1869: A report on schools in North Carolina

In this lesson, students use a guided reading to look at a report on the status of education in North Carolina in 1869, and discuss the reasons given then for why the Governor and Legislature should support educating North Carolina's children. They are provided an opportunity to compare and contrast the 1869 document against their own ideas about the civic duty to attend school through age sixteen, and its relative value to the state and the country.

A lesson plan for grade 10 Social Studies

By Victoria Schaefer

Learn more

• Report of 1869 Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of North Carolina

Related pages

• Intrigue of the Past: Teach your students about North Carolina's fascinating past. This edition contains lesson plans about the fundamental concepts, processes, and issues of archaeology, as well as essays for the teacher with detailed information about four periods in North Carolina's ancient history.
• Archaeological sites open to the public: A listing of field trip opportunities focusing on Native Americans as well as colonial times in North Carolina. Organized by county.
• Diary of a Tar Heel Confederate Soldier: Students read the account of a private from Charlotte who served in the Civil War and grew tired of only hearing about the war from the perspectives of officers. After reading his experiences as a “man behind the gun” students will write their own point-of-view piece. They also have the opportunity to read other diary accounts from the war available through Documenting the American South.

Related topics

• Learn more about North Carolina and social studies.

Legal

Learning outcomes

The teacher can use this lesson as a reinforcement tool for students learning their legal duties as citizens versus their civic responsibilities. One of the five legal duties is to attend public school, in most states, until age 16. This lesson serves as an activity to reflect on the historical development of public education in North Carolina by using a primary source from 1869. The selections from the primary source serve as good prompts for questions, essays, and class discussions about the listed objectives. Finally, the discussions regarding public education issues in 1869 can be linked to current events in public education locally, statewide, or nationally, such as local efforts to pass bonds to support the building of new facilities.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

30—45 minutes

Materials/resources

Teacher should either use internet connection/projector to display primary source material, or an overhead projector with transparencies.

Students should either have computers with internet access or a copy of the selected pages from the primary source. In addition, students should have a copy of the guided reading.

Pre-activities

Teacher should have taught the lessons on legal duties versus civic responsibilities. Students must know that attending school until age sixteen, in most states, is a legal duty.

Activities

1. Teacher should first introduce concept of “Superintendent of Public Instruction.” Ask if anyone knows who the local Superintendent is? Ask if anyone can explain his job? Ask if anyone can name the State Superintendent.
2. Remind students of their legal duty to attend school.
3. Next, teacher should project cover of primary source onto screen, introducing the report. The purpose of examining this document is to obtain a glimpse into schools of the past.
4. Discuss the following, as seems appropriate.
   • Date of document.
   • Who is it written to?
   • Who is it from?
   • What is it?
5. Assignment: First, provide students with access to the document — either hard copy or electronically. Next, do one of the following:
   • Provide students with guided reading and collect answers. This can be either a class work or homework assignment, individually or in teams.
   • Use the guided reading as a tool to facilitate class discussion as you review the document with the class.

Assessment

Teacher may grade guided reading responses.

Supplemental information

Attachments:

• Guided Reading
• Selected Pages

Comments

Inspiration for this lesson comes from the numerous complaints students make about the duty to attend school. Hopefully, this will help them to value their opportunity.