What Your First Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good First-Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series) [Paperback]

E.D. Hirsch Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 9, 1998 | Series: Core Knowledge Series

What will your child be expected to learn in the first grade? How can you help him or her at home? How can teachers foster active, successful learning in the classroom? This book answers these all-important questions and more, offering the specific shared knowledge that hundreds of parents and teachers across the nation have agreed upon for American first graders. Revised and updated, filled with a wealth of opportunities for reading aloud and fostering discussion, this first-grade volume of the acclaimed Core Knowledge Series presents the sort of knowledge and skills that should be at the core of a challenging first-grade education. Discover:

Favorite Poems, old and new, such as "The Owl and the Pussycat," "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod," and "Thirty Days Hath September"
Beloved Stories from many times and lands, including a selection of Aesop's Fables, "Hansel and Gretel," "All Stories Are Anansi's," "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," and much more
Familiar Sayings and Phrases such as "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" and "Practice makes perfect"
World and American History and Geography--take a trip down the Nile with King Tut, and learn about the early days of our country, including the story of Jamestown, the Pilgrims, and the American Revolution
Visual Arts--fun activities plus full-color reproductions of masterworks by Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Georgia O'Keefe, and others
Music--engaging introductions to great composers and music, including classical music, opera, and jazz, as well as a selection of favorite children's songs
Math--a variety of activities to help your child learn to count, add and subtract, solve problems, recognize geometrical shapes and patterns, and learn about telling time
Science--interesting discussions of living things and their habitats, the human body, the states of matter, how we measure things, how electricity works, our solar system, and what's inside the earth, plus stories of famous scientists such as Thomas Edison and Rachel Carson

Editorial Reviews

Review

Give your child a smart start with the revised and updated What Your First Grader Needs to Know

From the Publisher

Give your child a smart start with the revised and updated What Your First Grader Needs to Know

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Delta; Revised edition (February 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385319878
• ISBN-13: 978-0385319874
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,204 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

E.D. Hirsch, Jr. is the Linden Kent Memorial Professor of English at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, and the author of Cultural Literacy, The First Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, and The Core Knowledge Series. Dr. Hirsch is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has been a senior fellow of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is president of the Core Knowledge Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted to educational reform.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We Really Apppreciated this Book. And so will You., March 10, 2002

By 

T. Carlsen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What Your First Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good First-Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series) (Paperback)

This is an outstanding story book that's fun to read and excellent at educating young children. We read something from this book almost every evening. Both my seven-year old and four-year old love something from this book.

This book gives a good selection of classic children's stories, fun poems, singable songs, wise fables, and other works that are fun to read. It also gives great introductions to American history, world history, science, art and much more. What you see in this book is what your child should be learning at an ideal school.

Since no school is perfect and can cover everything, use this book as a great way of ensuring that your chilren receive an outstanding education.

This book tells you what you need to teach your first grader, and it's good reading. Next year we will buy the volumes for second grade and kindergarten.

It's interesting that one review made a claim that this book is a little too liberal. The fact is that the editor has been closely associated with forger Education Secretary William Bennett, a social conservative. In fact, the information in this book is neither liberal nor conservative. It's just excellent and enjoyable education for you kids, based on solid empirical research...

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview, April 1, 2004

By 

D. Repp (Gig Harbor, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Your First Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good First-Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series) (Paperback)

Great springboard book to help if you're a homeschooler or trying to supplement your child outside of the classroom.

Language and Literature: Plenty of stories and poetry to read to your child and get them started. Weak in the phonics area. I would recommend a good phonics primer - Phonics Pathways by Dolories Hiskes (awesome and inexpensive resource and it will get your child reading fast).

Mathematics: Simple progression in math skills. I like the suggestions on manipulatives and games to do with your child, they make the learning process more fun for the child.

Science: Braod overview of many sciences. Good things to start talking about with your child before a trip to the local zoo or library to pick up more in depth information.

This book is not meant to be a complete curriculum for teaching your child, but is a nice supplement. I like the stories, poems and music. It's a great portable all in one book. The notes to parents are helpful in finding ways to teach each subject.

65 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What Your First Grader Needs to Know, February 1, 2000

By 

Mrs. Tiffany Regan "reading teacher" (Parker, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: What Your First Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good First-Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series) (Paperback)

This is an excellent resource to supplement a child's education. The topics are presented in an interesting, child-friendly manner. My daughter enjoys working from this book. As for the literature section, I found it to have a balanced mixture of traditional tales and multicultural folktales. Even though many traditional fairy tales are no longer politically correct, I feel that is important for my child to be exposed to literature that has endured for hundreds of years. When a poem or novel makes a literary allusion to Rapunzel or Sleeping Beauty, I want my child to understand. As for the multicultural stories, there are Hispanic, Japanese, English, Dutch, West African, German, Jewish, African American, Italian, and Iroquois selections. My daughter enjoyed reading stories from so many different cultures. I was also pleased with the math and art sections. This is a wonderful tool to use for following your child's education. Comparing the work that my daughter brings home from school to the curriculum in this book helps me know if she is on track or not.