Cluster II Simulations
School 100 Years Ago Unit
From the files of teacher Rick Ehrhorn
After our success with the Ohlone Indian simulation, our cluster was interested in doing a similar kind of collaboration in the other year of our two year cycle with students. The school year following our first simulation, we decided to have a Go Around in December 2005. Our goal was to continue building relationships and community by again mixing up the students and having them rotate through each of the seven classrooms doing different activities. We did not tie the activities to any specific curriculum but rather left it open, letting each teacher choose what she would like to do with the students. Most of the activities had an arts or science focus and included water experiments, print making, camouflage art, dance/movement and pretzel making.
This was a fun project and we all did get to know each other better, but we felt the need to do something more directly related to the curriculum. That same year, in early March, we were at a district staff development training on writing. In speaking with Duveneck third grade teacher Nancy Bardwell, we happened to learn that Duveneck did a simulation of school 100 years ago as part of their third grade Palo Alto history curriculum. Nancy described how it was structured and sent us materials they used for the simulation. We all excitedly agreed to try our own simulation at Ohlone.
As luck would have it, the Cantor Arts Museum at Stanford had an exhibit in the spring of 2006, called “American ABC,” that directly related to our simulation. This exhibit provided a window into everyday life in the United States over one hundred years ago–the world of families, children’s pastimes and the routines of the schoolhouse. It included paintings, prints, photographs and books, as well as a replica of a late19th century classroom. In a preliminary visit to the Cantor, Julie Bagniefski, 2/3 teacher, found many resources to use for the upcoming simulation at Ohlone, and also designed a scavenger hunt for the students to complete when some of the classes visited the exhibit in early May.
Using information from our texts on early Palo Alto schools, the Cantor resources and the materials from Duveneck, the 2/3 team of teachers, Cindy Halstead, Julianna Trapp, Arlene Gordon. Monica Lynch, Suzy Anvar, Ashley McCrea and Julie Bagniefski, designed the one day simulation, scheduled that first time for June 8, 2006.
Cindy and her aide, Karen Walters, put together McGuffy Readers for us to use with the students, actual reading texts from the late 19th century. Teachers also had students create copybooks to practice penmanship, sewing the bindings together and using steel nib pens and inkbottles to make the lines for writing. We created a list of historical words to use for a spelling bee. Students chose the number of words they wanted to study in preparation, and those words were then sent home ahead of time. Some teachers also sent home poems from that time period for the children to memorize and be ready to recite on the day of the simulation. With help from parents the afternoon before, classrooms were stripped bare, desks put in rows and artifacts of the time were put on display-dunce caps, lists of rules from that time period, and sticks for punishment.
Students were asked to dress their parts-girls in below the knee length skirts or dresses, long socks, aprons; boys in long shorts or short pants, knee socks, white button down shirts, hats and suspenders.
We also requested that students bring their lunches and snacks in some kind of “historical” container that day. These included metal pails, baskets, tin containers or student-created “brownies,” a pasteboard (cardboard) box with handles that looked like they were made from leather. Parents were encouraged to plan an historical lunch with their child, one that did not include the use of plastic. Typical lunches in those days included pork chops, fried chicken, deviled eggs, pickles and pieces of pie.
Teachers dressed for their parts as well, in long dark skirts and white blouses or long dresses. Shawls, aprons and hats were also in evidence. Julie Bagniefski chose to play the role of Miss Mamie Bass, one of Palo Alto’s first teachers. In some classrooms students chose typical names from early Palo Alto to call themselves that day.
Students lined up outside the classroom to begin our day. Boys and girls were in separate lines and the students arranged themselves from youngest to oldest. Teachers came out to greet them and as they entered they “made their manners,” bowing or curtsying to the teacher with a “Good morning, Miss Gordon.” They stood next to their desks until instructed to sit. Teachers also inspected backs of necks and fingernails for cleanliness. After attendance all 2/3 classes marched out to the flagpole in silent boy/girl lines led by the teacher beating a walking rhythm with a stick against her hand. The principal, Susan Charles, also dressed for that time (including wearing a gray wig with a braided bun), greeted the students. The flag was raised and then Susan led us in the Pledge of Allegiance (without “under God” as it was added in 1954) and “It’s a Grand Old Flag”. Then she made announcements:
§ Ray Frisbie and Ralph Watley (these are names of real boys in the first Palo Alto schools) were seen knocking over the outhouse behind the school last night. They will see me for proper punishment and then will report after school to dig a new hole for the outhouse.
§ Any boys caught playing “Andy Over” will be sent to me and I will be ready with my ruler.
§ Today we will have field games but we still expect students to behave like proper young ladies and gentlemen.
§ I will dismiss you to return to your classrooms and want to see straight lines walking in time with your teacher and absolutely no talking!
When students returned to the classrooms teachers led them in a variety of activities, including chorale reading from the McGuffy readers, penmanship practice in the copybooks with bottled ink and steel nib pens, poem recitation, arithmetic problems using “slates” (small chalkboards), and a spelling bee. The spelling bee was boys vs. girls. Students were required to raise their hands and then stand next to their desks when called on. Some teachers doled out “punishments”, including asking students to write lines on the board; such as “I will not talk in class.” Some teachers also had students fetch water from the farm in a metal pail and then students used metal cups brought from home and a ladle to get a drink. Arlene Gordon’s husband, Dick, even made a wooden harness for a student to place over his shoulders and carry a pail of water attached to each end, as this was common practice during that time.
We held our recess before the regularly scheduled time so we could have just the 2/3 students out together. We divided the play area with a rope, one side for boys and one for girls.
Nancy Bardwell warned us that it would be difficult to keep the strict traditional classroom up for a whole day. Duveneck did just a part of the morning for their simulation. After the morning classroom activities we had decided to have a “field day,” as described by one of our historical resources. Field days were often held at the end of the school year, with students participating in a variety of games. Using parent volunteers, we had seven outside stations classes rotated through. The first year we had hoop racesFor the 2007-2008 simulation, Marieluise Fries, our fabulous farm aide, invited Cindy Halstead’s class to meet at 7:00am on the Ohlone farm for early morning chores and breakfast. Some students did chores at their houses before school to get themselves in the role. Julie’s son, Reuben, who was in Arlene’s class the first year of the simulation, got up early and chopped wood!
The field day activities went into the afternoon. The remainder of the day was spent in processing this experience with the students. It was fascinating to hear the comments and comparisons, what students liked and didn’t like. Many students asked to try out the punishments by writing lines, putting on the dunce caps and standing with noses to the wall. Most students also wanted to keep the desks in rows for the remainder of the school year (one or two weeks).
As with our Ohlone Indian simulation, our goals of building collaboration and community while providing students with an experiential understanding of history and how things have grown and changed in their own community, were met by this simulation of school 100 years ago. This particular simulation experience also serves to highlight for students the reasons, values and philosophy behind the way we do school now at Ohlone.
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