books:

	What Your Second Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good Second Grade Education Revised (The Core ... E.D. Jr Hirsch Delta, 1999 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 20 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

And that's just the language section.

History and geography, visual arts, mathematics, sciences and music are also included in this book. I especially like the history sections in these books. In the 2nd grade book, Civilizations of Asia and Ancient Greece are particularly interesting, with lots of great pictures. The religions of the cultures involved are discussed in a matter-of-fact and respectful manner. The section on ancient Greek politics leads right into the section in American History and democracy.

The next logical step is to discuss slavery in the United States, and important facts of the civil rights movement are explained. Civil rights heroes like Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks are given attention, and overall it is done with a proper amount of emphasis, and ends on the positive note of changes and improvements in our culture, rather than stopping with the Civil War and leaving it at that.

A basic overview of what a 2nd grader should know in terms of math is included, along with illustrations and details of the various mathematical concepts. This is not meant to be a complete math text by any means, but more of a checkout point. Anything the child is behind in can then be noted and remedied, and the basic concepts are there so the parents at least can figure out what needs to be taught.

I find the science and visual arts sections to be just a brushover of what should be covered. I only use this information as a starting point, and I find other materials to back these subjects up.

This book is very good as part of the overall Core Knowledge curriculum. By itself, it is an incomplete curriculum for a 2nd grader, I think, but it is very good in terms of history, and for the other subjects, I think it is a great starting point.

Whether your child is homeschooled, or goes to school outside the home, I think this is a good book to have around, and the entire Core Knowledge series is a sensible starting point for a homeschooler who creates their own curriculum, like I do. I think for all other parents, it is very important to have this book, in order to fill in any gaps in your child's education.

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TERRIFIC HOMESCHOOL or "SUPPLEMENTAL HOMESCHOOL" Companion!

I LOVE the CORE KNOWLEDGE SERIES! I use these books during the SUMMER VACATION for SUMMER HOMESCHOOL! As the other reviews have mentioned, this book is a "jumping point." We use them to get the kids interested in certain types of literature, periods of history, geographical locations, science subjects, etc. -- then we go to the library once a week to further our study! My children LOVE reading through the books, looking at the photos -- one thing these books have sparked is an interest in FAMOUS WORKS OF ART, and my girls are enjoying examining other works, in other books! This book gets FIVE STARS for a wonderful home-resource, especially in our summertime!

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important supplement to school

Having done the previous Core books, I highly recommend this series to every parent. I purchase them in the summer before their grade and brief them on the important stuff. As the school year progresses I use the book to supplement what the teacher is teaching, and sometimes go beyond with our own projects. All parents should use these books as a guideline as to what their children are learning. If they don't learn a certain thing... get involved. The library is a fascinating place...besides you'll share something with your children. Good Luck:)

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A useful book, but...

While many of the sections in this book are very well done (Language and Literature, Music, Visual Arts), I was struck by the disproportionate space devoted to relatively minor historical figures apparently based solely on race and gender considerations. This book exemplifies the worst aspects of political correctness. For example, the History and Geography section devotes an entire page (with photograph) to Rosa Parks while yielding only half a page (no picture) to Abraham Lincoln. Even more telling, the Science section profiles only four people, but two of them are relatively obscure black men (Daniel Williams and Elijah McCoy). Major figures like Louis Pasteur, Albert Einstein, and Jonas Salk didn't make the cut, but the man who invented the "automatic lubricator" (McCoy) merited a page and a half with photograph. Many of the biographies are framed in long discourses on racial and sexual discrimination. The message of many of the chapters seems to be that white, European males are evil and that non-whites, non-Europeans, and females are saintly. These themes are repeated in such an embarassingly obvious and heavy-handed way that my wife and I simply skipped entire sections which looked more like PC propaganda than an honest attempt to present information. Sorry, E. D. Hirsch, Jr., but MY second grader needs to know more than this.

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Helpful guide and a nice revision

The Core Curriculum series is a good jumping-off place to guide a child in an education. It gives information that builds upon itself, and this enables a child to develop a chronological sense of history and discovery. The series is fairly developmentally appropriate. Some may argue that it does not allow for flexibility and curiousity, but using it in a home environment should not curtail exploration; on the contrary, a child who is allowed to peruse the book at leisure will find many curious and interesting things, and may have more questions than the book itself can answer, which is why it makes a great starting point for further exploration. If greater interest is not illicited regarding a particular subject, at least an introduction is made. It is a collection of facts, stories, and simple exercises that can be taken as far as interest and time will allow. The series cannot stand on its own, and is not meant to, but allows a child to begin exploration in the sciences and arts. When supplemented and expanded with field trips, experiments, and curiosity, it can serve as the basis for a fun and enlightening education. A particularly nice feature of the revised edition is the introduction of ancient world religions. It is always helpful to aid gaining an understanding of our world by introducing the varying ideas upon which people base their values, moral standards, and practices. The Core Knowledge Curriculum is recommended for those who wish to aid children in a guided discovery of their world, who want to allow children to stand on the platform for a moment and look around before they decide what end of the pool they would like to jump into.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4

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