One-room Schoolhouse
There were no grade levels in Iowa country schools. One teacher taught up to 15 students of varying ages.
Transcript
Iowa’s country schools averaged from 12 to 15 students. Some had as few as two. There were no grade levels. When a student passed one lesson he moved on to the next. Big students as old as 17 learned right along with little ones, 6 or 7. Such a setup kept the teacher busy finding a different activity for each child. While one group of children read from their books, another practiced penmanship.
Tina, would you study this page in the geography lesson please?
Iowa Heritage Iowa Country Schools
Pathways
Iowa's history of quality education began in 1830 in the first schoolhouse in Lee County. Read more about limestone, sheepskin, spelling bees and arithmetic.
Media Artifacts
Reading Tip: Prereading
Before beginning to read, skim the page. Look for headings or sections. What is the article generally about?