Alaska Grades 1–3 Social Studies: Then and Now Units for Young Learners
Alaska Grades 1–3 Social Studies: Then and Now Units for Young Learners
Looking for first-grade then-and-now social studies that works in an Alaska classroom? The Then and Now Social Studies Bundle ($89.99) gives you six units for Grades 1–3: school, family and daily life, old trades, inventions, timelines and historical sources. They teach how life changes over time in general terms, so you bring the Alaska and community examples your students know.
Browse the six unitsFor an Alaska teacher in Grades 1–3, the Then and Now Social Studies Bundle ($89.99) supplies six ready units on how life has changed: School Then and Now, Family & Daily Life Then and Now, Old Trades & Crafts, Inventions That Changed the World, Timelines & Measuring Time, and Traces of the Past. Each has three sub-units with a lesson plan, differentiated worksheet, activity, answer key and slides. It contains no Alaska or Alaska Native content.
The resources
Then and Now Social Studies Bundle, Grades 1–3
6 resources in one download: $89.99 instead of $149.94 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Then and Now Social Studies Bundle | School, Family, Trades, Inventions, Timelines & Sources | 6 Units | Grades 1–3
Elementary History Curriculum | All 20 History Units | Grades 1–4
Early American History Bundle | Native Americans, Explorers, Pilgrims & Pioneers | 8 Units | Grades 1–4
Thanksgiving and Fall Bundle | Pilgrims, First Peoples, Autumn Crafts | Grades K–4
The real problem
Past and present under Alaska's 2024 standards
Alaska adopted revised Alaska Social Studies Standards in December 2024. From kindergarten through Grade 5 they are set by grade, and the early titles widen step by step: Grade 1 is My Place in the World, Grade 2 is My Local Community, and Grade 3 is Alaska's Past, Present, and Future. That third title shows what makes this age range tricky. Children need to grasp that the past was different before they can make sense of their own region's history, and for a six-year-old that idea is slippery. Long ago can mean last summer or a thousand years. A then-and-now unit gives them handles: timelines, old objects, photographs, stories from older relatives. The harder part in Alaska is that daily life differs so much from one community to the next that no national resource can speak to every student's place. The state also lists the Alaska Cultural Standards from 1998 next to its subject standards, so ask your district how it expects local culture to show up in lessons. Time is the other constraint. Some districts run a four-day week; Southeast Island School District made the switch for most of its schools starting in 2013–14. Fewer days per week favor lessons that are fully planned before Monday.
Why it fits
Where the six units help in Grades 1–3
The units teach the idea of change over time. Your community supplies the examples.
- School Then and Now lets first graders compare their own classroom with schools of the past.
- Family & Daily Life Then and Now is a natural moment to invite a grandparent or elder to share memories.
- Old Trades & Crafts, from smith to baker, opens a talk about the work people in your town do now.
- Timelines & Measuring Time builds the sense of order third graders need before studying Alaska's past.
- Traces of the Past shows young children how objects, pictures and texts tell us about earlier times.
- Worksheets with reading passages and word banks support early readers and English learners in one room.
Getting started
One way to pace the bundle in a four- or five-day week
A suggestion only. Check your district's scope and sequence and move units between grades as needed.
- Grade 1: school and familyTeach School Then and Now and Family & Daily Life Then and Now. With three sub-units each, one sub-unit per week fits a short social studies slot, even on a four-day schedule.
- Add a local voiceFor each family or school sub-unit, invite a family member, elder or community guest to describe how things used to be. Students then compare what they heard with the worksheet.
- Grade 2: work and inventionsUse Old Trades & Crafts and Inventions That Changed the World while your class studies its local community. Ask students which of those trades they still see around town.
- Grade 3: time and sources firstTeach Timelines & Measuring Time and Traces of the Past early in the year, before you turn to Alaska's past, present and future with your own state materials.
- Reuse the slidesEvery sub-unit has slides. Bring them back for review days, substitute days or for students returning after a long absence, so nobody has to catch up from a blank page.
What to buy
Then and Now bundle or the full history series
If your goal is the past-and-present strand for Grades 1–3, the Then and Now Social Studies Bundle at $89.99 (parts $149.94) fits best. A school that wants Grades 1–4 history from one source can choose the Elementary History Curriculum ($169.99, parts $499.80), which includes these six units plus 14 more. The Early American History Bundle ($99.99) suits teachers heading into Grade 4, but four of its eight units repeat units in this bundle. For one November block, the Thanksgiving and Fall Bundle ($49.99) has two history units and two fall art activities.
Honest limits
What the bundle does not include
The units are not written for Alaska. They have no Alaska history, no Alaska Native content and no codes from the Alaska Social Studies Standards or the Alaska Cultural Standards, so you add local examples, stories and guests and check each lesson against your district's expectations. Grade 3's focus on Alaska still needs your own state material. Printing and any craft materials are yours. A school sharing files across classrooms should message Teach Lessons first. Within 7 days you can trade it for store credit of equal value if it does not suit your class, though not for cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this aligned with the 2024 Alaska Social Studies Standards?
No. The bundle is not aligned with, reviewed under or endorsed by the Alaska Social Studies Standards or the Alaska Cultural Standards. The topics sit close to the early-grade titles, such as My Place in the World and My Local Community, but you need to check each lesson against the standards and your district's curriculum yourself.
Does it include Alaska Native history or cultures?
No. None of the six units covers Alaska Native peoples, languages or history, and it would be wrong to treat a general unit as a substitute. Work with your district's cultural resources, local elders or community partners for that content. The then-and-now units can open the door to those conversations, but they do not replace them.
Is the reading too hard for first graders?
Each worksheet is differentiated and comes with a detailed reading passage and a word bank. With first graders, read the passage aloud or together, use the slides for pictures and talk, and let stronger readers work on the worksheet alone. Second and third graders can take on more of the reading themselves.
What exactly is in one sub-unit?
Five resources: a step-by-step lesson plan, a differentiated worksheet with reading passage and word bank, a project or primary-source activity, a complete answer key and slides. Each unit adds an overview, and the six units together give you eighteen sub-units to spread across the year.
Our district runs a four-day week. Will this still fit?
It can. Because each sub-unit is a self-contained lesson with its own plan and slides, you decide how many to teach per week. On a compressed schedule, one sub-unit a week per grade is a realistic starting point. Treat that as a suggestion and adjust to your district's calendar.
Can the other primary teachers at my school use it too?
Your purchase is licensed for your own classroom. Use across a team or school is possible after a short message to Teach Lessons, so ask before sharing the files with colleagues. You receive all six units right after purchase by email and in your customer account under Orders.
Bring the past into your Grades 1–3 room
Open the product page to see the six units and what each sub-unit contains.
Browse the six units