3: Write to communicate for a variety of purposes.
GOAL 4: Listen and speak effectively in a variety of
situations.
GOAL 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and
communicate information.
An Adventure of the American Mind
Illinois State University
School Days: The Study of One-Room School Houses
3
Social Science:
GOAL 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and
movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States
and other nations.
16.A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation.
 16.A.1a Explain the difference between past, present and
future time; place
themselves in time.
 16.A.1b Ask historical questions and seek out answers from
historical sources(e.g., myths, biographies, stories, old
photographs, artwork, other visual or
 electronic sources).
 16.A.1c Describe how people in different times and places
viewed the world in different ways.
GOAL 18: Understand social systems, with an emphasis on
the United States.
18.B. Understand the roles and interactions of individuals and
groups in society.
 18.B.1a Compare the roles of individuals in group situations
(e.g., student, committee member, employee/employer).
Fine Arts:
GOAL 27: Understand the role of the arts in civilizations,
past and present.
27.A. Analyze how the arts function in history, society and
everyday life.
 27.A.1b Identify how the arts contribute to communication,
celebrations, occupations and recreation.
 27. B.1 Know how images, sounds and movement convey
stories about people, places and times.
Procedures
Back to Navigation Bar
Day One:
 Introduction of Unit: Briefly explain to students that schools
of the past were different from schools today and that many
students in rural areas were educated in one-room schools.
Inform students that over the next week they will be learning
about one-room schoolhouses and comparing past and
modern schools.
 Read Aloud: The Secret School by Avi (This is a Chapter
Book. It is anticipated that this “Read Aloud” will carry you
beyond the end of the School Days unit.)
 Brainstorming and Reflection on Present School Setting: As
a whole class, brainstorm and discuss your own school
An Adventure of the American Mind
Illinois State University
School Days: The Study of One-Room School Houses
4
setting and learning environment. List student observations
on chart paper for use on Day Three. Introduce Our School
Questions as appropriate to stimulate discussion.
Day Two:
 Read Aloud: Continue reading from The Secret School at an
appropriate time during your school day.
 Introduction of One-Room Schoolhouses: Show Power
Point presentation. Brainstorming and reflection activities
may be conducted either during or following the
presentation.
 Brainstorming and Reflection on One-Room Schoolhouses
of the Past. As a whole class, brainstorm and discuss the
physical and learning environment of one-room
schoolhouses of the past. List student observations on chart
paper for use on Day Three. Introduce One-Room
Schoolhouses of the Past Questions as appropriate to
stimulate discussion.
 Brainstorming and Reflection on One-Room Schoolhouses
Today. As a whole class, brainstorm and discuss the
physical and learning environment of one-room
schoolhouses of today. List student observations on chart
paper for use on Day Three. Introduce One-Room
Schoolhouses of Today Questions as appropriate to stimulate
discussion.
Day Three:
 Read Aloud: Continue with the Avi book at an appropriate
time during the day.
 Compare and Contrast One-Room Schools of the Past with
Schools of Today: Post the three charts from Day One and
Day 2. Have students complete the Compare and Contrast
worksheets (worksheet 1, worksheet 2, worksheet 3) on their
own or in small groups. When students have completed the
worksheet, have them share the results and help you create a
three-way Venn- diagram on the board or on chart paper.
Review and discuss the ways in which the three types of
schools are similar and the ways in which they are very
different.
Day Four:
 Read Aloud: Continue with the Avi book if there is time
today.
 Experience a One-Room Schoolhouse of the Past: Arrange a
field trip to a local one-room school house OR recreate a
An Adventure of the American Mind
Illinois State University
School Days: The Study of One-Room School Houses
5
one-room schoolhouse in your own classroom, modifying
Possible Schedule for a Day at Andrews School
(http://www.macomb.k12.mi.us/utica/schoolhouse/schedule.
html) to be as realistic as possible in your modern day
classroom.
Day Five:
 Read Aloud: Continue reading from the Avi book.
 Create a Class Book About One-Room Schoolhouses: Each
student will create one page for a class book. Each student
will draw a topic out of a “hat.” Students will write a short
paragraph comparing and/or contrasting one aspect of past
and present schools. Students will also illustrate their pages.
Topic choices could include such things as: paper, writing
utensils, books, recess, building material, one vs. multiple
teachers, teaching style, lunch, school supplies, heating,
number of students, type of students in the room, furniture,
technology etc.
Evaluation
Back to Navigation Bar
1. Student self-evaluation.
2. Rubric to evaluate each student’s page in class book.
3. Teacher observation. (meets/does not meet)
An Adventure of the American Mind
Illinois State University