Horn Book

 

Horn Books          

             As part of our Boston Tea Party Day, my partner, Kathy, had the students make horn books in their Language Arts class. Each child came to school dressed in colonial clothing. She took the kids back to colonial times and showed  them how to write their ABC's in 

    fancy script!        

 
   We wanted the students to understand that for colonial students  handwriting was a very important  skill. We emphasized that there were no computers or keyboards for people to use. So, handwriting was a very important part of communication.

    Then they talked about memorization passages and the meaning old sayings. A horn book template was given to each student.  They were able to choose what they wanted to write and how to decorate their own horn book.

              An activity like this helps the children get a feel for life 300 hundred years ago when our country was just beginning.  

          One of my students brought in a horn book that her father had made when he was in 5th grade.  The kids thought it was very cool.  Someone took the time to cut out wood to make this wonderful project for some very lucky children.  

     I want to give a huge shout out to all who help our children learn about our American past.  Thank you for all the things that you done for me and the rest of the children in our schools! 

Beti