California Elementary Social Studies: Early American History, Grades 1–4
California Grades 1–4 teachers and homeschool parents who want ready history lessons can use the Early American History Bundle: eight units on Native Americans, explorers, the Pilgrims, pioneers, timelines, historical sources, and school and family life then and now. It costs $99.99 and is planned down to the worksheet. It was not written for California, so there is nothing on the state's own history and no standards codes.
Browse the 8 early America unitsThe Early American History Bundle costs $99.99 (parts $199.92) for eight Grades 1–4 units. Each unit has an overview and three sub-units with a lesson plan, a differentiated worksheet with a reading passage and word bank, a project or source activity, an answer key and slides. In California it fits the then-and-now and early America threads of the elementary grades. It is not aligned to the History-Social Science Content Standards.
The resources
Early American History Bundle, Grades 1–4
8 resources in one download: $99.99 instead of $199.92 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Early American History Bundle | Native Americans, Explorers, Pilgrims & Pioneers | 8 Units | Grades 1–4
Elementary History Curriculum | All 20 History Units | Grades 1–4
Ancient Civilizations Bundle | Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, Vikings & Stone Age | 8 Units | Grades 1–4
Civics & Civil Rights Bundle | Martin Luther King Jr., Voting, Direct Democracy & Freedom of the Press | 4 Resources | Grades 5–9
The real problem
California's elementary history themes and where this bundle sits
California's History-Social Science Content Standards, adopted in 1998, and the History-Social Science Framework the State Board of Education adopted on July 14, 2016, give each elementary grade a theme. Kindergarten is Learning and Working Now and Long Ago. Grade 1 is A Child's Place in Time and Space, Grade 2 is People Who Make a Difference, Grade 3 is Continuity and Change, and Grade 4 is California: A Changing State. Grade 5 moves to United States History and Geography: Making a New Nation. That structure asks young students to compare past and present early and often, well before they reach a full U.S. history course. A Grade 3 teacher working on continuity and change needs material on how school, family life and work looked in earlier times. A Grade 4 teacher needs background on Native peoples and early settlement before the California story makes sense, and a Grade 5 teacher wants students who already know what a primary source is. Writing all of that from scratch is slow, especially at reading levels that work for seven- and eight-year-olds. What helps is a set of short, planned units you can place wherever your grade's theme calls for them.
Why it fits
Matching the eight units to California grade themes
These are placement suggestions, not a standards match. Read your grade's standards and choose.
- School Then and Now and Family & Daily Life Then and Now suit Grade 3's focus on continuity and change.
- Timelines & Measuring Time gives Grade 1 and 2 students the tools behind any lesson on time and place.
- Native Americans: First Peoples of North America offers factual, respectful background before Grade 4 state history.
- The explorers, Pilgrims and pioneers units prepare students for the U.S. history course they meet in Grade 5.
- The historical sources unit teaches children to ask where evidence comes from, a skill every grade uses.
- Differentiated worksheets with reading passages and word banks give English learners extra support.
Getting started
One possible plan for a Grade 3 or Grade 4 class
The units can be taught in any order. This sequence starts close to students' own lives and widens out.
- Begin with time itselfTeach Timelines & Measuring Time so students can place events before and after one another. A class timeline started here can stay on the wall all year and collect every unit that follows.
- Compare then and nowUse School Then and Now and Family & Daily Life Then and Now. Students compare their own day with children's lives in the past, which gives the idea of continuity and change a concrete meaning.
- Learn how we knowAdd the historical sources unit. Students look at images and short texts and ask who made them and why, a habit you can repeat in every unit after this one.
- First peoples, then newcomersTeach Native Americans: First Peoples of North America, then the explorers and Pilgrims units. Keep the discussion factual and present Native nations as peoples with their own histories and ways of life.
- Pioneers, then your California lessonsFinish with Pioneers & Life on the Frontier. Then bridge to the California lessons you supply by asking students what changed when new groups arrived in the places they know.
What to buy
Choosing between the history bundles
The Early American History Bundle at $99.99 (parts $199.92) is the right pick if your focus is early America and then-and-now topics. If you would rather have every elementary unit in one download, the Elementary History Curriculum covers all 20 units, including ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and the Vikings, for $169.99 instead of $499.80. The Ancient Civilizations Bundle ($99.99) holds the eight ancient world units on their own. For older students in Grades 5–9, the Civics & Civil Rights Bundle ($54.99, parts $79.96) adds Martin Luther King Jr., the I Have a Dream speech, voting and freedom of the press.
Honest limits
What you will add yourself
There is no California content in this bundle: no state history, no standards codes, and no alignment with or approval under the History-Social Science Content Standards or the framework. Grade 4, California: A Changing State, still needs your own lessons or your district's program. Read the standards for your grade and place the units where they fit. Paper, project supplies and a screen for the slides are yours to provide. One purchase covers your own teaching; for grade-level team use, message Teach Lessons first. Within 7 days you may exchange the bundle for store credit of equal value.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this aligned to California's History-Social Science standards?
No. The bundle is not aligned with, reviewed under or approved for the History-Social Science Content Standards or the 2016 framework. Some topics overlap with grade themes such as Continuity and Change, but you should check each unit against your grade's standards and your district's adopted materials before using it.
Does it teach California history for Grade 4?
No. There is no unit on California's own history. The Native Americans, explorers and pioneers units can serve as background, but the state history taught in Grade 4, California: A Changing State, has to come from your own materials or from your district's adopted program.
How are Native Americans and the Pilgrims handled?
The units treat these topics factually and respectfully, with source work rather than legend. Native peoples are presented as the first peoples of North America with their own ways of life. Preview the lesson plans so the discussion suits your class and any guidance from your school or local community.
Can I use it as a California homeschool parent?
Yes. Families running a home-based private school choose and supply their own materials, and each sub-unit comes with a step-by-step lesson plan and answer key. If you homeschool through a charter school or independent study program, ask that program what you may purchase before you order.
Which grade is it best for?
The units are written for Grades 1–4 and can be taught in any order. The then-and-now and timeline units sit comfortably in Grades 1–3, while the explorers, Pilgrims and pioneers units may suit Grades 3–4 better. The differentiated worksheets let you adjust the reading load for different readers within one class.
What exactly do I download?
Eight units, each with an overview and three sub-units. Every sub-unit has a lesson plan, a differentiated worksheet with reading passage and word bank, a project or source activity, an answer key and slides. The link arrives by email after purchase and stays in your account under Orders.
Early American history, planned down to the worksheet
Open the bundle page to read the full list of eight units and decide where each one goes in your year.
Browse the 8 early America units