Subject: RE: 8th grade final
From: Stefan Baratto (sbaratto@earthlink.net)
Date: Sun Apr 30 2000 - 13:42:26 EDT
Most college students today would have difficulty with this exam, that is
true, but, if their schooling included this material, they would do well
(or at least the serious ones would). For example, presumably, every
student knew the volume of a bushel of wheat (in Kansas in 1895 this would
be known). To an urban dweller this is not important.
On the other hand, many of our students have an understanding of wave
phenomena and electronics (especially as the number of computer students
increase) that was unknown in 1895 Kansas.
There also seems to be an overabundance of memorization here. Presumably
students had seen lists of the rules of capital letters and arithmetic
among others and were expected to memorize these rules.
Do we really think that
> Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800,
> > > 1849, and 1865?
> > >
is a useful question? Are the exact years that events occurred important?
Or, is understanding and interpreting events from a variety of viewpoints
more important?
I am reminded of a question I had on a Roman History final as an undergrad:
It was a matching question. Column A had the names of a handful of
bishops from the first few centuries AD and Column B had a list of cities
that existed at that time. We had to match the bishop to the city. Is
this really learning? Is this why so many students don't know history? Is
this why such a great topic is so dull in school (and useless)?
Stefan Baratto
York County Technical College
On Sunday, April 30, 2000 1:09 PM, Lillie Crowley [SMTP:lillie@pop.uky.edu]
wrote:
> How many people went to school as far as the eighth grade in 1895? None
of
> my grandparents went to school after the age of 12 or 13, and they didn't
> start school until they were 8 years old. Did school teachers back then
> ever go to college? I'd have to look it up, and I don't have time right
> now, but how many years of schooling did Laura Ingalls Wilder have when
she
> started teaching? I seem to recall that she didn't have very much formal
> schooling herself.
>
> What would have been a passing grade? An "A"?
>
> However, the point is taken. I certainly wouldn't do very well on it....
>
> Lillie
>
>
>
> At 11:43 AM 4/30/00 -0400, Davidatp@aol.com wrote:
> >I thought this was interesting. Any comments?
> >
> >
> > Could You Have Passed the 8th Grade in 1895?
> > > Probably Not...Take a Look:
> > >
> > > This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 from Salina, Kansas.
It
> > > was taken from the original document on file at the Smoky Valley
> > > Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, Kansas and reprinted
> > > by the Salina Journal.
> > >
> > > 8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, Kansas - 1895
> > >
> > > Grammar (Time, one hour)
> > >
> > > 1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.
> > > 2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no
> > modifications.
> > > 3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.
> > > 4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb?
> > > Give Principal Parts of do, lie, lay and run.
> > > 5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
> > > 6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of
Punctuation.
> > > 7-10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that
you
> > > understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
> > >
> > > Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
> > >
> > > 1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
> > > 2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide.
> > > How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
> > > 3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50
cts.
> > > per bu,
> > > deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
> > > 4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the
necessary
> > > levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and
have
> > > $104 for incidentals?
> > > 5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
> > > 6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7
percent.
> > > 7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long
at
> > $.20
> > > per inch?
> > > 8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10
percent.
> > > 9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the
distance
> > > around which is 640 rods?
> > > 10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.
> > >
> > > U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
> > >
> > > 1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
> > > 2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
> > > 3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
> > > 4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
> > > 5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
> > > 6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
> > > 7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln,
> > > Penn, and Howe?
> > > 8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620,
1800,
> > > 1849, and 1865?
> > >
> > > Orthography (Time, one hour)
> > >
> > > 1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic orthography,
> > > etymology, syllabication?
> > > 2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
> > > 3. What are the following, and give examples of each:
> > > Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
> > > 4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u'.
> > > 5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e'.
> > > Name two exceptions under each rule.
> > > 6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling.
> > > Illustrate each.
> > > 7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a
word:
> > > Bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, super.
> > > 8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and
> > > name the sign that indicates the sound:
> > > Card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
> > > 9. Use the following correctly in sentences, Cite, site, sight,
> > > fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
> > > 10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate
pronunciation
> > > by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
> > >
> > > Geography (Time, one hour)
> > >
> > > 1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
> > > 2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
> > > 3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
> > > 4. Describe the mountains of N.A.
> > > 5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver,
> > > Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fermandez,
> > > Aspinwall and Orinoco.
> > > 6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
> > > 7. Name all the republics of Europe and give capital of each.
> > > 8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same
> > > latitude?
> > > 9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to
> > > the sources of rivers.
> > > 10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give inclination of the
earth.
> > >
> > > --------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > Imagine a college student who went to public school trying to pass
this
> > > test, even if the few outdated questions were modernized. Imagine
their
> > > professors even being able to pass the 8th Grade. Can Americans,
> > > student and professor alike, get back up to the 8th Grade level of
1895?
> > >
> >
> >
> >
>
>***********************************************************************
*****
> >* To post to the list: email mathedcc@archives.math.utk.edu
*
> >* To unsubscribe, send mail to:
mathedcc-unsubscribe@archives.math.utk.edu *
> >* Archives at http://archives.math.utk.edu/hypermail/mathedcc/
*
>
>***********************************************************************
*****
>
>
************************************************************************
****
> *****
>
> PLEASE NOTE NEW AREA CODE
>
> Lillie R.F. Crowley
> Professor, Mathematics
> 138 Moloney Building
> Lexington Community College
> Lexington, KY 40506-0235
> (859) 257-4872 x 4115 -- phone
> (859) 257-4988 -- fax
> lillie@pop.uky.edu -- e-mail
> http://www.uky.edu/LCC/MATH/Crowley
>
>
>
************************************************************************
****
> * To post to the list: email mathedcc@archives.math.utk.edu
*
> * To unsubscribe, send mail to:
mathedcc-unsubscribe@archives.math.utk.edu *
> * Archives at http://archives.math.utk.edu/hypermail/mathedcc/
*
>
************************************************************************
****
****************************************************************************
* To post to the list: email mathedcc@archives.math.utk.edu *
* To unsubscribe, send mail to: mathedcc-unsubscribe@archives.math.utk.edu *
* Archives at http://archives.math.utk.edu/hypermail/mathedcc/ *
****************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b28 : Sun Apr 30 2000 - 17:38:53 EDT