Homeschooling in Florida: A Grades 1–4 History Curriculum to Consider
Homeschooling in Florida: A Grades 1–4 History Curriculum to Consider
Florida homeschool families looking for a history curriculum for young children can consider the Elementary History Curriculum: all 20 Grades 1–4 history units in one download, each with lesson plans, reading worksheets, projects, answer keys and slides. It does not meet any Florida legal requirement by itself and has no Florida history, but it gives you a history strand for the year and plenty of work for your portfolio.
Look at all 20 unitsThe Elementary History Curriculum costs $169.99 and contains all 20 elementary history units for Grades 1–4, which would total $499.80 bought separately. Topics run from the Stone Age, Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and the Vikings to knights, Native Americans, explorers, Pilgrims, pioneers and then-and-now units. Every unit has three sub-units, each with a step-by-step lesson plan, a differentiated worksheet with reading passage, a project or source activity, an answer key and slides.
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
What Florida's home education rules ask you to keep
Florida's home education program runs under s. 1002.41, F.S. You file a notice of intent with your county school superintendent within 30 days of starting, and you do not refile it each year. During the year you keep a portfolio: a log of educational activities, written as you go, that lists the reading materials you used, plus samples of your child's work. The portfolio is kept for two years, and the superintendent can ask to inspect it with 15 days' written notice. Each year you also file an annual evaluation, choosing one of five options: a portfolio review by a certified teacher, a nationally normed test given by a certified teacher, the state assessment, an evaluation by a licensed psychologist, or another tool agreed with the superintendent. When you finish, or move out of the county, a termination notice is due within 30 days. Some families instead enroll in a private school registered with the Florida Department of Education as an umbrella, or use a private tutor who holds a Florida certificate. None of this tells you what to teach in history on a Tuesday morning. The hard part is usually finding material a six- or eight-year-old can read, that produces real work for the portfolio, and that does not need hours of planning first.
Why it fits
How the curriculum fits a Florida home school
The units were written for classrooms, but the structure suits a parent teaching one or two children at the kitchen table.
- Step-by-step lesson plans mean you can teach a topic without reading up on it the night before.
- Reading passages with word banks give young children texts they can manage, and each can go in your log.
- Completed worksheets and project pages make ready work samples for the portfolio you keep for two years.
- Answer keys let you check work quickly and show what was assessed if a certified teacher reviews the portfolio.
- Differentiated worksheets let siblings in different grades study the same unit at different levels.
- Then-and-now units on school, family, trades and inventions connect history to a young child's daily life.
Getting started
Using it through a homeschool year
A suggested rhythm for families. Adjust it to your child's pace and your own week.
- Choose a starting strandStart with the then-and-now units for younger children, or with the Stone Age and ancient Egypt if your child already loves old things. The order is up to you.
- Log as you goNote each reading passage and activity in your log on the day you use it. Florida's portfolio asks for a log made during instruction, so a weekly habit is easier than reconstructing months later.
- Keep one sample per sub-unitFile one finished worksheet or project from each sub-unit. With three sub-units in each of the 20 units, that builds a clear record of history work across the year.
- Add Florida history yourselfThe curriculum has no Florida content. Add library books, local museum visits or field trips on Florida's past, and record them in the same log as everything else.
- Prepare for the annual evaluationA few weeks before your evaluation, gather representative samples and the answer keys you used. Ask your evaluator what they want to see, since each evaluation option works differently.
What to buy
The full curriculum or a smaller bundle
If history for the whole Grades 1–4 span is the goal, the Elementary History Curriculum at $169.99 gives you every unit instead of paying $499.80 for them one by one. Families who mostly want American topics can start with the Early American History Bundle ($99.99, parts $199.92): Native Americans, explorers, Pilgrims, pioneers, timelines, sources and then-and-now units. The Ancient Civilizations Bundle ($99.99, parts $199.92) is the ancient-world half. Buying both eight-unit bundles costs more than the full curriculum. With children in Grades 3–6 across several subjects, the Complete Learning Books Bundle ($99.90) spans grammar, math, science, history, ESL, art and music in 10 units.
Honest limits
Honest limits for Florida families
This curriculum does not satisfy Florida's home education law on its own, and no product can make that promise. It has no Florida history, no state benchmark codes and no preparation for any particular evaluation option. You still decide what to teach in other subjects, keep the log and portfolio, and arrange the annual evaluation. Check current requirements with your county superintendent's office or a homeschool legal resource, since rules can change. Craft supplies for the projects are yours. If your co-op wants to share it, message Teach Lessons first. Within 7 days, a purchase that does not fit can be exchanged for store credit of equal value, not cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does this curriculum meet Florida homeschool requirements?
No product can do that for you. The curriculum is not approved or endorsed under Florida law and is not aligned to Florida's standards. Florida's home education program sets duties such as the notice of intent, the portfolio and the annual evaluation; this curriculum helps with the history part of your teaching, but compliance is yours. Check current law with your county or a homeschool legal resource.
Can I list the units in my portfolio log?
Yes. The log asks you to list the reading materials you used, so unit titles and reading passages can go straight into it. Add the date and what your child did. Completed worksheets and project pages then sit behind the log as work samples, in the order you taught them.
Will a certified teacher reviewing the portfolio accept it?
That decision belongs to your evaluator, not to Teach Lessons. What the curriculum gives you is organized student work with answer keys, which makes a review easier to prepare. Ask your evaluator early in the year what they like to see for history and how much of it.
Can siblings of different ages use one copy?
Yes, within your own family. The worksheets are differentiated, so a Grade 1 child and a Grade 4 child can work on the same unit at different levels. The licence covers your own teaching; sharing with other families or a co-op needs a message to Teach Lessons first.
Can I pay with a scholarship or education savings account?
Teach Lessons does not claim to be an approved vendor of any Florida scholarship or education savings program. If you use one, check your program's rules and vendor list before buying, and keep your order confirmation in case the program asks for proof of the purchase later.
How is it delivered?
As digital files. A download link arrives by email right after checkout, and the files stay in your customer account under Orders. Print the worksheets as you need them, or show the slides on a laptop or TV while you teach. Nothing ships to your house, so you can start the same day.
History for the whole Grades 1–4 stretch
Open the product page to read the full list of 20 units and decide where your child should start.
Look at all 20 units