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Textbooks

HORNBOOK -1607

•A wooden paddle with lessons tacked on and covered by a piece of transparent horn

•Lessons consisted of the following things:

 

 The Alphabet (in both lower and uppercase letters)

    - Vowel and Consonant Combinations

    - The Lord’s Prayer

    - A cross

    - A Praise of the Trinity

—NEW ENGLAND PRIMER - 1790

First textbook/basal for American Colonies; replaced the hornbook

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Foundation of most schooling

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Published between 1687 and 1690 by Benjamin Harris

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Included Alphabet, vowels, consonants, double letters, and syllabariums

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Only 90 pages

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Rote Memorization

MCGUFFEY READER - 1841

Also known as "eclectic readers"

—Included a primer, speller, and four readers. 1st to have teaching guide

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McGuffey was a young educator and developer

Began teaching at age 14

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Scaffold approach to learning

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4 different readers

    - 1st – taught reading using phonics method and identification of letters and arrangement into words

    - 2nd – used when students could read. Understand meanings of sentences through the use of stories

    - 3rd – taught definitions and words at 5th/6th grade level

    - 4th – Focused on grammar at highest level of ability

WEBSTER

—1783 Webster published an elementary book for facilitating acquisition of our vernacular tongue and to correct pronunciation.

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1806 1st American dictionary, “Compendious Dictionary of the English Language, contained 37,000 entries

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1828 American Dictionary of English Language    

    - 70,000 entries

    - contains the foundation of America's heritage and principal beliefs.

    - reference for classical literature, Bible studies, history papers, and the ground work of explanation and reasoning for America's national documents.

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