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

Foundation of most schooling

Published between 1687 and 1690 by Benjamin Harris

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

Only 90 pages

Rote Memorization

MCGUFFEY READER - 1841

Also known as "eclectic readers"

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

McGuffey was a young educator and developer

Began teaching at age 14

Scaffold approach to learning

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.

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

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.