--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most fourth graders can't say why Abraham…" description: "\"Most fourth graders can't say why Abraham Lincoln is an important historical figure? Wow. This is far more distressing than if the news had been that f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/510/susan-orlean-2207_abraham_most-fourth-graders-can-t-say-why-abraha_2482680.png" --- # Most fourth graders can't say why Abraham Lincoln is an… ![“Most fourth graders can't say why Abraham Lincoln is an important historical figure? Wow. This is far more distressing than if the news had been that fourth graders were bad at reciting multiplication tables, because you can, in fact, Google that.” quote by Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/510/susan-orlean-2207_abraham_most-fourth-graders-can-t-say-why-abraha_2482680.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/510/susan-orlean-2207_abraham_most-fourth-graders-can-t-say-why-abraha_2482680.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/510/susan-orlean-2207_abraham_most-fourth-graders-can-t-say-why-abraha_2482680.png) > “Most fourth graders can't say why Abraham Lincoln is an important historical figure? Wow. This is far more distressing than if the news had been that fourth graders were bad at reciting multiplication tables, because you can, in fact, Google that.” [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lack of basic historical knowledge among young students is alarming, especially given easy access to information. **In simple terms:** Kids not knowing Lincoln is concerning. Key Takeaway Encourage teaching of key historical figures. Themes education history information literacy Mood concerned reflective Type educational analytical When to use this quote - classroom lessons - parental guidance - online resources - school policy Key Concepts curriculum design critical thinking digital literacy Questions to Reflect On - How can teachers make history engaging? - What role does technology play in learning? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on facts can ignore deeper understanding; balance breadth and depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abraham/) [Distressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distressing/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Historical figure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-figure/) [Important Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-historical/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) ## Related quotes > [If we could view Muhammad as we do any other important historical figure we would surely consider him to be one of the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/if-we-could-view-muhammad-as-we-do-any-other-important-historical/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [There was a time when photographers were thought to be socially secondary, and, hence, not dangerous. Lincoln was more important than Brady. It didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-s-trow/there-was-a-time-when-photographers-were-thought-to-be-socially/) [George W. S. Trow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-s-trow/) > [I enjoy writing for third and fourth graders most of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-cleary/i-enjoy-writing-for-third-and-fourth-graders-most-of-all/) [Beverly Cleary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-cleary/) > [Most historians agree that Abraham Lincoln was the most important man to ever occupy the White House because he abolished slavery and kept the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-kelley/most-historians-agree-that-abraham-lincoln-was-the-most-important-man/) [Kitty Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-kelley/) > [“Today so many creative and devoted teachers not only have to struggle against unimaginative administrations, fearful parents, and wearied colleagues, they have also to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esm-raji-codell/today-so-many-creative-and-devoted-teachers-not-only-have-to-struggle/) [Esmé Raji Codell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esm-raji-codell/) > [I feel sometimes that in children's books there are more and more grim problems, but I don't know that I want to burden third-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-cleary/i-feel-sometimes-that-in-children-s-books-there-are-more-and-more/) [Beverly Cleary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-cleary/) > [“Lincoln had entirely outgrown juvenile delight in religious argument. Talking with God seemed to the mature Lincoln more important than talking about Him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-trueblood/lincoln-had-entirely-outgrown-juvenile-delight-in-religious-argument/) [Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-trueblood/) > [Another important historical factor is the fact that this already very simple religion was further simplified and purified by the early philosophers of ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hu-shih/another-important-historical-factor-is-the-fact-that-this-already/) [Hu Shih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hu-shih/) > [“When we dare to speak in a liberatory voice, we threaten even those who may initially claim to want our words. In the act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/when-we-dare-to-speak-in-a-liberatory-voice-we-threaten-even-those/) [bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [“Are you aware that humanity is just a blip? Not even a blip. Just a fraction of a fraction of what the universe has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-mullins/are-you-aware-that-humanity-is-just-a-blip-not-even-a-blip-just-a/) Meg Mullins > [Skepticism is an important historical tool. It is the starting point of all revision of hitherto accepted history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/skepticism-is-an-important-historical-tool-it-is-the-starting-point/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Many novelists take well-defined, precise characters, whose stories are sometimes of mediocre interest, and place them in an important historical context, which remains secondary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/many-novelists-take-well-defined-precise-characters-whose-stories-are/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [It's really important in any historical fiction, I think, to anchor the story in its time. And you do that by weaving in those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/it-s-really-important-in-any-historical-fiction-i-think-to-anchor-the/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [Jews, Germans, and Allies is an important historical document, especially in light of those revisionists who would impose a universal amnesia about the suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilma-wolitzer/jews-germans-and-allies-is-an-important-historical-document/) [Hilma Wolitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilma-wolitzer/) > [“it is not ‘Eurocentrism’ or (anti-)‘Orientalism’ to say that the rise of Western civilization is the single most important historical phenomenon of the second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/it-is-not-eurocentrism-or-anti-orientalism-to-say-that-the-rise-of/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) ## More by Susan Orlean > [I've used Twitter now and again to try to figure something out; it's an amazing resource. But I think you have to use it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-ve-used-twitter-now-and-again-to-try-to-figure-something-out-it-s/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Who on earth is going to use 'utilize' in a text message, a whopping seven characters including the always-hard-to-type 'z,' when you can say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/who-on-earth-is-going-to-use-utilize-in-a-text-message-a-whopping/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [When my son was born, and after a day of lying-in I was told that I could leave the hospital and take him home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/when-my-son-was-born-and-after-a-day-of-lying-in-i-was-told-that-i/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I'm