Learning to Read
by Sophie
In colonial times there were schoolbooks, but they were very different than ours today. Instead of schoolbooks, young children had hornbooks. A hornbook is a piece of wood with printed words on both sides of it. It is covered by a thin sheet of cow horn. The children were taught to read so they could read the Bible. There were no storybooks for children so they read adult books like Robinson Crusoe. They also used the New England Primer to learn how to read. There were pictures and sayings for each letter of the alphabet. I would rather learn to read now than in colonial times because it is much more fun and we have better books now.
Return to Colonial Schools
Learning to Read
by Sophie
In colonial times there were schoolbooks, but they were very different than ours today. Instead of schoolbooks, young children had hornbooks. A hornbook is a piece of wood with printed words on both sides of it. It is covered by a thin sheet of cow horn. The children were taught to read so they could read the Bible. There were no storybooks for children so they read adult books like Robinson Crusoe. They also used the New England Primer to learn how to read. There were pictures and sayings for each letter of the alphabet. I would rather learn to read now than in colonial times because it is much more fun and we have better books now.