School Long Ago - read online free

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Hazel

A historical children’s story set in ancient Athens follows Icos as he goes to school and learns how daily education worked long ago. It explains the school’s role in forming culture, describes who was allowed to attend classes and how girls received tutoring, and details classroom routines. The text covers reading laws and signs, learning the Greek alphabet, practicing writing with wax and a stylus, and studying great poems through listening and repetition.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Ordering Options

School in Athens

In Class

SCHOOL LONG AGO by Ella Powellillustrated by Hector Borlasca SHarcourt 14 SCH00L LONG AGO by Ella Powellillustrated by Hector Borlasca Harcourt SCHOOL PUBLISHERS Copyright Oby Harcourt,Inc. ll rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or byany means,electronic or mechanical,including photocopy,recording,or any information storage andretrieval system,without permission in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to SchoolPermissions and Copyrights,Harcourt,Inc.,6277 Sea Harbor Drive,Orlando,Florida 32887-6777.Fax:407-345-2418. HARCOURT and the Harcourt Logo are trademarks of Harcourt,Inc.,registered in the United Statesof America and/or other jurisdictions. Printed in China ISBN 10:0-15-350452-8 ISBN 13:978-0-15-350452-5 # Ordering Options ISBN 10:0-15-350333-5(Grade 3 Below-Level Collection)ISBN 13:978-0-15-350333-7(Grade 3 Below-Level Collection)ISBN 10:0-15-357463-1(package of 5)ISBN 13:978-0-15-357463-4(package of 5) f you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge,Harcourt School Publishers retains title to the materials and they may not be resold.Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited and is illegal. Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication,or any portion of it,into electronic format. Icos lived in 400 B.C.,in Athens,aGreek city.He went to school everyday just like you. Some things were different.Icosdid not have the resources you have.He did not even have paper! Icos still had to study.He still hadto listen to his teacher.Some thingsnever change! # SCHOOLIN ATHENS Athens was an important city.Greatthinkers,artists,and writers lived there.Most people were allowed to vote.Athens helped form our culture. Schools were a big part of life in Athens.Students learned how to think,read,and write.They also learned theskills they would need to run Athens. Only boys were permitted to go toschool.A girl's family could hire a tutor,or her mother would be her teacher.Girlslearned the skills they needed to keephouse,but they also learned to read. All boys brought their servants toschool.Doran carried Icos's things,answered questions,and did chores. The school was plain.The boys saton benches.The teacher sat on a tallchair at the front of the room. The boys did not wear uniforms.They wore their chitons.These were cloth squares that were pinnedtogether.Boys'chitons were short. # IN CLASS Knowing how to read was very important.It was necessary for the boysto be able to read laws.They had to readletters,and they had to read signs. First they learned the Greek alphabet,which has twenty-four letters.Theteacher recited the letters.Then theboys repeated them. Then they practiced writing.The boyswrote on blocks of wax.They carvedletters into the wax with a stylus.Thestylus was made of metal or bone.Ithad a sharp point. The wax block was easily cleared.It was heated until the carving melted.When the wax cooled,it was like new. The boys studied great poems.Thepoems were not written in books.Theboys listened,and then they repeatedeach line. The teacher talked about history andabout the heroes in the poems.Theboys were to copy the heroes'examples.

FAQs

Who is the main character and what time/place is the story set in?

The story follows Icos in ancient Athens, where he attends school each day like a child today.

How did students learn to read and write in the classroom?

Boys learned the Greek alphabet through the teacher’s recitation, then practiced writing by carving letters into heated wax blocks using a stylus. They also studied by listening to poems and repeating lines.

Who was allowed to attend school in Athens, and how were girls educated?

Only boys could go to school. Girls could be taught by a tutor hired by the family or by their mother, focusing on skills for home while still learning to read.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Hazel