Alex I use a slate because there is not enough paper.  Paper was valuable and expensive.  I do not have a notebook like you do now.  I use a slate for arithmetic and the alphabet.  To write I use a lump of lead.  If I were rich I would use a quill pen and ink on paper.  If I were poor I would use bark to write on. Helena Hello, my name is Helena.  I am going to tell you how my mother taught me to make ink.  To make ink I need a lot of ingredients.  I can use berries, plants, marigolds, and walnut shells.  If I spilled the ink I would get in big trouble.  I use the ink to write.  Ink is wet because it has water in it.  To write I need to dip a quill pen into the ink and then write.  It is very hard to write with a quill pen and ink.  If I made a blot with the ink I would get in trouble too. Lane Hi I am Arthur.  In Dame School I mostly learn to read and write.  I have to learn to read because I must read the Bible or I will be punished.  The class was held in a kitchen.  The children used hornbooks. Lauren Hello.  My name is Lauren.  I am going to talk to you today about the quill pen.  If my mother told me to go find a feather for school, I would have to go into the woods and find a goose feather and then my mother or my teacher would carve the pen.  Then I could write with an inkblot. Melanie Hello my name is Melanie.  I need a quill pen for school.  I need to go out into the woods and get a feather from goose.  If I make a mistake with a quill pen, I can’t fix it.  To write with a quill pen I have to use ink. Shayna Hello my name is Elizabeth.  I go to a Dame School. My class is held in my teacher’s kitchen.  My teacher’s name is Miss Debbie.  To read we use a hornbook.  A hornbook is a piece of wood with the alphabet on it.  To write, we use a quill pen and ink, which is a feather and ink. Talia Hello my name is Diane.  I will be explaining the Bible.  The most important book is the Bible.  I learn to read just to read the Bible.  The Bible has punishments, stories, and rules.  I better follow the Bible or I’m in big trouble.  Oh and just to let you know most homes only have the Bible to read. Daniel The hornbook is a piece of wood with a printed page on each side.  The hornbook is for young children and kids that went to Dame Schools.  The hornbook is covered with a thin, clear sheet of horn from an animal.  It has letters, numbers, and a prayer on the printed page.

Micki Vieille, Cara Herold, Sandy Bennett
Germantown Academy Third Grade
Ft. Washington, PA 19034