About the object

May Edward's 5th Class book

May Edward completed this page in 1905. May attended Bourke Street Public School in Surry Hills in Sydney. She was probably in 5th Class when she completed the book and would have been 12 or 13 years old. This page is a grammar lesson with the main part of the page parsing – analysing the parts of a sentence.

All of May's school work was in the one book. The subjects in the book are arithmetic, algebra, history, geography, mapping, civics, English, grammar and composition. 

Each page has a decorative heading. May has used pen and ink for her headings, ruled lines and writing. 

The teacher has mainly used blue pencil to mark May's work. A grade out of 10 was given for:  

• S - subject - accuracy in the work and answers

• N - neatness - overall neatness and presentation 

• P -  printing - handwriting.

Significance

The exercise book shows:

• the scope of subjects taught in 5th Class in 1905  

• what high standard early 1900s 5th Class student work looked like

• the method of marking and style of teacher comments 

• a snapshot of society, daily life and events of the time. 

Object details

Date –1905

Creator – May Edwards, 5th Class student

Place – Surrey Hills, New South Wales, Australia

Materials – black, red and green ink on lined paper. Cardboard covers.

Dimensions – 22.8cm x 18.3cm, 94 pages

See

• What is your favourite page? Why?

• What grades does the teacher give May for each page? 

• Read the teacher's comment on the map. What does May need to improve?

Think

• Why do you think three grades were given? 

• Why was neatness and presentation important?

• Why do you think there was just the one book used for work in several subjects?

• How is May's handwriting and presentation similar and different to presenting school work today?

Wonder

• What do these pages make you wonder about?

• What questions do you have about school lessons and student exercise books?

Do

Observe and reflect on May's work.

• Use a see-think-wonder template to record your observations and reflections. 

Imagine you are May Edwards. 

• On a lined piece of paper, copy the heading 'Map'. 

• Use running writing to write a sentences on how you felt when you read the comment 'Shading is bad'. 

1890s exercise books video

View the YouTube video to learn more about student's exercise books of the late 1890s and early 1900s. 

• What is similar about each book?

• What evidence-based inferences can you make about student exercise books of this period?

Robert Gillroy's 5th Class exercise book, 1892

This is part of a page from Robert Gillroy's exercise book completed on 25 March 1892. 

Robert attended Croydon Pubic School in Sydney. He was in 5th Class, 13 years old, when he completed this work . 

The page is a parsing lesson, similar to the parsing activity on May's grammar page. 

• How is Robert's work similar and different to May's?

• What can you infer about school work in the 1890s to early 1900s?

Punishment book extract, 1896

In the 1880s and 90s careless writing was punished by some teachers. At the time students were slapped for their wrong doings using 'instruments' such as a cane, broad slapper or quince rod. 

This was recorded in the school's punishment book in the columns – Name of pupil, Age, Nature of offence, Amount of punishment, Instrument of punishment, Date of punishment, By whom inflicted.

 In this 1896 extract from the punishment book of Murrumbate,am Public School, five students aged between 7 and 10 years old were slapped with a quince rod for careless writing.