What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good Fifth-Grade Education

Core Knowledge

by E.D. Hirsch Jr. (Editor), Core Knowledge Foundation

This completely revised and attractively redesigned edition of one of the most popular volumes in the bestselling Core Knowledge Series features up-to-date ideas and information based on input from parents and teachers across the country.

With sixteen pages of full-color illustrations, a bolder, easier-to-follow format, and a thoroughly updated curriculum, What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know, Revised Edition , reflects the Core Knowledge Foundation’s ongoing commitment to providing a solid educational foundation for today’s elementary school students.

What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know, Revised Edition , covers the basics of language arts, history and geography, visual arts, music, math, and science. A collection of American speeches, tales from around the world, math problems, and biographies of famous scientists add to the book’s usefulness and enhance the pleasure of both adult and child as they work together. Hundreds of thousands of children have benefited from the Core Knowledge Series. This revised edition gives a new generation of fifth graders the knowledge they need to make progress in school and establish an approach to learning that will last a lifetime.

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

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

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

[Narendran Thangarajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My rating and review are only for the History section of the book. The book covers a good range of topics spanning from Mayans in Central America till the American Civil war and beyond. I loved the level of abstraction which the author chose which kept me hooked on to the book till the end, instead of putting me to sleep midway. The maps and pictures were very useful and helped remember the content better.

Excellent book if you are looking for a beginner book in history.

[Hava · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the only book that I've read in the series, but I enjoyed it. It gave me a pretty good idea of how the rest of the series would read. I wish that there were color pictures and better illustrations overall, but other than that, I think this is great for kids to read through by themselves, and for parents to read with their kids. I understand that they're trying to make the series affordable (hence the lack of color pictures) but I would be willing to pay more for a higher quality book.

Overall, definitely worth buying!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are decent books. I use them to fill in some of the blanks in our homeschool curriculum.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does what it says on the tin . . .

[A Jolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ideas for homeschooling a 5th grader

[Mark Soone · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars...yup....just about right!

As you might guess, this is not really designed to be a reading book that you just sit down and gobble. It is however a nice research tool and a compliment to a home school (perhaps a public school family as well?) family library. I would caution you not to use this as a curriculum in any way shape or form (I know most veteran homeschool moms/dads will already understand this), it is in no way an exhaustive list of what your fifth grader should know/learn. It also gives very little guidance in how to progress incrementally through the year, or plans/tips on how to teach some of this information. It is however a nice tool to compare with your homeschool curriculum(s), to balance and gauge what is and has been taught/learned throughout the year.

I would recommend this book, but you will not be lost without it IMHO.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a former fifth-grade teacher I was curious to see what this popular series was recommending for curriculum. Although the book's content did not completely match the standards I was taught I did think that, overall, the author did a good job of presenting the material. The writing is aimed at a student's level and would also suffice for home-schooling parents. The literature chapter is quite different from what I taught but I thought the math and science chapters were through and well presented.

[Gianna]

this book was absolutely fabulous for my daughter...she is an above average student due to her hard work. We don't rely on just the teacher...we look for books and websites and interacting with us as parents with all homework..awesome...I hope they have a version for middle school.

[Teresa]

I read this book to help me study for the MTELS. I'm not sure if it helped or not...

[Zechy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author/s just offended me with the apparent
assumption that all children are only capable
of absorbing things a teaspoon at a time,
and bowdlerized no less.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use as reference book.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going into 6th grade so I was just reviewing this book. It has some things that I'll learn in 6th grade, so it's great for studying! 5 stars!!!! :)

[Henry · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fun to read with my children but that intriguing.

[Sharon Beers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for parents and grandparents to supplement their child's school learning.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that Fiona is the one who should be reading this! Maybe I'll buy a copy....

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was filled with great info on math, which I need to practice.