Colorado Elementary Social Studies: 20 Ready History Units for Grades 1–4
The Elementary History Curriculum gives a Colorado K–5 teacher or homeschool parent the history lessons for Grades 1–4, all 20 units planned, for $169.99. It will not teach your neighborhood, your region or Colorado itself; those grade-level focuses stay with you. What it adds is the past: then-and-now units, timelines, sources and the ancient and early American stories children ask about.
Browse all 20 history unitsThe Elementary History Curriculum ($169.99) contains all 20 elementary history units for Grades 1–4: ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and China, the Stone Age, Vikings, knights and medieval towns, Native Americans, explorers, Pilgrims and pioneers, plus then-and-now units on school, family, trades and inventions. Each unit has an overview and three sub-units with a lesson plan, a differentiated worksheet with reading passage and word bank, a project or source activity, an answer key and slides. It contains no Colorado content.
The resources
Elementary History Curriculum, Grades 1–4
20 resources in one download: $169.99 instead of $499.80 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Elementary History Curriculum | All 20 History Units | Grades 1–4
Early American History Bundle | Native Americans, Explorers, Pilgrims & Pioneers | 8 Units | Grades 1–4
Ancient Civilizations Bundle | Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, Vikings & Stone Age | 8 Units | Grades 1–4
Complete Learning Books Bundle | 10 Units: Grammar, Math, Science, History, ESL, Art & Music | Grades 3–6
Teach-Life-Balance: The Complete Time-Saving Course for Teachers (incl. Planner, Guides & Templates)
The real problem
Colorado's early grades start close to home
The Colorado Academic Standards for social studies were revised and approved in 2022, and the next revision is expected to begin in late 2026 or early 2027. The state's scope and sequence moves outward year by year. Grade 1 looks at the classroom, the school and the local neighborhood. Grade 2 studies the local community. Grade 3 turns to regions, specific to where students live, and Grade 4 is Colorado. Early U.S. history, from the pre-colonial era through the American Revolution, comes in Grade 5. That shape creates a real gap for teachers. The local topics are best taught from local material: a walk around the block, a town map, a visit from a long-time resident. No catalog product can supply those. But young children also need to learn how to think about the past: that things change, that people lived differently, that we know about it from evidence. Building those history lessons from scratch, with readable passages and worksheets for mixed reading levels, takes far longer than planning a neighborhood walk. A homeschool family has the same split, often with two or three children in different grades.
Why it fits
Where history units help in a Colorado classroom
Use the units to carry the time-and-change thinking while you supply the place-based content. These parts connect most directly.
- School Then and Now pairs well with a Grade 1 study of your own classroom and school.
- Family & Daily Life Then and Now and Old Trades & Crafts suit a Grade 2 community study.
- Timelines & Measuring Time teaches the sequencing skills every later history unit relies on.
- Traces of the Past gives students practice asking what an object or picture tells us.
- Native Americans, explorers, Pilgrims and pioneers units can preview Colorado's Grade 5 early U.S. history.
- Ancient world units on Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and Vikings work as enrichment or homeschool strands.
Getting started
Pairing the units with Colorado's grade focus
A suggested pairing for each grade. Your district's adopted materials and calendar come first.
- Grade 1: my school, then and nowTeach your own classroom and neighborhood lessons, then use School Then and Now to compare today's school with schools of the past. The worksheet word bank helps early readers with new words.
- Grade 2: community and workWhile students study your local community, add Old Trades & Crafts and Family & Daily Life Then and Now. Ask students to compare the jobs in the unit with jobs in your town.
- Grade 3: regions and evidenceYour region study is local. Add Traces of the Past and Timelines & Measuring Time so students can read evidence about how your region looked in earlier times.
- Grade 4: Colorado plus contextColorado content is yours to supply. Native Americans: First Peoples of North America and Pioneers & Life on the Frontier can give national background before or after your state lessons.
- Any grade: sub days and enrichmentThe ancient world units each have three sub-units with plans and slides, so they work for substitute days, a history club or a homeschool year built around ancient civilizations.
What to buy
All 20 units, or a smaller bundle
Choose the Elementary History Curriculum at $169.99 if you teach several grades, run a homeschool with children of different ages, or want every option on file; the 20 units cost $499.80 separately. A teacher who only wants the early America units can take the Early American History Bundle ($99.99, parts $199.92), and one who wants the ancient world strand can take the Ancient Civilizations Bundle ($99.99, parts $199.92). Homeschool families with children in Grades 3–6 may also look at the Complete Learning Books Bundle ($99.90). The Teach-Life-Balance course ($89.90) is a separate time-saving course for teachers.
Honest limits
What is not in the box
The units are not written for Colorado. They contain no Colorado history, no neighborhood, community or regional content, and no Colorado Academic Standards codes. Check each unit against the grade-level standards your district or homeschool plan follows. The ancient world units sit outside Colorado's Grades 1–4 focus, so use them by choice. You supply local material, printing and craft supplies for projects. The licence is for your own teaching; ask Teach Lessons first about team or school use. If the curriculum is not right for you, exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value. There are no cash refunds.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this aligned to the Colorado Academic Standards for social studies?
No. The curriculum is not aligned to, approved under or written for the Colorado Academic Standards, and no such claim is made. Colorado's early grades focus on the neighborhood, community, region and state, which this product does not cover. Read the unit list against your grade's standards and decide where it supports your plan.
Does it include Colorado history for Grade 4?
No. There is no Colorado unit in the set. For that year you will need state and local sources of your own choosing. The Native Americans and Pioneers units can give national background before or after your state lessons, but the Colorado story itself, with its places and people, comes from material you select.
Our district will revise the standards soon. Should I wait?
The next revision of Colorado's social studies standards is expected to begin in late 2026 or early 2027, and nobody can say yet what will change. These units teach general history content and skills rather than a standards list, so a revision does not make them obsolete. Recheck your plan once the new standards are out.
Can a homeschool family in Colorado use it?
Yes. History is among the subjects Colorado's home-based education statute names, and the curriculum suits families with children in Grades 1–4. It is not a legal answer to anything in Colorado's homeschool law; check current law with the state or a homeschool legal resource before you plan your year.
What does one unit contain?
An overview plus three ready-to-teach sub-units. Each sub-unit has a step-by-step lesson plan, a differentiated worksheet with a detailed reading passage and word bank, a project or primary-source activity, a complete answer key and slides. Across 20 units, that gives you a large set of lessons to choose from.
How are sensitive topics like Native Americans and the Pilgrims taught?
Factually and respectfully. The Native Americans unit presents the first peoples of North America with their own ways of life, and the Pilgrims unit relies on sources rather than a holiday story. As with any material on these topics, preview the slides and reading passages before teaching.
History lessons ready, local studies in your hands
Read all 20 unit titles on the product page and pick the ones your grade will use first.
Browse all 20 history units