Unit and Chapter Openers provide instructional strategies to activate students’ existing knowledge and real-world experiences and spark students’ curiosity and inquiry.​

Informational text reading selections expand beyond the standards to enrich instruction. Descriptive, colorful writing style introduces students to a wide range of vocabulary, boosting literacy.
 

Each page includes high-tier DOK questions for students to think about and discuss. Pages also include simple hands-on activities for students to do independently or in small groups.

Let’s Practice pages reinforce important skills in students.  The range of activities includes using timelines, identifying and analyzing point of view, solving problems, predicting outcomes, connecting causes and effects, reading comprehension, and more.
 

Let’s Review pages refresh students on critical content. They reinforce important points to help students improve understanding and make connections that strengthen retention of information.

Project-Based Learning: Hands-on projects serve as in-depth (and fun) learning opportunities. Most projects
provide structured opportunities for authentic assessment.  (Rubrics included!)

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Students learn more than just content from Project-Based Learning−students build inquiry, planning, research, collaboration, time management, and problem-solving skills (just to name a few)!  Project-based learning encourages students to explore new ideas and broaden their experiences by incorporating innovation and creativity into their work.

A Learning Objectives page identifies the state-aligned learning targets for each unit and lists the standards correlations. 

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Use these original, creative Writing Prompts throughout the year to allow students to reflect on and use what they learn in authentic ways. These structured social studies writing assignments boost important ELA skills through real-world writing activities, while developing deeper understanding of social studies concepts.

Primary Source Analysis adds rigor and higher-order thinking to your lessons. We searched the archives so you don’t have to!

Each Primary Source Analysis tool includes a specific source with broad guidance to get students observing and analyzing like an archaeologist, historian, or scientist. A supplemental teacher notes page for each source gives you background information about the primary source to share in class discussions, plus lots of prompts you can use as needed to help students dig deeper!

Leveled Literacy helps to meet your students’ differentiated needs.

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Informational text reading selections are provided on two different reading levels. Each version covers the same content and includes the same high-tier DOK questions for students to think about and discuss. These ready-to-use resources allow all students to participate in whole-class discussions based on independent reading!

Vocabulary instruction is essential for academic success! Preparing students for learning content by teaching and assessing vocabulary helps you identify and break through learning roadblocks before they get in the way of students!

More than twenty different types of Graphic Organizers are used throughout the year to help students visualize how to organize information and strengthen their analytical thinking skills!
 

Each graphic organizer is designed so students can cut, fold, and glue it into their Student Books or interactive notebooks! How’s that for thinking ahead?!

Map Skills strengthen students’ ability to read, interpret, and use maps. Map Skills pages cover both content and skills. They give students extra practice and instruction to help build their geographical understandings. With these skills, students can also analyze political, cultural, and historical information presented via maps.

Interactive Workbooks are guided reviews of key content, concepts, and skills. They conduct scavenger hunts through the Student Book to provide a great hands-on reinforcement.  They also cleverly integrate social studies information processing skills into topics all year long!

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Study Guides are detailed, key-point reviews of what students need to know. Study Guides make a great reverse roadmap for each chapter or unit. You can assign them as homework, as an “open book test,” or as an in-class review. These are a great tool for ensuring student success!