happy to be reminded that an ordinary day full of nothing but nothingness can make you feel like you've won the lottery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-m-happy-to-be-reminded-that-an-ordinary-day-full-of-nothing-but/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I once had a boyfriend who couldn't write unless he was wearing a necktie and a dress shirt, which I thought was really weird,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-once-had-a-boyfriend-who-couldn-t-write-unless-he-was-wearing-a/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“I, too, had set out to be remembered. I had wanted to create something permanent in my life- some proof that everything in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-too-had-set-out-to-be-remembered-i-had-wanted-to-create-something/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I think of myself as something of a connoisseur of procrastination, creative and dogged in my approach to not getting things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-think-of-myself-as-something-of-a-connoisseur-of-procrastination/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I'm very excited about my new Spotify account, which gives me access to twenty gazillion songs any time, all the time. The day I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-m-very-excited-about-my-new-spotify-account-which-gives-me-access/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I approach stories as a private educational enterprise: I want to learn about something. I teach myself through research, reporting, and thinking, and then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-approach-stories-as-a-private-educational-enterprise-i-want-to/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [We're fascinated by animals because it's almost like having Martians living among us. We can see some familiarity in them, but they're entirely different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/we-re-fascinated-by-animals-because-it-s-almost-like-having-martians/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [My inspiration is really very simple: I'm struck by things that I want to know more about. I really do react just as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/my-inspiration-is-really-very-simple-i-m-struck-by-things-that-i-want/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I am dismayed to realize that much of the advice I used to parcel out to aspiring writers has passed its sell-by date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-am-dismayed-to-realize-that-much-of-the-advice-i-used-to-parcel-out/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I wish I had coined the phrase 'tyranny of choice,' but someone beat me to it. The counterintuitive truth is that have an abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-wish-i-had-coined-the-phrase-tyranny-of-choice-but-someone-beat-me/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [My ace in the hole as a human being used to be my capacity for remembering birthdays. I worked at it. Whenever I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/my-ace-in-the-hole-as-a-human-being-used-to-be-my-capacity-for/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Sometimes I think I've figured out some order in the universe, but then I find myself in Florida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/sometimes-i-think-i-ve-figured-out-some-order-in-the-universe-but/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) [Explore all 179 Susan Orlean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## More Abraham quotes > [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Hebron is a bone of contention between Israeli settlers and the Palestinians in part because Abraham is buried there, in the Tomb of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/hebron-is-a-bone-of-contention-between-israeli-settlers-and-the/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [Donald Trump is not going to be the nominee, because we are not going to allow - people will wake up and we're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/donald-trump-is-not-going-to-be-the-nominee-because-we-are-not-going/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [“Never you look down on your Abraham because of your Sarah because the blessing is not in the womb of Sarah but in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ikechukwu-izuakor/never-you-look-down-on-your-abraham-because-of-your-sarah-because-the/) [Ikechukwu Izuakor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ikechukwu-izuakor/) > [“Whatever you are, be a good one.”   Abraham Lincoln”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rriiver-nyile/whatever-you-are-be-a-good-one-abraham-lincoln/) [Rriiver Nyile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rriiver-nyile/) > [Moses was a great leader, right? But he wasn't a great communicator. And so God sent him Aaron so he could, let's say, communicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-milei/moses-was-a-great-leader-right-but-he-wasn-t-a-great-communicator-and/) [Javier Milei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-milei/) > [“king of Heshbon. 6 b Moses, the servant of the”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/king-of-heshbon-6-b-moses-the-servant-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In the end, thought Sol, past logic and hope, it is dreams and the love of those dearest to us that form Abraham’s answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/in-the-end-thought-sol-past-logic-and-hope-it-is-dreams-and-the-love/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [It was psychobabbler Abraham Maslow who wrote of the phenomena of self-actualization. What Maslow failed to grasp is that reaching true self-actualization can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/it-was-psychobabbler-abraham-maslow-who-wrote-of-the-phenomena-of/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [“Mungu hutumia watu 'wajinga' na 'wapumbavu' kufanya mambo makubwa katika maisha yao na ya watu wengine. Katika Biblia, Musa aliitwa mjinga alipokiuka amri ya…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/mungu-hutumia-watu-wajinga-na-wapumbavu-kufanya-mambo-makubwa-katika/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [“9. Abraham’s death (25:1 – 11) After Sarah’s death, Abraham took another wife, Keturah. Abraham was a rejuvenated old man and continued to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-sailhamer/9-abraham-s-death-25-1-11-after-sarah-s-death-abraham-took-another/) [John H. Sailhamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-sailhamer/) > [“The biblical story of the binding of Isaac shows that human sacrifice was far from unthinkable in the 1st millennium BCE. The Israelites boasted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-biblical-story-of-the-binding-of-isaac-shows-that-human-sacrifice/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Everybody faces obstacles. And I looked to people who had been through many to succeed in life. Abraham Lincoln, born to a poor family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-winfield/everybody-faces-obstacles-and-i-looked-to-people-who-had-been-through/) [Dave Winfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-winfield/) > [Someone asked me...how it felt and I was reminded of a story that a fellow townsman of ours used to tell--Abraham Lincoln. They asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/someone-asked-me-how-it-felt-and-i-was-reminded-of-a-story-that-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [American foreign policy and military might have opened an opportunity for the Gospel in the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stanley/american-foreign-policy-and-military-might-have-opened-an-opportunity/) [Charles Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stanley/) [Browse all 484 Abraham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abraham/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most fourth graders can't say why Abraham Lincoln is an important historical figure? Wow. 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