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History & Social Studies Curriculum

History and Social Studies teach kids all about people now and in the past. The first few years of school (about grades K-3) kids learn about how society is organized and how people communicate. There is instruction about holidays, the purpose of rules, calendars, community helpers, emotions, basic map work, etc.

Around grade 4, the focus shifts away from a general introduction into society and becomes more centered on learning what happened in the past. There is an exploration into understanding how those events shape the present and could help us make better choices in the future. Curriculums tend to rotate between state history, U.S. history, ancient history, world history, and government/economics.

There are many perspectives on how history should be taught ranging from the importance of memorizing dates and events to a larger skill-based focus on critical thinking and analysis. Here is one video from a historian that looks at historical education, why it matters, and how to approach it.

Podcasts

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Podcasts Are Great for History

Be sure to check out our list of podcasts that are frequently recommended. There are lots of excellent options to supplement your curriculum and spark interest in a subject.

History and Social Social Studies

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Stories Activities Grades K-8

Story of the World

"The Story of the World" is a multi-volume history curriculum designed for children ages 4-14 and published by Well-Trained Mind Press. It covers the entirety of human history, from ancient times to the present day, in a chronological and storytelling format that is engaging and accessible for young learners. The curriculum includes readings, maps, illustrations, and activities that help students connect with the past and develop critical thinking skills. Many families enjoy listening to the well-narrated stories as audiobooks and then completing the activities at home or in small co-op groups.

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Stories Activities Grades K-12

History Quest

History Quest combines a narrative text with a study guide to create an engaging history curriculum. Each level has a History Quest text that describes the history of the period in a kid-friendly way. The study guide includes hands-on projects, discussion questions, geography, and literature recommendations that allow the student to interact with the information from the text. The curriculum strives to offer a balanced history that allows kids to see both the wonderful accomplishments of humans over time while being honest and age-appropriate about negative events too. It hopes to create civically-minded students who care deeply for their country and the world while being committed to progress. This curriculum is organized, flexible, and developed to work with multiple age groups which families homeschooling more than 1 child will find helpful.

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Online Literature-based Grades K-12

Woke Homeschooling

This curriculum strives to educate children with a strong social consciousness and awareness how of historical events created current social dynamics. The program covers 3 types of history: U.S. History, World History I (Africa, Asia, Oceania), World History II (Europe, Americas). World History l and ll have the option of a self-paced class or adding on a live class that meets once a week to discuss the topics. Each unit is divided into weekly lessons that include a 10-20 minute lecture video, vocabulary, mapping, hands-on activities, and links to various ways to learn about the region being studied that week. Parents are encouraged to select the activities that work well for their family. The curriculum is nicely paced out dividing units into weekly lesson with daily activities. The U.S. History curriculum called "Oh Freedom" has 4 levels: K-2, 3-7, High School 1 & 2. "Oh Freedom" is literature based with lots of opportunities for activities and discussion. It has an emphasis on BIPOC history in the U.S.

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Dialogue Storytelling Activities Grades 1-6

Curiosity Chronicles

"Curiosity Chronicles" is a really unique curriculum that cleverly captures kids' attention through the power of storytelling. The text is written as a dialogue between two characters Mystery Mulling Mona and Time Talking Ted. They discuss historical events from various perspectives helping students discern between fact and fiction along the way. The dialogue method models question asking and critical thinking. This makes it it easier for students to learn these important skills by example. After each chapter, students continue their learning with vocabulary, activity pages, hands-on activities, and reading suggestions in the student pages. Another unique feature to this curriculum is Ted's Timeline that can completed digitally or at home with stickers that match the story. They offer various formats including an audiobook featuring professional narrators. PDF and print options are also available.

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Literature-Based Grades K-8

Moving Beyond The Page

"Moving Beyond the Page" is a comprehensive, literature-based social studies curriculum for children ages 4-14. The curriculum is designed to be hands-on and engaging, and it emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. The program is structured around thematic units, with each unit featuring a piece of literature. It includes a variety of resources such as books, videos, and hands-on activities to deepen understanding and learning. "Moving Beyond the Page" also has English and science curriculums. This curriculum works well for families who enjoy reading.

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Literature-Based Charlotte Mason Grades K-12

Beautiful Feet

Beautiful Feet is a literature based curriculum often recommended by local families. Their material is designed for use with a grade range rather than one specific grade. This allows for the teaching of multiple children at once and offers space for the natural range of readiness that occurs in childhood. Curriculum includes a teacher's guide, books, timeline, and notebook.

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Online Grades 6-12

Big History Project

The Big History Project is a free curriculum that takes students from the beginnings of the universe to modern time. It connects history using several lenses. The program include videos, worksheets, articles, and teacher training. This curriculum is large and can be overwhelming for homeschoolers at first. For a simpler, more straight-forward version of the same curriculum Khan Academy has a Big History Course that's worth checking out. Crash Course has also paired it down to create a simpler option.

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Textbook Workbook Digital Option Grades K-12

Impact: California Social Studies

Impact is a conventional textbook by McGraw-Hill that is often used in classrooms. It can be adapted for homeschool use. The program has a textbook, a workbook, and magazine. There is also a digital option available families. The textbook is colorful and follows a chronological format. The book includes maps, stories, important people, and descriptions of key events. Each section has a guiding idea and comprehension questions to help kids analyze what they've read. The workbook has graphic organizers and prompts to encourage connections and key historical concepts. This option will easily meet all the state standards.

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Activities Open-and-Go Kit Grades K-4

Schoolhouse Discoveries

Schoolhouse Discoveries are open-and-go learning kits that focus on a science or social studies theme. Each box incorporates ELA (English Language Arts) and mathematical thinking into the activities. Boxes take about 3-6 weeks to complete. They include a colorful instruction manual, a book, worksheets, games, and projects. Contents are standards-aligned which makes them good for those who want to get their using charter funds.

Supplemental Options

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Open-and-Go Kit Grades K-12

History Unboxed

These history kits arrive each month and are full of material and ready-to-go projects to learn more about the historical topic of the month. Options are available for U.S. History, Ancient History, and the Middle Ages. They offer 3 levels of boxes (kids, teens, & young adults) to meet the needs of different age groups. Families can sign up for a subscription to receive one box every month or select a specific box to complement a unit they are working on. They are also have an option to purchase a full-curriculum. Add-on options are available for siblings. This is a great tool for families that love projects or for groups of parents who want to offer a shared learning experience.

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Workbooks Grades 1- 6

Evan-Moor Daily Geography

Evan-Moor Workbooks are known for being simple to use and excellent for independent work. This series selects a topic based on a map provided for study each week. It then breaks the week down into a few questions to answer each day. Kids can answer a little bit each day as a history warm up or complete the entire week in less than an hour. The geography topics will need some explanation so parents should be ready to provide that instruction using the Teacher's Manual or supplement with a video that introduces the topic of the week.

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Projects Grades 1-6

History Pockets

Evan-Moor History Pockets are a great supplement to a primary curriculum. They offer hand-on projects, and fun historical facts. Workbooks include maps and connections through reading and writing. These are great for work samples.

More Ideas?

If you have a curriculum you love but isn't included here, we'd love to hear from you!

Also, if you see a correction we should make, please let us know.

Ideas