Each volume of The Essentials is composed of a ring-binder and 120 worksheets on the main topics from the history, geography and science program in third, forth and fifth grade.

These inclusive materials are particularly aimed at pupils with greater educational difficulties, pupils with disabilities and pupils with Special Educational Needs.

The structure of each folder allows students to insert new, original, individual and group worksheets, expanding the teaching material available to the whole class.

The worksheet folder is accompanied by a user’s guide for the teacher.

Text Objectives

With The Essentials two objectives to be reached are proposed:

• give the students with increased learning difficulties the possibility to learn fundamental concepts in the subject area, through guided writing and drawing activities, completion and colouring activities, with worksheets that deal directly with the subject themes and contents for the class indicated
• give the whole class the possibility to collaborate and work with each other on common topics, while at the same time encouraging the class to create additional worksheets to add to the folder, in order to increase the subject materials available for everyone.

Subject contents

The worksheets are divided in three sections: history, geography, and science; each one indicated by a different colour. Each section covers the following topics:

The Essentials – Year three

• History
• The origin of the earth and the birth of man
• The appearance of man and the Paleolithic
• The Neolithic and the Metal Ages
• Geography
• The areas on land
• The areas in water
• Science
• Matter and states of matter
• The world of living things

Find out more!

The Essentials – Year four

• History
• The river civilizations
• The Mediterranean civilizationsc
• Geography
• Geographic maps
• The climate
• The Italian landscape
• Science
• The natural environment
• Life on earth
• Ecology

Find out more!

The Essentials – Year five

• History
• The Greek Civilization
• Ancient Italy and the birth of Rome
• The Roman Empire
• Geography
• Italy and Europe
• The regions of Italy
• Science
• The human body
• The earth and the solar system

Find out more!

Structure of the text

Each binder contains simplified worksheets dealing with three subjects: history, geography and science; each one indicated by a different colour. In particular, three different kinds of sheets are provided:

• Pathway worksheets
• Cooperative worksheets “Strength in numbers”
• Goal worksheets

In order not to burden the cognitive load of the worksheets, the deliveries addressed to the students were summarized in easy-access icons.

Pathway Worksheets

The Pathway Worksheets present essential key concepts on the main topics from the various subjects in a simplified way.

In the Pathway Worksheets,  more precisely, the essential aspects of the disciplinary contents are proposed in order to allow students with greater difficulties the possibility to participate and complete the activity. 

In particular, the Pathway Worksheets require the students to:

• trace and colour the titles written with dotted lines
• colour the pictures
• write, tracing the words written with dotted lines
• draw, completing the unfinished pictures
• write, completing the unfinished words
• match imagines 
• match words to pictures

Cooperative Worksheets

The Cooperative Worksheets “strength in numbers” propose activities that require interaction among the students: in some cases the work is organized in partners, and in others, small groups.

Goal Worksheets

The Goal Worksheets can be found at the end of each chapter and summarize the most important aspects of information proposed in the various Pathways Worksheets.  They are in A3 format, double the size of the other worksheets, and can be consulted at any time as a synthesis element for all the students. The A3 format also allows them to be used as summary posters to hang on the walls, always available to all students in the class.

The Goal Worksheets also offer the students the possibility to actively re-elaborate the information, completing some portions of text or illustrations, by hand or with the use of the stickers supplied in the folder.

The author

Carlo Scataglini Specialized teacher and author of numerous narrative and facilitated teaching texts.