Last updated: July 23, 2024
Lesson Plan
All They Heard was Blah, Blah, Blah....What was School Like for Abraham Lincoln?
School was very different for a young Abraham Lincoln than school today.
National Park Service
- Grade Level:
- Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
- Subject:
- Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- State Standards:
- Kentucky
Social Studies Standards: 3. H.CH.1, 3. H.CH.2, 5.G.KGE.1, 5.E.KE.1
Reading Standards: RF 3.4, RF 4.4, RF 5.4
Essential Question
What would it be like to attend a “Blab School” like Abraham Lincoln did?
Objective
During this lesson, students will have the opportunity to be immersed in similar activities to what school during the time of Abraham Lincoln might have sounded and looked like.
Background
Abraham Lincoln attended a “Blab” school near the boyhood home on 31E in Kentucky for a short time with his sister Sarah. A school room would have been a small, one-room log structure, with either a fireplace or small stove for heat and light, no running water, and small seats or benches to sit on. It would have been filled with children of multiple age ranges and learning levels. Parents would have had to pay to have their child attend school. Because of this, many families would barter or trade for the school services, and many children had limited formal schooling.
The school would have been attended mostly in the winter, because children were needed to work on the farm during planting and harvesting seasons.
For many families, the only book they would have would be the Bible for reading, and copies of Aesop’s Fables might have been available for reading at the schoolhouse. Learning was done by oral recitation. Arithmetic, or ciphering as they called it, would be done on slate boards with chalk, and may have been from “Pike’s Arithmetic” using the rule of three. Writing was called penmanship.
Clothing worn by school children would have looked a little differently. Boys might have worn buckskin “Britches”, linsey-woolsey shirts, and possible a coon skin cap. Girls would have had probably two dresses, one for Sunday and special occasions, and one for everyday.
Preparation
-
Read background information prior to class.
-
Print copies of Aesop’s Fables to pass out to students.
Materials
Ciphering Problems
Aesop's Fables
Lesson Hook/Preview
Have you ever wondered how different school might have been during the time of Abraham Lincoln? Discuss as a class how different this must have been with students of multiple ages and learning abilities.
Procedure
Step 1: Go over background information with children about what school was like in the time of Abraham Lincoln.
Step 2: Simulate what the “blab” part of the school, by having students read from the Aesop’s Fables. Randomly give out the Aesop’s Fables with children receiving one of the three provided fables. (Students should have different fables). Tell students they will read aloud in a speaking voice from the fable they received when you say go.
As children read aloud, the teacher would go around and listen to students. Maybe some were just beginning to learn letters, so they would say each letter, or others were fully reading. Each child could be on a different level and use the same stories throughout the lesson. When people would go by the school, they could hear the loud noises from the children reading that sounded like blah, blah, blah, hence the name “Blab” school.
Possible questions after reading aloud:
What did you notice about what you read?
How difficult was it to understand what you read?
How would this compare to your reading class today?
Step 3:
Have the students practice sample ciphering lessons.
Vocabulary
Barter: Exchange (goods and services) for other goods or services without using money.
Linsey-woolsey: a plain-woven fabric made from linen and wool threads.
Assessment Materials
Venn DiagramStudents will create a Venn diagram or other organizer to compare and contrast going to a Blab school and school today.
Related Lessons or Education Materials
Meets Kentucky 3rd-5th grade social studies / ELA standards. This lesson was created by Kentucky teachers as a part of the History and Science Explore Project.