Since E. D. Hirsch�s Core Knowledge Series was launched in 1991, hundreds of thousands of students have benefited from the books� effective and delightful treatments of essential knowle
Excellence and Equity in Education The mission of the Core Knowledge Foundation is to advance excellence and equity in education for all children.
To achieve this mission, we offer detailed curricular guidance and materials to schools, teachers, parents, and policy makers—to anyone who believes, as we do, that every child in a diverse democracy deserves access to enabling knowledge.
By providing open access to an exemplary curriculum for preschool through eighth grade, we endeavor to:
create literate citizens able to contribute to a democratic society. empower each child to achieve his or her greatest academic potential. shrink the excellence gap between the academic achievement of American students and that of their international peers from high-performing countries. shrink the fairness gap between the academic achievement of American students living in poverty and that of their economically advantaged peers.
What Your Sixth Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good-Sixth Grade Education [Revised Edition] / edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. -- New York : Bantam Dell / Random House, c2006. (392 pages)
SUMMARY: What should your child learn in the sixth grade? How can you help him or her at home? This book answers these important questions and more, offering the specific shared knowledge that thousands of parents and teachers across the nation have agreed upon for American sixth graders....Discover: favorite poems, literature, learning about language, history and geography, visual arts, music, math, and science. (back cover)
REVIEW: I found this to be an interesting book with lots of information that is easy to read (sixth grade reading level). I didn't read a lot of it just sort of flipped through the book. However, I would like to have this in my personal library collection for quick reads and for kids to access when curious about topics included and for family read along nights.
I didn't read the 5th grade edition, but we are thinking of homeschooling next year, and am wondering why there seemed to be this gap in the Social Science/History portion. I didn't see any mention of the Civil War in the American Civilization discussion. The World Civilization section seems to cover the Napoleonic Wars, which are set in early 1800's. The American history portion only picks up in the early 1900's. My son is in 5th this year, and the main focus has been Colonialism. It is April, and they just finished covering the Revolution, so I really can't see them getting through 100 years in the next month and a half. At least, not to have enough history to still have adequate time to devote to the Civil War. It made me realize why I always found History so darn confusing in school. There seems to be large gaps that get skipped over and put back in later. Of course, none of this really has to do with the book itself, as much as what is taught in (or out of) chronological order.