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,...