Missouri Four-Day School Week: Grades 1–4 History That Fits Fewer Days
Yes, a Missouri elementary class on a four-day calendar can still teach a full strand of history, as long as each lesson is already planned and sized for a longer day. The Elementary History Curriculum gives Grades 1–4 teachers all 20 history units, each split into three sub-units with a lesson plan, worksheet, activity and slides, so the shorter week costs you no planning time.
See all 20 history unitsFor a Missouri elementary school on a four-day calendar, the Elementary History Curriculum ($169.99) is the most complete history option: all 20 Grades 1–4 units, from ancient Egypt and the Vikings to Pilgrims, pioneers and school then and now. Each unit has 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 is not written for Missouri, so check the fit yourself.
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 changes when Missouri students lose a weekday
A four-day week does not shrink the history you are expected to teach. It packs it into fewer, longer days, and in the early grades that is harder than it sounds. A seven-year-old will not sit through a double-length talk about ancient Rome, so a long block only works when it moves between reading, talking, making and checking. Missouri adds a public layer on top. A 2024 state law requires districts in counties or cities with more than 30,000 residents to put a four-day calendar to a public vote, and affected districts hold that vote starting with the 2026–27 school year. Independence voters approved keeping their four-day week in November 2025 and will be asked again every 10 years; Crystal City voters approved it too. The same law created teacher-pay incentives for districts that return to five days. For a classroom teacher, that means the calendar can stay or change with a vote, and history plans should hold up either way. Social studies is also the subject that tends to get pushed aside when reading and math claim the long days. What helps is material already built in parts you can stack on a long day or split across two short ones, with nothing to rewrite when the schedule moves.
Why it fits
How the 20 units sit in a longer school day
Every unit follows the same pattern, which makes long-day planning predictable from the first week to the last.
- Each unit splits into three sub-units, so one sub-unit can fill a single long history block.
- A step-by-step lesson plan in every sub-unit means no evening prep over the three-day weekend.
- Differentiated worksheets with reading passages and word banks support early and confident readers in one room.
- A project or source activity in each sub-unit breaks up a long block with hands-on work.
- Slides for every sub-unit let you open the lesson on the board within minutes.
- Topics run from the Stone Age and ancient China to pioneers and old trades, built for a whole year.
Getting started
A suggested pacing for four long days
Treat this as a starting point, not a fixed schedule. Adjust it to the number of history blocks your district's calendar actually gives you.
- Choose units by grade and seasonPick the units for your grade, then place seasonal topics such as Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving in late fall. The units stand on their own, so you set the order.
- Use one sub-unit per long blockOn a longer day, teach the lesson plan, run the worksheet and finish with the activity in one sitting. Three history blocks then cover one unit, which is easy to track on a calendar.
- Hold the activity for the next slotWhen a week loses a day to a holiday or assembly, teach the reading and worksheet first and save the project or source activity for the next history slot. Nothing is lost.
- Check work with the answer keyUse the answer key for quick checks during the block, or let students self-correct in pairs before you collect the sheets. You see the gaps before the next sub-unit starts.
- Keep the plan ready for a new calendarIf a vote moves your district back to five days, the same sub-units split into shorter lessons. The material does not depend on the schedule, so nothing needs to be rebuilt.
What to buy
All 20 units, or a smaller history bundle?
The Elementary History Curriculum ($169.99, parts bought separately $499.80) makes sense if history runs all year in your Grades 1–4 classroom and you want one source for it. If you mainly teach early America in the fall, the Early American History Bundle ($99.99, parts $199.92) covers Native Americans, explorers, the Pilgrims, pioneers, timelines, historical sources and then-and-now units. The Ancient Civilizations Bundle ($99.99, parts $199.92) collects Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, the Stone Age and the Vikings. Teachers in Grades 3–6 who want several subjects in one purchase can look at the Complete Learning Books Bundle ($99.90).
Honest limits
What this curriculum will not do for you
This curriculum was not written for Missouri. It has no Missouri history unit and no state standards codes, so compare the units with the standards and pacing guide your district uses before you plan around them. You supply the rest of the classroom: printing, any craft or project materials, and the screen that shows the slides. The licence covers your own teaching; for a grade-level team or a whole building, send Teach Lessons a short message first. If it turns out not to fit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value, not a cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does this match Missouri's social studies standards?
No claim of that kind is made. The curriculum is not aligned to, endorsed by or approved for any Missouri standards, and it contains no Missouri-specific content. It covers broad history topics for Grades 1–4, such as ancient civilizations, early America and then-and-now comparisons. Set the unit list next to your district's grade-level expectations and decide which units belong in your year before you plan.
What if our district goes back to a five-day week?
Because every unit is split into three sub-units, each with its own lesson plan, worksheet, activity, answer key and slides, you can teach one sub-unit across two shorter lessons instead of one long block. The content has nothing to do with the calendar, so a vote that changes your schedule leaves the material as useful as before.
Can a substitute teach a history block from it?
The lesson plans are step by step and the answer keys are complete, which makes a history sub-unit a workable sub plan. Leave the printed worksheet and the slides ready and point the substitute to the lesson plan for that sub-unit. The project or source activity may need a short note about any materials you have set out.
Which topics come with the 20 units?
Ancient Egypt with pyramids, mummies and hieroglyphs, the Greeks, the Romans, ancient China, the Stone Age, the Vikings, knights and castles, medieval towns, Native Americans, explorers, the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving, pioneers on the frontier, timelines, historical sources, inventions, old trades and crafts, and school and family life then and now.
How do I get the files after buying?
Everything is a digital download. A download link arrives by email right after purchase, and the files also stay in your customer account under Orders. You can print the worksheets and answer keys or use the materials in a digital classroom, so nothing ships and you can plan the next long day the same evening.
Can our grade-level team share one purchase?
The standard licence covers use in your own teaching. If several teachers on your four-day campus want to use the same units, send Teach Lessons a short message before buying and ask about team use. Please do not put the files in an open shared folder, resell them or post them online.
Plan the history block once, then teach it
Open the product page to see all 20 unit titles and what each sub-unit contains.
See all 20 history units