Do your kids know about historical events, science?

[Anonymous]

Sometimes there’s a difference between what you’re taught and what you learn. I learned nearly nothing in elementary school except that I hated school. I learned the five senses and that’s it. I learned that if I got one wrong on a spelling test, I might as well have failed. That’s about it.

[Anonymous]

My kid self teaches a lot about Space just from the library.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Absolutely.

Not from school, but learned at home from me. I was well aware that education system is substandard in US compared to my country of origin.

Which would be what?

[Anonymous]

I play kids history and science podcasts anytime we are in the car. My kids have learned a ton this way. From school, not so much.

[Anonymous]

My 5th grader knows a ton. But it is mostly from library books and documentaries he loves. He is obsessed with those Smithsonian timeline books. He also watches history comics. If you're not finding the content at school maybe look elsewhere.

I do think he learned a lot of this in school, but he attended private until 3rd grade. They did research projects about ancient civilizations and stuff. In 3rd and 4th in public they also had similar projects, and 4th was all VA focused. I think he gravitates towards it out of interest so if you have a kid that doesn't you might have to work harder to introduce it.

[Anonymous]

I was just shocked to realize my kids hadn’t learned about the pony express-I swear that was like 20% the school year every year at my elementary. On the other hand they did learn more Spanish in 4th and 5th grade than I learned in grades 6-12 (while enrolled in Spanish!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think back to when I was in elementary school (And not a good one. Several girls had dropped out by high school), and I'm pretty sure I learned about MLK, Jackie Robinson, mummies and Egypt, The Oregon Trail, and I remember reading about topics like Native Americans, pueblos / Zuni silversmiths and jewelry making, and things like ranch hands and cattle. We learned all the state capitals. We had spelling tests. Do your kids know anything about... well, anything? Mine knows a little, but pretty much just things we have talked about at home or read at the library. Is this normal for elementary school?

At school they are taught about math facts and reading skills, and I think he is ok in those areas. Science has been limited to building lego structures and making paper airplanes. History. I think they talked about being a good citizen and voted for a movie to see which movie would win a majority. His teacher last year made mention of "the old days" (like pre electricity, pre-internet) vs now, and they made a then vs now list of ideas, but that's about it. He does very little writing, and no spelling.

When do they start learning more actual content versus learning early skills like reading and math facts? 4th grade?

OP this is reason number 255,234,924 to put your kids in private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think back to when I was in elementary school (And not a good one. Several girls had dropped out by high school), and I'm pretty sure I learned about MLK, Jackie Robinson, mummies and Egypt, The Oregon Trail, and I remember reading about topics like Native Americans, pueblos / Zuni silversmiths and jewelry making, and things like ranch hands and cattle. We learned all the state capitals. We had spelling tests. Do your kids know anything about... well, anything? Mine knows a little, but pretty much just things we have talked about at home or read at the library. Is this normal for elementary school?

At school they are taught about math facts and reading skills, and I think he is ok in those areas. Science has been limited to building lego structures and making paper airplanes. History. I think they talked about being a good citizen and voted for a movie to see which movie would win a majority. His teacher last year made mention of "the old days" (like pre electricity, pre-internet) vs now, and they made a then vs now list of ideas, but that's about it. He does very little writing, and no spelling.

When do they start learning more actual content versus learning early skills like reading and math facts? 4th grade?

OP this is reason number 255,234,924 to put your kids in private schools.

We don’t all have that option. But I went to public school and it was fine. What are they doing in public school now then? Why wouldn’t they be learning these things that we all seemed to have learned?

I don’t remember learning Spanish so the kids are ahead of us there but I know we had art, gym, and music just like they do now. Maybe even more music because I wasn’t in choir but do remember everyone singing in front of all the parents. We also learned the recorder and they have yet to learn at instrument at our elementary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) builds many of these topics (probably not all of them) into the readings and related materials.

(Anyone can look at the CKLA material online at the Core Knowledge Foundation website. CKF predates and is NOT related to the so-called Common Core curriculum effort, but names are similar.)

MCPS and APS each switched to CKLA for K - elementary grades maybe 2-3 years ago. I think it is a good curriculum overall.

Benchmark does, as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was just shocked to realize my kids hadn’t learned about the pony express-I swear that was like 20% the school year every year at my elementary. On the other hand they did learn more Spanish in 4th and 5th grade than I learned in grades 6-12 (while enrolled in Spanish!)

Where did you live? Along the route? I only learned about it from a booksale book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Absolutely.

Not from school, but learned at home from me. I was well aware that education system is substandard in US compared to my country of origin.

What exactly do you think is important that’s not being taught? I’m sure the curriculum in every country is different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was just shocked to realize my kids hadn’t learned about the pony express-I swear that was like 20% the school year every year at my elementary. On the other hand they did learn more Spanish in 4th and 5th grade than I learned in grades 6-12 (while enrolled in Spanish!)

Where did you live? Along the route? I only learned about it from a booksale book.

DP. It was and is a standard part of the 4th grade curriculum in my VA public school system - outside NoVA. 4th grade there includes VA history and US history - and it covers BOTH the happy bits of history and the sad bits of history.

That also is the year the kids have a school bus one-day visit to Jamestown, Yorktown, Williamsburg, and to a nearby civil war battlefield (on different school days).

[Anonymous]

You need to send him to private school. My DS learned a lot of history and geography (and was tested on all of it) started in 1st/2nd grade. This was in Catholic school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need to send him to private school. My DS learned a lot of history and geography (and was tested on all of it) started in 1st/2nd grade. This was in Catholic school.

What kind of history is being taught in 1st grade? For geography, the 1st and 2nd graders talked about how to read maps and keys, and drew a map of their neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

No we had to spend a lot of time in museums with our kids and educational trips. If you want them to learn about the Pueblos, you need to go to New Mexico. I do think high school is where most kids learn things though. I had 4 years of different AP history classes.