It is presented an approximation of language lessons practices at a Colombian school in 1940. The sources used: the education legislation of 1900 to 1940, the “Alegría de leer” (Joy of reading) reader, the testimony of a student of that time and his first elementary year calligraphy notebook. The study emphasizes in the relationships of the didactic system components. The methodological referent in this study was the Fundamented Theory. The data processing implied the use of content and discourse analysis. The research contributes to the reconstruction of the historical memory of language didactics in Colombia.