What Your Second Grader Needs to Know (Revised and Updated): Fundamentals of a Good Second-Grade Education

Core Knowledge

by E.D. Hirsch Jr.

A supplementary guide to a well-rounded education that helps children gain the fundamentals needed to make progress in school.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Reference, Parenting, School, Teaching, Childrens

528 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

E. D. Hirsch, Jr. is the founder and chairman of the Core Knowledge Foundation and professor emeritus of education and humanities at the University of Virginia. He is the author of several acclaimed books on education in which he has persisted as a voice of reason making the case for equality of educational opportunity.

A highly regarded literary critic and professor of English earlier in his career, Dr. Hirsch recalls being “shocked into education reform” while doing research on written composition at a pair of colleges in Virginia. During these studies he observed that a student’s ability to comprehend a passage was determined in part by the relative readability of the text, but even more by the student’s background knowledge.

This research led Dr. Hirsch to develop his concept of cultural literacy—the idea that reading comprehension requires not just formal decoding skills but also wide-ranging background knowledge. In 1986 he founded the Core Knowledge Foundation. A year later he published Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know, which remained at the top of the New York Times bestseller list for more than six months. His subsequent books include The Schools We Need, The Knowledge Deficit, The Making of Americans, and most recently, How to Educate a Citizen: The Power of Shared Knowledge to Unify a Nation.

In How to Educate a Citizen (September, 2020), E.D. Hirsch continues the conversation he began thirty years ago with his classic bestseller Cultural Literacy, urging America’s public schools, particularly in Preschool – Grade 8, to educate our children using common, coherent and sequenced curricula to help heal and preserve the nation.

Reviews

[Ardyth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hirsch's idea of a second grader and my lived experience of a second grader are very, very different...

I'm not into his two-paragraph hodgepodge approach at the best of times, but here it is just plain awful imo.

A 7yo, after a long day / week / term at school is not going to be engrossed by this text -- text written to the child, but requiring read aloud in many (most?) cases. "Mommy, let's cuddle with that book about things I should know!" will be a rare exception.

I don't like it for homeschooling, either. Moves too fast, needs heavy DIY supplementing nearly everywhere... and, in that case, why bother investing in this one at all?

If you believe textbook style writing does a solid job delivering massive amounts of information, you may love this. But don't be angry with your second grader if it turns out they don't.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book each day to my kids during the summer. I would not make this my main curriculum for the school year but it is great as a supplemental. It gave us a taste of some things we will be learning for the following year.

[JP · Rating 1 out of 5]

I used to think we needed a checklist to validate educational progress. Although this did convey the level of understanding, it very quickly turned me off from the Core Knowledge approach to education. The first impression matches what we see in most modern textbooks. The fonts are big, the topics arbitrary, and the treatment simplistic. With text like this for children and their mentoring parents (how many !'s does one need?), it's no wonder our educational establishment is in trouble. Get your breadth children. Cover all topics enough to have a working understanding. But don't get it from here.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've been using this series to help guide our homeschooling path. I don't love everything about it but hey - it works for us and we just add and subtract to personalize things. I was actually pretty impressed with the sections on ancient greece history and mythology in this edition. I am not educated on that subject but I felt they were written well and right on target for my daughter's knowledge and interest level.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book much more than I did. The author's stance more about shoving as much information into your kid as possible, it doesn't take the time to delve into how to make education memorable and enjoyable.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book very much. It provides insights on how to make kids happy and productive in doing homework. Its humorous writing makes me and my child laugh! The ideas are simple and effective. Kids are motivated to do better when their homework is recognized widely.

A friend of mine referred me to a great Houston community web site http://www.beestar.org. It provides free daily math exercises with weekly honor roll. My daughter likes it very much. She has been doing math online without any push since I signed up her last semester.

Quality is good, but like many others, it's a bit pricey with regard to such a thin book. Kids can finish it pretty soon. As a complement, if you have Internet at home, you should check out an in credible Houston community web site http://www.beestar.org. It provides quality free math exercises online every week. I signed up my daughter a year ago and we love it.

[Arianne Askham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a reference book, and not a particular great one. It’s this weird mix of being written at a child’s level, while also being 480 pages of text and how to’s that just seem…inaccessible for a young audience. It’s a whole lot less exciting than a children’s encyclopedia, but not really helpful enough to serve teachers either.

I stumbled across this at the library and thought it would be useful to compare the book vs our planned curriculum this year. It was good for that. The other thing I REALLY enjoyed the literature section at the beginning and the science section at the end. This was the redeeming factor of the book. These sections are almost devoid of all commentary but I could easily glean from it to build into our curriculum. So I’ll be returning this to the library but not without making notes about my favorite poems and science topics.

