Definitions for "Core Knowledge"
The enabling skills, processes, and/or content that a student needs to know to be successful at demonstrating the content standards or essential learnings.
A curriculum developed by E.D. Hirsch, the University of Virginia professor who wrote the popular book "Cultural Literacy". The focus of the Core Knowledge approach is on teaching a common core of concepts, skills, and knowledge that characterize a “culturally literate” and educated individual. A detailed description of this and other reform models can be found at The Catalog of School Reform Models.
Developed by E.D. Hirsch, the Core Knowledge Sequence provides content for the classical education at OCS. One of its advantages is that it keeps students from learning some topics more than once and other topics not at all. For example, for World History, all first graders study Ancient Egypt, the geography of Africa & the Sahara Desert, the importance of the Nile River, pharaohs, pyramids, mummies and Hieroglyphics. For more details, see the books "What your ___ Grader Needs to Know" or the CK website.