It has been said that The New England Primer was the most influential textbook in history. This text, written by Benjamin Harris in 1690, was used to teach reading. School in the 1700s was heavily influenced by religion. The common belief was that the inability to read was Satan’s way to keep people from reading the Bible.
Scenario: Imagine you walk into your third grade classroom and your reading/literature textbooks have been replaced with The New England Primer. What would you say to your administrator? Predict your students’ reactions. Decide what you would do for reading today.
