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THE MODERN HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM PAUL E. BELTING, Ph. D. Assistant State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Illinois and NATALIA MAREE BELTING, Ph. D. Department of History, University of Illinois THE GABBABD PKESS CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS 1942 Copyright, 1942 BY PAUL E. BELTING MANTTFAOTITEBD IN THE UNITED STATES OB 1 AMERICA TABLE OF CONTENTS I. SOME PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING THE MODERN HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM 1 II. ENGLISH 23 III. SOCIAL STUDIES 47 IV. GUIDANCE 70 Y. BUSINESS EDUCATION 85 VI. HOME ECONOMICS 102 VII. HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION 118 VIII. SCIENCE 132 IX. ART 153 X. PEACTICAL ARTS 175 XL-AGRICULTURE . . 200 XII Music 216 XIII. MATHEMATICS 228 XIV. FOREIGN LANGUAGES 238 XV. SUMMARY AND INTEGRATION 255 INDEX 271 L Some Principles Underlying the Modern High School Curriculum I. EXAMPLES OF EDUCATION AS A METHOD OF TRANSMITTING CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION Sparta. Every distinct society in civilized life has had an appropriate method of teaching its immature members the common purposes of the community. Ancient Sparta centered its existence around a military regime., Out of this ideal grew the requisite educational method of achieving the desired result. Implicit, blind obedience to the demands of an all powerful, autocratic military dynasty was exacted from the boys in full measure. Weaklings were exposed and left to die in order to develop physical perfection in the other boys who were to be the future soldiers. They had less to eat than they wanted, less clothing than was necessary to keep them warm they slept on beds of stone, and in general were reared in such a way as to dull the feelings, harden the appreciation and banish enjoyment. Hence rigorous gymnastics, militarydiscipline, choral music, religious dances and fervent patri otism were the subject matter required by the state. Athens. In sharp contrast to Sparta, Athens had achieved the security that came from successful pursuits of war and conquest. The golden age of prosperity that followed led to economic stability and intellectual freedom for the ruling classes. Art, sculpture, painting, oratory, education, political science and philosophy flourished. It was believed that en joyment should be sought in life. The feelings were of value, as well as intellectual ability and physical prowess. Conse quently, the boys dressed warmly, ate heartily and plentifully, and cultivated some of the aesthetic virtues. Education to secure harmonious development was accordingly organized and established. Ancient Orient. The essence of Mohammedan education consisted in committing the Koran to memory. In fact, all oriental people have provided a type of education that may i 2 THE MODERST HIGH SCHOOL CUEEIOULUM be characterized as memoritor, the purpose of which was to preserve the rules of life and the heritage of the ancestors. Minute details were memorized in order to eliminate mistakes in transmitting the accumulated experience and the wisdom of the elders to posterity. This gave education a backward instead of a forward view of life. The chief reason that the extant manuscripts of the different books of the old Bible agree in almost every word is that the Hebrew scribe was under religious oath to reproduce the sacred literature exactly. The following selection from the Orders of Con fucius is illustrative of the detailed way in which life was ordered 1. The sovereign and king order the chief minister to senddown his lessons of virtue to the millions of the people. 2. Sons, in serving their parents, on the first crowing of the cock, should all wash their hands, and rinse their mouths, comb their hair, draw over it the covering of silk, fix this with the hairpin, bind the hair at the roots with the fillet, brush the dust from that which is left free, and then put on their caps, leaving the ends of the strings hanging down. They should then put on their squarely made black jackets, knee covers and girdles, fixing in the last their tablets...

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