[Sh&ra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great evaluation tool with lots of details. I love that they include HOW to teach your kids the things that they think they need to know; It isn't just a list.

I also love the abridged versions of classic stories already put together for me so I can easily teach my child a story or about mythology without having to get library books or scour the internet looking for a concise summary. It's already in there ready for my second grader.

I don't think this book is by any means infallible and I think there are plenty of things that need to be customizable, but this is a great place to start and serves as an awesome tool.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot to like about this book, but I would not recommend it to a new homeschooling parent or someone in need of curriculum. I picked up this book to use as a guidepost for my sons’ learning and that’s exactly what it is. There are a lot of helpful sections; I particularly enjoyed the Familiar Phrases, Art, and Music sections. However there is no conceivable way anyone could fit all of this info into one school year. MAYBE it’s possible if there are no other children to homeschool, no other obligations, and you spend 3+ hours a day on academics, but then what’s the point of homeschooling?

[Augusta Dionysus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides an excellent overview of the fundamental knowledge a second grader should possess before progressing to other grades. I was going to read this simply for context for a writing project, but I enjoyed it so much, I read the whole thing! It has a little bit of everything: stories, poems, songs, history lessons, myths, science facts, music theory, and math skills. Though this is curated to be a workbook for parents and teachers instructing second graders, there is value here for adults as well.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guide to what a 2nd grader ought to have mastered by the end of the year. I just finished a review at the beginning of the 2nd & 3rd grade with my little ones (7 & 8), and I feel like it provides excellent benchmarks for their progress, and is a great source for poems, stories, tall tales, myths, etc. that they should know.

[Sarah McClure Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed reading this in snippets over the past year. I find Core Knowledge an interesting approach in that students will be front loaded with a Core set of knowledge. As most of it is outside of the standards and curriculum it is hard to reset my brain and find ways to include the Core set of knowledge in the everyday Classroom, but I look forward to finding creative ways!

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hesitant adding this to my Read in 2018 list: Does it count? I'm counting it because there are pages upon pages of tips and information to parents and educators that will aid me in giving my son a jump start.

[Elizabeth Ricks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series, and even though I finished 2nd grade many decades ago, I like the way information is presented and how logical Hirsch makes the world. I'm still learning, even from books with a 2nd grade target audience.

[Jenny T]

Like the other volumes, this book has great information and skills with which to learn or refresh. Some of the stories aren't as well-known to me as those in the other volumes, but that's ok.

[Wisdom · Rating 5 out of 5]

L

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I uses this resource to help build library "curriculum" for my second grade.

[A Jolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ideas for homeschooling a 2nd grader

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a mom with an education degree, I have found this book is a great way to supplement my child's education. We read it at bedtime and it is set up perfectly for a quick read. The book is separated into different areas of curriculum (math, science, music, geography, etc.). There are also activities you can do with your child. I don't have time during the school year for them but they are great activities to do during the summer when we all need something different to do. By reading it only at bedtime it does take all school year to get through the book

[Waterbird · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had this back in the 1990s when I was young and actually a second grader. Loved it for years and eventually gave it away with the hope that some other second grader would love it as much as I did. It had short stories, general knowledge, information on music and math. It was my go-to reference book, it was BEFORE Google.

I was recently checking the books at my job and I saw it! I cheered inside and opened it aaaaaaand- what? Not the same. Where is the story of Anansi the spider? Oh well, this is a new generation and it ought to be good for them.

[Purl Scout · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been using this and its 3rd grade counterpart as one of many tools in this, our first year of homeschool. We use them off an on as they've applied in our overall lessons and as a source for our read-aloud time for history and world studies. The Core Knowledge books flow well from one topic to the next and introduce material easily and in a cohesive way. I've been successful making the material a jumping off point for the further explorations on our subjects.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a core knowledge sequence book. Core Knowledge is a school of home based curriculum developed by E.D. Hirsch. He had the right idea on how to educate children. I love everything he writes. If any one is looking for additional curriculum for what your kids don't learn when you send them to school this is a great resource.

[Melanie Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this series of books! I use them for our summer "school" sessions at home. They are great preparation for the school year ahead. I recommend them whenever I can, and I'm willing to loan them. :)

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use as a reference book.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will be adding these books to my collection!

[Timber · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a homeschool teacher, I love the Core Knowledge series. I especially like the history and literature sections of this book, and I love how the series builds on itself as the grades progress.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good all round guide - we're using this series as a way to help us keep out homeschool lessons targeted to the right level.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic guide to information and topics to explore with second grade learners.

[Cacey Hopper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great school resource, highly recommend for anyone homeschooling!

[Emma Elsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was good