At E.C.H.O. Charter School your child will be offered a very special curriculum called Core Knowledge.  It is based on some of the ideas presented by E. D. Hirsch, Jr. in his well-known books, Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know and The Schools We Need and Why We Don’t Have Them, and further developed by the Foundation he established in 1986. 

 As your child proceeds in school from month to month and year to year, he or she will be exposed to a broad range of historical, scientific, and cultural topics that will build on one another and prepare the student for later educational success.  This exposure to a wide array of subject matter is intended not only to develop cultural literacy but also to build a strong vocabulary, now recognized, along with decoding skills, to be absolutely necessary for true reading comprehension.  Cultural literacy, or familiarity with the traditions and knowledge commonly shared by educated citizens in a society, is sometimes acquired in informal ways as well as by formal study.  Core Knowledge tries to develop cultural literacy in a way that is systematic but leaves lots of room for creativity.  This curriculum eliminates some of the gaps and repetitions that frequently characterize a curriculum in which textbooks and programs are selected more or less at random.

The Core Knowledge Sequence: Content Guidelines for K-8

This book provides the foundation of the curriculum and presents a detailed outline of the content to be taught from kindergarten through grade eight.  We have selected language arts, math and science programs, and materials to complement and develop the curriculum.  Music and art are prominently included in the Sequence and integrated whenever possible with history and literature.  Even programs not included in the Sequence, such as physical education, can be related to various elements of classroom study.  We believe the curriculum can be described as solid, specific, sequenced, and shared.

Solid and Specific

The following sample—one subject for each grade—will give you an idea of the specific content requirements of the curriculum.  Parents interested in more detail might obtain the Sequence, ask to see the year-long plan, or consult the Core Knowledge website.  Teachers are free to teach the subject matter as creatively as they like, but the content is specified and builds from year to year.

Kindergarten: History-overview of the seven continents, Native American peoples (past and present), early exploration, presidents

First Grade: World History-early civilization; Ancient Egypt-the Nile River, pharaohs, pyramids, mummies, and hieroglyphics

Second Grade: American History-U.S. Constitution; civil Rights: women’s roles (Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt, et al); equality: (Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, et al.); Geography of the Americas

Third Grade: Math-fractions to one-tenth, numerator and denominator, mixed numbers, equivalent fractions; introduction to geometrical concepts

Fourth Grade: Human body-circulatory and respiratory systems; Chemistry-atoms, matter, elements, solutions; science biographies

Fifth-Grade: American History and Geography-westward exploration and expansion, Daniel Boone, the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark, Sacagawea, land and water routes, major rivers, American Indian resistance, Manifest Destiny

Sixth Grade: Art History-periods and schools (Classical, Renaissance, Rococo, Romantic, et al.)

Seventh Grade: Music-classical music, romantics, and nationalists (Brahms, Berlioz, Liszt, Wagner, et al.); American musical traditions-blues and jazz

Eighth Grade: Language Arts-novels and stories (Animal Farm; The Good Earth; “The Bet”; “The Open Boat”); Writing the research essay-organizing with an outline, quoting materials from secondary sources, summarizing and paraphrasing, acknowledging sources and avoiding plagiarism, preparing a bibliography

What You Can Do to Help Your Child in School

• Know the Core Knowledge topics being studied in the classroom and discuss them with your child.  You can request a copy of the year-long plan and read books related to the Core Knowledge topics together with your child.

• Provide enrichment opportunities to reinforce the curriculum–trips to libraries, museums, music venues, and children’s theaters.

• Provide your child’s teacher with feedback about circumstances that might affect the classroom learning experience

• Keep a scrapbook of schoolwork and student achievements.  Let your child know how important his or her school life is to you.

Core Knowledge curriculum is followed for Pre-K to 8th. 6th grade social studies does Minnesota history to follow Minnesota state standards. For more information about the Core Knowledge Foundation follow the link.