
THE INTERMEDIATE GRADES AND HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY – FOURTH THROUGH SIXTH GRADES In the intermediate grades, good teachers still use exciting stories to capture children’s imaginations, while supplementing with more analysis and reflection. Students can also be expected to gain more detailed knowledge-such as what happened at Yorktown, what the Articles of Confederation were, and how checks and balances work. They should be ready to interpret specifics in light of broader themes and concepts, and to develop a more nuanced understanding of why things happen how the surface of the earth has affected where cities have sprung up, or what factors led Columbus to set sail for the unknown. They should develop increasingly sophisticated habits of thought and inquiry- looking for clues, weighing evidence, comparing different perspectives. As in the primary years, this model curriculum is broken into two broad strands in each grade: world history and geography, and American history and geography. In world history, students (having been introduced to ancient civilizations in the K-3 years) examine the legacy of enduring ideas from these cultures. That includes some ideas of Judaism and Christianity that have had profound influences on the shaping of this country-concepts about law and social responsibility,...

FOURTH GRADE
Fourth grade students learn about Europe in the Middle Ages. Building on their introduction to Islam in first grade, they read and hear more about Islamic civilization. They study some early and medieval African kingdoms. In U.S. history, children explore...
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FIFTH GRADE
Fifth grade students, having been introduced to ancient Mesoamerican civilizations in the first grade, now take a closer look at their achievements and ways of life. They continue the chronological study of European history, beginning with the Age of Expl...
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DOES MY CHILD KNOW THE MAP?
Knowing where th ings are isn’t all there is to geography, but it’s important. By the time your child finishes elementary school, she should be able to locate most of these places: Bodies of Water Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic ocea...
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SIXTH GRADE
Sixth grade students deepen their knowledge of some topics to which they were introduced in earlier grades. They examine our legacy from some ancient civilizations, including durable ideas about democracy, government, right and wrong. World history then p...
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IS MY CHILD GEOGRAPHICALLY LITER...
This is a challenging list of geography terms. If your child can explain what most of them mean by the end of elementary school, her teachers have done a good job of making her geographically literate. bay-an inlet from the sea or other large body of wate...
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IS YOUR SCHOOL TEACHING BASIC EC...
Your child probably won’t take a class on economics until high school or even college. Nevertheless, good elementary schools teach some fundamental terms and principles. Here are some basic lessons that children should learn in elementary school: d...
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QUESTIONS TO ASK THE TEACHER
In the intermediate grades, you may want to ask the teacher questions such as: What parts of American or world history will my child study this year? What cultures and traditions will she learn about? When will my child learn the history of this state? Wi...
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