The fifth volume in the popular educational series inspired by the best-seller Cultural Literacy provides fifth-graders with fundamental knowledge about plant and animal reproduction, the Civil War, the Renaissance, and much more. … More >>
What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good Fifth-Grade Education
Tags: animal reproduction, best seller, civil war, education, educational series, Fifth, fifth grade education, fifth grader, fifth graders, fifth volume, FifthGrade, fundamental knowledge, Fundamentals, Good, Grader, Know, Literacy, Needs, Renaissance
#1 by Neal Lenarcic on February 14, 2010 - 2:16 am
Good for someone who wishes to have information in one place, but not a reasonable expectation of what every stereotypical fifth grader would learn in a given year.
Rating: 1 / 5
#2 by Carissa Haugen on February 14, 2010 - 2:59 am
I would agree that this book (and the others like it by Hirsch) offer a basis for valuable information. However, I would warn you to supplement a literacy curriculum with other stories and authors that include cultures other than European American. Look closely at the contents and you will notice that his view of “American literate culture” is overwhelmingly European-American based. I agree that students need to learn “American literate culture,” however, curriculum needs to represent the many people that make up our diverse nation.
5th Grade Teacher
Rating: 2 / 5
#3 by Roswitha B. Winter on February 14, 2010 - 4:53 am
I am a grandparent and have used this series of books starting from “What your second grader needs to know”. We are now using “What my fifth grader needs to know” It is surprising to see how my grandchildren are enjoying the “extra knowledge” over and above what they are exposed to in the classroom. If I could have a wish, I would like to see more color photographs or images rather than the black and white pictures as shown . This would be a great improvement especially in the “Visual arts section” of this book. The description of Michelangelo’s David is outstanding.
Rating: 4 / 5
#4 by Rhonda Foster on February 14, 2010 - 6:19 am
Love all these books to supplement at home or to teach from! However, I recommend, in this particular book, there is one page that parents need to read first on the “human body and sexual reproduction” to see if it is appropriate for your child’s level.
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by R. Taylor on February 14, 2010 - 7:44 am
…practically nothing presented in this book “needs” to be known by a fifth grader…Moorish architecture?…formula for the volume of a rectangular prism??…John Phillip Sousa???…it totally glosses over what should be essentials — using basic logic, understanding analogies, problem solving tactics, etc…skip it.
Rating: 1 / 5