Abraham Lincoln Junior High School - Annual Yearbook (Rockford, IL)

Page 14 text:

SOCIAL SCIENCE Stanley Griizbaugh, Lucille Beutel, Sally Garde, Gladys Shaw, Iohn Ekeberg, Marguerite Quinn, Marian Peters. Muriel Lee, Grace W. Ellis! Violet Peterson, Vivian Swanson. The seventh grade social science classes study southern lands. ---'- Walking through this strange land, I heard the queerest sounds imaginable. Deciding to investigate, I found myself among the people of Social Science. rI'he group I came upon were studying the geography of lands near and below the equator. I was told that all newcomers to this land made this study. rThey learn about the geographical and climatic conditions of the lands and of their products. With their study they acquire a better understanding of the political and industrial relations between countries. All of a sudden a sharp noise startled me. Gathering their materials to- gether, out this class rushed and another came in. Upon inquiry I learned that these newcomers were second year citizens, studying the history of United States from the time of Liet Erickson down to the present day. With vivid word pictures they are taught about the colonization of the country, of the struggle for independence, of the growth of the democratic form of government, and, finally, of the problems and events of the present. The next group to enter were ninth graders. Soon they were in the midst of a heated debate on labor conditions of the country. As I listened, I realized that they had been well instructed on the subject and knew whereof they spoke. Looking through one of their text-books, I found that they studied the com- munity and its problems, economic relations in business, and the government of the nation. Truly, I thought, no course could be more important in the mak- ing of good citizens in this world.

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MATHEMATICS DEPARTMEN T Laura Larson, Karl Hein, Estella Noller, Susan Worster, Katharine Smith, Richard Evans, Russell J. Erb. Margaret Fitzgerald, Mary Burchfield. Income tax blanks will possess no difficulties for these mathematicians who can figure out 'most anything. I I I I I I I I I On my many journeys through the land of Lincolnia, I found the mathe- matics department one of my most interesting points of observation. This study is required in the seventh and eighth grades, and well it may be, for we all know at least simple arithmetic is used constantly in every day life. While vis- iting one seventh grade class, I heard the word hexagon used, along with some other equally queer words. I later discovered that these were just common geometrical terms to name the different figures used. The pupils learn such practical things as the writing of checks, the reading of meters, and the making of intricate designs with geometric tools. This train- ing gives the pupils the advantage and satisfaction of solving difficult problems. In the eighth grade enough algebra is given to acquaint the pupils with the general character of the subject, and thus assist them in making up their minds Whether or not they should take aglebra as a ninth grade elective. Algebra seems to be one of the most popular of elective subjects in the ninth grade. It requires some good hard work on the part of the pupils, but that doesn't seem to have harmed any of them yet. This work is most useful in problems of everyday living. I know from my own experience that life gives many practical applications of negative numbers.

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l,it GENERAL SCIENCE J ' , Harry M. Palmer, LeRoy Foss, Verona M. Prien, Paul Johnson, Paul E. Nelson, Emery G. Fritsch. It takes brains to understand brains, as this class can tell you. a Mercy on me! I thought, what cm odor! Have the cooking classes been burning something, I wonder. But I'm not near them. What can it be? Thoughts led to action, and soon I found myself investigating the mysteries of nature along with another seventh grade general science class. In this class the pupils study such topics as air, tire, heat, and ventilation. Besides these, they study stimulants cmd narcotics. The eighth grade pupils come across such topics as The characteristics of some common substances, The changing surface of the earth, The earth's neighbors, and The weather.' These are followed by or study of the way mcm has gained power over nature by means of machines, by the development of means of communication, and by or study of light, sound, and water. Ninth grade ushers in a course of biology, where the student studies plants and animals and the human body. The first semester is spent in general biology Ehow living things differ from non-livinq; how they depend on their surround- ings for existence; how they obtain and store food; how they are related to each other; and how they are controlled and improved. The study of the human body is made during the second semester. This includes the study of how the body prepares and uses food, how it provides for its individual cells, how it is adapted by structure to perform the activities of life. Next, or study of the nervous system is made. Finally, CI brief study of diseases and their causes and cures is made.