Each book in the series covers the basic subjects (language arts, math, science, geography, world civilization, American civilization and fine arts.) It is not intended to be a child's only source of materials, but rather a guideline for what should be covered each year.
I would not imagine that a child would sit down with the book and read through it; that is not actually the intention of the editor. Rather, it covers the basic subjects and give further resources where the parent or teacher can find more information on the subjects.
As any reviewer of this book should have read, in the Introduction, the editor writes, "The books in this series are designed to be useful tools for parents and teachers, both at home and in school. They are called 'resources' to signal that they do not replace the regular local school curriculum, but rather serve as aids to help children gain some of the important knowledge they will need to make progress in school and be effective in society."
For my children, we use checksheets that cover the material in the books, but use corresponding reference matter that we already have. For the younger kids (grades K - 2), I would not recommend sitting them down with the book at all... but rather, sitting down with them - reading it with the child - making it interesting. Looking for more data via the internet, or World Book, or atlases.
The idea behind the series is that if each school district, private school and homeschool uses a different format each year, children who move around will be at a severe disadvantage. A child going from a homeschool environment to a public school, for instance, may spend two years studying the same material, and may miss some other vital component to his education completely. The Core Knowledge series, used as it is in private and public schools alike, eliminates this problem.
Someone with a 3rd grader in a private school that uses the Core Knowledge guidelines will know their child is "on track" with the public school's 3rd graders, if they use the same system. Then, if that privately educated 3rd grader transfers to the public school in 4th grade, he is not at a great disadvantage.
Since we create our own curriculum, this is a very nice reference to have. I make sure everything in these books are covered in my children's homeschooling. That doesn't mean it's all we do! But we do cover this material.
The 3rd grade book covers extensively the Roman Empire, including Roman mythology, the Roman invasions of North Africa, and the rise of Islam. American history stretches from the first Americans through European settlements in America and culminates in the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The math section is strictly to be used as a guideline for what the typical 3rd grader should be learning in math. Explanations for various math concepts are given, but exercises must come from another source.
Science briefly covers the food chain, environmental pollution, animals that live in colonies, the human nervous system, electricity, chemistry, astronomy and famous scientists. Again, this information is not intended to be the sole source of educational materials for your child, but rather an overview of the subjects that should be covered in 3rd grade.
Language Arts contains excerpts from a few classics "Arabian Nights" and "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", among others, some poetry, grammar, sayings and phrases and Norse mythology.
I highly recommend these books to homeschoolers, teachers and all parents who want to ensure their child is receiving a comprehensive education... I have been using them for years now, and my children are doing very well...
