What Children Learn During Elementary School Years

During a child’s educational years, the most important phase is elementary education. No one can deny that. In addition to teaching reading, writing, math, and creativity, elementary education promotes critical thinking, logical reasoning, communication, socialization, behavioral and social development, as well as helps with physical and mental growth. Therefore, an important part of early childhood education is to target a child’s early developmental stages.

Therefore, the best elementary schools adopt a curriculum based on developing a pupil rather than cramming lectures. A child’s average annual learning gain from kindergarten through second grade is the highest of any time during their school years, according to The Annie E. Casey Foundation. Students who cannot read at a proficient level by fourth grade often drop out of high school.

Due to the critical role that elementary education plays in the development of children, today, we’re going to talk about elementary school education in detail. We’re going to describe what parents need to anticipate in each grade so they can better support their child’s academic, social, and emotional needs as they navigate through school. From preschool to fifth grade, here is a look at what your child will learn. Moreover, we’re also going to talk about how teachers, especially those having a Master’s in Elementary Education, can make a significant difference in honing your child’s learning capabilities. 

Nursery School (Kindergarten)

The first step in formal school education begins when your child starts going to a nursery school or kindergarten. Students learn to obey rules, follow routines, and discover learning basics in school.

Learning to read and write

Kindergarteners learn the alphabet and the sounds the letters make. In addition to identifying “the,” “and,” and “is,” they gradually develop a basic vocabulary. Through fun songs and stories, they learn new words. When writing unfamiliar words, they rely on educated guesses and phonetic spelling. It’s called creative spelling.

Mathematics

Students learn to recognize numerals from 1-20. The children learn essential addition and subtraction by counting by fives and tens. Students can identify simple shapes through kindergartens, such as squares, triangles, and circles.

Science

Kindergarten science teaches children the basic needs of animals and plants. Aside from talking about the seasons and the weather changes, they also discuss body parts. Then, through experiments and hands-on exploration, students gain a deeper understanding of the world around them, perhaps growing their own plants from seeds or taking care of a classroom pet.

Grade One

For kids, grade one is a big deal. During lessons, children develop the impulse control and concentration necessary to meet these new educational challenges.

Studying and writing

Children should be familiar with their printed names and other core sight words in the first grade. They add more complex sounds as they progress through first grade and learn to decode or “sound out” unfamiliar words. They can identify a story’s beginning, middle, and end and read grade-level books fluently.

Writing in first grade involves correctly writing uppercase and lowercase letters and combining them into words. Short narratives are punctuated with periods and question marks.

Social Studies

Social studies expose first-graders to the larger community. The students learn about cities, states, nations, and continents and how they all work together. Students may take a field trip to a museum, library, or business.

Science

In first-grade science, students study three different types of patterns in their natural world:

• (Air and weather)
• Animals and plants (life sciences)
• The physical sciences (solids and liquids)

Additionally, they learn about the scientific method and record their observations of their environment.

2nd grade

Your child’s attention span is growing, which means they are able to learn more complicated concepts in one setting and apply them in other situations. Likewise, concentration, patience, and self-control increase.

Mathematics

Second-grade students can use math skills like adding and subtracting in everyday life. Time and money are also taught. In addition to adding and subtracting numbers up to 20, they master fractions.

Technology, Social Studies, and Science

Earth and continents are the focus of second-grade science lessons. Additionally, some students grow plants in school or take care of a school garden and study how plants spread seeds.

Second-graders learn about cultures worldwide through social studies, and they discuss current events in an age-appropriate way. Students learn how to use technology in the classroom to create documents and save files.

Reading and Writing Skills

By second grade, students can read and write fluently. They may start writing their own stories, using correct capitalization and punctuation. Spelling tests reinforce proper spelling practices. School and homework encourage independent reading.

Third Grade

Academic progress is excellent in third grade. Concrete thinking gives way to abstract thinking. Third graders are more responsible, and they assist teachers in everyday tasks.

Studying math

Third graders learn decimals, fractions, multiplication, and volume and weight measurements. Their skills are applied in real-world scenarios, like making a change or following basic instructions.

Writing & Reading

Students’ vocabulary grows in third grade. Reference books and dictionaries become easier to use. The book-length and complexity increase in 3rd grade. Essays and stories have distinct beginnings and end that flow logically. They now use paragraphs to connect ideas.

STEM subjects 

Science experiments allow third-graders to prove or disprove hypotheses. They learn about the solar system, the sun, and the moon. Third-graders practice their knowledge of state names and capitals. In addition to maps, they use globes to locate places in their own neighborhood and abroad.

Technology classes teach students how to type on a keyboard and use programs for practical purposes, like conducting research or communicating. They may also learn how to translate data into basic graphs.

4th grade

Fourth graders need organizational and time-management skills to prepare them for middle school. Some friendships may be more critical, and socializing becomes a priority. There is competition among students in the classroom.

Math

Mathematics is more complex in fourth grade. Multiplication, division, and fractions are more complex. Solving simple word problems sharpen logical reasoning. Math and geometry are introduced in fourth grade.

The Writing and Reading Process

Reading and writing in fourth-grade build upon prior skills. Students explore various forms of poetry and stories. Synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms are learned. Students write book reports to show they understand a book’s themes.

Science, Technology, and Social Studies

Students in fourth-grade study electricity, energy, and matter. They also learn how to classify different organisms. In social studies, kids study maps and cultures from around the world.

Students also study our nation’s history and the people who played a vital role in it. Fourth-grade students gain typing skills and learn how to use computers to make life easier. They work with spreadsheets, graphs, and presentations.

Fifth Grade

Fifth grade is a time to tie up all the academic loose ends. Middle school students are expected to take more responsibility for long-term planning and organization.

Science and Social Studies

In fifth grade, students learn about the human body and its systems, basic biology and chemistry, and current environmental issues. They also learn about the world’s weather, land, and oceans.

Students study government in social studies. Students study the US Constitution and the system of checks and balances in place to safeguard it. In addition, several important events and historical figures are explored.

Arithmetic

There are several complex concepts covered in fifth-grade math that will be repeated in sixth grade, including:

• Fraction addition, subtraction, and multiplication
• The area and perimeter of different shapes
• Types of triangles
• Fractions that are improper and equivalent
• Prime numbers

Literacy and writing

Fifth-grade students analyze plots, key characters, and motives while building vocabulary. Their approach to writing is more organized, starting with an outline and moving on to draft, revise, and complete edits to create a finished piece. Research papers and reports are common in fifth grade, as are oral presentations on various topics.

The Way Forward

All in all, these are only a few examples of the academic knowledge your kid will be able to learn while navigating through elementary school. Apart from these apparent academic learning, your kid will also learn to develop social skills, make new friends, and learn to be a team player.